Whichever way one defines management, a biased
approach is of no service to anyone. Too much emphasis on one element does not
helps to make the subject any easier to understand.
We have seen that the economy system is a complex
of activities and these must form the background of management. The goods and
services consumers need must be supplied and means by which they can purchase
these must be provided. Management’s role must therefore be to promote this in
the most efficient manner, by combining factors of production and distribution
and directing the efforts of the people concerned to the given purpose.
No matter what type of enterprise (e.g. highly centralized
government departments or nationalized industries or commercial concerns) the
progress of management is fundamentally the same. Enterprises need plans,
direction and control and these will not function without effective
organization.
These elements, planning, directing, controlling
and organizing, are often called “function”. The use of this word will be
confined to the specialist departmental groupings, e.g. production, marketing,
finance, etc.
Emphasis on these elements will vary according to the
size of the enterprises. Although external environmental conditions affect
management policy, these cannot be changed. Internal environmental condition
can be moulded to enable the objectives to be attained and this, the provision
of a suitable environment, is part of the job of management. A manager must first
of all plan the work for his subordinates, organize them effectively, seeing
that they are selected and trained wisely, direct their work and measure
results.
Below are the various classifications of the
element of management :
-. Planning
Referred to forecasting future circumstances and
requirements, deciding objectives, making long-term and short-term plan,
determining policies to be followed and the standard to be set.
-. Organizing
Involved determining and noting activities needed
to achieve the objectives of the undertaking, grouping there and assigning such
groups of activities to managers, ensuring effective delegation of authority to
enable activities to be carried out and providing co-ordination of authority
relationships.
Staffing involved having people in position needed
in the organization structure, this needs the defining of the personnel
requirements for each job, appraising and selecting candidates, training and
developing them.
-. Direction
Involved guiding and supervising subordinates.
These subordinates must be orientated into the undertaking’s ways, guided
towards improved performance and motivated to work effectively towards
enterprises goals.
- Controlling
The activity involved checking to see that plans
have been carried out and attending to any deviations. Performance should be
measured and deviations from plans corrected or accounted for. It is preferable
that someone should be responsible for variation as control of people ensures
the control of materials.
-.
Coordinating
Coordinating involved seeing that all groups and
persons work effectively and economically, in harmony, towards the common
objective.
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