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Questions and Answers
What is the primary goal of planning in an organization?
What is the first step in the planning process?
What should objectives be according to the planning process?
What should goals set be according to the planning process?
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What is the purpose of Step Three in the planning process?
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What is the purpose of identifying barriers in the planning process?
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What is the primary role of line managers in the planning hierarchy?
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What is the main difference between planning at different levels of management?
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What is one of the advantages of planning?
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What is a barrier to planning?
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What is necessary to overcome planning barriers?
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What is the primary objective of public institutions?
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What is the first step in the planning process?
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What is the role of a trained and experienced management corps in public institutions?
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What is the primary purpose of planning in an organization?
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What is the purpose of planning in public management?
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What does planning involve in public management?
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What is a characteristic of the planning process?
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What is the outcome of planning in public management?
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What is the significance of planning at higher levels of the hierarchy?
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What is the relationship between planning and problem-solving in public management?
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What is the outcome of proper planning in public management?
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What is the primary purpose of Step Five in the planning process?
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What is the main objective of Step Six in the planning process?
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What is necessary for the survival of a public institution?
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What is a Gantt Chart used for?
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What is the purpose of planning aids in the planning process?
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What is the main objective of organizing in an organization?
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What is the process of organizing?
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What is the process of grouping government activities and services into logical fields and departments?
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What is a key benefit of a well-structured organizational structure?
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What is the concentration of authority at the top of an organization or department?
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What is the delegation of authority to lower levels of employees or departments?
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What is the yielding of authority by a person in authority to a subordinate so that the latter can act independently?
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What type of power is delegated to subordinate government on the basis of geographical factors?
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What is the process of systematically retaining power and authority in the hands of higher-level managers?
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What is the process of systematically delegating power and authority throughout the organization to middle and lower-level managers?
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What is the basis of departmentalization according to the criteria?
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Study Notes
Public Management Functions
- Public institutions exist to achieve fundamental objectives aimed at providing services and products to improve the general welfare of the public.
- A trained and experienced management corps is needed to convert objectives into activities.
Planning
- A basic process involving every manager to some extent, with the higher the post in the hierarchy, the more significant the extent of planning and the greater its impact.
- The purpose of planning is to facilitate the achievement of an institution's purpose, mission, and objectives.
- Planning involves deciding in advance what to do, how to do, when to do, and who is going to do it.
- It bridges the gap between where the organization is today and where it wants to be in the future.
- Planning sets the fundamental goal of the organization.
Planning Hierarchy
- Components of planning hierarchy:
- Purpose or mission (top level)
- Objectives (top level)
- Strategy (top level)
- Policy aspects (top level)
- Procedures and standards (top/middle level)
- Programmes (top/middle level)
- Budgets (middle/line level)
- Daily/weekly planning (line level)
Advantages of Planning
- Promotes cooperation between various departments and individuals in an organization.
- Gives direction to an organization through formulating objectives and shapes plans to achieve organizational objectives.
- Forces managers to look to the future, eliminating crisis management and promoting proactive management.
- It is necessary in a complex environment such as public institutions.
Barriers to Planning
- Internal and external circumstances affecting the initial preparation and implementation of a plan.
- Human factors.
- Ineffective and inefficient organizational systems.
- Management attitude towards planning.
- Lack of commitment to planning processes.
- Inferior information.
- Focusing on the present at the expense of the future.
Measures to Overcome Planning Barriers
- Information must be sufficient, correct, reliable, and relevant.
- Planning must start long before implementation.
- Planning must always start at top management level.
- Planning must be within the framework of the main objective and policy of the organization.
- Planning procedures should be systematic.
Steps in the Planning Process
- Step one: Perception of opportunities (preparatory step, considering possible opportunities, and SWOT analysis).
- Step two: Formulate objectives (what to achieve, how to achieve, and when to achieve, with objectives being quantifiable, achievable, and SMART).
- Step three: Define the current situation (internal and external environments of the institution, where the institution is today, and where it wants to go).
- Step four: Identify areas for and barriers to planning (factors contributing to the achievement of institutional objectives and identifying factors that could cause barriers).
- Step five: Make alternative plans (most alternative solutions are not always clear, and no alternative should be rejected too quickly).
- Step six: Evaluate alternative plans (analyzing and testing all alternatives, identifying strengths and weaknesses for possible selection).
- Step seven: Choose the best plan of action (depending on the previous two steps, considering all variables identified).
- Step eight: Formulate derivative plans (the main plan adopted by management may necessitate a number of smaller plans).
- Step nine: Prepare a budget for plans (survival of the public institution depends on their legitimacy and sufficient funds, supported by a breakeven analysis).
Planning Aids
- Gantt Chart (a graph method used in planning and control, showing the actual and expected progress of various tasks).
- Load chart.
- Network-based scheduling.
- Strategic planning.
Organising
- The process of arranging and allocating work, authority, and resources among an organization's members so that they can achieve organizational goals.
- Clarifying and grouping functions and allocating groups of functions to institutions and workers in an orderly pattern.
- The organizational structure should give employees a clear idea of their responsibilities, authority, and the person they have to report to.
Departmentalization
- Criteria for departmentalization:
- Similarity of functions.
- Geographic factors.
- Product or services rendered.
- The client/customer.
- Numbers.
Centralisation and Decentralisation
- Centralisation: the concentration of authority at the top of an organization or department, where decisions are made, and everything is possible at one point.
- Decentralisation: the delegation of authority to lower levels of employees or departments, where decisions are made, and activities are spread geographically.
Delegation of Authority
- A yielding of authority by a person in authority to a subordinate so that the latter can act independently, within limits.
- For example, Provincial governments can devolve their authority to local governments to perform certain functions on behalf of the provincial legislature.
- Responsibility can be delegated, but not liability.
- Fixed procedures for performing functions, clear, formal instructions for delegation, so that institutions know their associated powers and duties.
Types of Power
- To be discussed.
Responsibility
- To be discussed.
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Description
Assess your knowledge of public management functions, including policy-making and community involvement. Learn about the role of public managers and their objectives in providing services and products.
