The Four Essential Management Concepts
Introduction
In every organization, a manager plays a vital role in solving challenges that arise in the course of the work. Managers ensure the smooth running of operations, and a manager needs to have the ability to creatively solving work challenges. Therefore, this study analysis into detail the four essential concepts of management. The ideas act as a platform that guides managers to run an organization effectively. The four concepts include; planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
Planning
Planning is the process of laying down objectives of the organization and also formulating a way of ensuring that the set targets are realized. (University of Minnesota, 2015). A plan is an essential tool of performance, and every organization needs to develop a plan before embarking on the provision of services and goods. Before developing an organization plan, the managers need to understand the environmental aspects facing their firm and be able to predict future outcomes. Managers are required to be competent, and also they should have excellent decision-making skills to ensure that the mission and visions of the organization are achieved.
Planning involves several procedures, but the initial idea before creating a plan is to survey the environmental factors such as competitors, customers, market patterns, and economic conditions that surround the organizations. (University of Minnesota, 2015). The managers involved in planning need to base the objectives on what is required to be achieved when it should be completed, ways to meet them, and alternative methods to undertake as a contingency. (DuBrin and Andrew 2011). Lastly, the people involved should formulate a routine checking guide to ensure that the organization is on the right track.
There are different planning types associated with different kinds of roles. The first type of plan is Strategic Planning, which analyzes the competitive advantages, strengths, weaknesses, and risks of an organization. DuBrin and Andrew 2011 suggest that managers will come up with an ideal platform by using a strategic plan which fits in the environment. A strategic plan relates to the Vision and Mission of the firm, which is the reason for its existence. It also incorporates the entire structure of the organization, and top managers of the organization will formulate it.
On the other hand, Tactical Planning is mostly designed by middle-level managers, and it acts as the core driver of implementing a strategic plan and can last for a period of 1 to 3 years. (University of Minnesota, 2015). The middle managers also use the tactical plan to evaluate the possible market changes and develop the best solution on ways the organization can ensure a competitive edge over its competitors. (DuBrin and Andrew, 2011)
Operational planning refers to a set of guides that ensures operations in an organization to achieve the set objectives. Through identifying various processes and activities required to achieve the goals, operational planning executes the details laid down in both strategic and tactical planning. This type of plan guides the lower level workers of the organizations. (University of Minnesota, 2015).
Organizing
The primary purpose of this function is to develop a structure that allocates human resources to their specific jobs so that the set objectives can be achieved. The structure is controlled by a framework that describes each worker’s responsibility and dhow the operations should be coordinated. (University of Minnesota, 2015). Clear guidelines should be made regarding the duties and responsibilities of each person in the organization. Human resource managers are involved in organizing because they clearly understand every specific role in an organization. The managers will come up with a job design that explicitly indicates the position needed, and through the use of interviews, they can find the best person for the job. Managers should also ensure that organizing an organization is satisfactory to every individual to empower the workers. Organizing is the heart of any organization, and managers should ensure competency and excellent skills when implementing this action.
Leading
Leading is the art of inspiring action of others by showing great leadership. According to the University of Minnesota, 2015, a manager should incorporate effective leadership to motivate other workers to put more effort into achieving the set goals and objectives. Koontz and Harold 2010, imply that there is a significant relationship between leadership and management. For example, for a leader to be effective, he should also show signs of a competent manager and vice versa. Workers should be motivated and enlightened so that the organization’s operations can run smoothly. A manager should exact leadership skills by clearly having a vision of what the firm should become or achieve in the future. Ensuring that the organization’s culture is centered on teamwork will significantly improve the organization’s operations. Teamwork means that every individual is involved in delivering a particular identified task and as well in making decisions. Managers should ensure that the structure of the organization is centered on teamwork leadership. Clear communication and also listening to the subordinates is an excellent sign of good leadership. Workers are humans who also need listening and understanding. (University of Minnesota, 2015).
Controlling
For an organization to achieve the required objectives, there is the need to create systems that keep the performance of the firm on a regular check. (University of Minnesota, 2015). There are three steps to follow for an effective control system, and they include; setting performance standards, comparison between real performance against the set rules, and finally taking the necessary action if there is a deviation. (Koontz and Harold, 2010). Managers may use data from financial statements, sales, production, and customer feed reports as performance standards. When jobs are done poorly, and the organization needs great skills, managers can also access new talents through vacancy advertisements and interviews. For good performance, it is essential to ensure that every individual is fit and skilled for the job function described.
Conclusion
Managers are the key players to organizational success, and therefore the four essentials are key guidance in enhancing good management in an organization. Planning will help the organization in competing with the environment around it, and the managers will use the plan as a tool for achieving the set goals and objectives. Organizing in an organization will ensure the smooth running of operations, and managers will have an easy time managing their subordinates. Excellent leadership, on the other hand, motivates the rest of the workers, and the desired results are achieved. Finally, setting performance standards will keep the organization on the check; this helps managers to quickly identify any deviations and launch action to solve the problem.
References
DuBrin, A. J. (2011). Essentials of management. Cengage Learning.
Koontz, H. (2010). Essentials of management. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.