What is management?

Management is a universal phenomenon. It is a very popular and widely used term. All organizations are involved in management because management helps and directs the various efforts towards a definite goal.

"Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organised groups." Harold Koontz gave this definition of management in his book "The Management Theory Jungle".

Traditionally, the manager's responsibilities include:

• Plan: planning the operation and function of the area under the manager’s responsibility in a way that accomplishes the goals.

• Organize: organizing the production of the work, and the workforce, training, and resources necessary, in a way that accomplishes the desired outcomes to meet the goals.

• Direct: providing the employees and their resources with guidance, direction, leadership, and support necessary to ensure that they are able to accomplish their goals.

• Monitor: following up to ensure that the plan is being carried out in such a way that its accomplishment is guaranteed.

• Evaluate: reviewing and assessing the success of the goal, the plan, and the allocation of the employees and their resources.

Levels of Management

Unless a business is very small, there will be several managers with responsibilities for leading the business. Every manager completes all of the management functions and has authority over other people and their work, but not every manager gives the same amount of attention and time to each of the functions. Most organizations have three levels of managers:

• Top level

• Middle level

• Low level

Top Level of Management consists of board of directors, president, chief executive officer, vice president or managing director. Top management sets the goals and policies of the company, prepares strategic plans, appoints departmental managers, and controls the activities of all the departments.

Middle Level of Management consists of the branch managers and departmental managers. They are responsible to the top management for the functioning of their department. Their role is to implement the plans the business plans developed by top executives, to make plans for their department, to coordinate the activities within the division or department.

Lower Level of Management consists of supervisors, line managers, foreman, section officers, etc. They are responsible for the work of a group of employees. They make sure that needed resources are available and used wisely. They plan the day-to-day work of the employees, instruct and motivate workers and ensure discipline.

How to be a great manager? / Characteristics of a successful manager

At the most general level, successful managers tend to have four characteristics:

• they take enormous pleasure and pride in the growth of their people;

• they are basically cheerful optimists – they keep up morale when there are problems;

• they don't promise more than they can deliver;

• when they move on from a job, they always leave the situation a little better than it was when they arrived.

To be truly effective, managers must excel at some essential tasks.

Great managers accept blame: When the big boss from the head office visits and expresses displeasure, the great manager accepts full responsibility. Mistakes made by team members are managers’ responsibility.

Great managers give praise: Praise is an effective management tool. Managers who regularly give praise are in a much stronger position to criticize poor performance.

Great managers judge on merit: It's very difficult to divorce your feelings about someone - whether you like or dislike them -from how you view their actions. But discrimination or favouritism is fatal to the smooth running of any team.

Great managers use strengths, not weaknesses, in themselves and in their people: Weak managers feel threatened by other people's strengths. Great managers see strengths as the basics to be used, and weakness as something to be worked around and, if possible, eliminated.

Great managers make things happen: The old-fashioned approach to management was like the old-fashioned approach to child-rearing: Go and see what the children are doing and tell them to stop it! Great managers have confidence that their people will be working in their interests and do everything they can to create an environment in which people feel free to express themselves.