Management Flashcards
Define management
Management is the organisation and coordination of the activities of a business (or other formal organisational setting) in order to achieve defined aims and objectives
Define Organising
Organising ensures that the organisation has the necessary resources in term of staff, money, and materials and that they are brought together in the correct balance.
Define commanding
Commanding involves maintaining activity among employees by making decisions and communicating them to subordinates
Define leadership
Leadership involves setting a clear direction for the organisation; creating and communicating a vision that employees can follow; and ensuring that employees understand their role in achieving goals. Thus, a leader is a person who exercises influence over other people
Name the four function of management
- Planning and forecasting
- Organising
- Leading and commanding
- Controlling
Define planning and forecasting
Planning and forecasting involves assessing the further and making provision for it.
Planning is the process used by managers to identify and select appropriate goals and courses of action for an organisation.
Define controlling
The control function requires managers to effectively assess the extent to which the organisation is achieving its goals and to initiate corrective action to improve performance if necessary
Which are the roles of management?
Interpersonal, Informational, Decisional
Define and explain Interpersonal roles
Figurehead role: symbolises the organisation and what it is trying to achieve. This role requires managers to be highly visible so that stakeholders come to recognise the manager as a symbol of the organisation. The figurehead uses human and communications skills to carry out this function
Leader role: may involve providing motivation, inspiration and encouragement to others. Leaders have to demonstrate qualities that others admire or seek to emulate or who, through forces of character and personality, can get people to accept and support their views regarding the vision and mission of the organisation they present
Liaison role: is used to link and coordinate people inside and outside the organisation to help achieve goals. Is related to skills in communication, networking, interpersonal skills etc. This may involve communicating with governments, trade unions, consumer groups, suppliers, partners, industry regulators etc
Define and explain Informational roles
Monitor role: requires managers to analyse information from both the internal and external environment as a means of making better informed decisions. Effective monitoring can lead to a competitive advantage as the outcomes can offer better insights into what opportunities can be exploited as well as predicting the emergence of threats so that contingencies can be put in place to deal with them
Disseminator role: refers to how managers transmit information to influence the attitudes and behaviour or employees. In many ways this may be rightly viewed as the most important management skill of all. Requires superior communications skills; written, oral and body language
Spokesperson role: is closely linked to the liaison role. Usually involves speaking to the media, customer representative groups, industry and trade bodies, government, universities etc. The role relies on superior communication skills to communicate the mission and aims of the organisation they represent and to present it in a positive but also realistic light
What those Decisional roles means?
Decisional roles are associated with the methods managers use to plan strategy and utilise resources to achieve goals. This role forms one of the most important aspects of management.
Name and explain the different Decisional roles
Entrepreneur role: includes the strategic, resource and growth orientation of the organisation, rewards, entrepreneurial culture and the management structure. An ability to understand, process and assess risk. Be able to evaluate the expected returns on investment in aspects of the business including finance, human resources, relationship building, marketing, logistics etc.
Disturbance handler role: the constant changes require managers to assume responsibility for navigating a way through various forms of disturbance affecting the organisation. Managers initiate actions of their own, but they must also respond to problems or “disturbances” in this role, a manager often acts as a judge, problem solver, or conflict manager Source.
Resource allocator role: one of the most politically charged roles facing managers is that of resource allocator where financial, human, capital and other resources are distributed to functional areas of the organisation.
Negotiator role: elements of negotiation between managers and stakeholders including unions, workers, suppliers, industry representatives regulators, partners etc. Managers need to have negotiation skills appropriate to each stakeholder group and to work towards a solution that does not compromise the long-term aims and objectives of the organisation.
Name and explain the Levels of management
Top management
Managers at this level are responsible for the performance of all departments and have cross-departmental responsibility. They establish organisational long-term goals, create strategies to achieve those goals and liaise with middle managers (textbook).
Middle management
Act as a conduit between the top managers and those at operational level.
Operational/first-line management
Are responsible for the day-to-day running and operations of the organisation. The core function of operational managers is to ensure that the productive capacity of the organisation is maintained on an on-going basis (textbook).
Name and explain different Management skills
Conceptual → knowledge and understanding
Human → interpersonal and motivational
Technical → competence and skill. Managers who have had education or experience within the field their employees are working with will do better as managers than those who have not.
Cultural awareness → awareness of how to deal with diversity
Name and explain Management challenges in the modern business environment
Managing change
Managing change is a complex, uncertain and risk-bearing activity that managers need to understand and implement. Managers need to know when to implement change, to what degree, and what outcomes can be expected
Managing communication
Planning, controlling, strategising, decision making, coordinating, problem solving, conflict handling and relationship building among others.
Inclusive management
Access to education and learning opportunities, information and knowledge. Responsibility will be spread throughout organisations and each worker will have stakeholding and vested interest in the performance of the organisation and the community and culture
Managing learning
Making sense of information and knowledge. Managers need to be able to promote and support learning throughout the organisation
