Some would define management as an art, while others would define it as a science. Whether management is an art or a science isn’t what is most important. Management is a process that is used to accomplish organizational goals; that is, a process that is used to achieve what an organization wants to achieve. An organization could be a business, a school, a city, a group of volunteers, or any governmental entity. Managers are the people to whom this management task is assigned, and it is generally thought that they achieve the desired goals through the key functions of management. Some would include leading as a managing function, but for the purposes of this discussion, leading is included as a part of directing. The elements of management process are known as functions of management. However various authors have classified these differently. Henry Fayol classified the major functions of management into Continue reading
Management Basics
Importance of Leadership
Although there is no universal definition of leadership, or the traits that comprise it, all definitions can be summarized as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Basically, leadership concerns organizing a group of persons to realize a common objective and this involves inspiring them to adopt a teamwork strategy. There are four main concepts involved in leadership, i.e. the leader, the followers, communication, and situation. The leader must be honest in all his/her roles. It is vital to point out that it is the subjects who decide the success of a leader. Consequently, the leader must employ two-way communication and consider the situation before choosing a communication strategy. The importance of leadership in the field of management is given below: Helps in guiding and inspiring the employees: leader guides and inspires his subordinates towards Continue reading
Is Management is an Art or a Science?
Is management characterized as an art, as a science or both? In order to investigate the nature of Management, it would be useful firstly to define it. According to Drucker “Management is about human beings. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant. This is what organization is all about, and this is the reason why management is the critical, determining factor”. Nowadays, practically everyone works for a managed institution, large or not, business or not. Our living actually depends on management. The ability we have to contribute to society, depends firstly on the way, the institute we work for, is managed and furthermore on our own abilities, devotion and effort. For years now, there has been a great debate on whether management can be characterized as a science or as an art. Management as an Art Art is Continue reading
Scientific Management Theory – Directions and Characteristics
Scientific management is a process of improving the labor organization based on scientific achievements and excellence. It is important to mention that an American engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor was the first scientific engineer, who used and formalized scientific management and highlighted its four principles. Scientific management is the labor organization based on modern scientific achievements and best practices, which were systematically introduced into the workplace. Scientific management allows combining technology and people in the labor process. In addition to the above-mentioned information, scientific management can be characterized as an approach within classical management theory that emphasizes the scientific study of work methods in order to improve worker efficiency. Scientific management’s implementation saves time and is an important growth factor productivity of living labor. The importance and value of scientific management is that it allows you to save hard work as a result of better use of the production’s material Continue reading
Matrix Organizational Structure – Definition, Types, Advantages, and Disadvantages
Organizational structure refers to a way in which an organization or a company arranges its employees and duties. It establishes hierarchy and line of authority. An organization should adopt a structure that is in agreement with its objectives and goals. Matrix organizational structure employs a multi-dimensional approach. It combines one or two of the other organizational structures. For example, it may combine bureaucratic organizational structure with functional organizational structure. This creates a dual reporting system in which people work together as a team while retaining a recognizable reporting system. Matrix structure creates teams of workers in an organization based on both the product and department or function. This enables the organization to maximize on the strengths of each employee while making up for their weaknesses. The teams work independently towards achieving a common goal. If a company produces two products for example, the practice is to departmentalize the production process of Continue reading
Difference Between Administration and Management
The use of two terms Management and Administration has been a controversial issue in the management literature. Some writers do not see any difference between the two terms, while others maintain that administration and management are two different functions. According to those who held management and administration distinct, management is a lower-level function and is concerned primarily with the execution of policies laid down by administration. Dalton E. McFarland states: “in government agencies administration is preferred over management, although in recent years the term management has become widely used in government agencies.” But some authors are of the opinion that management is a wider term including administration. This controversy of difference between administration and management is discussed as under in three heads: Administration is concerned with the determination of policies and management with the implementation of policies. Thus, administration is a higher level function. Management is a generic term and Continue reading