management importance

NATURE AND SCOPE OF MANAGEMENT

Every human being has several needs and desires. But no individual can satisfy all his wants. Therefore, people work together to meet their mutual needs which they cannot fulfil individually. Moreover, man is a social being as he likes to live together with other people. It is by working and living together in organised groups and institutions that people satisfy their economic and social needs. As a result there are several types of groups, eg., family, school, government, army, a business firm, a cricket team and the like. Such formal groups can achieve their goals effectively only when the efforts of the people working in these groups are properly coordinated and controlled. The task of getting results through others by coordinating their efforts is known as management. Just as the mind coordinates and regulates all the activities of a person, management coordinates and regulates the activities of various members of an organisation.

DEFINITION OF MANAGEMENT

It is very difficult to give a precise definition of the term ‘management’. Different scholars from different disciplines view and interpret management from their own angles. The economists consider management as a resource like land, labour, capital and organisation. The bureaucrats look upon it as a system of authority to achieve business goals. The sociologists consider managers as a part of the class elite in the society. The definitions by some of the leading management thinkers and practitioners are given below:

(i) Management consists in guiding human and physical resources into dynamic, hard-hitting organisation unit that attains its objectives to the satisfaction of those served and with a high degree of morale and sense of attainment on the part of those rendering the service. —Lawrence A. Appley

(ii) Management is the coordination of all resources through the process of planning, organising, directing and controlling in order to attain stated objectives. —Henry L. Sisk.

(iii) Management is principally the task of planning, coordinating, motivating and controlling the efforts of others towards a specific objective. —James L. Lundy

(iv) Management is the art and science of organising and directing human efforts applied to control the forces and utilise the materials of nature for the benefit of man. —American Society of Mechanical Engineers

(v) Management is the creation and maintenance of an internal environment in an enterprise where individuals, working in groups, can perform efficiently and effectively towards the

attainment of group goals. —Harold Koontz and Cyrill O’Donnell

(vi) Management is the art of knowing what you want to do and then seeing that it is done in the best and cheapest way. —F.W. Taylor

(vii) To manage is to forecast and to plan, to organise to command, to coordinate and to control. —Henry Fayol

(viii) Management is the function of executive leadership anywhere. —Ralph C. Davis

(ix) Management is concerned with seeing that the job gets done; its tasks all centre on planning and guiding the operations that are going on in the enterprise. —E.F.L. Breach

(x) Management is a distinct process consisting of planning, organising, actuating and controlling performed to determine and accomplish the objectives by the use of people and resources. —George R. Terry

 (xi) Management is guiding human and physical resources into dynamic organisational units which attain their objectives to the satisfaction of those served and with a high degree of morale and sense of attainment on the part of those rendering service. —American Management Association

(xii) Management is a multipurpose organ that manage a business and manages Managers and manages Workers and work. —Peter Drucker

CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT

The term management has been interpreted in several ways; some of which are given below:

Management as an Activity

Management is an activity just like playing, studying, teaching etc. As an activity management has been defined as the art of getting things done through the efforts of other people. Management is a group activity wherein managers do to achieve the objectives of the group.

The activities of management are:

 Interpersonal activities

 Decisional activities

 Informative activities

Management as a Process

Management is considered a process because it involves a series of interrelated functions. It consists of getting the objectives of an organisation and taking steps to achieve objectives. The management process includes planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling functions.

Management as a process has the following implications:

(i) Social Process: Management involves interactions among people. Goals can be achieved only when relations between people are productive. Human factor is the most important part of the management.

(ii) Integrated Process: Management brings human, physical and financial resources together to put into effort. Management also integrates human efforts so as to maintain harmony among them.

(iii) Continuous Process: Management involves continuous identifying and solving problems. It is repeated every now and then till the goal is achieved.

 (iv) Interactive process: Managerial functions are contained within each other. For example, when a manager prepares plans, he is also laying down standards for control.

Management as an Economic Resource

Like land, labour and capital, management is an important factor of production. Management occupies the central place among productive factors as it combines and coordinates all other resources. This is Management as resource

Management as a Team

As a group of persons, management consists of all those who have the responsibility of guiding and coordinating the efforts of other persons. These persons are called as managers who operate at different levels of authority (top, middle, operating). Some of these managers have ownership stake in their firms while others have become managers by virtue of their training and experience. Civil servants and defence personnel who manage public sector undertakings are also part of the management team. As a group managers have become an elite class in society occupying positions with enormous power and prestige.

Management as an Academic Discipline

Management has emerged as a specialised branch of knowledge. It comprises principles and practices for effective management of organisations. Management has become as very popular field of study as is evident from the great rush for admission into institutes of management. Management offers a very rewarding and challenging career.

Management as a Group

Management means the group of persons occupying managerial positions. It refers to all those individuals who perform managerial functions. All the managers, e.g., chief executive (managing director), departmental heads, supervisors and so on are collectively known as management.

For example, when one remarks that the management of Reliance Industries Ltd. is good, he is referring to the persons who are managing the company. There are several types of managers which are listed as under.

(i) Family managers who have become managers by virtue of their being owners or relatives of the owners of a company.

(ii) Professional managers who have been appointed on account of their degree or diploma in management.

(iii) Civil Servants who manage public sector undertakings. Managers have become a very powerful and respected group in modern society. This is because the senior managers of companies take decisions that affect the lives of a large number of people. For example, if the managers of Reliance Industries Limited decide to expand production it will create job for thousands of people. Managers also help to improve the social life of the public and the economic progress of the country. Senior managers also enjoy a high standard of living in society. They have, therefore, become an elite group in the society.

Nature and Characteristics of Management

The salient features which highlight the nature of management are as follows:

(i) Management is goal-oriented: Management is not an end in itself. It is a means to achieve certain goals. Management has no justification to exist without goals. Management goals are called group goals or organisational goals. The basic goal of management is to ensure efficiency and economy in the utilisation of human, physical and financial resources. The success of management is measured by the extent to which the established goals one achieved. Thus, management is purposefull.

(ii) Management is universal: Management is an essential element of every organised activity irrespective of the size or type of activity. Wherever two or more persons are engaged in working for a common goal, management is necessary. All types of organisations, e.g., family, club, university, government, army, cricket team or business, require management. Thus, management is a pervasive activity. The fundamental principles of management are applicable in all areas of organised effort. Managers at all levels perform the same basic functions.

(iii) Management is an Integrative Force: The essence of management lies in the coordination of individual efforts in to a team. Management reconciles the individual goals with organisational goals. As unifying force, management creates a whole that is more than the sum of individual parts. It integrates human and other resources.

(iv) Management is a Social Process: Management is done by people, through people and for people. It is a social process because it is concerned with interpersonal relations. Human factor is the most important element in management. According to Appley, “Management is the development of people not the direction of things. A good manager is a leader not a boss. It is the pervasiveness of human element which gives management its special character as a social process”.

(v) Management is multidisciplinary: Management has to deal with human behaviour under dynamic conditions. Therefore, it depends upon wide knowledge derived from several disciplines like engineering, sociology, psychology, economics, anthropology, etc. The vast body of knowledge in management draws heavily upon other fields of study.

(vi) Management is a continuous Process: Management is a dynamic and an on-going process. The cycle of management continues to operate so long as there is organised action for the achievement

of group goals.

(vii) Management is Intangible: Management is an unseen or invisible force. It cannot be seen but its presence can be felt everywhere in the form of results. However, the managers who perform the functions of management are very much tangible and visible.

(viii) Management is an Art as well as Science: It contains a systematic body of theoretical knowledge and it also involves the practical application of such knowledge. Management is also a discipline involving specialised training and an ethical code arising out of its social obligations. On the basis of these characteristics, management may be defined as a continuous social process involving the coordination of human and material resources in order to accomplish desired objectives. It involves both the determination and the accomplishment of organisational goals.

Objectives Of Management

The objectives of management are narrated as under.

(i) Organisational objectives: Management is expected to work for the achievement of the objectives of the particular organisation in which it exists. Organisational objectives include:

(a) Reasonable profits so as to give a fair return on the capital invested in business

(b) Survival and solvency of the business, i.e., continuity.

(c) Growth and expansion of the enterprise

(d) Improving the goodwill or reputation of the enterprise.

(ii) Personal objectives: An organisation consists of several persons

who have their own objectives. These objectives are as follows:

(a) Fair remuneration for work performed

(b) Reasonable working conditions

(c) Opportunities for training and development

(d) Participation in management and prosperity of the enterprise

(e) Reasonable security of service.

(iii) Social objectives: Management is not only a representative of the owners and workers, but is also responsible to the various groups outside the organisation. It is expected to fulfil the objectives of the society which are given below:

(a) Quality of goods and services at fair price to consumers.

(b) Honest and prompt payment of taxes to the Government.

(c) Conservation of environment and natural resources.

(d) Fair dealings with suppliers, dealers and competitors.

(e) Preservation of ethical values of the society.