CORE BASICs OF MANAGEMENT

Definitions of Management

The art of getting things done through people

Functional definition - A set of activities (planning and decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at an organization’s resources (human, financial, physical, and information) with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner.

 Conceptual definition - Management is the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals, working together in groups efficiently to accomplish selected aims

Efficiently - getting the most output from the least amount of inputs -“doing things right”-concerned with means

Effectively - making the right decisions so that organizational goals are attained -“doing the right things” -concerned with ends

Manager - Someone whose primary responsibility is to carry out the management process.- “A manager is someone who works with and through other people by coordinating their work activities in order to accomplish organizational goals.

Types of Managers

1) Top Managers- small group of executives who manage the overall organization and create the organization’s goals, overall strategy, and operating policies.

2) Middle Managers- managers in organizations who are primarily responsible for implementing the policies and plans of top managers. They also supervise and coordinate the activities of lower level managers.

3) First-Line Managers- non-managerial individuals who are directly involved with the production or creation of the organization’s products

Functions of Management

1) Planning - Decision making- thinking ahead, determining organizational goals and the means for achieving them

2) Organizing- the function which involves the allocation of productive resources, and the setting up of the structure of the organization.
- deciding where decisions will be made, who will do what jobs and tasks, and who will work for whom

• Departmentation - The process of grouping jobs according to some logical arrangement

• Organization structure (is the role/authority relationship among people)

• Organization chart (Graphical presentation of the role/authority relationship among people)

• Span of Supervision- The number of people who report to a particular manager

• Decentralization - The process of systematically delegating power and authority throughout the organization to middle- and lower-level managers.

• Centralization - The process of systematically retaining power and authority in the hands of higher-level managers.

• Delegation of authority - The process by which a manager assigns a portion of his or her total workload to other

• Staffing - concerned with the evaluation, selection and development of employees to fit the needs of the organizational structure.

3) Leading – inspiring and motivating workers to work hard to achieve organizational goals

-Communication –Motivation -Leadership

4) Controlling- process of measuring and correcting actual performance against standards as established by the organization

Management Skills

1. Technical skills - refer to the knowledge of and ability to use the processes, practices, procedures, techniques, and tools of a specialized field.

2. Human skill - refers to human relations

3. Conceptual skill - the ability to understand the interrelationship and interdependence of the various parts of the whole organization.

System - a set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified whole

-Closed systems are not influenced by and do not interact with their environment.

-Open systems dynamically interact with their environment.

Universality of Management - management is needed -in all types and sizes of organizations -at all organizational levels -in all work areas -management functions must be performed in all organizations.

• Management: Science or Art?

1) Science of Management

-Management is a science as it follows well established principles which are universally applicable.

-Assumes that problems can be approached using rational, logical, objective, and systematic ways.

-Requires the use of technical, diagnostic, and decision-making skills and techniques to solve problems.

2) Art of Management

-Management is an art as it involves getting things done through people. Art is inborn talent and requires skills. Managers as an artists need to be creative and should have skill to get the work done through people to achieve organizational objectives.

-Decisions are made and problems solved using a blend of intuition, experience, instinct, and personal insights.

-Requires the use of conceptual, communication,
interpersonal, and time-management skills to successfully accomplish the tasks associated with managerial activities.

Finally, we hope that this article helped you to know about Core basics of management. you may find helpful our other articles.