Introduction to concept of Management

DEFINITIONS OF MANAGEMENT

Definition of the management is given by so many authors depending on their own perception, analysis and ideology that giving one single definition will be an injustice so we are giving here some of the definition by different experts in management and will finally try to understand and define management with our own perspective.

"Management is that process by which managers create, direct, maintain, and
operate purposive organizations through systematic, coordinated, cooperative human
effort."                                                                          —Da/ton E. McFarland

"Management is a social and technical process which utilises resources, influences human action, and facilitates changes in order to accomplish organisation goals".

—Theo Haimann and William G. Scott

"Management is the process of planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling an organization’s operations in order to achieve coordination of the human and material resources essential in the effective and efficient attainment of objectives."

—Robert L Trewatha and M. Gene Newport

'To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to
control."         -Henri Fayol

Management is distinct process consisting of Planning, Organizing actuating, and controlling performed to determine and accomplish objectives by the use of human beings and other resources        -George R Terry.

So based on our own analysis of so many definitions and based on our own observations and experience we can define “management as a continuous process of achieving predetermined targets by utilizing the scare available resources efficiently and effectively. The resources include the finance, time, human effort, technology, infrastructure, system, material, etc. the efficiency and effectiveness lies with the strategy formulated and implemented by a person or organization for achievement of the targets”                                                                                   - P Bali.

 So we can say that the management is

·         A continuous activity and not a one shot activity;

·         Management has no meaning until we do not have specific targets to be achieved;

·         We can use only resources available to us and they are limited;

·         The results of management are better if we maintain efficiency and effectiveness

Even if resources available are equitable or even less as compared to others a better management can bring better results in any situation.

Management can be applied in all the areas of organization like finance management, technology management, quality management, sales and marketing management etc and the principles are also applicable to our day to day life.

We can also consider management as a process to integrate human efforts with non-human resources like materials, machines, methods, money (capital), etc., by their concerted effects. Management is also regarded as a social process because the activities involved in the achievement of organizational goals are carried out when organizational participants interact with one another. The resources which are handled by the management are to be used in such a manner that the needs of the society are satisfied efficiently and effectively. Every manager is required to use various skills of human relations to achieve good relations with the various groups of stakeholders like shareholders, workers, consumers, government, suppliers, etc.

IS MANAGEMENT A GROUP / TEAM

 We can say that Management is a group/ team because in management there is a group of people who carry out various activities of management. So we can refer management as the group of people in an enterprise who are carrying out management functions. So all individuals occupying managerial positions are collectively known as management. But if we analyze we see that every individual in an organization is performing his part of the activity in the management functions so is it not right to say that every person is a manager.

A manager is a person who performs the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. And as a manager performs the managerial functions, he is a member of the management of the organization. But in a conventional sense management include the top management of the company including the Chairman, Managing Director or Chief Executive and Board of Directors.

So we can interpret three different understanding from the term management

• Technically, the term 'management' is used to indicate all the people who carry out managerial activities. Under this interpretation, all the managers from the chief executive to the first line supervisors are collectively addressed as management.
• Practically, the term 'management' is used to indicate only the top management of the organization (e.g., Board of Directors and Chief Executive of the company) It is the top management that has the authority for making important decisions like introduction of a new product, issue of shares or debentures, joint venture with a multinational corporation, etc.
• Finally every individual who is contributing towards the achievement of the goals by utilizing the available resources is a manager.

Also according to Harold Koontz management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups, management gets results from the people by satisfying their needs and expectations, and providing them opportunity for their personal growth.

So we can say that yes management is group of people

Is Management an Art of Getting Things Done Through Other People?

According to Mary Parker Follett, "Management is the art of getting things done through others'  According to this definition managers achieve organizational objectives by directing others to perform whatever tasks may be necessary and not performing the tasks themselves. This traditional view of management emphasizes that management directs the workers for getting results from them and controls their performance. So employees are treated merely as a factor of production like materials, machines and capital.

Now let’s analyze this in light of following points:

·         If management is an art of getting things done from others then it means managers themselves don’t perform much of the activities.

·         Secondly employees are only treated as mere means to attain organizational goals. So they don’t have much of significant role.

·         The management tries to manipulate the behaviour of the workers to get things done.

·         The emphasis is only achieving organizational targets, needs and aspirations of the workers are not considered.

·         It also means there is division between who actually do the work and who get things done, but can we really have such distinction.

·         Finally the line separating owner and management of the company is also widening, which means managers are also employees who are doing things for the others ( the stakeholders) by getting things done by others ( employees)

So when an organization employs people for the efficient and effective utilization of resources to achieve its purpose the people so employed also have their needs which they seek to fulfill through their work-place. Hence It is essential to satisfy their needs to motivate them to contribute their efforts for the achievement of organizational goals. Even authors like Maslow, Herzberg and Vroom have clearly stated that the behavior of the people working in an organization is largely dependent upon the fulfillment of their needs.

The workers are human resources and so they should be treated as human beings who could be motivated by satisfying their economic and psychological needs. They are not simply a factor of production or merely a cog in the wheel as was considered traditionally. To-day's workers are knowledgeable and have higher aspirations which they want to be fulfilled at the workplace. Therefore, organization must provide opportunities for the growth and development of workers to motivate them for greater productivity.

 So we can’t say in clear sense that management is an art of getting things done by others.

Is Management a Discipline?

Management has a systematized body of knowledge and a separate field of study. Management comprises of an organized body of knowledge which can be learnt through formal instructions and training. Management can be understood by certain principles, practices, techniques and skills which help in achieving objectives. This discipline is taught widely in business schools and through the world. The knowledge acquired through research in the management can be accumulated to the existing knowledge and can be used by future managers. So we can say that management is a Discipline in itself.