M3T Crew

The purpose of the video is to show parts of the intellectual history of management in a way easy to interpret even for those not familiar with the academics of management. The lyrics focus on chosen parts of management and emphasize the message by practical examples. Of course we weren’t able to include every part of management history since it then would have ended in a whole full-length album or a complete symphony. The different perspectives chosen were those we thought best highlighting the views on how management has changed over time. As probably noticed while watching, the video includes a humoristic touch and this approach has also been incorporated when we chose which parts of management history to include. As for the visual, we have had one thought, to combine classic hip-hop video style with illustrations of the management routines described in the lyrics. This will further on contribute to this video being easier to comprehend. The classic hip-hop approach applied to 5 white guys in shiny Adidas uniforms will hopefully even further lighten up the heavy theories described in the lyrics.

It’s a commonly shared opinion among the five of us, this course verifying management as a broad concept hard to put a single definition on, and that management can be looked at through many different perspectives. But whichever perspective chosen one fact remains, it’s essential you can communicate your ideas by taking your target group’s own “language” into account, thus making the message more easy to comprehend. With this communicative perspective in focus, one of the major purposes we hope this video to fulfill is reaching another audience than just academicians. Being more precise, we want to show chosen parts and angels of management for an audience we believe less likely running in to these academic routines of management. Hoping this will encourage a discussion about different management perspectives where it might not have happened otherwise. This in mind makes it quite obvious it’s not possible doing an abstract documentary, focusing on eventual similarities between Foucault’s views on management’s episteme and Poppers methodological induction. To reach an audience less familiar with this very subject, you have to communicate in a way they understand and feel comfortable with. Here you can see strong connections to managing a company or an organization; even if you have the best strategies and the coolest management models, it’s useless if you’re not able to communicate them properly. Hence, one of the most essential aspects of management is making everyone understand where to go and which way to take. Academic routines can often seem boring for the “big mass” and we believe a humoristic approach could make the management history more interesting for our very target group. Besides the major point of the movie, i.e. communicating management theory in a new way to a new target group, it also highlights the importance of communication within the fields of management.

Hip-hop has for a long time been a tool for afro-American middle and lower class to communicate what life is all about, especially showing how the situations in some of the poorer suburbs of USA are experienced from within. We thought it a good idea taking this approach and communicating management through it, thus taking academic teaching to a completely new level; reaching people that so far have been overlooked when it comes to terms of distributing management theory.

Another reason we chose producing a hip-hop video are due to our beliefs that the management enclosing this task would be quite interesting. The management needed by us arranging and getting acceptance for the field trips to the studio and Bentleys were more demanding than we at first thought, not to mention persuading the Bentley manager to actually be a part of the video. The fact this being a zero budget production made it complicated finding a professional singer for the chorus, and even more finding a studio with someone helping us producing. There have been other suggestions of what to include in the video, which we after some time realized weren’t doable, but before accepting this we all pushed our personal connections to the limit. Another management issue we faced was to hype this project; we believed creating this hype could lead to mouth-to-mouth marketing, consequently resulting in many “hits” on Youtube. This reasoning is based on what Mr. Sköld observed in his truck-designing thesis. Sköld found out that what’s motivating truck drivers designing and “pimping” their trucks were not the actual result, but the hype of how great their next truck would be. We applied similar logic, if we get the buzz about this video going, people would build up expectations, thus urging them to see it. Hopefully, the viewers will be more satisfied after watching the video than the truck drivers were after designing the next truck.

Even before giving birth to the hip-hop idea we all agreed on doing a fun project, thus making us more committed to the task and able to produce something to be proud of. Not saying the other groups haven’t had fun, but we believe it fair to say we’re having the very most of it producing this video. Every time leaving for the studio or to shoot new scenes, the mood was at top. This might actually be the most fun we ever had at our soon to be four years at KTH. Practicing what’s been taught in theory is very valuable and it complements the teaching process satisfyingly, and if we, the students, are to be properly prepared for what’s facing us when graduated, we should definitely have more project-based learning implemented in our education.

At the beginning we had a totally different, much more academic approach. But it didn’t feel right; it became so bookish and scholastic. Then, after reflecting over the Youtube clip ‘Consulting paradise’, the hip-hop idea was born. Suddenly we were all engaged to the utmost, and the ideas were gushing. Thus confirming what’s written above, i.e. how important it is having fun, and how much better one then can make the result.

During this course we’ve been taught seeing management from several perspectives, and different models and relevant management history have been discussed during the lectures. Now the course ending, we reflect upon what we learned and how. The most learning took place during the project, managing five different minds wanting the same thing but each in their own splendid way. The models and historical perspectives are of course interesting but learning by doing is, as commonly known, the best way to learn something new.

During the project it’s been necessary for us doing further research about the different models and persons mentioned in the lyrics. Since we had to summarize and criticize them in just a few lines, understanding what they were all about was essential.

This project has indeed made the five of us, if possible, even closer. Even though the video has been ready for a while, we get together more often than before, and just ‘chilling’ which is enjoyable. It appears the kind of ‘Fun Management’ practiced by us during this project has been very successful. It is easier to work hard if you really enjoy what you are doing. Perhaps this is the title of the next Business Bestseller from KTH: ‘Fun Management – Why and how you want to do what you do’.

Considering further releases from Snowflake Productions is not unthinkable!   

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna find you and understand you.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna define you, and start consulting.

If we look back in time, hierarchy’s the way,

Everyone that works has a boss to obey.

This will ensure total control,

But that’s not how to roll!

‘Cause when the CEO comes down to the floor,

What’s he really looking for?

Everyone hides all the stuff that looks bad,
The CEO is still glad.

Taylors rhyme, specialization’s fine,

Scientific management is worth the dime.

Robots never take a leak, they don’t even sleep,

Emotion’s overrated human sissies just weep.

But robots can’t create, fuckers work to late,

Smash them to pieces and off to China State.
People that work need different things,

Maybe fly with their own wings.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna find you and understand you.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna define you, and start consulting.

You know the Hawthorne studies they made?

Change motivates people – not what they’re paid,

They wanted to know which way to go.

To make workers work their best in the flow,

Such a little thing as illumination change.

made a big difference – but it ain’t so strange.

For people to feel noticed and treated right,

you might only have to lower the light.

That’s right – Remember Core Competence,

Just thinking ’bout the products is nonsense.

Look inside the company see what we do best,

That, my friend, is the most important quest.

Build your company based on this,

And no opportunity you’ll ever miss.
Prahalad, Hamel, Leonard-Barton were correct,

Upon the Core Competence we must reflect.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna find you and understand you.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna define you, and start consulting.

You can’t learn it all,


From the models yeah,
oh baby hey baby


Gotta combine them all oh yeah.
Boston Ma-atrix, Seven S, Outsource, Benchmarking,
Six, Sigma, 
User Innovation, oh yeah.

We need to focus more on the people,

Their interaction is the company’s steeple.

Networking more important than feedback,

You should not… Yo, bring the beat back.
you should not stop worrying about sales rather,

you should start focusing on one another.

people should communicate as much they want,

and they won’t ever feel treated nonchalant.

Yo, so we talked about a thousand ways,

to look at management, and what they say.

Taylor, Mintzberg, Drucker, Hamel, Porter, Kotler, Prahalad, Dunbar,

Does anyone care who they are?

Can’t be defined, management’s too wide,

Look at those guys they already tried.

Management’s hard to put a finger on,

It’s what these guys make their money from.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna find you and understand you.

Management, Here I come, You can’t hide,

Gonna define you, and start consulting.