Management can be defined as the process of combining the resources of a

manufacturing organization (people, material, equipment and machinery, and financial) with
those supplied by suppliers (raw materials) to manufacture products that serve customer needs
(Proud, 2007). Management accomplishes this vision through its four essential functions,
planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling (Rey, 2014). In order to be an effective
manager, companies demand managers to have business management skills, operational
management skills, communication skills, and collaboration skills (Management Centre Europe,
2013).
Planning is the first among the four vital functions of management (Proud, 2007).
Planning means answering two questions: Where do we want to go? And how do we get there?
(Dennis, 2007). Planning starts with a strategic plan which speaks in the language of finance; for
instance, revenues of $250 million (Williams, 2014). The strategic plan is then broken down into
sales plan (number of units the sales team will sell), marketing plan (markets to target, product,
pricing, and promotion schemes), engineering plan (programs and projects), financial plan (target
revenues, expense budgets, and profit margins), and manufacturing plan (how much the plant
will make, when will it be made, and at what production rate) (Proud, 2007). The job of
management is to link each of these plans with one another in achieving the goal of the
organization, increase throughput while simultaneously reduce inventory, and operational
expenses (Goldratt & Cox, 2004). Hence, it is important for managers to have business
management skills so they can understand strategies and incorporate their plans with the vision
of the organization, creating more value for the firm (Management Centre Europe, 2013).
In your role as a manager, another major duty will be to organize the way work is done.
An organizational process is the collection of activities that transform inputs into outputs that
customers value (Williams, 2014, p.178). Management accomplishes this vision by designing
efficient process flow that can transform the raw materials (inputs) into products (outputs) that
serve the needs of the customers. Management decides on how the work is conducted, and who
is responsible for the tasks to build quality products (Jacobs & Chase, 2008). For instance, at
Toyota manufacturing company, management has designed a lean production system, also known
as Toyota Production System (Dennis, 2007). The lean production means doing more work with
less people, less time, less capacity, less people, less equipment and machinery, and less
materials while giving customers quality products (Dennis, 2007). On the shop floor, one of the
systems designed by the management team is a 5S visual workplace or visual factory. The 5S
system stands for sort (eliminate all unnecessary tools), set in order (every tool should be clearly
labeled and kept close to where it is needed to reduce unnecessary motion), shine (keep the
workplace clean and well-ordered), standardize (making work practices consistent), and sustain
(maintaining the new order) (Dennis, 2007). This has made the factory much more efficient and
productive because it has reduced the time of a worker looking for tools which is considered a
wasted motion of a worker, or as the Japanese call it muda, any activity for which the customer
is not willing to pay for (Dennis, 2007). Hence, it is important for a manager to have good
operational management skills so they can design efficient processes to build quality products at
the least possible costs (Management Centre Europe, 2013).
As a manager, you should also find ways to motivate your employees to increase
productivity and achieve organizational goals. Victor Lipman (2013), a contributor of Forbes

magazine, describes different ways to motivate your employees. When a company is performing
well, employees should be given bonuses for their reward. This encourages employees to go on
above and beyond their job task and look for improvements within an organization achieving
organizational goals. Management should also have an interest in the career path of an employee.
Employees attitudes towards a company dramatically change when the management team
provides additional training or coursework directly related to the job being performed by an
employee. This increases productivity and also helps employee in their future career goals. Most
importantly, management should be good listeners and making sure the team understands their
goals. They should encourage employees to express their thoughts and feelings and at the same
time listen to employees ideas for job improvements, their problems, concerns, or frustrations.
Lastly, managers should respect their employees, Do unto others as you would have done unto
you (Lipman, 2013). When employees are empowered and more involved with the vision of the
management, they go an extra mile to achieve the goal of an organization (Arnold, Chapman, &
Clive, 2008). Hence, it is important for a manager to have good communication skills so they can
communicate the business plan with the employees and motivate them to help make a firms
vision a reality (Management Centre Europe, 2013).
Another major responsibility of a manager is to monitor the resources to make sure
everything is going according to the organizational plan. In a manufacturing company,
management has to continuously monitor work orders or production orders that have been issued
to manufacturing floor, authorizing the completion of the stated product (Arnold, Chapman, &
Clive, 2008). To control this progress, performances of the work orders have to be measured and
compared with what was originally planned to be completed during the specified month. If the
performance of those work orders varies significantly with what was originally planned, either
the plan has to be changed or an action must be taken by the management team to bring
performance back to the plan. This means managers should have good collaboration skills to
resolve conflicts and be able to align supply and demand (Management Centre Europe, 2013).
Management practice has significantly been changed today than what it was twenty years
ago. Today, management is more customer focus and dedicated to meeting or exceeding
customer expectations in every way. Management listens to the customers much more seriously
through surveys, tweets, blogs, and facebook so products and services meet the needs of the
customer at the lowest possible cost. Today, customers have access to products from all over the
world at the lowest possible cost. This has changed the purchasing decision of a customer
(Mackenzie, Mever, & Noble, 2013). Customers use their smart phones to compare the prices
and reviews of products they are deciding to buy and when they are ready to buy, they place their
orders through online retailers which deliver products to them on the same day (Mackenzie,
Mever, & Noble, 2013). This has become very challenging for the firm as the customers now
demand high quality products at the lowest possible costs with reduced lead times. Hence,
management today is much more cost oriented. Its job has been changed to reducing the overall
cost of the organization to increase profit while simultaneously providing exceptional customer
service.

References:
Arnold, T.J.R., Chapman, S. N., & Clive, L. M. (2008). Introduction to materials management
(Sixth Edition). New Jersey, Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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powerful production system (Second Edition). New York, NY: Productivity Press.
Goldratt, E. M., & Cox. J. (2004). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement (Third Revised
Edition). Great Barrington, MA: The North River Press.
Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. B. (2008). Operations and supply management: The core. New York,
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/03/18/5-easy-ways-to-motivate-and-demotivateemployees/
Mackenzie, I., Meyer, C., & Noble, S. (2013). How retailers can keep up with customers.
Retrieved from
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/consumer_and_retail/how_retailers_can_keep_up_with_cons
umers
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http://www.mce-ama.com/six-key-skills-every-manager-needs/
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http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/Management101.htm#
Williams, C. (2014). MGMT: Principles of management (Seventh Edition). Mason, OH: SouthWestern Cengage Learning.