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Management Overview Management is the organizational process that aids us in creating a service or product from the raw materials we have at hand. It is the sum of the input processes that allow us to mold something useful from what otherwise is a disarray of human resources and raw components. The output of this controlled processing creates a valuable product or service which someone (a customer) is generally willing to pay for. Simply stated, the managers job is to help all these processes run smoothly, and to address the roadblocks to successful output. The textbook is fond of using "case studies", or real-life examples of business and management practices to illustrate the theoretical or academic points being taught in the course. When case studies are used, you should also try to think of examples from your own business or management experience that are analogous to the principles being illustrated. The need for leadership is a recurring theme in management. Leadership is essentially the enabling qualities that a manager possesses that help an organization to move toward a desirable goal and to achieve it. It is a combination of the necessary visionary skills, organizational skills, motivational skills, human resource skills, and so-on, that are the right mix for the particular goal at that place and time in the organization’s evolution. The concept of situational leadership suggests that this particular mix (and management style) may vary for different goals, and at different times and places. For example, the particular leadership mix necessary for the start-up of a company may be different in the company’s more mature years of sustained product delivery. Can you think of any examples requiring different leadership needs from your own experience? Historically management has relied on a series of hierarchical levels of management. Today, technology (access to improved decision making information) is rendering many of these levels irrelevant, and even burdensome. Many companies using a "lean-mean" management style are empowering decision making at a much lower level in the hierarchy. The net result is that many layers of management--particularly middle management--are disappearing in modern organizations (see library links for Tom Peters management concepts who often discusses this ). Managers, regardless of their particular job, generally all perform some degree of the following activities--Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Leading, and Controlling. The skills to be a successful manager sometimes depend on situational needs and goals, but generally we recognize technical skills, human resource skills, and conceptual skills to be part of the necessary mix. As the chapters unfold, the text addresses the development of modern management theory and trends, particularly the necessity for visionary leadership, the need to embrace change, the need for teamwork, and employee empowerment. It also covers the history of management development and some of the common "catchwords" of management theory like TQM, MBO), Re-engineering, Team-building and others. As society changes and technology increasingly
affects the workplace, it should be expected that managers’ roles and responsibilities
will be somewhat different than they may have been in the past. How important
do you think the role of technology and ethics is in today's management
world? Future trends for business have been described by a number of visionary
authors such as Nanus, Peters, Drucker, Nesbitt, Davidow, and others. You
may wish to review the writings of some of these theorists for an article
or book review by consulting the library resources. (see links).
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