Management: Organizing, Leading, and Controlling

The Nature of Management

• Management is the process of getting people together to accomplish desired objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively.

Who are Managers and What do They Do?

• Managers hold official administrative positions and have authority to make decisions and give orders.
• Managers bear the responsibility for the results of other people.

What is an Organization?

• An organization is a collection of people working together to achieve a common purpose, where members can accomplish more than they would individually.

Organizations as Systems

• An organization is an open system that interacts with its environment, transforming resource inputs into product outputs.

What Managers Do

The Management Process

• Planning: setting performance objectives and determining actions to achieve them.
• Organizing: assigning tasks, allocating resources, and coordinating activities.
• Leading: provoking enthusiasm and inspiring efforts to fulfill plans.
• Controlling: measuring work performance, comparing results to objectives, and taking corrective action.

Types and Levels of Management

• Top Managers: responsible for the organization as a whole, setting strategy and leading the organization consistent with its purpose and mission.
• Middle Managers: report to top managers, in charge of departments or divisions, and implement complex projects.
• First-Line Managers (Team Leaders or Supervisors): report to middle managers, in charge of smaller work units, and ensure performance objectives are met.

Management Roles: Mintzberg's 10 Roles

Interpersonal Roles

• Figurehead: performing social and legal duties, acting as symbolic leader.
• Leader: directing and motivating subordinates, selecting and training employees.
• Liaison: establishing and maintaining contacts within and outside the organization.

Informational Roles

• Monitor: seeking and acquiring work-related information.
• Disseminator: communicating information to others within the organization.
• Spokesperson: communicating information to outsiders.

Decisional Roles

• Entrepreneur: identifying new ideas and initiating improvement projects.
• Disturbance Handler: dealing with disputes or problems and taking corrective action.
• Resource Allocator: deciding where to apply resources.
• Negotiator: defending business interests and participating in negotiations.

Management Skills

• Technical Skills: the ability to use a special proficiency or expertise to perform particular tasks.