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
-
Administrative Theory by Fayol
The administrative theory of management is focused on principles that could be used by managers to coordinate the internal activities of organizations. The most prominent of the administrative theorists was Henri Fayol. Fayol observed a work stoppage and judged it to be a management failure. He believed that organizational managerial practices are important for driving predictability and efficiency in organizations.
-
Power is the ability to exercise influence or control over others. Leadership involves authority and it is very important for leaders to understand what type of power they're using. The 5 Types of Power in Leadership are Coercive power, expert power, legitimate power, referent power, and reward power. Authority is the right to command and extract obedience from others. It comes from the organization and it allows the leader to use power.
-
Emergent leadership occurs when a group member is not appointed or elected as leader, but rather that person steps up as the leader over time within-group interactions. Have you ever faced challenges in getting accepted into your new role of position as a leader? Groups don't automatically accept a new "boss" as a leader. Emergent leadership is what you must do when taking over a new group. Learn more about emergent leadership.
-
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory that explains that people are motivated by five basic categories of human needs. These needs are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. There is a little scientific basis for this concept of a hierarchy of needs.
-
Management theories are the recommended management strategies that enable us to better understand and approach management. Many management frameworks and guidelines were developed during the last four decades.
-
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.
-
Thinking & Problem Solving Skills
Today's dynamic business world demands that you make decisions that significantly boost productivity and drive competitive advantage. But how do you know whether a decision will benefit the organization? And how do you know that the decisions are based on rational and statistical reasoning? Explore how to become a dynamic problem solver with the skills to make accurate decisions.
-
What are the functions which a leader does to establish as a leader? What are the activities undertaken by them to become great leaders, rather revolutionary leaders? The most important tasks done by a leader in all situations are defining the vision, mission, and goals, leading the team, administrative functions, motivating followers, decision making and conflict resolution, and continuous development.
-
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.
-
All the teams are dynamic in nature and they take time to come together, they form, develop, and grow in stages, over a period of time. Teams go through five progressive stages: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning. In this article, we want to introduce you to these stages of team development and certain strategies that you can use to help the team grow and develop in each of these stages.
