Management is universal in the modern industrial world and there is no substitute for good management. It makes human effects more productive and brings better technology, products and services to our society.
It is a crucial economic resource and a life giving element in business. Without proper management, the resources of production ( men, machines and materials, money ) cannot be converted into production. Thus management is a vital function concerned with all aspects of the working of an organization. Management is a must to accomplish desired goals through group action. It is essential to convert the disorganized resources of men, machines, materials and methods into a useful and effective enterprise. Thus management is the function of getting things done through people and directing the efforts of individuals towards a common objective.
Meaning and Definitions of Management :
Management is the art of maximizing efficiency, as a social
process, a method of getting things done through others a plan of action and
its direction by a co-operative group moving towards a common goal. Effective
utilisation of available resources to achieve same objective is management.
Management is a comprehensive function of Planning, Organising,
Forecasting Co- ordinating, Leading, Controlling, Motivating the efforts of
others to achieve specific objectives. Management can precisely be called the
rule – making and rule – enforcing body.
Definitions :
According to Harold Koontz “ Management is the art of getting things done through and with formally organized groups “.
According to Peter F. Drucker. “ A Multipurpose organ that manages a business and manages managers and manages workers and works “.
According to J.Lundy “ Management is what management does. It is the task of planning executing and controlling “..
According to Lawrence Appley “ Management is the development of people and not the direction of things “.
According to F.W. Taylor “ Management is the art of knowing what you want to do in the best and cheapest way “.
FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT
1. PLANNING
Planning is an important function of management because it sets the pace for all subsequent steps in the managerial process. You need to develop a roadmap for the future—predefined steps—to accomplish organizational goals. In this step, you’ll have to evaluate methods and strategies to determine how you’ll progress.
2. ORGANIZING
This is where you put your plan into action
by establishing a system of authority or hierarchy in the context of your
organizational structure. Determine the tasks that need to be completed to
achieve your goals before assigning them to your staff. So, define an
organizational structure that aligns with your workplace and assign tasks that
map to your team’s skills and abilities
3.
STAFFING
This
is another important function of management. You have to assign tasks based on
each team member’s knowledge, skills and abilities. You have to be careful here
because you may have to hire new talent for specific tasks that require
specific technical expertise. Assessing the needs of your employees in terms of
incentives, training and development and compensation are critical
for the success of this step. An effective manager will have the insight to
evaluate the competency and efficiency of their employees. This is to ensure
that their assigned tasks match their skills.
4.
DIRECTING
Directing
is concerned with supervising your team’s progress. In this step, you have to
keep an open channel of communication and get regular updates to stay on top of
things. A great way to do this is by giving and receiving feedback to address
any problem areas and improve performance. This is where you have to act as a
leader, navigate conflict and motivate your employees to take initiative.
5.
CONTROLLING
This step requires you to coordinate with your employees to ensure that they’re
moving in the right direction and in the right manner. According to Gulick’s 7 functions of management,
controlling can be understood in terms of coordinating, reporting and
budgeting.
SUPERVISOR–SUBORDINATE RELATIONSHIPS
‘Supervision’
comprises two words, namely ‘super’,
that is, superior or extra, and ‘vision’,
that is, sight or perspective. The literal meaning of the term ‘supervision’ is
to ‘oversee’ or ‘to inspect the work of other persons’. Thus, ‘supervision’
refers to an act by which any person inspects or supervises the work of other
people, that is, whether they are working properly or not.
Hierarchy
is a defining characteristic of organizations. The earliest formal theories of
organization – bureaucratic theory and administrative management – held
hierarchy at the core of management processes, emphasizing chain of command,
order, control, and discipline. These processes occur in the context of
supervisor–subordinate relationships. Supervisor–subordinate relationships are
workplace relationships in which one partner (the supervisor) holds direct
formal authority over the other (the subordinate employee).
Functions Of Supervisor–Subordinate
Relationships
Early studies of supervisor–subordinate
relationships, conducted by both leadership and management scholars, tended to
be unidirectional and focused on the functional aspects of such relationships.
This research attempted to identify supervisor qualities and behaviors
that lead to improved employee attitudes, motivation, and job performance.
Need for directions to subordinates
Directing is the managerial function that
consists of those activities which are concerned directly with influencing,
guiding or supervising the subordinates in their jobs.
“Direction is telling people what to do and
seeing that they do it to the best of their ability. It includes making
assignments, corresponding procedures, seeing that mistakes are corrected,
providing on-the-job instructions and of course, issuing orders. “
—Ernest Dale
Thus need for directions is summarizes as below,
- It is concerned with issuing of orders and instructions to the subordinates.
- It is guiding and counselling the subordinates in their work with a view to improving their performance.
- It is supervision of the work of subordinates to ensure that it conforms to plans.
Instructions to subordinates
As a manager,
leader, or supervisor, great importance is your ability to lead, manage,
supervise and motivate your subordinates/staff - the people under your purview
- effectively.
The following tips will
help you improve your leadership skills and relationships with your
subordinates and get stronger support from them.
1. Be Fair to Everyone
Treat each of your subordinates/staff
fairly and respectfully. Some people are by nature more likable than others,
but as a supervisor, you have to avoid even the slightest hint of favoritism;
be fair to everyone.
2. Develop Everyone
Everyone is
unique. Each subordinate has his / her own strengths and weaknesses. So, work
on developing the abilities or the potential of every employee. Don't overlook
the need to provide any necessary resources and training needed by the
employees to do the jobs. In return, they will be more respectful to you and
hence, work better.
3. Know and Like Your Subordinates
Learn the
individual strengths and weaknesses of the people you supervise. This will aid
you in assigning tasks on the basis of skills rather than at random. It will
make them feel good working with you.
4. Show Continuing Interest in Your Subordinates
Show continuing
concern for your subordinates by providing feedback on their performance
regularly - not just at performance evaluation time. Be honest whether they are
doing well or bad. This means, giving praise when it is deserved - not when it
isn't.
5. Criticize with Care
Be diplomatic
whenever you criticize any aspect of an employee's performance. Never jump to
any judgment or conclusion without thinking first about the consequences of your
critics. So, be tactful to your subordinates at all times. They will surely
appreciate you for being a considerate leader/manager.
6. Be Flexible
Be flexible in
dealing with employees' concerns. Going strictly by set procedures won't always
give you the flexibility you need to resolve individual performance. So, always
use your good common sense.
7. Give Simple Directions
Give simple,
but specific job directions at any time you assign a new task to a worker. Make
things not so difficult in the eyes of your subordinates even if it is in
actuality a challenging task. This will make them feel good and confident doing
the jobs assigned to them.
8. Defend Your Subordinates
Defend your
subordinates against unfair criticisms; be with them. Make them think and feel
that you are a reasonable or supportive leader/manager/supervisor.
9. Be a Coach - Not a General
Remember! You
are at work, not at war. So, be loyal to your subordinates as well as to the
company/organization/employer. Include subordinates in the decision-making
process whenever feasible. You can also show your leadership qualities by
working to obtain promotions, pay raises, and awards for deserving employees.
MOTIVATION
Motivation is defined as the desire to achieve a goal or a
certain performance level, leading to goal-directed behavior. When we refer to
someone as being motivated, we mean that the person is trying hard to
accomplish a certain task.
Need-Based
Theories of Motivation
The earliest studies of motivation involved an examination of
individual needs. Specifically, early researchers thought that employees try
hard and demonstrate goal-driven behavior in order to satisfy needs. For
example, an employee who is always walking around the office talking to people
may have a need for companionship, and his behavior may be a way of satisfying
this need. At the time, researchers developed theories to understand what
people need.
Four theories may be placed under this category:
1. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,
2. ERG theory,
3. Herzberg’s two-factor theory, and
4. McClelland’s acquired-needs theory.
Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow is among the most prominent
psychologists of the twentieth century. His hierarchy of needs is an image
familiar to most business students and managers. The theory is based on a
simple premise: Human beings have needs that are hierarchically ranked. There
are some needs that are basic to all human beings, and in their absence nothing
else matters. As we satisfy these basic needs, we start looking to satisfy
higher order needs. In other words, once a lower level need is satisfied, it no
longer serves as a motivator.
The most basic of Maslow’s needs are physiological needs. Physiological
needs refer to the need for food, water, and other biological needs. These
needs are basic because when they are lacking, the search for them may
overpower all other urges. Imagine being very hungry. At that point, all your
behavior may be directed at finding food. Once you eat, though, the search for
food ceases and the promise of food no longer serves as a motivator. Once
physiological needs are satisfied, people tend to become concerned about safety needs. Are they free from the
threat of danger, pain, or an uncertain future? On the next level up, social needs refer to the need to
bond with other human beings, be loved, and form lasting attachments with
others.
McClelland’s
acquired-needs theory.
Among the need-based approaches to
motivation, David McClelland’s acquired-needs theory is the one that has
received the greatest amount of support. According to this theory, individuals
acquire three types of needs as a result of their life experiences. These needs
are the need for achievement, the need for affiliation, and the need for power.
All individuals possess a combination of these needs, and the dominant needs
are thought to drive employee behavior.
McClelland used a unique method called
the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to assess the dominant need.
Those who have high need for achievement have a strong need to be
successful. As children, they may be praised for their hard work, which forms
the foundations of their persistence. Praise for intelligence can undermine
children’s motivation and performance. As adults, they are preoccupied
with doing things better than they did in the past. These individuals are
constantly striving to improve their performance. They relentlessly focus on
goals, particularly stretch goals that are challenging in nature.
Those who are high in need for achievement
may view managerial activities such as coaching, communicating, and meeting
with subordinates as a waste of time and may neglect these aspects of their
jobs. Moreover, those high in need for achievement enjoy doing things
themselves and may find it difficult to delegate any meaningful authority to
their subordinates.
McClelland’s theory of acquired needs has
important implications for the motivation of employees. Managers need to
understand the dominant needs of their employees to be able to motivate them.
While people who have a high need for achievement may respond to goals, those
with a high need for power may attempt to gain influence over those they work
with, and individuals high in their need for affiliation may be motivated to
gain the approval of their peers and supervisors.
Difference between
a Foreman and a Supervisor
The foreman is the person who oversees work and ensures that it
is done to the plan and guidelines, whereas the supervisor is a middle-line
level manager who supervises the team, including the foreman, but has no direct
control over production. Each of these professionals has several different
career paths and opportunities.
The foreman must report to the supervisor as
the supervisor is higher in the hierarchy, and while their job backgrounds may
require overlapping experience, they require different sets of skills.
Supervisors have many different opportunities later in their careers in a wide
array of management positions including as sales or maintenance supervisors. Foremen
will have different opportunities within construction and manufacturing firms.
Role/Qualities of a Supervisor
·
As a Planner - A supervisor has to plan the daily
work schedules in the factory. At the same time he has to divide the work to
various workers according to their abilities.
·
As a Manager - It is righty said that a supervisor is
a part of the management team of an enterprise. He is, in fact, an operative
manager.
·
As a Guide and Leader - A factory supervisor leads the workers
by guiding them the way of perform their daily tasks. In fact, he plays a role
of an inspirer by telling them.
·
As a Mediator - A Supervisor is called a linking pin
between management and workers. He is the spokesperson of management as well as
worker.
·
As an Inspector - An important role of supervisor is to
enforce discipline in the factory. For this, the work includes checking
progress of work against the time schedule, recording the work performances at
regular intervals and reporting the deviations if any from those. He can also
frame rules and regulations which have to be followed by workers during their
work.
·
As a Counselor - A supervisor plays the role of a
counselor to the worker’s problem. He has to perform this role in order to
build good relations and co-operation from workers.
Role of a Foreman
·
Coordinate tasks according to priorities and plans
·
Produce schedules and monitor attendance of crew
·
Allocate general and daily responsibilities
·
Supervise and train workers and tradespeople
·
Ensure manpower and resources are adequate
·
Guarantee all safety precautions and quality standards are met
·
Supervise the use of machinery and equipment
·
Monitor expenditure and ensure it remains within budget
·
Resolve problems when they arise
·
Report on progress to managers, engineers etc.
