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
-
In its simplest sense, decision-making is the act of choosing between two or more courses of action. Decision making is a key skill in the workplace and is particularly important if you want to be an effective leader. When decisions have to be made, there are several stages that you should go through to reach a practical solution. Understand the meaning and importance of decision making and how to look at it as a process.
-
Leadership has been defined in different ways by different sets of scholars. In very simple terms leadership can be defined as the skill of a person to influence an individual or a group for achievement of a goal in a given situation. One can use different dimensions and perspectives to define leadership. Through the evolution of leadership thought, leadership has been defined in various ways discussed here.
-
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.
-
In today's innovation-driven economy, understanding how to generate great ideas has become an urgent managerial priority. Managers need to encourage and champion ideas and need to help their organizations incorporate diverse perspectives, which spur creative insights and facilitate creative collaboration by harnessing new technologies. Innovation is the embodiment, combination, and/or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services.
-
There are four characteristics of leadership that help us to understand the character of leadership as a concept. 1. Leadership is a process, 2. Leadership involves influence, 3. Leadership always occurs in a group context and 4. Leadership involves goal attainment. These are the four components that make up the character of the 'leadership' term and help us to define the leadership concept. All of these components of leadership have common characteristics.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Tools for Developing Your Team
If a manager has too many weak spots in the talent of the team, the ability to empower the team members to independently execute the project is impaired. Assignments fall behind schedule or stretch out because the needed skills or knowledge are not in place when needed. To successfully execute important projects, hiring talented people, and increasing the talents of existing staff are most important.
-
There are four major factors in leadership called Leader, Follower, Communication, and Situation. The success of the leader is dependent on how the leader is effectively able to communicate and motivate followers to perform desired tasks using the appropriate leadership style best suited for the given situation. Interdependencies and dynamics of these four factors of leadership must be considered by a leader to be effective.
-
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.
