Concept of Management
The concept of management refers to the process of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, and controlling to achieve organizational goals. It is the management of human, physical, financial, and other valuable resources of the organization in an effective and efficient manner to achieve business objectives.
Different people have conceived and defined management in different ways. But, the essence of management lies in determining worthwhile goals and then carefully selecting and utilizing resources through efficient and effective planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling to achieve those goals.
Who is a Manager?
You are a manager. What does this mean? The word derives from the ancient French word for handling horses and a later one for handling the affairs of the kitchen. Cynics might replace horses with donkey, but all would see the analogy of keeping an organization alive through the activities of the kitchen. Probably the one that is most simple, popular, and often quoted by many in general is "getting things done through other people."
Let us now look at different definitions that highlight important aspects of management.
- Management is a distinct process consisting of activities of planning, organizing, actuating and controlling, performed to determine and to accomplish stated objectives with the use of human beings and other resources (Martin, 1977).
- Good management is merely the exercise of common sense and the Golden Rule (Daniel, 1976)
- The six M’s (money, men, materials, methods, machines, and marketing) of management or the basic resources, as they are often called, are subjected to the fundamental functions of management - planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling -to achieve stated objectives.
- Management is an art struggling to become a science.
- Management science is a body of systematized knowledge accumulated and accepted with reference to the understanding of general truths concerning management.
- The art of management is a personal creative power plus skill in performance. The contemplation of problems, events, and possibilities develops personal creative power, while experience, observation, and study of results contribute to skilled performance. It other words, management art involves envisioning an orderly whole from chaotic parts, communicating the vision, and achieving the goal. It is the "art of arts" because it organizes and uses human talent (Boehringer, 1975)
From these definitions, we can infer that the principles and the techniques of management are not only applicable to the business world but they can be equally applied universally. They also find application in social, religious, charitable, and non-profit organizational contexts.
Essentially we can conclude that management is the integration of human and other resources in a manner that leads to effective utilization and harmonization of the individual efforts with organizational goals.
Suggested Reading and Resources
Related Links
You May Also Like
-
Theory Z also called the "Japanese Management" style is a leadership theory of human motivation focused on organizational behavior, communication, and development. It assumes that employees want to enter into long term partnerships with their employers and peers. Offering stable jobs with an associated focus on the well-being of employees results in increased employee loyalty to the company.
-
Team leadership theory is a recent leadership theory that does not discriminate between the leader and the other team members. The approach considers contributions from each team member to be critical for organizational success. This approach focused on the overall team effectiveness and team problems are diagnosed and action is taken to remediate weakness. This approach provides for taking corrective action when the leader deems necessary.
-
In today's business world, proficiency in management skills is essential for career growth and success. Managerial skills can be defined as attributes or abilities that are essential for every leader and manager to succeed and fulfill specific tasks expected from them by the organization.
-
Certain generally accepted truths or principles of communication are important to consider when communicating with others. These principles hold true for all people in every culture. By understanding these principles, you will experience greater communication effectiveness. An effective communication system is one that achieved its objectives. Communication is effective where there are no barriers to communication.
-
Principles of management are fundamental concepts and advisory guidelines for managerial decision making. By using management principles, managers can more easily achieve the objectives and avoid making mistakes in their activities. Management principles can be applied to any kind of organization and to managers at all organizational levels.
-
Quantitative Theory of Management
The quantitative management approach is given by the mathematical school that recommends the use of computers and mathematical techniques to solve complex management issues and assist in the managerial decision-making process. Managers observe historical quantitative relationships and use quantitative techniques such as statistics, information models, and computer simulations to improve their decision making.
-
The ten most important qualities that define a good leader are self-awareness, interpersonal and communication skills, ethical values, organizational consciousness, self-confidence, adaptability and flexibility, imagination and creativity, focus & result-orientation, continuous self-development and accountability and ownership for his actions. These ten qualities of leadership every good leader should possess to a certain extent and must continually strive to develop them.
-
Frederick Winslow Taylor started the “Scientific Management Movement”, and attempted to study the work process scientifically. Scientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. It is a system for increasing the efficiency of manpower to its maximum potential and streamlining production to improve efficiency. This article explores this theory in more detail.
-
Many different types of teams have been identified by social scientists. Managers may encounter the diverse types of challenges while managing different kinds of teams. Challenges associated with Cross-Functional Teams might be different from that of a Geographically Dispersed Team or a Virtual Team. This article explores some common categories and subtypes of teams.
-
The concept of management refers to the process of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, and controlling to achieve organizational goals. It is the management of human, physical, financial, and other valuable resources of the organization in an effective and efficient manner to achieve business objectives.
