MANAGEMENT A SKILL

"HE WHO CAN MANAGE, CAN DO EVERYTHING."

-Lawrence Appley

Management Skills are the skills of a person to manage any event. Each of us have this skill developed within us, some are strong in it while the others are weak. Managing anything needs a close observation of the things, to be managed, by the person who is managing them.

The word management has been defined variously by different authors.

"Management is the process of managing people, which involves etting things done through and with others."

- Zene K. Quible

"Management is the art of knowing what you want to do and then seeing to it that it is done in the best and cheapest way."

- F. M. Taylor

"To manage is to forecast and to plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate and to control."

- Henry Fayol

"Management is the function of executive leadership anywhere."

-Ralph C. Davis

"Management is the process of getting things done through the agency of a community."

-Sir Charles Ronald

"Management is a distinct process consisting of planning, organizing, actuating and controlling, utilizing in each both science and art, and followed in order to accomplish predetermined objectives."

- George R. Terry

"Management is simply the process of decision making and control over the actions of human beings for the express purpose of attaining predetermined goals."

- Stanley Vance

"Management is the accomplishment of results through the efforts of other."

-Lawrence Appley

"Management is the process by which managers create, direct, maintain and operate purposive organizations through systematic, co-ordinated, co-operative human effort."

- D. E. McFarland

"Management may be defined as a technique by means of which the purposes and objectives of a particular human group are determined, classified, and effectuated."

- Peterson and Plowma

"Management is the process by which a co-operative group directs actions towards common goals."

- Joseph & Massive

"Management is a multi-purpose organ that manages a business and manages managers and manages workers and work."

- Peter F. Drucker

For more details log on to

http://managementhelp.org/fp_progs/mng_mod/mng_ldr.htm

Essentials of management:

Following are the essentials of management:

1. Management is a universal process.
2. Management is a science as well as an art.
3. Management is a dynamic (continuous) process.
4. Management is a profession.
5. Management is a goal oriented process.

Management is a universal process.

It is so because in every day works whether it is official or residential needs management. If we do the work with proper management we certainly get the work done on time and with success.

For example:

If I as a student plans for studying the chapters, organize the topics, choose the topics to be finished on present date (direct), practice the same topics several times (control) and review them daily continuing with the successive ones (co-ordination) then I will certainly get good marks in examination.

Management is a science as well as an art.

Science is a knowledge gained by doing experiments, collecting the results and taking out the conclusions.

Management is a science because it is the knowledge that requires experience to get good results.

Art is a skill to perform the work systematically to get the work done satisfactorily. It is the skillful implementation of a task.

Management is an art because the development is based on how proper the management is done to perform the task efficiently.

Management as science vs. science

1. Unity of command :

   
   
   In science several experiments can be performed based on a single principle or theory. Similarly, unity of command i.e. one main head is required for proper management and to prevent disorder.



2. Scalar Principle :

   
   
   In science each principle is proved sequentially step by step but all the steps are related to one another. Management also requires a proper sequence of workers from the lower most level (labors) to the senior most level (executives).



3. Balancing authority and responsibility :

   
   
   In science measurements, balancing and equality have a great role. In the same way, management needs balance between authority and responsibility. If authority is more than responsibility then there may be misuse of authority and if there will be less authority then the task may not be performed adequately.
   
   
   "Authority should be commensurate to responsibility"



4. Esprit de corps (strength of unity) :

   
   
   Science is composed of various sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, mechanics, technical science etc.), which are united together. In the same way, for proper management, there should be unity among the workers, as well as coordination and cooperation among the employees right from lower-level to top-level management.

Management as art vs. science

1. Unity of command :

   
   
   In science various experiments are performed based on a single principle or theory as said above but it is not necessary to have a same boss every time. They may change from time to time according to the changing conditions.



2. Scalar Principle :

   
   
   In science, the theories are proved step by step but in management, there may not be a sequence of workers. It may be that two persons with different degree of authorities work together and the person with lower authority has more knowledge and experience as compared to the one on the higher post.



3. Balancing authority and responsibility :

   
   
   Both authority and responsibility can never be measured to make a proper ratio of them. Though authority is given according to the responsibility but responsibility, to a large extend, depends on the social conditions.
   
   
   "Authority should be commensurate to responsibility"



4. Esprit de corps (strength of unity) :

   
   
   As different sciences make 'Science' a vast subject, coordination is the only way to be successful but it again depends on the behavior of different people working on different posts at a same place.

Conclusion:

Management is neither a total science nor a total art. But it is more art and less science because theories and principles of science never changes but those of management do according to the situations and conditions as sometimes the decisions are to be taken on the spot keeping in view the related behavioral aspects. Thus, at last it can be concluded that Management is an art as well as behavioral science.

Management is a dynamic(continuous)process.

In any type of work, which requires management, has three categories of workers

• Seniors
• Subordinates
• Those are equal or parallel in post

Secondly, the people of all the three categories keep on changing with time as well as different situations and conditions. Hence, the way of working and managing changes.

Thus, taking into account, the two above said things we conclude that management (or way of managing) changes depending on the behavior of workers, conditions and situations. Hence, management is a dynamic process.

Management is a profession.

Profession requires the following things :

1. Code of conduct (recognized degree) and disciple
2. Skill/Knowledge
3. Experience

Code of conduct (or recognized degree) is always required in any service be it government or private.

Example :

If I want to be a doctor I should have the degree of M.B.B.S. to live honorably in the society. So, code of conduct is also necessary in the management.

Skill/Knowledge is also required in every field but the degree of skill or knowledge changes depending on authority.

As seen in the above triangle, highest authority person requires conceptual knowledge where the people in middle level requires knowledge prior to skill but the lower most category needs to have skill on priority and then knowledge.


Experience is the most important thing among the three requirements of profession.

"More the experience is, good the result will be."

Moreover, in management experience matters more than the code of conduct.

Example :

A clerk with 20 years of experience may manage any office more efficiently than the person on higher post who has no experience.
Thus, it can be concluded that management is not an absolute profession but is an applied profession because it has no strict boundaries.

Management is a goal oriented process.

Management is done when a work begins but without any goal no work can have its proper beginning. Moreover, without the goal no planning, organizing, directing, and controlling can be done that clearly means no management is possible. Goal orientation is the pre-process of management.

Functions of management:

Following are the main five functions of management :

1. Planning
2. Organizing
3. Directing
4. Controlling
5. Coordination

J.R. Terry gave the following Model of SIX Ms showing the functions of management

Luther Gullick gave the following CODE defining the functions of management

POSDCoRB

P – Planning
O – Organizing
S – Staffing
D – Directing
Co – Coordination
R – Reporting
B – Budgeting

Planning :

What to do?
When to do?
Who will do?
Where should it be done?

Planning is a factual process which requires thinking based on different analysis.

Planning is the mental process which requires intellectual faculty (state) of mind. It is deciding in advance what to do in future, when to do, who should do and where should it be done.

Types of Planning :

Generally there are three types of plans :

1. Long-term plans
2. Mid-term plans
3. Short-term plans

Long-term plans :

These are the plans that are made for a long period of time. The five year plan made by the government is a long-term plan.

Mid-term plans :

Those plans that are framed for a period of two to three years are called mid-term plans. Plans made by business men to complete a particular project are the example of mid-term plans.

Short-term plans :

The plans that are made for the minimum possible period are called short-term plans. Lesson plans made by the teachers of particular subjects for one year are short-term plans.

Formal plans and Informal plans

Formal plans are the plans that are made following a number of rules and are mailny presented in written. Moreover, a council of people is made to sit to frame such plans. Informal plans are the plans that are made verbally and thus, are not presented in written. These types of plans most probably depend on the prevailing conditions and situations.

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning

Organizing :

Organizing is the arrangement of material resources and human resources. It is the process of deciding depositions in the hierarchy of organization in terms of authority and responsibility. It also includes the task of placing the individuals in these positions correctly and providing the required material resources to achieve the organizational goal.

Components :

There are four components of formal organization :

1. The work that is divided among the people.
2. People that are employed to perform the work.
3. The relationship among the individuals.
4. The availability of material resources.

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organize

http://managementhelp.org/orgnzing/orgnzing.htm

Directing :

Directing is the process of motivating, guiding and commanding the subordinates. A manager issues the instructions and commands to the subordinated.

Broadly speaking direction is the function of the following things :

1. Communication
2. Motivation
3. Leadership

Communication :

The process of transfer of information from the speaker to the listener through a relevant medium is known as communication.

Essentials of communication :

Following are the essentials of communication without which any conversation can not be referred as communication.

1. Speaker
2. Message
3. Media
4. Audience

Speaker :

The speaker is the one who sends the message. It may be a person or may be some recorded tape giving the information to the receiver.

Message :

It is the information given by the speaker and has to be reached to the receiver. It is the main content of communication and because of the same only whole process of communication takes place.

Media :

It is the content of great value in the process of communication because it is the vehicle that carries away the message.

Example :

If a person is speaking to the people in a gathering using Tamil language as medium of communication but no one is able to understand then the communication is of no use. In that case it will be a conversation rather than communication. Therefore, the chosen media of communication should be such that the information delivered is completely understood by the receiver, then only the process of communication completes.

Audience :

Audience is the receiver to whom the message is conveyed. It may be an individual (e.g. in a telephonic conversation), a group (e.g. council of people), or the mass (e.g. the people at railway station listening to different information)

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication

Motivation :

Following are the different theories regarding motivation given by various people

1. Mc. Gregor's Theory X and Theory Y
2. Z Theory (Japanese Theory)
3. Herberge Hygiene-Motivational Theory (Two-factor Theory
4. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Mc. Gregor's Theories :

Theory X :

Mc Gregor, upon his experiences, said that the subordinates are lazy and does the only amount of work told to them. They perform the work only until the upper authority person is standing and controlling them. He categorized such type of people as 'X-type' people.

Theory Y :

Mc Gregor's Theory X made those people angry who do their tasks with full courage and without any one controlling them. They told him to either change the theory or to remove it. So, Mc Gregor made another theory named Theory Y. In this theory, he stated that there are people of 'Y-type' who complete their work with full courage and are honest enough to do their work without a person controlling them.

Z Theory :

It is a Japanese theory. The people (subordinates and managers) show their anger by tying by tying a black ribbon on their left arm. They do not go on strikes for the same because they believe that doing so will be harmful for the company in future. The reason behind that is if they stop the work, the product in the market will be less and afterwards they may not introduce the same quantity of the particular product in the market. This may give good chance to the competitive company to rise up in the market.

Herberge Hygiene-Motivational Theory (Two-factor Theory):

Herberge stated that there are two concepts which are as follows :

1. Hygiene
2. Motivational

Hygiene :

According to this concept production and profit should be balanced rather to increase or decrease it. This prevents the changes of diminution of any company and brings the profit to the company in a streamline manner.

Example :

A student studying five pages of his book in a day will get all the things ready till his examinations and will score good marks.

Motivational :

According to this concept, there may be increase or decrease in the production and hence bring profit or loss to the company respectively. The reason behind is that when the manager will motivate the subordinates, they will work will full courage for the company and when the manager will not motivate them they may stop working. According to the decision of the subordinates, based on the type of motivation given by the manager, the company faces gain or loss.

Example :

Two students study on the last 15 days before the examination. The student that forgets the things soon will be benefited for he will remember all the things but the student who is weak and can not grasp the things quickly will be in loss for he can never learn the things in the short span of time.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory :

Maslow gave the following staircase diagram of hierarchy of needs :

He says that a common man has many needs one after another. After satisfying to the prior most need he sets for the next need. According to Maslow, the management can be done more properly by satisfying the needs of a worker.

Example :

If a worker is not doing his work adequately the manager should enquire for his need rather to scold the worker because it may be that he did not had his food for more than 12 hours or may be one of his family members is ill or some other uncomfortable situation. So, if a manager will satisfy the needs of the worker, the worker will be relaxed and will concentrate on the work.

Criticism against this theory :

Maslow said that an individual satisfy his one need and then the next but it is not true because an individual can satisfy more than one need at a time simultaneously.

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation

http://technorati.com/r/tag/motivation

Leadership :

Leadership is a function of followers and situation.

L = F + S

where,

L is leadership
F is function
S is situation

Example :

For going on a strike a leader is needed to represent the workers. The workers are the followers and the situation is that the workers' income is not increased.

Similarly, management is a function of subordinates and working situations.

M = Sub. + WS

where,

M is management
Sub. is subordinates
WS is working situation

Therefore, subordinates are the followers and because manager leads them, he is the leader.

Qualities of a good manager :

A manager should have the following qualities of a leader :

• Good controlling power
• Understanding nature
• Discipline
• Helping nature
• Good coordination
• Commanding power
• Sense of being impartial
• Communication skills
• Guidance capability
• Experience

Types of Leadership :

Following are the main types of Leadership :

1. Autocratic Leadership {No participation of subordinates/followers}
2. Democratic Leadership {Partial participation of subordinates/followers}
3. Laissez faire(free rein) {Full participation of subordinates/followers }

Autocratic Leadership :

In this type of leadership the orders or commands are only given by the highest authority person without having any discussion done with his subordinates. It suits when the workers are of ‘X Type’ (Mc. Gregor’s X Theory) i.e. lazy, without any courage and work only till the higher authority person stands and controls them.

In the Autocratic type of leadership there is only one whole-sole head who gives the commands that are to be followed by the workers in any way. Example : During the war period on the borders if the soldiers are ordered to shoot they have to do the same without any ifs and buts. There is not other option for them whether they live or die.

Democratic Leadership :

In this type of leadership though the orders are given from top to bottom but suggestions can be given from bottom to top. There can be various discussions among the executives, subordinates and workers but the last most decision is of the head only. It suits on the workers of ‘Y Type’ (Mc. Gregor’s Y Theory) i.e. courageous for their work but can commit mistakes.

In Democratic type of leadership also the commands are given by the head only and are to be followed by the workers but they can give suggestions, if any, for the betterment.

Laissez faire :

This type of leadership is seen when the workers are of ‘Y Type’ and can be trusted upon by the executives. In this type, the leader allows the workers to work according to their will.

Example :

A teacher shows Laissez faire type of leadership when she knows that the students are capable of doing some particular work (e.g. class decoration) efficiently but the same teacher becomes democratic when something has to be done regarding the school (e.g. stage decoration, program sequencing etc.) where students may not perform efficiently.

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership

http://www.nwlink.com/~Donclark/leader/leader.html

Control :

It is that process of the Management which starts with the planning and is seen in each step of the Management. Controlling begins when any Manager calls his subordinates and tells them about the plan as well as the task to be performed by them.

Types of control :

Following are the types of control mechanism:

1. Steering Control
2. Screen Control (Yes/No Control)
3. Feed-back Control

Steering Control :

It is a continuous control that means the controlling is done continuously till the task is being performed.

Example :

In the manufacturing of automobiles the continuous control is observed so that each and every part of the particular vehicle is properly made and accurately set in the model.

Screen Control (Yes/No Control) :

In this type of control mechanism the decision is taken by the manager depending upon the persisting situation. If the situation is favorable the manager should agree to perform the task, whereas if the situation is unfavorable the manager should disagree to perform the task.

Example :

Till all the machinery of the Rocket Launcher that is to be send to space id not in proper working condition it is not allowed to be released.

Feed-back Control :

It is suitable for the organizations where the belief is to “learn by mistakes.” This type of control is done for the betterment of the performance in the next task when the mistake has already been committed or some lacking has been pointed out in the present one.

Example :

In textile industries every time new and modern designs are made to improve the quality of the product.

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control

WHY DO PEOPLE RESIST CONTROL SYSTEM ?

Following are the reasons for which people resist control :

• Improper safety measures
• Improper machinery
• Overload of work
• Exploitation
• Extra work without payment
• Payment discrimination
• No compensation
• Unfavorable working conditions and situations
• Assignment of uninteresting work
• Lack of Human Resource Management and Values
• Partial system of promotion
• Improper delegation of authority
• Improper assignment and definition of work
• Improper share of profit
• Incommensurate increase in salary to increase in price
• Social boycott by co-workers and colleagues
• Unavailability of resources on time
• Improper planning, hence confusion creation
• Improper communication
• Improper or no motivation
• Inadequate Leadership
• Rude and harsh behavior
• Unavailability of necessary tools and equipments
• Improper internal organization

Coordination :

Coordination means balancing and keeping a healthy relationship among the members of the organization. It is the most necessary thing required in a team work. It also enhances and ensures efficiency of management. Lack of coordination may have adverse effects resulting in failure of the business.

Coordination can be achieved by the following :

• Clear delegation of authority
• Proper definition of responsibility
• Effective communication
• Proper assignment of work
• Adequate motivation
• Efficient leadership
• Proper organizational structure
• Clarity in formulated policies
• Competent organizational structure

For more details log on to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordination

http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/conf/coordination/index.html