The Manager's Dilemma: Balancing the Inverse Equation of Increasing Demands and Shrinking Resources

Abstract

When 80% of managers say the demands they face are increasing-but the resources to meet those growing responsibilities are not-it signals a dangerous and unavoidable problem for the millions of managerial professionals embedded within every sector and industry of our economy. But there are no simple solutions to reduce the gap because this is no ordinary challenge. The Manager's Dilemma reveals how the tension between shrinking capacity and increasing demands forces managers into an unwanted status quo where they constantly struggle to make progress, but never really catch up. Which important goal rises above other priorities? Which 'fire of the day' gets extinguished while others are selectively ignored simply because they can't all be put out?