Overview
This lecture introduces the fundamentals of management, including its definition, five main functions, types of management styles, and key theories that shaped management as a field.
What is Management?
- Management is the process of coordinating and overseeing the work of individuals in organizations to achieve goals efficiently and effectively.
- Common associations with management include leadership, control, planning, directing, and working toward a common goal.
Functions of Management (BLOCS)
- Planning: Deciding in advance what needs to be done and how to do it.
- Leading: Motivating and influencing people to achieve organizational goals.
- Organizing: Arranging tasks, people, and resources to accomplish the work.
- Controlling: Monitoring activities to ensure goals are met and making corrections as needed.
- Staffing: Placing the right people in the right jobs based on their skills and abilities.
Types of Management Styles
- Autocratic (Authoritarian): Leader makes decisions unilaterally; little input from subordinates.
- Democratic (Participative): Leader involves team members in decision-making processes.
- Laissez-Faire: Leader offers minimal supervision, allowing subordinates to make most decisions.
Theories of Management
- Scientific Management (Frederick Taylor): Emphasizes scientific approaches and efficiency in work processes.
- Fordism (Henry Ford): Focuses on mass production and task specialization to increase productivity and lower costs.
- Fayol’s Principles of Management: Outlines 14 principles guiding organizational management, such as remuneration (fair compensation).
- Hawthorne Studies: Highlights that a worker’s productivity is influenced by their working environment and by being observed.
- Systems Approach: Views organizations as open systems interacting with the external environment or as closed systems with limited outside interaction.
- Theory X and Theory Y: Theory X assumes employees are untrustworthy and need close supervision; Theory Y sees employees as trustworthy and capable of self-direction.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Management — Coordinating people and resources to achieve organizational objectives.
- Autocratic — Leadership style with centralized decision making.
- Democratic — Leadership style with shared decision making.
- Laissez-Faire — Leadership style with little managerial involvement.
- Scientific Management — Applying scientific principles to increase workplace efficiency.
- Fordism — Mass production and specialization in the workplace.
- Remuneration — Compensation or reward for work performed.
- Hawthorne Effect — Increased worker productivity due to attention and observation.
- Open System — Organization interacts with external environment.
- Closed System — Organization operates independently from external factors.
- Theory X — Negative assumptions about employee motivation.
- Theory Y — Positive assumptions about employee motivation.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Research the topic “the manager” using textbooks or online resources in preparation for the next session.