Javier Eguiguren

00137001

Critical thinking essay

Module 4- ARTISANAL FISHERIES

 Explain the advantages and disadvantages of bottom-up and top-down

management. Do you think that co-management is a realistic option?
Describe a time when you have participated in a co-management
decision. What challenges did you face?

An effective management is crucial for every company or organization in order to

work properly. There are two typical managerial approaches at most organizations,
the bottom-up management, and the top-down management. First, the top-down
management, this is model where the decisions, the tasks and the goals are
determined by the leaders or bosses that own the organization, it’s based on
communicating and ordering decisions to the employees. As everything, it has
advantages and disadvantages; one of the main reasons why this operation works, is
because it is the traditional approach of management that most employees are used, it
sets clear expectations and goals for people to accomplished, and the guidelines are
stablished. Also, the decisions can be taken very quickly, considering that time is an
important factor on the performance of the organization. On the other hand, the
disadvantages of this approach, are that usually employees feels disconnected from
the company, or that their opinion does not matter, they are just following
instructions from other people; thus, employees are not encouraged to improve
themselves or to be creative. Another important factor is that the leadership is not
always well qualified to give directions damaging the company performance.
(Gartenstein, 2019)

Second, bottom-up approach refers to employees’ feedback, meaning that the goals
are created in a participating space. Sometimes, they play an important role by
making decisions and sometimes they just speak up their ideas. They are separated by
teams in order to stablish the organization goals and then communicate to the
leadership. The advantages are that sometimes it can lead to a better performance
from the employees, because the feel listened and considered, so their productivity is
better, also people can set goals that are aligned to their needs and strengths; and,
most important employees can be the eyes and ears of the leaderships, watching the
processes. However, it has some disadvantages; for example, too much freedom can
slowdown the process and cause disorganization, also as they don’t have access to the
insight of the company, the goals may not be stablished as how the organization
should work. (Lee, 2021)

The management over the fisheries resources is usually and traditionally focus and
developed within the coastal states and common policies stablished by governments,
so the management is often a top-down approach. Generally, this approach has not
been effective enough to revert the going down situation for the fisheries and fishing
in general. I personally think that moving away from a top-down management and
eventually include and join a new approach, like the bottom-up, would help fisheries
move on into a governance more convergent and participative. In a case study done
in 2013, the authors said that fisheries can focus in MPA as a management tool to
stablished and evaluate their current management approach; thus, these tools can
benefit the fisheries industries by enhancing fisheries and resilience, and also to
conserve biodiversity, in case other management approaches do not work as they
should. (Arceo, Cazalet, Aliño, Mangialajo, & Francour, 2013)

I think that I have participated in a co-management decision only a few times. When I
was 15 years old, I went to a camp in New York for two months, where one day you
become the leader of the camp, that means that I worked with co-management with
the people in charge to make everything works. Considering this, I personally think
that co-management is a real option and if is stablished and organized well, it can be
very productive and affective.

Referencias
Arceo, H., Cazalet, B., Aliño, P., Mangialajo, L., & Francour, P. (may de 2013). Researchgate.
Obtenido de
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234026443_Moving_beyond_a_top-
down_fisheries_management_approach_in_the_northwestern_Mediterranean_Some
_lessons_from_the_Philippines

Davis, B. (2 de may de 2021 ). MVOrganizing. Obtenido de

https://www.mvorganizing.org/what-is-the-advantage-of-top-down-approach/
#What_is_the_advantage_of_top-down_approach

Gartenstein, D. (28 de march de 2019). bizfluent. Obtenido de https://bizfluent.com/info-

8375742-advantages-disadvantages-decentralization.html

Lee, S. (21 de march de 2021). Torch. Obtenido de https://torch.io/blog/top-bottom-

management-best-business/

OECD. (s.f.). Glossary of statistical. Obtenido de https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?

ID=382