MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT

What is management?

It is the process of coordinating work activities so that these are completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people. It is the process of planning, organizing, leading and controlling the work of organization members and of using all available organization resources to reach stated organizational goals.

Who is a Manager?

 A manager is someone who works with and through other people by coordinating their work activities in order to accomplish organizational goals. The Manager is responsible for directing the efforts aimed at helping organizations achieve their goals.

Where do you find managers?

• Large Corporations
• Entrepreneurial Organizations
• Government Departments
• Hospitals
• Small Business
• NGOs
• Schools
• Museums
• Cooperative Organizations
• Political parties

Management Functions

• Planning: Defining goals, establishing strategy, and developing sub-plans to coordinate activities.
• Organizing (including staffing): Determining what needs to be done, how it will be done and who is to do it.
• Leading (including directing): Directing and motivating all involved parties and resolving conflicts.
• Controlling: Monitoring activities to ensure that they are accomplished as planned.

Some other Functions

• Coordinating
• Motivating

Manager’s Skills

• Technical skills: Knowledge of and proficiency in a specialized field.
• Human skills: The ability to work well with other people individually and in a group.
• Conceptual skills: The ability to think and to conceptualize about abstract and complex situations.

Managerial Roles

1.       Interpersonal

• Figurehead: Symbolic head: Obliged to perform a number of routine duties of legal or social nature.
• Leader: Responsible for the motivation and subordinates; responsible for staffing, training and associated duties.
• Liaison: Maintains a self-developed network of outside contacts and informers who provide favors and information.

2.       Informational

• Monitor: Receives a wide variety of internal and external information to develop a thorough an understanding of organization and environment.
• Disseminator: Transmits and transfers information received from outsiders or from subordinates to members of the organization.
• Spokesperson: Transmits and transfers information outside on an organization’s plans, policies, actions, results, etc.

3.       Decisional

• Entrepreneur: Search an organization and its environment for opportunities. Also initiates “improvement projects” to bring about changes.
• Disturbance handler: Responsible for corrective action when the organizations face important, unexpected disturbances.
• Resource allocator: Responsible for allocation of organizational resources of all kinds – making or approving all significant organizational decisions.
• Negotiator: Responsible for representing the organization at major negotiations/talks.