People and Organisations - What is Management in Organization/ Institution

What is Management  in Organization/ Institution

Different writers have used the term “Management” in different senses.

According to words  of George R. Terry, “Management is a distinct process consisting of planning, organizing actuating and controlling performed to determine and accomplish objectives by the use of human beings and other resources.” The elements of management are: planning, organizing, actuating (directing) and controlling.

These are also called the functions of management. It is through the performance of these functions that management is able to effectively utilize manpower and physical resources such as capital, machines, material, etc. to produce goods and services required by the society.

    Resources                         Managerial Function                        Objectives

People ( Men & Women)    Planning , Organizing                      Optimum utilization    

Money, Machinery              Staffing , Directing                           of goods & services

Materials                             Controlling

                                                                                                                   

Utilization of Human & Physical resources by management           

Henri Fayol has defined management as a process consisting of five functions: “To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control.”

However, modern authors do not view coordination as a separate function of management. They consider it as the essence of managing.
Functions of management as follows: planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. These functions are inter-dependent and interrelated. There is no fixed sequence of their performance. They are performed more or less simultaneously.

Management is regarded a process because it involves a series of functions
 It starts with planning g and ends with controlling. But it does not mean that managerial functions are followed in a specific sequence. A manager performs all the managerial functions simultaneously. Moreover, Management is a never-ending process.

There are three features of management as a process.

(i) Management is a social process as it deals with human beings.
(ii) Management is an integrating process as it organizes human resources for the efficient use of other resources like capital, materials, technology, machines, etc.
(iii) Management is a continuous process. It is always involved in identifying the organization problems and solving them.

“Management is the technique of getting things done.” Or “Management is the art of getting things done.”

Marry Parker Follet defined management as “an art of getting things done through others”. This is a traditional definition of management. It emphasizes that management directs the workers for getting results from them and supervises their performance. The workers are treated merely as a factor of production like materials, machines and capital.

This definition is insufficient in the modern world because of the following reasons: 

(i) The above definition is incomplete because workers are treated as a mere means to organizational goals.
(ii) The management tries to manipulate the behavior of the workers.
(iii) The needs and aspirations of the workers are not considered.
People are not mere cogs in the wheel and so they should not be treated as commodity or mere means to certain ends. Needs and aspirations of the people working in an organization should not be overlooked. They must be satisfied so as to obtain sustained and consistent effort towards organizational objectives.
Management may be defined as a technique of getting things done through others by satisfying their needs and providing them opportunity for growth and development. According to Harold Koontz, “Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups. It is the art of creating environment in which people can perform as individuals and yet cooperate towards attainment of group goals.”
In order to accomplish results, management must create opportunities, and encourage growth and development of employees and provide guidance and assistance, wherever necessary. All this demands skillful application of the basic principles of the science of management. Managers must have conceptual, technical and social skills in translating the abstract organizational philosophy into concrete action.
Management is the dynamic life-giving element in every organization. It is the activating element that gets things done through people. It provides the force necessary to transform the resources of a business organization into desired goods and services. The primary job of management is to convert the disorganized resources of men, machines and materials into a productive organization.

Management as a Group:

Management is a group or a class who together carry out various managerial activities.” Thus, management refers to the group of people in an enterprise who are carrying out management functions.
In other words, all individuals occupying managerial positions are collectively known as management. A manager is a person who performs the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling.
Since a manager performs the managerial functions, he is a member of the management of the organization. Used in this sense, management includes all those who manage the affairs of an organization. But in practice, the term ‘management’ is used to indicate the top management consisting of chairman, managing director or chief executive and Board of Directors.

Management as an Activity:

Management is an activity concerned with getting things done through people and directing the efforts of individuals towards a common objective. In the words of Harold Koontz, “Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups.”
Management gets results from the people by satisfying their needs, and expectations, and providing them opportunity for their personal growth. Management is a distinct activity in any organization which is necessary for the achievement of its objectives.

Other Definitions of Management:

Various writers have given various definitions of the management. The following are some of the important definition.
According to E.F.L. Brech, “Management is the process of planning and regulating the activities of an enterprise.”
According to Lawrence A. Appley, “Management is the development of people and not the direction of things management is personnel administration.”
According to Koontz and O’Donnell, “It is the task of manager to establish and maintain an internal environment in which people working together in groups can perform effectively and efficiently towards the attainment of group goals.”
According to Kimball and Kimball, “Management embraces all duties and functions that pertain to the initiation of an enterprise, its financing, the establishment of all major policies, the provision of all necessary equipment, the outlining of the general form of organization under which the enterprise is to operate and the selection of the principal officers. The group of officials in primary control of an enterprise is referred to as “the management.”
According to William Spriegel, “Management is that function of an enterprise, which concerns itself with the direction and control of the various activities to attain the business objectives.”
According to Keith and Gubellini, “Management is the force that integrates men and physical plant into an effective operating unit.”
According to S. George, “Management consists of getting things done through others. Manager is one who accomplishes the objectives by directing the efforts of others.”
According to Newman, Summer, Warren, “The job of management is to make cooperative endeavour to function properly. A manager is one who gets things done by working with people and other resources in order to reach an objective.”