Week 1: Management: Theory, Practice, and Application
Management: Theory, Practice, and Application Mr. Robert Manning Week 1/Functions of Management Frederick R. Paige III
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The study of management and business covers a vast spectrum of topics. Within the scope of management there are four main functions, which someone can use to be an efficient and effictive manager and have the skills to properly oversee people and operations. Throughout time and throughout business the core principals of management have not changed. They are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Websters dictionary defines planning as: the act or process of making or carrying out plans; specifically: the establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit. In a business setting, planning is an essential part of daily operations and future operations. Depending on the business, managers must plan accordingly. Thus, improper planning within the organization can result in strategic financial compromise. All business operations rely heavily on proper planning whether it is for employee scheduling, meetings, shipping, production, or any other need that may arise. Managers throughout the military now primarily communicate and plan through sequential planning, which is a step-by-step process where higher ranks communicate one at a time from highest to lowest. The military prides itself on precise planning and logistics. Having one of the best and strongest military forces is also something that the United States prides itself in. Price Jr. (2012) stated that However, a comprehensive human resource strategy [would address] shortfalls in the selection, education, training, professional development, and personnel management of Joint contingency planners. Unfortunately, the care and feeding of the military planning community has not changed, and the overload of planning staffs became the only fulfilled promise of Ap. University of Phoenix 3 Organizing is yet another function of a highly effective and efficient manager, whether it be organizing personnel, or organizing to be effective. Some managers focus on excelling in one managerial trait and then find they lack greater potential if they would have put more emphasis on all manager traits. In the military, organization is a huge part of operations. People, resources, and logistics are just some of the items that need to be planned. The military is organized by an echelon rank structure in which the higher rank you achieve the more responsibility you have. This is also the case for police departments; a structure is set in place to organize its people. Another way the military and police organize is through logistics. Accountability for assets through some type of computer system in place helps to keep things organized. Logistics is an essential part of organization because without accountability and logistics, money gets wasted. According to Bateman and Snell (2009) Managing your costs and keeping them down requires being efficient; accomplishing your goals by using your resources wisely and minimizing waste. Little things can save big money, but cost cuts involve trade-offs. Of course management requires leadership skills, and there are many different leadership styles that a manager can take after. Leading by example is a popular method and one that carries a clich. Managers must rely on more than one leadership style to be effective and efficient in leading various types of people. Not all employees will have the same following capability and a manager must realize each employees process it takes to be effective. Leading is stimulating people to be high performers. It includes motivating and communicating with employees, individual and in groups. Leading involves close day-to-day contact with people, helping to guide and inspire them toward achieving team and organizational goals. Leading takes place in teams, departments, and divisions, as well as at the tops of large University of Phoenix 4 organizations. Bateman & Snell (2009). The military is broken up into divisions, groups, teams and squadrons and this is a great example of how leadership roles can be broken down from the biggest division to the smallest learning group. Leadership comes in all styles and a manager must learn to adapt to the employees to help inspire and produce production from employees. Employees that seem to be satisfied with its leadership tends to strive to be better workers and performers. Building teamwork amongst employees will inspire confidence in their abilities. As a manager, you must implement a control method to be profitable, effective and productive. Controlling your people and resources is the last leadership trait that one must obtain to be successful. Having a control method in place, helps to control safety, regulations and changes that can occur in a workplace. By implementing controls, it sets a standard in which a company must operate under. Whether that standard be safety or production, something must be in place. Without a standard of control someone will fail; whether it be the business or the consumer. Bateman & Snell (2009) state But new technologies and other innovations make it possible to achieve controls in more effective ways and to help all the people throughout the company, and across company boundaries (including customers and suppliers), to use their brains, learn, make a variety of new contributions, and help the organization change in ways that forge a successful future. The military has adopted change in the way it does business by its ever changing General Regulations guide in the Army, Marine Corps Orders and Navy Regulations handbook, which constantly updates with the growing change that technology brings. These primary functions of a good manger planning, organizing, leading, and controlling can make anyone better. Using these traits to advance your people and organization can further University of Phoenix 5 add growth and profit to any business, corporation, or career. Adhering to these basic traits a manager can produce a better environment for any and everyone involved.
University of Phoenix 6 References Prince Jr, Lt. C. J. F. (2012). The Downfall of Adaptive Planning. Air & Space Power Journal.
Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2009). Management: Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World (8th ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2