When the American economist and management writer of Austrian origin, Peter Ferdinand Drucker (November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005), Professor and Head of the Business Administration Department at New York University, introduced the concept of "Management by Objectives" (MBO) in 1954 in his book The Practice of Management, he described it as a method in which every member of a business organization—whether individuals or managers—contributes to setting common general objectives. Their efforts should be aligned in the same direction, and their contributions should fit together to produce a complete and comprehensive whole, with no gaps, friction, or unnecessary duplication of effort. This requires that every organization—whether in the public or private sector—sets clear goals that it strives to achieve, and ensures that all administrative levels and employees are aware of these goals and how to achieve them.
When he established and wrote about this concept, Drucker did not anticipate that "MBO" would evolve into a comprehensive theory, leading to books being written about it, seminars being held, conferences organized, and it becoming a part of academic curricula in this field. The core idea behind "MBO" is to establish a mutual understanding between managers and employees regarding the goals to be achieved and the means to achieve them. The process also includes regular progress reviews, feedback, and adjustments to ensure the goals are effectively met.
" MBO," therefore, is one of the management strategies that allows the utilization of all available resources while simultaneously providing a common direction for efforts towards the vision, fostering team spirit, and aligning individual (employee) goals with the common and general interest of the organization.
The Relationship Between MBO and Objective Thought
Upon contemplating the concept of MBO, its nature, and its benefits, one would not hesitate to describe this type of management as "Objective thought in Management." Perhaps this is an uncharted area that has not been written about before, which is the relationship between Objective thought and management, or the application of Objective thought in management sciences. This area requires foundational and original writings belonging to interdisciplinary studies.
When considering this type of management, one finds it entirely compatible with Objective thought. It includes the following:
1. Setting an initial plan that defines achievable goals: This is the essence of Objective work, whether in jurisprudence or fatwa, where the mufti and jurist seek the objectives of Sharia rulings after discovering them through their established methods and work to achieve them when applying the ruling to reality. This provides a broad perspective within which the Mujtahid operates without deviating from its scope.
2. Discussing the plan with assistants who enrich or modify it: This ensures that the plan becomes suitable for achieving the goals, much like what fiqh academies do during their regular and emergency meetings through consultations and deliberations.
3. Agreeing on a collective work plan that includes the duties of the leader and workers: This refers to the means leading to the achievement of goals. It is established that our fiqh and Usul heritage is deeply engaged in discussions about the means and the rules governing their use. Its major guide is the effectiveness of these means in achieving the objectives. Any action that fails to achieve its intended purpose is considered invalid.
4. Commitment by each party to fulfill their assigned duties: This is a consequence of consultation and agreement on the work plan, which works towards activating energies, utilizing talents, and unleashing them to achieve the intended goals.
5. Reviewing results and evaluating the outlined work plan: This is akin to examining fatwas and Sharia-based judgments in light of their established objectives—whether the application has achieved all its objectives, some of them, none at all, or even contrary results. The situation is then evaluated according to its pre-established objectives, as the objectives govern the assessment and adjustment of the plan.
6. Refining the previous plan and aligning it with new circumstances: The Objective also plays a crucial role in this refinement or adjustment. No revision or modification is made except in light of the objectives, ensuring that the refinement or adjustment contributes to achieving the objectives. It is beneficial to know that pre-determined objectives provide great flexibility in selecting, evaluating, improving, and adjusting means. The objectives may also necessitate a change in means if required.
Benefits of MBO in Light of Objective Thought
When reflecting on this type of management, considering Objective thought and the objectives of Sharia, several benefits of implementing and adopting it become evident. Among the most important benefits are:
1. Unleashing creativity and innovation: Implementing the principle of consultation within the freedom of setting objectives by everyone unleashes the intellectual faculties to think and bring forth the best possible ideas. This directly contributes to "Preservation of the Mind," a fundamental necessity in Objective al-Sharia. The preservation of the mind is not achieved by prohibiting intoxicants alone but extends to the intellectual aspects that open horizons for the mind to think, innovate, and contribute, which is realized in the "MBO" approach.
2. Achieving cohesion and fraternity: This approach, through the principle of participation manifested in MBO, creates a healthy environment of understanding, acquaintance, fraternity, solidarity, and cooperation. All of this is among the most important Sharia objectives of Islam, which has legislated dozens, if not hundreds, of measures to achieve this goal. Suffice it to quote Allah's saying: “The believers are but brothers.” (Surah Al-Hujurat: 10), and the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.” (Sahih Muslim).
3. Sense of belonging and exerting utmost efforts: Participation and shared thinking in setting objectives create a sense of belonging to the organization among employees and a commitment to it, leading to exerting all efforts to achieve the agreed-upon goals. This upholds a major value in Islam, which is "Excellence in Work." Without a doubt, striving to achieve this is one of the objectives of Islam, as narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) when the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah loves when one performs a task with excellence.” (Al-Bayhaqi).
4. Reducing problems, unleashing energies, and speeding up achievements: Setting objectives or goals from the outset reduces disagreements, thus minimizing problems, expanding shared human and practical interests among individuals, and making them more capable of creativity and thinking in choosing methods, approaches, and mechanisms for work. All of this leads to faster achievements and reduces time, effort, and money to reach goals. This is exactly what Objective work and thought do; its consideration and application reduce disagreements among scholars, as determined by the scholars of Objective al-Sharia. Additionally, reducing problems, unleashing energies, discovering talents, and speeding up achievements are all intended by Sharia.
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(1) The book "Your Guide to Management by Objectives" by Ali Muhammad Abdulwahab: 8-9. Institute of Public Administration. Riyadh. 1980. The author then connects them with Objective (objectives) thought and the purposes of Sharia.
(2) Agreed upon. Reported by Al-Bukhari (6011) and Muslim (2586) through their chains of narration from Al-Nu'man bin Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him.
(3) Reported by Al-Suyuti in "Al-Jami' Al-Saghir" (1855) and cited by Al-Albani in "Sahih Al-Jami'" (1880).
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