Discuss The Role Of Management As An Integrating Activity Essay, Research Paper
There is no one definition for
the term management. However Fayol (1916) defined the term management as; ?To manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate
and to control.??Mc Ilwee.T and
Roberts I, (1991): p.g117Management is not
homogeneous and is undertaken at all levels of the organisation, as it is an
integrating activity. Managers have to manage in order to achieve the overall
objectives and strategy of the firm. All firms are seeking effective managers,
and the quality of management is a key element of business success. In this
assignment the responsibility of management is going to be addressed. Henri Fayol (1961)
introduced four managerial roles and these were planning, organising,
commanding. Co-ordinating and controlling. Organising- being
responsible four jobs and tasks being carried out by individuals. Commanding-
giving orders and instructions and expecting them to be carried out.
Co-ordinating- all activities are arranged and adjusted in time and situation
to ensure smooth running. Controlling- involves directing, inspecting and
regulating work. Planning- determines in advance what should be accomplished
and how it should be accomplished. (Bounds G, Yorks L, Adams M, Ranney G, 1994)However Fayol has been
criticised by Mintzberg as it provides only vague managerial objectives. As an
alternative Mintzberg proposes ten roles. Three ?interpersonal roles-figurehead (social activities), liaison
(communicating internally and externally),and leadership. Three informational
roles- monitor, disseminator (passing information to subordinates), spokesman
(passing information externally) and four decisional roles-entrepreneur (risk
taker), disturbance, handler, resource allocator and negotiator. The ten roles
mentioned are not easily isolated in practice but form an integrated whole. (Betts.P,
1989)An important and integral
part of management is the role of supervisors.?The supervisor is usually regarded as being the first of the management
hierarchy of an organisation. Although the role varies between organisations,
generally the supervisor is the management person most directly concerned with
the workforce and with whom they have the most contact.? ( Lewis R and
Trevitt R(1995): pg. 355)They have a prime
responsibility for seeking that others do work. At the authors par time job ?Boots
the Chemist? the supervisor constructs a rota, which entails what each employee
will be doing for the rest of the day at different times. For e.g. 9-10 chemist
counter 10-11 cash and wrap 11-12 break etc. It is the supervisor?s
responsibility that tasks are carried out. It is the employee?s duty to carry
out the task and the supervisor?s responsibility to make sure the tasks are carried
out. We also have job rotation therefore have a multi ?skilful workforce. As
the store is very busy and sometimes there is short of staff others can do the
job as they have been trained. It is important to have good teamwork. Group
work is also an important management activity. Group work would enable
employees to share ideas with others. However, group work is not always
effective if employees dislike one another of have conflicting opinions. Brech (1957) identifies four
main elements of management and these being planning, control, co-ordination
and motivation. Today motivation is an important management activity. I.e. ?getting
the members of the teams to pull their weight effectively.?(E.Brech, (1975): pg.
12) ?Whether of not workers carry out
tasks effectively will depend on the degree to which the manager motivates
them. As management is about getting things done it is therefore important to
motivate people so that tasks are carried out. In the authors part time job at ?Boots
the Chemist? employees receive performance-related bonus. Whether or not you
receive a bonus is dependent on the contribution made by an employee to the
success of the firm. Each employee?s performance is monitored every week. Employees
at the firm were also asked to sign a contract saying that if any time is taken
of work during the Christmas period they will not be entitled to pay rise or Christmas
bonus. This has been newly introduced to avoid absenteeism, as the Christmas
period is the firm?s busiest period. In the eyes of the author this approach is
going to be very successful and that employees are going to be motivated to
work hard and attend work. Taylor had a very simplistic view of what motivated
people at work-money. Taylor however overlooked that people also work for other
reasons other than money. An alternative view to that of Taylor comes from
Herbery. ??Needs such as achievement and recognition are positive motivators
whilst others such as pay and working conditions, can determine if they are
satisfactory, but will not motivate positively for long if they are satisfying?
(Litterer J (1978): p.g65)An alternative view to
motivation comes from Mc Gregory?s theory X and Y. In theory X managers tend to
dislike their subordinates, they believe employees do not really enjoy their
work and need to be controlled. Whereas theory Y employees do enjoy work and
they want to contribute to ideas and effort. A theory Y manager is therefore
more likely to involve employees in decisions and give them more
responsibility. The way in which managers view their employees will reflect
their management style. The management style will also depend on a number of
factors i.e. personality of manger and workers and the nature of the task. The
way in which the manager deals with its colleagues will have a real impact on
their motivation and how effectively they work. The degree to which workers
need to be motivated will depend on the organisational structure. (Mullins. L
1999)At any level in the
organisation it is unlikely that management will be able to cope adequately
with all aspects of their job on their own. ?Delegation exists because no one person can effectively control all the
functions of a large business. A manager delegates certain powers to subordinates.?
(Floyd. D (1994): p.g75)To function efficiently they must
delegate. Management is about getting work done through other people, this
entails delegation. Delegation is one of the most powerful management skills.
It is the process by which authority to make specific decisions are given to
lower level management. Is involves subordinates making decisions. At ?Boots
the Chemist? some subordinates are given the authority to do exchanges and
refunds. Some are also given the authority to open the counter cache this is
where all the notes in excess of the working float are placed. However at times
the counter cache does get blocked and we can inform those subordinates who are
authorised to open the counter cache. It is very useful as most of the time the
supervisor is not on the shop floor and therefore can get the subordinates who
are authorised to do the refunds of exchanges. This would not only maintain
good customer service but would also allow the supervisor to be doing other
things. ??It is important that the manager chooses the right subordinates to
whom to delegate authority and responsibility and therefore should be able to
allocate important aspects of their jobs to subordinates. The limitation with
delegation is the delegator might be unwilling to delegate tasks to subordinates.Good communication is vital
in organisations and lies at the heart of effective management. ?Effective communication is essential for organisations without it employees
do not know what to do, how to do it or when to do it by? (Marcouse. I, Gillespile. A,
Martin. B, Surridge. M, Wall. N, (1999): pg. 242)If there is Communication at all
levels employee would feel part of the company and will then in return
contribute more. ?People need to know
their targets what they are doing right and areas, which they need improving
on. At ?Boots the Chemist?, every 6 months the employees have to review their
contracts with their supervisor. Here employees concern is discussed as well as
targets, their performance and areas, which they can improve on. This enables staff
to know how well they are doing and what is expected from them. This is also
more likely to produce a much more focused and committed workforce. We also
have staff meetings here managers are able to inform staff of new developments,
listen to staff views, answer questions and provide feedback. There is also a
staff notice board where notices relating to staff can be put up. This is a
good means of getting information to staff in the store.Likert (1961) identifies a
four- fold model of management systems. Explotitive-very little teamwork or
communication and responsibility centred at the top of the hierarchy.
Benevolent- limited teamwork or communication, responsibility at management
level but not lower down. Consultative- fair degree of teamwork and
communication, responsibility spread more widely. Participative- higher degree
of teamwork and communication and responsibility widespread through out all
levels. This model can be related to Mc Gregors X and Y theory. Explotitive and
Benevolent can be related to Mc Gregors theory X and Participative can be
corresponded to theory Y. The culture of the organisation will also effect the
management. The organisations culture is expressed in the way that people who
make up the organisation act. (Mullines. L, 1999) ?If employees have theory X expectations and managers expect theory Y
attitudes the results are delegation and involvement is likely to produce poor
quality output and misdirection effort.? (Floyd D (1994): pg. 125)There can be potential
problems when both employees and managers have a different set of beliefs or
expectations. In conclusion, there are numerous
definitions of management. The role of management is primarily dependent on the
management style adopted and the culture of the organisation as well as its aims
and objectives. All firms are seeking good management, as it would effect the success
of the business. The effectiveness of management can be measured against level
of staff turnover and absenteeism. References 1. Mc
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