Management and People free essay sample

There are various ways of describing management, so in this assignment the different definitions of management would be discussed and we would also see how most of the definitions are similar, along with their functions. We should consider management look at why management is very relevant. We should see how the various views of these management theorists are similar and also if they contrast. Management, as defined, â€Å"is the activity of getting things done with the aid of people and other resources efficiently and effectively, it is a feature of most human circumstances; domestic, social and political, as well as in formally established organisations†(David Boddy, 2008, ps. 10). We human beings perform different activities everyday such as; eating, drinking, playing and they are related to management etc. According to Mary Parket Follet, â€Å"Management is the act of getting things done through people. So management is an activity because a manager accomplishes his task or objective with the help of others and also directs these people in order to obtain his objective, so management achieves its objectives through people, so management is quite useful to people. In management there are various activities that are carried out. These include informational activities, decisional activities and inter-personal activities and all these activities are to be done by a manager. Management endeavours are done to encourage individual activities that will help accomplish all goals. Thus, managers must always keep organisational goals in thought. â€Å"Management is also the process of reaching organisational goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources†. (Samuel. c. Certo, eight editions, and p. s6) this definition is quite the similar to the first two definitions. They both say that management has to do with achieving its goals through the aid of people and resources, that’s to say, that, every type of human organisation requires the process of management which helps to make human daily efforts productive. Management is a globally known. It is also a very widely used term. It’s used in all organisations; political, cultural or social organisation. All these organisations are involved in management because management aids and guides the various processes required to achieve a purpose. It can also be said that â€Å"management is both a universal human activity and a distinct occupation†. (David boddy, 2008, p. s9). Management as a human activity occurs when human beings decide to take responsibility and do their best to format the progress and result of an activity. When people manage their work, they take responsibility of everything in that organisation and make sure that they achieve their purpose and that it has a positive outcome, thus â€Å"Management is an expression of human agency, the capacity actively to shape and direct the world, rather than simply react to it†. (Hales, 2001, p. s2). Management concept is universal and very old. That’s why there are different views expressed by writers and theorist about the nature of management. But the continuous development of management principles has changed the nature of management. Most people consider management as being only an art but management is also a science. it is the art of making people more operative and active than they would have being without it. According to Harold Knootz, â€Å"Management is the art of getting things done through and with the aid of people in formally organised groups†. Management is considered an art rather than a science mainly because the skills of management are more of a personal possession and is intuitive. Management is also a science in the sense of how it is done. Just as how science is a systematized body of knowledge which is based on adequate observation and findings and this findings apply safely in all situations. In this sense, management is a science as it has also developed some systematized knowledge, but management is not as exact in science as other physical sciences such as; physics, biology, chemistry etc. but just as other sciences, management has also developed certain laws and principles which are applicable anywhere the efforts of people are monitored. Management is more of a social science and not of just a science, it deals with the people and it is not so easy to predict human behaviour accurately. Thus, management is not just an art; it has elements of both art and science. So it is both, an art and science. Management is a planned activity. It is the organisation and co-ordination of the activities of a business in order to achieve specific objectives. It is something that directs group efforts towards the attainment of certain pre determined goals. It is the process of working through others to effectively achieve the goals of the organization, by efficiently using resources that are limited in the changing world. Of course, these goals may vary from one enterprise to another. Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, money and materials. It is the management which puts these factors of production into reasonable use. Therefore, it is one of the important responsibilities of management; to create such condition which is conducive to maximum efforts so that people would be able to perform their task efficiently and effectively. It includes ensuring the availability of raw materials, determination of wages and salaries, formulation of rules amp; regulations etc. Management is also an art of creating an internal environment, in which people can perform and individuals can also co-operate with them in order to attain a group of goals. Management can be of different sizes, ranging from one person to a small organisation with a lot of people or probably it could also comprise hundreds or thousands of managers in a large company or multinational companies. According to Fw. Taylor, â€Å"Management is an art of knowing what to do and see that it is done in the best and cheapest way†. This is therefore saying that in management you have to know what is meant to be done and not just to know what should be done but should also be able to do it efficiently. â€Å"The term management can also refer to the individuals who guide and direct organisations or to a career devoted to the task of guiding and directing organisations†. (Samuel. C. Certo, eight editions, p. s6). According to management guru, Peter Drucker (1909-2005), â€Å"The basic task of management includes both marketing and innovation. Innovation â€Å"Is the use of new technological and market knowledge to offer a new product or service that customers will want†. (Allan Afuah, second edition, p. s4). Innovation is part of management because as defined, it has to do with the use of new technology and market knowledge in order to produce new products that would be desirable to customers. Therefore with innovation, managers can be able to achieve their goals. Management consists of the interlocking functions or activities of creating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organisation’s resources in order to achieve its required objectives. Management is the process of giving an order to the activities of planning, influencing, controlling and organising that are performed to determine and accomplish stated objectives with the use of human beings and other resources. And this activities or functions are what make up management. They are also the key tasks that are to be done by a manager. Management is being defined differently, each management theorists have their personal view on management and interpret it on their findings, such as Henri Fayol, Harold koontz, Mary Parket Follet, Peter Drucker and Mintzberg. But management is majorly defined as an art of getting things done through people to achieve an objective. Harold Koontz and Mary Parket Follet had the same view on this, they both defined management as an art of getting things done. While Henri Fayol and mintzberg views are quite similar but are also different. They both described a manager’s job the same way, according to Henri Fayol, â€Å"To manage is to forecast and to plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate, and to control†. He views management in terms of its functions, what managers have to do in order to achieve their objectives. Mintzberg also says that in order for a manager to be able to achieve his objectives, he has to be able to lead and communicate well. Fayol and mintzberg’s theory are only similar in the sense that there must be leadership in management in other to achieve their goals, but there are still some extra skills that can help with leadership. Mintzberg viewed organisations as an ‘open’ system, so they would consider both the internal and external factors of management, while Fayol saw organisation as a ‘close’ system, he concentrated on the internal factors of management. In conclusion, we can see that management is a very universal phenomenon; it is well known and done where so ever people’s efforts are co-ordinated. And that management is seen to be done by managers and these managers should be able to lead the people that are under them and should be able to control, co-ordinate, command, and organise others in order to achieve their objective.