The Management Process

     Management is the process of coordinating the resources of an organization to achieve the primary goals of the organization. Managers are concerned with four types of resources&-material, financial, human, and informational.

     Managers perform four basic functions. The amount of time they devote to each depends on the situation of the firm and of the manager within the firm. First, managers engage in goal setting and planning (determining where the firm should be going and how to get there). Three types of plans, from the broadest to the most specific, are strategies, tactical plans, and standing plans. Next, managers organize resources and activities to accomplish results in an efficient and effective manner. Then, managers must lead and motivate others to inspire them to work in the best interest of the organization. Finally, managers must control ongoing activities, through continual evaluation and regulation, to keep the organization on course as it pursues its goals.

     Managers&-or management positions&-may be classified from two different perspectives From the perspective of level, there are top managers who control the fortunes of the organization&- middle managers, who implement strategies and major policies; and first&-line managers, who supervise the activities of operating employees. From the viewpoint of area of management, managers most often deal with the functions of finance, operations, marketing, human resources, and administration.

     Effective managers tend to possess a specific set of skills and to fill ten basic managerial roles. Technical, conceptual, interpersonal, diagnostic, and analytic skills are all important, though the relative importance of each varies with the level of management. All the key managerial roles can be classified as decisional, interpersonal, or informational.

     Managers function within a corporate culture&-a system consisting of a firm's inner rites, rituals, heroes, and values. Managers may find it useful to assess that culture.

     Managers' own effectiveness often depends on their styles of leadership&-that is, their ability to influence others, either formally or informally. Leadership styles include the authoritarian "do it my way" style, the laissez&-faire "do it your way" style, and the democratic "let's do it together" style.

     Decision making, an integral part of a manager's work, the process of developing a set of possible alternative solutions and choosing one alternative from among that set. Managerial decision making involves four steps. Managers must accurately identify problems, come up with several possible solutions, choose the solution that will be most effective under the circumstances, and finally implement the chosen course of action.

     Candidates for management positions learn their skills and roles in lower levels within the organization, in other organizations, and in schools and universities.

     Total quality management is the coordination of efforts directed at improving customer satisfaction, increasing employee participation and empowerment, forming and strengthening supplier partnerships, and facilitating an organizational atmosphere of continuous quality improvement. To have an effective total quality management program, top management must make a strong, sustained commitment to the program and must be able to coordinate all of the program's elements so that they work in harmony.