Nature of management
1.define what is management
2.Explaining the importance of the study of management
3.specify the focus
4.Brief outline to the essay
It is through management that resources are combined by businesses and organizations to
accomplish objectives. Management incorporates planning, controlling, organizing, staffing, and
coordination to achieve goals and objectives (David 2014). Management is a broad,
comprehensive subject that developed since civilization era began. Physical equipment, labor,
capital and materials needed to work in an organization require management to achieve an
integrated goal. Management can, therefore, be said to be the process of directing, guiding, and
unifying human labor and goals for the achievement of given tasks (Ganesh 2015). Management
varies in the scope of schools, functions and processes of management, and evolution of
management.
Principles of management
The principle can be defined as the truth about the cause of a certain phenomenon.
Principles arise from observation, analysis and experimentation over time. Principles, therefore,
act as a guide towards thinking and acting. Theory of management includes principles that are
widely recognized in the management of businesses (David 2014). The principles of
management explain the cause and effect of various variables in an organization and assist
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Nature of management
managers in the proper running of the organization. The principles guide managers in making
decisions that affect the organization.
Principles of management are global and can be applied to any form of business. The
principles are also flexible and easily adopt to new needs of the business as well as demands.
They are applied in the context of the surrounding environment. Though management principles
are global, they are not standardized since human behavior is highly unpredictable. There is no
management principle that is said to be better than the other one (Ganesh 2015). Taylor and
Henry are said to be the main contributors of the evolvement of management principles.
Management
Management involves all areas of a business enterprise. Each department in a business is
run by a manager who is an expertise in the field pertaining the roles of the department. The field
of management is applicable in every aspect of human life. It is essential not only in running a
business but also in any situation that human effort is involved in accomplishing a certain goal
(Cameron and Whetten 2011). Since management mainly involves managing of human effort to
achieve a goal, the human effort must be coordinated and controlled to ensure there is effective
utilization of resources.
There are four main functions of management
- Planning
Planning is the process of deciding what is to be achieved in advance. It involves deciding on
what to do when to do it, and how to do the task (David 2014). A manager decides on the course
of action to be taken to help accomplish a goal.
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Nature of management
- Organizing
As a management function, organizing is the process of integrating all an organization resources
so that they can be uniform in the attainment of a specific goal. To have good organization,
activities are identified and then the identified activities are grouped together. Duties are then
assigned and responsibility for each activity given to the workers. - Staffing
Staffing is a human resources management function that involves employing of labor specific to
the area of expertise. - Directing
Directing is another important function of management. Directing incorporates motivation of
human resources, supervision, communication between the different sectors of the organization,
and carrying out leadership roles. - Controlling
In controlling, a manager measures and corrects performance activities to ensure they are in line
with the planned activities. Controlling, therefore, involves coming up with performance
standards, measuring performance, comparing the estimated performance with the actual
performance, and taking any corrective actions (David 2014).
There are four functional areas in an organization. Personnel, marketing, finance, and
production. All the four areas must be managed to achieve the goals of an organization. The four
areas have managers that use their skills to handle the unit’s requirements. In management, there
are three divisions. Top management, middle-level management, and low-level management
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Nature of management
(Cliff 2010). Top level management deals with the overall management of the organization and
engages in setting the goals of the firm as a whole. Middle-level managers deal with the
operations of the firm and setting of rules to be used in carrying out the functions. Low-level
management takes orders from middle-level managers and is involved in day to day running of
the business.
There are many advantages of management. Managers ensure that there is discipline
among the workforce, the managers distribute work, coordinate organization’s activities, and
improve efficiencies. Managers also market the company, ensure a smooth running of the
organization, and deal with issues from the workers.
The roles of managers are diverse. Managers play the role of linking the company with
both its internal and external environment. The managers guide the company in a way that
activities are executed smoothly and that the company is profitable. The internal environment is
composed of the four functional areas while the external environment is composed of
competitors, suppliers, the government, customers, and financiers (Lawrence 2010). It is the role
of the managers to ensure that the external environment and internal environment are well-
coordinated and controlled.
Management is said to be science and art, and it regarded as being multi-disciplinary in
nature. Management is goal-oriented, globally accepted, intangible, dynamic, and authoritative in
nature. Scholars have defined the general principles of management to be the division of work,
the unity of command and decision, discipline, authority, centralization, and equity.
Management is a universally accepted function that deals with controlling, coordinating,
planning, and organizing different resources in an organization. Management is either top level,
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Nature of management
middle level, or lower level. The managers act as intermediaries between the internal and
external environment. When the different departmental units are combined, the specific
managers ensure that the activities to be performed by each department are well coordinated.
Since management mainly deals with human labor, it is not possible to standardize, and it is up
to the managers to make a reasonable judgment regarding a situation. Managers make decisions
on behalf of the organization.
Through proper management, discipline is ensured in the organization, work is
distributed equally, and the goals and objectives of the organization are integrated. Management
can be defined scientifically or as an art. Though it can is defined by the two schools of thought,
the meaning, and nature of management is the same. Management is used by humans in their day
to day activities, and it is multi-disciplinary and equitable. Scholars that researched on the nature
and principles of management give the same idea making management a significant field in the
running of a business. Taylor is one of the scholars that defined the principles and nature of
management. Management is wide and universal at the same time. It is applicable in all areas of
human life.
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Nature of management
References
Cameron & Whetten, 2011, Developing Management Skills, 8 th edition
David Boddy, 2014, Management: An introduction, 6 th edition
Deslandes, 2014, Management in xenophon’s philosophy
Ganesh Murugan, 2015, Management and nature of management.
Kleiman Lawrence, 2010, Management and executive development
Leonard Holmes ,2012, The dominance of management: A participatory critique
Norman Jones, 2013,The managerial culture of 16 th century England
Ricky Griffin, 2010, Management.
Harry, Rosemary, & Sarah, 2014, The Classroom Management Book.
