The definitions of management discussed before outlined five basic components of management. In-fact, these components and a few other related elements comprise the basic characteristics of management. We will now explain some of the important characteristics of management.

Achieving the objectives:

An organization comes into existence to attain certain objectives. Management deals with the achieving of these objectives. A manager’s success is measured by the extent to which these objectives are achieved. Hence, goal setting and goal attainment are the strategic parts of a manager’s job. Objectives provide the standard against which the performance can be evaluated. A manager’s efficiency and tact can be measured by his/her capability of setting goals and achieving them.

Working With others:

Organizational goals are achieved with the joint effort of people. Therefore, the managerial challenge lies in working with people and managing people and managing group efforts. Management can provide effectiveness to human efforts only when team or group activities are managed properly. The emphasis on team work is very important. It involves a working environment in which team members interact with each other. Managers would fail in their work if they are poor in inter-personal relations, communication, co-ordination and adjustments. The basic elements in team-work are motivation and empowerment. These quality and skills of managers are, therefore, the hallmarks of effective team-work and organizational effectiveness.

Attaining Efficiency and Effectiveness:

Efficiency is defined as “getting things right”. Efficiency is the managerial ability to minimize and optimize the use of organizational resources in attaining the objectives. Organizations are efficient when managers minimize the amount of input resources and the time to produce a given output of goods or services. Cost- Benefit ratios measure such efficiency of management. Effectiveness, on the other hand, is defined as “doing the right things”. This means the ability of management to achieve the objectives. Organizations are effective when managers choose appropriate goals and then achieve them.

Efficiency and Effectiveness are twin pillars of managerial success. These are also the bases of competitive advantage of organizations. Therefore the managers should work to make intensive use of a variety of individual – level and organizational – level resources to accomplish the expected outcomes.

Adopting situational approach:

The most effective and appropriate way of managing an organization depends upon the particular circumstances of each case. The implication here is that each case will be different. Therefore, the solution to look for will also be different. Organizations generally have systems and rules for structures, leadership styles, planning functions, and other management practices. However, the roles and functions of management can be performed in a better way if situational factors are considered. The contingency approach to management suggests that there will never be a generic solution to any particular problem. Hence, the management decision – making depends upon the different circumstances faced on each occasion.

Coping with the environment:

The effectiveness of management also lies in its ability to cope with the changing environment. There are several internal and external courses influencing organizations. External environment is the most powerful influence on organizations. The changes taking place in the socio – cultural, legal, political, technological, and economic environment affect organizations in various ways. The globalization movement is developing very fast. The globe has been shrinking every day. Consumerism, environmentalism, and human rights movement have been awaking the consumers for their rights. These forces, today, surround managers. These developments taking place in the environment have been reshaping management practices.

                 Also with this, let's keep our mother Earth Clean Green and Happy!

Management has existed ever since man has been organized into communities. It is sometimes thought to be an innovation of the twentieth-century. But this is not so. Whenever and wherever people worked together in groups-to grow crops and cattle’s, to buy and sell, to fight wars, to build temples, etc,-there was management.

Although management is so old and universal, there is no agreed single definition of it. There are many to choose from. Perhaps, management theorist Mary Parker Follett (1919) gave the first definition of management Follett defined management as:

Mary Parker Follett

                                                       

 “the art of getting things done with and through people.”

The principle on which this definition is based “is commitment to purposeful work by people”. However, this definition is often misunderstood as “only some (a manager) commands and others (employees) execute”.

The management theorists, who followed, made some improvement in this definition. Chester I. Barnard (1938) defined management as:

                                                 

Chester I. Barnard

             

   “getting things done through people by making the efficient use of resources.”

This definition highlighted that the different types of the resources used for achieving objectives must be carefully balanced. The key concept in this definition is “efficiency”. Efficiency is concerned with the balanced use of resources.

Combining the concepts used in the earlier two definitions, the management theorists, particularly Kast and Rosenzweig (1974) derived the third definition of management. They defined management as:

                                                                          

Kast and Rosenzweig Chart    

“to make efficient use of resources and to get people and other resources to work harmoniously together in order to achieve objectives”

Here, the emphasis is on work activities, organization of work relations, and goal attainment. These three elements from the major areas of management function. Today, managerial work is much more complex than conceived by these early management theorists.

The contemporary writing on management has defined it in a variety of ways. In fact, there are as many definitions of management as there are writers. But the essence of most of these definitions is more or less the same. For the purpose of this textbook, we will adopt the definition proposed by Ricky W. Griffin (2009).

Ricky W. Griffin

“Management is a set of activities (including planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at an organization’s resources (human, financial, physical, and informational), with the aim of achieving organizational goals effectively and efficiently in a changing environment.”

The definition highlights five core components of management work. These are: (i) Planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the activities of human and other resources, (ii) making the most efficient and effective use of resources, (iii) coordinating various activities, (iv)achieving organizational objectives, and (v) coping with a changing environment. The theme of this definition of management is that a central person (a manager) most – by using such skills as decision making, communication, and objectives setting-coordinate the work activities of others to achieve organizational objectives.

Viewed from this perspective, the concept of management applies to all types of organizations – public or private, social or commercial, profit – making or non – profit – making – seeking to attain certain objectives. The managerial principles are applicable to all these organizations, which have a managerial structure. 

Managerial skills and competencies are key to organizational success. Managers play a significant role in facilitating organizational effectiveness. Thus, organizations need managers who have both the insight to see and understand the nature of organizational problems, and the skill and ability to develop strategies for the survival and growth in the present competitive world. Through their work, managers not only make their organizations more effective and competitive, but also contributes to nations economic development and prosperity. Good management is to an organization what health is to the body: the smooth efficient functioning of all its parts. The job of managers is, undoubtedly, very challenging.

In this blog I will help you by explaining the concept, principles, process, and functions of management. We will look at what managers do and what skills and abilities they must develop if they are to manage their organizations successfully over time. We will also identify the different kinds of managers that organizations need and roles of these managers in different contexts. Finally, the Emerging Concepts and issues in Management will be Highlighted.