Management

Introduction to Management

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What is Management?

Management means directing and controlling a group of people or an organization to reach a goal/objective. Management is a process of planning, decision making, organizing, leading, motivation and controlling the human, financial, physical, and information resources of an organization to reach its goals efficiently and effectively.

“Management is a set of activities (including planning, organizing,
leading and controlling) directed at an organization’s resources
(human, financial, physical, and information), with the aim of achieving
organizational goals effectively and efficiently in a changing
environment.”

- Ricky W. Griffin

Essence/Characteristics of Management

  • Achieving the objective
  • Working with others
  • Attaining Efficiency and Effectiveness
  • Adopting Situational Approach
  • Coping with the environment
  • Responding to social needs
  • Growing Professionalism
  • Universality in Application

Function of Management

Management consists of serveral functions. The number os functions depend upon the authors. Here we'll be discussing the five general functions of management.

1. Planning

 

Planning is basically the determination of goals and objectives while defining appropriate courses of actions and strategies upon using resources, information, people. Planning is deciding in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap from where we are & where we want to be. Planning is a systematic thinking about ways & means for accomplishment of pre-determined goals.

  • It is about reaching a desired state from the current state.
  • It is an attempt to visualize the future before it actually happens.
  • It is thinking before doing.

2. Organizing

 

It is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of organizational goals. It is the establishment of relationship between people, work and
resources. It is the process of allocating and arranging work, authority and resources, to
the members of the organization so that they can successfully
execute the plans.

3. Staffing

 

It is the process of placing right person to the right job. Managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal & development of personnel to fill the roles designed un the structure. It involves the process of recruiting, training, developing, compensating and evaluating employees and maintaining this workforce with proper incentives and motivations.

4. Directing

 

It is the process of motivating workers to work hard to achieve organizational goals.The directing function is concerned with leadership, communication, motivation and supervision so that the employees perform their activities in the most efficient manner possible, in order to achieve the desired goals.

  • The leadership element involves issuing of instructions and guiding the subordinates about procedures and methods.
  • The communication involves passing information, experience, opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.
  • Motivation means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-ordinates with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary incentives may be used for this purpose.
  • Supervising implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers.

5. Controlling

It is the process of monitoring progress towards goal achievement and taking corrective actions when progress isn't made. Controlling consists of checking whether everything occurs in agreement with the plans adopted, instructions issued and principles established. Itis the process of evaluating the execution of the plan and making adjustments to ensure that the organizational goal is achieved.

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