INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT
Management is the process of working with and
through others to achieve organizational objectives in a
changing environment by balancing efficiency and
effectiveness.
According to Henri Fayol - „To manage is to forecast
and plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate and to
control‟.
Frederick Taylor- „Management is knowing exactly
what you want men to do and then seeing that they do it
in the best and efficient way‟.
James L. Lundy- „Management is principally the task
of planning, coordinating, motivating and controlling
the efforts of others towards a specific goal‟.
It is the art of getting things done through the
efforts of other people.
Central to the process of management is the
effective and efficient use of limited resources.
[Link] with and through others
-Managers are responsible for getting things done by
working with and through others. Research has shown
that aspiring managers who do not interact well with
others hamper their careers and have the following short
comings.
a. Problems with interpersonal relationships.
b. Failure to build and lead a team.
c. Failure to meet business objectives etc.
[Link] organizational objectives
-An objective is a target to be strived for and one hopes
attained
-A goal oriented approach strives to inspire and energize
employees to achieve greater organizational success.
-Organizational objectives also serve later as a yard stick
to measuring performance
Without organizational objectives, the management
process like a trip without a specific destination would be
aimless and wasteful.
[Link] Effectiveness and Efficiency
-Effectiveness entails promptly achieving a stated
objective while Efficiency is the quality of being efficient.
-When there is a balanced emphasis on effectiveness and
efficiency,the job gets done (effectiveness) and limited
resources are not wasted (effeciency).
[Link] the most of Limited Resources
-In productive organizations, managers are the trustees of
limited resources and it is their job to see that the basic
factors of production land, labour and capital are used
efficiently and effectively.
[Link] with a changing environment
-Successful managers are the ones who anticipate and
adjust to changing circumstances rather than being swept
along or caught unprepared.
-Employers today are hiring managers who can take a
decisive step in a specific direction.
Functions of Management
The functional view has been the most often used method of
characterizing the work that managers conduct. Its popularity
stems from its description of the management process as a
series of logical and reasonable processes.
The functional approach was founded by French industrialist-
turned-writer Henri Fayol, who distinguished five
administrative functions: planning, organizing, command,
coordination, and control.
No matter what the organization's goal, Fayol maintained that
these five roles were the universal requirements for all
managerial positions.
Planning-The main task of a manager is planning. It becomes hard
to forecast the state of business and chances for survival and
expansion without planning. Planning considers the future. Setting
goals and ensuring that all of the company's resources are used
efficiently to achieve them in a profitable manner is the process of
planning. Planning fills in the gap between where we are and
where we want to be by deciding on a future plan of action.
Decision Making- managers choose among alternative courses of
action when they make decisions. Making intelligent and ethical
decisions in today‟s complex world is a major management
challenge.
Staffing- is a managerial function concerned with filling
and keeping filled positions in the organisation through
the identification of workers, recruiting, selecting, training
and development, etc to accomplish tasks. Staffing
ensures that results are achieved through others. All
managers have the responsibility for staffing as it is
important to obtain and maintain able and competent
manpower at all levels of the organisation. An effective
and efficient staffing system helps to identify the talent
and potential of employees, matching the job and the
person, ensuring the right number of people and their
proper utilization.
Organising- is a managerial function of assigning
duties, grouping tasks, establishing authority and
providing resources to carry out a specific plan.
Organising is establishing an effective behavioural
relationship among persons so that they may work
together efficiently by performing selected tasks
under given environmental conditions. Organising
promotes collaboration and negotiation among
individuals in a group and thus improves the
effectiveness and efficiency of communication
within the organisation through clear cut lines of
authority and responsibility.
Co-ordinating- refers to achieving harmony and unification
of action of a group directed towards a common objective.
Co-ordination includes division of work and distribution of
duties and responsibilities among various individuals and
groups in the organisation. Co-ordination is an orderly
arrangement of group efforts to provide unity of action. It
ensures that all the individuals and groups work together
effectively, economically and harmoniously for the common
goal of the enterprise.
Staffing- is a managerial function concerned with
filling and keeping filled positions in the
organisation through the identification of workers,
recruiting, selecting, training and development, etc
to accomplish tasks. Staffing ensures that results are
achieved through others. All managers have the
responsibility for staffing as it is important to obtain
and maintain able and competent manpower at all
levels of the organisation.
Directing (Leading)- is entirely a human function
involving managing the managers and the workers by
means of proper leadership, motivation, effective
communication and coordination. A manager has to direct
and guide his subordinates and get the work done through
them by influencing them not by force or coercion but by
ability. Directing/Leading is influencing others to work
together willingly to achieve set goals. A manager must
know how to issue orders and instructions to the
subordinates securing their willing obedience without
dampening their morale, initiative and creativity.
Controlling- ensures qualitative production and performance
of the plans according to expectation. Control is necessary at
various stages of performance of plans. Control/Controlling is
the regulation of organizational activities so that the targeted
element of performance remains within acceptable limits.
Control/Controlling is determining what is being
accomplished, i.e. evaluating performance and if necessary,
applying corrective measures so that the performance is in line
with the plan.
In the words of E.F.L. Brech, “Controlling is the process of
checking actual performance against the agreed standards with
a view to ensuring satisfactory performance.”
Communicating- is the art of developing and attaining
understanding between people. It is the process of
exchanging information and feelings between two or more
people. Communication is the transfer of information
from sender to the receiver, with the information being
understood by the receiver. The ability to think and
transmit thoughts/ideas through the communication
process provides the binding element for all social
interaction. Therefore, the relative success or failure of
human endeavour depends to a great extent upon the
effectiveness of communication.
Meaning and definition
-Management by objectives (MBO) is a strategic
management model that aims to improve the
performance of an organization by clearly defining
objectives that are agreed to by both management and
employees.
-It refers to the process of setting goals for the
employees so that they know what they are supposed to
do at the workplace. Management by Objectives defines
roles and responsibilities for the employees and help
them chalk out their future course of action in the
organization.
Motivating- basically, a person works to satisfy his/her
needs and as such human needs are the cause of
actions. Motivation is a process of arousing and
sustaining goal-directed behaviour induced by the
expectation of satisfying individual needs. Motivation
is an act to stimulate someone to act in a desired pattern
to achieve desired goals.
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