There may be many ways for an organization to become successful but the key to success is not the system of the firm but the character and skills of the individual manager (Maister, 2002). Maister further stated that the character and skill of individual managers who "practice what they preach" and recognize the manager's role in training employees are what's really significant. Management is necessary for a business to function, yet when exploring the role of the manager, it becomes rather complex. Managers must be resourceful; they are individuals who wear many hats. The job of every manager involves what is known as the functions of management. Richard Daft definition of management is "the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through the employment of the four management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources" (2005). Daft adds that these functions are goal-directed, interrelated and interdependent.
The first of these functions, planning, involves creating a systematic process for achieving the goals of the firm. It prepares the organization for the future. Planning can take many forms and a variety of methods may be employed. Creativity and communication becomes very important in the function of planning. For example, during my employment with a tax service, in planning a marketing campaign several people had to be contacted. Communication was initiated in different forms such as e-mail, telephone, written memorandums and creative jingles. Today managers make use of planning through software and technological items such as blackberries in order to be well prepared during the planning process.
Planning can also be seen as a way of control. ...
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... needed (2005). Managers also play an important role is advancing these goals. Rather than just manipulating things and people to achieve goals, managers must advance overall organizational goals through the use of information systems. Technology is one element that is helping managers take control. The use of the internet and other technology has enabled them to keep tabs on performance without maintaining daily authoritarian control over employees (Daft, 2005).
In Maister's book, "Practice What You Preach", he list nine statements as the most important truths for employees and profitability. The performance from company to company, despite the country, the size of the practice and the line of business, the four functions of management I found to be equally significant in his nine truths.
Works Cited
Maister, D.H. (2001), "Practice What You Preach"
In order for a company to be successful, the employees must have a leader who can motivate and guide them. That is the role of a manager. The best managers in the world are different in all aspects, except that they break set boundaries and take risks to thrive in the business world. The methods that may seem unconvientional and unethical to most, are what sets apart good managers from great ones.
To be an effective manager one must be able to mange with purpose not just manage the daily activities. All of the manager’s responsibilities need to be molded and developed to align with the company’s vision and mission. Mintzberg discusses a model image of what a manager’s job looks like from the inside out. His concept of new managers are “putty to be molded” (Mintzberg, 2005, p. 55) provided insight that not everyone that is a manager should be a manager. Many new managers want to take their own direction and work towards their own vision of what should happen. Whereas, managing with purpose is the fundamental framework of a manager’s job. I have always maintained that managers and leaders had very different roles and not every manager can lead and not every leader can manage. A manager focuses on deadlines, metrics and budgets while the leader motivates the people, develops the culture and focuses on the vision of the business. I found it interesting that Mintzberg contends an organization becomes dysfunctional if the manager is not a leader. I feel that organizations, in the 21st century, need to have managers that lead and leaders that manage. These positions should be synonymous in order to synergize innovation and cultivate creativity.
Effective managers optimize the use of resources. They gain a thorough understanding of each resource to maximize the value of an investment. For instance, they would ensure the owner’s manual for a new piece of equipment so that users can maximize the equipment’s benefits and features. They would also focus attention on the organizations most valuable resource – their human capital. Effective managers facility their teams success by fully developing employee talent through training and
Successfully running a business or organization requires mastering the four primary functions of managing. The four functions of management are planning, organization, leading and controlling. I manage a flourishing online shoe store (www.myhoodjapan.com), and each of these functions is important to my stores success. This paper will define the functions, and will explain how each relates to my Organization.
Managers have five major functions to perform, namely planning, staffing, organizing, controlling, and coordinating. These roles or functions of the management separate management from other roles such as marketing and accounting among others. The lessons that I have currently learned will help me in becoming a manager who will be capable of making various decisions that will have an impact on the whole firm. Additionally, the area where I have much interest in is the function of controlling in management.
I have always aspired to be the prosperous business owner of numerous companies that are internationally renowned for affordable product innovations, affable customer service, and plentiful employee benefits. Additionally, while embarking on an educational journey to fulfill my aforementioned dream, I was delighted and altogether relieved to have discovered a historically reliable blueprint, that is worthy of constructing my ideal business from the ground up. Moreover, credible evidence indicates that the key to a successful business is centered upon an organizations collective understanding and intelligible implementation of four primary management functions.
...ity of purpose and direction for an organization. We create and maintain the internal environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organization's objectives. Managers are responsible for changing behaviors. Which is probably the most critical area in the organizational life cycle. Finally, managers empower and involve people to achieve the organization's objective. (Lester, Parnell, & Carraher, 2003)
“In 1991, Microsoft Corp. became the first software company to create its own computer science research organization. Microsoft has developed into a unique entity among corporate research labs, balancing an open academic model with an effective process for transferring its research to product development teams. Microsoft recognizes that to create the foundation for future technology breakthroughs, it is necessary to support long-term computer science research that is not bound by product cycles” (http://www.calibex.com/serv/calibex1/buyer/outpdir.jsp?search=microsoft+products). Today, the world-renowned scientists of Microsoft Research make up one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most highly respected software research organizations in the world — one that will help define and redefine the computing experience for millions of people for decades to come”
In today’s competitive landscape, organizations must utilize every resource to its fullest in order to achieve profitability. Peter F. Drucker, who is known as “the founding father of the discipline of management”, informs us that employees are assets, which should be treated as a company’s most valuable resource. The key players involved in utilizing this valuable resource are the managers of a company. Managers have a vital role in a company and the effort they put forth into their tasks and responsibilities will directly affect the success of a company. In Drucker’s book Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (Revised Edition), he explains the role of a company’s management team and the secrets to becoming a great manager.
The world of business has undergone radical and dramatic changes in the last decade changes that present extraordinary challenges for the contemporary manager. A manager is an organizational member who is responsible for planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the activities of the organization so that the goals can be achieved. According to a widely referenced study by Henry Mintzberg, managers serve three primary roles: interpersonal, informational, and decision-making. Management is process of administrating and coordinating resources effectively and efficiently in an effort to achieve the goals of the organization.
Any organization needs to be managed, even a one-person company has to be managed. A manager has four key responsibilities: 1) planning, 2) organizing, 3) leading, and 4) controlling. Management can also be defined as the function that determines how the organization?s human, financial, physical, informational, and technical resources are arranged and coordinated to perform tasks towards achievement of strategic goals.
Management is not just about making decisions, watching over employees, and bossing others around. Good management result is satisfied customers, who provide better customer service. In order for new managers to be successful they need to be about to have good communication, human skills, and ability to motivate others. The ability to do these skills effectively makes a big difference in a manager and the company’s overall success. Companies depend on managers to fulfill skills and knowledge to help their company excel. The knowledge managers need to possess is technological inclined and globalization. Effective management can enhance a company’s performance by contributing to employees and customer satisfaction, productivity, development (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2010).
function, managers need to analyse how activities and resources are to be grouped and carry out plans successfully (Bartol 2007). A manager have to understand their ability to manage the lower level employee which is the most valuable of the company as they are the key of output and implement in the planning. Then manager will coordinate the jobs between authority and responsibility that is to define the role position of them (MSG 2012).
As Schermerhorn states in Management planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are the tools needed by managers to accomplish performance goals. It is crucial that managers be able to recognize and act upon problems or opportunities as they arise. Planning is perhaps the cornerstone of the four processes. All good processes were at some point given great detail so as to anticipate possible problems and solutions to those problems. When the Honda Motor Company decided it needed to refine its inventory they didn't just jump at the first idea that was proposed; they first set their objectives and discussed ways to meet those objectives. After giving careful consideration to processes and the streamlining of those processes human error rose as the top need for change. Sounds simple you might respond; in reality it is much more complicated.
Management is vital for any organisations regardless of the size and the types of the organisations. In general, management is defined as “the application of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling functions in the most efficient manner possible to accomplish meaningful organizational objectives.” (John M. Ivancevish and Thomas N. Duening, 2007)