【Sea and River Night Talk】Management is merely a means

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Alibaba has many young female employees who, once pregnant, need health protection while working. Jack Ma decided to provide pregnant employees with maternity clothing, and asked the relevant department to draft management regulations. Soon, the management regulations were drafted and submitted to Jack Ma for approval. Jack Ma took a few glances, picked up a pen and marked it with an “×”, rejecting it! The supervisor felt aggrieved; it had taken many people countless meetings and extra hours of work to get this done, with every detail being perfect. How could the boss treat it like this! Jack Ma said, “Applications, approvals, deposits – a whole bunch of procedures that seem perfect on the surface, but the approach is wrong.” Management systems must be in line with human nature; systems that suppress it are better left out. ”The supervisor was confused. Jack Ma said, “No approval is needed; once an employee declares that she is pregnant, she can go straight to the warehouse to get it.” ”The supervisor asked, “What if someone claims it fraudulently?” ”Jack Ma said, “First, you must believe that employees will not embezzle.” Second, if it is misappropriated, everything will become apparent after three months. ”Later, the system was changed so that employees could pick up items directly from the warehouse, requiring only a simple signing procedure. Since the system was introduced, there has never been any issue of misappropriation that the supervisors were concerned about. What makes a system a good system? In simple terms, simplicity means being practical, in line with human nature, easy to understand, fair and just, consistent, feasible to implement, conducive to achieving goals, improving overall efficiency, and providing guidance and motivation. In summary, the purpose of a good system is to help the company operate better, rather than managing for the sake of management. Management is not an end in itself, but a means.