1.9 THE MANAGER AND HIS JOB
Management performs the functions of planning, organizing, staffing,
directing and controlling for the accomplishment of organizational goals.
Any person who performs these functions is a manager. The first line
manager or supervisor or foreman is also a manager because he performs
these functions. The difference between the functions of top, middle and
lowest level management is that of degree. For instance, top management
concentrates more on long-range planning and organization, middle level
management concentrates more on coordination and control and lowest
level management concentrates more on direction function to get the things
done from the workers.
Every manager is concerned with ideas, things and people. Management is
a creative process for integrating the use of resources to accomplish certain
goals. In this process, ideas, things and people are vital inputs which are to
be transformed into output consistent with the goals.
Management of ideas implies use of conceptual skills. It has three
connotations. First, it refers to the need for practical philosophy of
management to regard management as a distinct and scientific process.
Second, management of ideas refers to the planning phase of management
process. Lastly, management of ideas refers to distinction and innovation.
Creativity refers to generation of new ideas, and innovation refers to
transforming ideas into viable relations and utilities. A manager must be
imaginative to plan ahead and to create new Ideas.
Management of things (non-human resources) deal with the design of
production system, and acquisition, allocation and conversion of physical
resources to achieve certain goals. Management of people is concerned with
procurement, development, maintenance and integration of human
31
, resources in the organization. Every manager has to direct his subordinates
to put the organizational plans into practice.
The greater part of every manager's time is spent in communicating and
dealing with people. His efforts are directed towards obtaining information
and evaluating progress towards objectives set by him and then taking
corrective action. Thus, a manager's job primarily consists of management
of people. Though it is his duty to handle all the productive resources, but
human factor is more important. A manager cannot convert the raw
materials into finished products himself; he has to take the help of others to
do this. The greatest problem before any manager is how to manage the
personnel to get the best possible results. The manager in the present age
has to deal efficiently with the people who are to contribute for the
achievement of organizational goals.
Peter F. Drucker has advocated that the managerial approach to handle
workers and work should be pragmatic and dynamic. Every job should be
designed as an integrated set of operations. The workers should be given a
sufficient measure of freedom to organize and control their work
environment. It is the duty of every manager to educate, train and develop
people below him so that they may use their potentialities and abilities to
perform the work allotted to them. He has also to help them in satisfying
their needs and working under him, he must provide them with proper
environment. A manager must create a climate which brings in and
maintains satisfaction and discipline among the people. This will increase
organizational effectiveness.
Recently, it has been questioned whether planning, organizing, directing
and controlling provides an adequate description of the management
process. After an intensive observation of what five top executive actually
32
Management performs the functions of planning, organizing, staffing,
directing and controlling for the accomplishment of organizational goals.
Any person who performs these functions is a manager. The first line
manager or supervisor or foreman is also a manager because he performs
these functions. The difference between the functions of top, middle and
lowest level management is that of degree. For instance, top management
concentrates more on long-range planning and organization, middle level
management concentrates more on coordination and control and lowest
level management concentrates more on direction function to get the things
done from the workers.
Every manager is concerned with ideas, things and people. Management is
a creative process for integrating the use of resources to accomplish certain
goals. In this process, ideas, things and people are vital inputs which are to
be transformed into output consistent with the goals.
Management of ideas implies use of conceptual skills. It has three
connotations. First, it refers to the need for practical philosophy of
management to regard management as a distinct and scientific process.
Second, management of ideas refers to the planning phase of management
process. Lastly, management of ideas refers to distinction and innovation.
Creativity refers to generation of new ideas, and innovation refers to
transforming ideas into viable relations and utilities. A manager must be
imaginative to plan ahead and to create new Ideas.
Management of things (non-human resources) deal with the design of
production system, and acquisition, allocation and conversion of physical
resources to achieve certain goals. Management of people is concerned with
procurement, development, maintenance and integration of human
31
, resources in the organization. Every manager has to direct his subordinates
to put the organizational plans into practice.
The greater part of every manager's time is spent in communicating and
dealing with people. His efforts are directed towards obtaining information
and evaluating progress towards objectives set by him and then taking
corrective action. Thus, a manager's job primarily consists of management
of people. Though it is his duty to handle all the productive resources, but
human factor is more important. A manager cannot convert the raw
materials into finished products himself; he has to take the help of others to
do this. The greatest problem before any manager is how to manage the
personnel to get the best possible results. The manager in the present age
has to deal efficiently with the people who are to contribute for the
achievement of organizational goals.
Peter F. Drucker has advocated that the managerial approach to handle
workers and work should be pragmatic and dynamic. Every job should be
designed as an integrated set of operations. The workers should be given a
sufficient measure of freedom to organize and control their work
environment. It is the duty of every manager to educate, train and develop
people below him so that they may use their potentialities and abilities to
perform the work allotted to them. He has also to help them in satisfying
their needs and working under him, he must provide them with proper
environment. A manager must create a climate which brings in and
maintains satisfaction and discipline among the people. This will increase
organizational effectiveness.
Recently, it has been questioned whether planning, organizing, directing
and controlling provides an adequate description of the management
process. After an intensive observation of what five top executive actually
32
