What is management ? Brief definition and introduction

What is management ? This question is often asked by many people which don’t have a clear insight about management, so we decided to publish this post in order to provide a definite view about “Management”.

What is management ?

What is management ?

Management is the administration of an organization or a business. it includes the activities of setting the organization’s strategy and coordinating the efforts of its employees or volunteers to reach its objectives through the application of available resources, such as technological, financial, material and human resources.

According to Henri Fayol, one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management:

“To manage is to forecast and to plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate and to control.”

Goals of management :

What is management

Management normally focuses on tasks and deliveries. these activities fit with the subject of ressource : time, budget, equipment and human resources including :

• Planning the required activities to achieve the expected results.
• Organizing support functions and resources.
• Coordinating and directing project tasks to reach the organization’ goals.
• Managing the project constraints.
• Making the right decisions at the right moment.
• Ensure problems and issues are identified and managed efficiently.
• Using available resources efficiently and effectively.

There are different management types being used by organizations all over the world. There are instances that these management types can be combined in order to achieve the desired results.

One of the most popular of the management types is the Management by Objectives (MBO). This approach has become popularized because of its systematic way on planning the flow of tasks and activities to improve the performance of organization. In addition, goal setting is agreed by both the management and employees in this type of management.

Management by Objectives :

Management by Objectives is an approach using the GQM technique (Goal, Questions and Metrics). GQM provides concepts and attainable steps to create links between goals and strategies across the organization. It also allows measurement-based decision making. This method is developed for organizations having strong focus on Information Technology and software development systems. To attain the goals set by the management and its employees, there are steps to be followed:

• Task delegation is done from larger to smaller activities. The chunked organizational goals are distributed to senior managers. The senior managers then chunk it as well to formulate another chunk of objectives to be passed on the Operations Management team to come up with tasks and activities aligned to the objectives given and are then assigned to the staff.
• Time table and task-monitoring are being applied to this type of management to keep track whether the objectives are being achieved. Feedback may also be needed.

The focus of the Management by Objectives method is to achieve the goals set by the company in an effective and efficient manner.

Management by Objectives is a practical guide to achieve self-leadership culture among the employees. This is suitable for knowledge based companies that only need minimal supervision to its employees. The main goal of this type of management is to assess the impact of the used techniques and to evaluate the results.

Strategic alignment is being established in this type of management. The links come from the strategic planning the upper management team, to the formulation of activities or tasks by operations management team, and down to the employees in form of responsibilities. The employees are also allowed to make decisions on their own. The employees must be informed about the responsibilities they are going to fulfill; must supplied with the information they will need to perform the tasks, and the information that they will give to the management.

Management by objectives is an approach allowing the employees to perform their tasks freely and decide without relying on the management team. A goal is defined for a variety of reasons and these various points are turned into tasks to be performed and the outcomes are then evaluated. The outcomes are expected to create a significant impact on the realization of the company’s goals.

Differences between a manager and a leader :

What is management

The manager gets things done by bringing the right resources to the necessary task, whereas the leader can induce people to change even with no direct involvement or authority over the people who are needed to take the hoped for action.

The main essence of leadership is to promote new directions, to show the way, to create the future. So defined, leadership has nothing to do with managing people.

And here, some differnces between them :

1. Manager create goals while leader create a vision .
2. Manager do things right while leader do the right things .
3. Manager ensure stability of the system while leader energize it .
4. Manager control risks while leader take risks .
5. Manager direct while leader coach .
6. Manager have employees while leader create fans .

Today the world is more complex and nothing would get done without management, so it’s all about preparing for success, facilitation, enabling others to act, being a catalyst and coach.

If you seek to improve your management skills, and especially in project management, we advise you to take a look into this article about the PMP® certification that allows you to become a great project manager:

Five Reasons to Be a PMP Certified Professional .

If you are an organization trying to better meet your strategic objectives, we will provide you support and expertise to successfully deliver the expected results, fully aligned to your organization’ objectives and goals.

For further informations , please feel free to visit the following webpage :

Program and Project Management Consulting .

PMP is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.