THE NATURE OF MANAGEMENT

Management is a generic term and subject to many interpretations. Everyone has some choice whether or not to do something and some control over the planning and organization of their work.

Management for this course will be taken as being responsible for the attainment of objectives, taking place within a structured organization, and with prescribed roles. It involves people looking beyond themselves and exercising formal authority over the activities and performance of other people

For our purpose we can regard management as:

• Taking place within a structured organizational setting and with prescribed roles.

• Directed toward aims and objectives.

• Achieved through efforts of other people.

• Using systems and procedures.

Some scholars see management as denoting a function as well as the people who discharge it as social position and authority and also a discipline and field of study.

Management is tasks, management is a discipline; but management is also people; every achievement of management is the achievement of a manager; every failure is a failure of a manager.

COMMON ACTIVITIES OF MANAGEMENT

One of the first and most widely quoted analyses is that given by Henri Fayol. He analyzed the activities of industrial undertakings into six groups.

• Technical (production ,manufacture and adaption)

• Commercial(buying ,selling ,exchange and market information)

• Financial (obtaining capital and making optimum use of available resources)

• Security (safeguarding property and persons)

• Accounting (information on the economic position, stocktaking, balance sheet, costs, and statistics)

MANAGERIAL ASPECTS

Management activity is divided into five elements of management which are defined as, to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate, and to control.

a. Planning: To foresee and taken to include forecasting. Examining the future deciding what needs to be achieved and developing a plan of action.

b. Organizing: Providing the material and human resources and building the structure to carry out the activities of the organization.

c. Command: Maintaining activity among personnel, getting the optimum relations from all employees in the interests of the whole organization.

d. Co-ordination: Unifying and harmonizing all activities and effort of the organization to facilitate its working and success.

e. Control: Verifying that everything occurs in accordance with plans, instructions, established principles, and expressed command.

MANAGEMENT AS A SOCIAL PROCESS

Another well-known analysis defines management as, a social process entailing responsibility for the effective and economic planning and regulations of operations of an enterprise, in fulfillment of given purposes or tasks such responsibility involving;

• Judgment, critical-decision determining plans, and in using data to control performance and progress against plans.

• The guidance integration, motivation, and supervision of the personnel composing the enterprise and carrying out its operations.

This analysis identifies four elements of management:

• Planning: Determining the broad lines for carrying out operations, preparing methods by which they are carried out and setting standards of performance.

• Control: Checking actual performance against standards to ensure satisfactory progress and performance and recording as a guide to possible future operations.

• Co-ordination: Balancing and maintaining the team by ensuring a suitable division of work and seeing that tasks are performed in harmony.

• Motivation-Inspiring morale: Letting members of the team to work effectively, to give loyalty to the group and the tasks to carry out properly their tasks and to play an effective part in the activities of the organization. With this general inspiration is a process of supervision or leadership to ensure that teams are carrying out their activities properly.

PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT

Fayol suggests that a set of well-established principles would help concentrate general discussion on management theory. It emphasizes that these principles must be flexible and adoptable to changing circumstances. It’s advocated for the following fourteen principles;

• Division of work –The objective is to produce more and better work from the same effort and the advantages of specialization. However there limits to division of work which should not be exceeded.

• Authority and responsibility –Responsibility is the corollary of authority; wherever authority is exercised responsibility arises. The application of sanctions is essential to good management and is needed to encourage useful actions and to discourage their opposite. The best safeguard against abuse of authority is the personal integrity of the manager.

• Discipline – Discipline is in essence the outward mark of respect for agreements between the organization and its members. Discipline therefore is essential for the efficient operation of the organization. The manager must decide on the most appropriate form of sanction in cases of offences against discipline.

• Unity of command –In any organization an employee should receive orders from one superior only. If not, authority is undermined and discipline order and stability threatened. Dual command is a perpetual source of conflicts.

• Unity of direction –To provide for unity of action, co-ordination and focusing of effort. There should be one head and one plan for any groups of activities with the same objectives.

• Subordination of individual interest to general interest –The interest of the organization should dominate individual or group interests.

• Remuneration of personnel –This should as far as possible satisfy both employee and employer. Methods of payment can influence organizational performance and the method should be fair and encourage keenness by rewarding well directed effort but not lead to over payment.

• Centralization - It’s always present to some extent in any organization. The degree of centralization, is a question of proportion and will vary in particular organizations.

• Scalar chain – The chain of superior from the ultimate authority to the lowest ranks. Respect for line authority must be reconciled with activities which require urgent action and with the need to provide for some measure of initiative to all levels of authority.

• Order– Includes material order and social order. The object of material is avoidance of loss. There should be an appointed place for each thing, and each thing in its appointed place. Social order involves an appointed place for each employee and each employee in his or her appointed place. Social order requires good organization and good selection.

• Equity –The desire for equity and for equality of treatment are aspirations to be taken into account in dealing with employees throughout all levels of scalar chain.

• Stability of tenure and personnel - Generally prosperous organizations have a stable managerial personnel, but changes of personnel are inevitable and stability of tenure is a question of proportion.

• Initiative – Represents a source of strength for the organization and should be encouraged and developed. Tact and integrity are required to promote initiative and to retain respect for authority and discipline.

• Esprit de corps – Should be fostered as harmony and unity among members of the organization is a great strength in the organization. The principle of unity of command should be observed. It is necessary to avoid the changes of divide and rule of one’s own team and the abuse of written communication, wherever possible verbal contexts should be used.