General Functions of Management

a primary activity - основна діяльність

managerial potential - менеджерський потенціал

conceptual skills - концептуальні навички

memos — пам'ятка

a report - звіт; доповідь

to make presentation - організувати презентацію

to be specialized in - спеціалізуватися у будь-якій галузі

a chart - схема; таблиця

database management program - програма управління даними

to visualize - чітко уявляти

a discern interrelationship - вбачати взаємозв'язок

environment - оточення

to assign - доручити (напр. виконання завдання)

cohesive - невід'ємний

to staff- забезпечити персоналом

to conform to - відповідати (чому-небудь)

to indicate deviation - визначати розбіжності, відхилення

to occur - виникати

simultaneously — одночасно

The term management can have different meanings. You may not be able to define management exactly; it is a process involving certain functions and activities that managers must perform. A major purpose of studying the discipline of management is to learn and understand the principles and concepts of management and how to apply them in the process of managing.

There are probably as many definitions of management as there are books on the subject. In general management can be defined as a set of activities, including planning and decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling, directed at an organization's human, financial, physical, and information resources, with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner. With this basic understanding of management, defining the term manager becomes relatively simple: a manager is someone whose primary activities are a part of the management process. In particular, a manager is someone who plans and makes decisions, organizes, leads and controls human, financial, physical, and information resources.

The manager's job involves combining the certain professional skills to achieve the organization's goals. The main skills managers need to develop their managerial potential are: 1) conceptual skills; 2) the skills of verbal and written communication; 3) computer and technical skills; 4) human relation skills.

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS are the skills that reflect both an understanding of and a proficiency in the field a manager is specialized in.

THE SKILLS OF VERBAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION. Much of what managers want others to do must be communicated through memos, reports, policies etc. To communicate your ideas to others successfully mangers have to give talks, conduct meetings, make presentations.

COMPUTER AND TECHNICAL SKILLS. Memos, charts, letters and most of the other communication efforts will involve a computer. The truly efficient manager of the future should be able not only to compose on a word processor and send e-mail massages throughout the world but also use different database management programs. Technical skills are related to a manager's ability visualize the organization he or she is working for as a whole discern interrelationships among organizational parts, and understand how the organization fits into the wider context of economy.

HUMAN RELATIONS SKILLS are associated with the manager's ability to work well with others both as a member of a group and as a leader who gets thing done through.

The process of management consists of certain basic management functions such as: planning, organizing and controlling linked together by leading. Planning determines what results the organization will achieve; organizing specifies how it will achieve the results; and controlling determines whether the results are achieved. Throughout planning, organizing and controlling managers exercise leadership.

PLANNING. The planning function is the main activity of management. Planning activities determine an organization's objectives and establish the appropriate strategies for achieving those objectives. The organizing, leading and controlling functions all derive from planning in that these functions carry out the planning decisions.

Planning is done by managers at every level of the organization. Through their plans the managers outline what the organization must do to be successful. While plans may differ in focus they are all concerned about achieving organizational goals in the short and long term. Taken as a whole the organization's plans are the primary tools for preparing for and dealing with changes in the organization's environment.

ORGANIZING. Having developed the objectives and the plans to achieve the objectives, managers design and develop an organization that will be able to accomplish the objectives. Thus, the purpose of the organizing function is to create a structure of task and authority relationships that serves this purpose.

The organizing function takes the tasks identified during planning and assigns them to individuals and groups within the organization so that objectives set by planning can be achieved. Organizing then can be thought of as turning plans into action. The organizing function also provides an organizational structure that enables the organization to function effectively as a cohesive whole.

LEADING. Once objectives have been developed and the organizational structure has been designed and staffed, the next step is to begin to move the organization towards the objectives. The leading function serves this purpose. Sometimes called directing or motivating leading involves influencing the members of the organization to perform in ways that accomplish the organization's objectives.

The leading focuses directly on the people in the organization since its major purpose is to channel human behaviour towards accomplishing organizational goals. Effective leadership is highly prized ability in organizations and is a skill that some managers have difficulty in developing. The ability requires both task-oriented capabilities and the ability to communicate, understand, and motivate people.

CONTROLLING. Finally, a manager must make sure that the actual performance of the organization conforms to the performance that was planned for the organization. This is the controlling function of management and it requires three elements: (1) established standards of performance, (2) information that indicates deviations between actual performance and the established standards, and (3) action to correct performance that does not meet the standards. In a word, the purpose of management control is to make sure the organization stays on the path that was planned for it.

At this point, one should note that the management process does not involve four separate or unrelated activities but a group of closely related functions. Also the four functions do not necessarily occur in the sequence presented. In fact, the only time they might do so is when a new organization is being formed. In fact, various combinations of the four activities usually occur simultaneously.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1. Give the definition of management.

2. What are the basic management functions?

3. What do planning activities determine?

4. What is the purpose of the organizing function of management?

5. What dos the leading focus on?

6. What elements does the controlling function of management require?

7. What main skills does the manager's job involve?