Management Is Quite a Complicated Task - Essay Example

s 20 April 2009 An Introduction Management mainly involves five functions ly, Planning, Directing, Staffing, Organizing and Controlling. Management focuses upon achieving the goals set by an organization and achieving goals is quite a difficult task which involves numerous complexities. To reduce those complexities the above five most important functions of management are followed; of which controlling is one of the most important functions. According to Henry Fayol, “Control consists of verifying whether everything occurs in conformity with the plan adopted, the instructions issued, and principles established. Its object is to point out weaknesses and errors in order to rectify [them] and prevent recurrence.” The main focus of the controlling function is to make sure that everything is going according to plan and whatever is not going according to plan is fixed up as soon as possible. Modern day function of controlling has become very advanced; the managers are required to have the skill of foreseeing the events which are going to take place; on the other hand the function of controlling was only brought into effect after the problems were detected before the introduction of the modern functions of controlling. When a Manager adopts the method of controlling, he/she should make sure that it is done on a regular basis because controlling is a continuous process and should be carried out on a regular basis in any organization. Another important feature of controlling is that it is closely interrelated to Planning, under the process of planning, the goals are set for an organization and the function of controlling makes sure that those set goals are achieved in this way these two functions are interrelated. This paper will also throw light upon the ten principles of complexity and a conclusion that will sum up the discussing presented in the paper will be arrived upon. A discussion that supports the opinion of Mintzberg Management is quite a complicated task and involves a lot of innovation. The tricks taught in business schools, is flawed and this will be proved in this paper, a comprehensive understanding of “The Manager’s Job” written by Mintzberg will be presented in this paper. This article explores the different functions of a manager namely, coordinating, planning and controlling. The Manager’s Job Mintzberg is pretty convinced that the most basic functions of a manager is coordinating, planning and controlling but if a person observes a manager, it will be found that none of these three pivotal aspects of management are actually carried out by a manager. The same is proved with the help of examples in the article, for instance if a manager presents a gold watch to an employee who is retiring, the manager is doing none of the three most basic activities that a manager is supposed to do. Mintzberg is convinced that managers most of the time don’t carry out the most basic functions of a manager, they don’t even know what they are doing at a given point in time. This goes to show that the guidelines followed and taught in business schools is actually flawed because when there is no proper definition of Management, how can it be taught to the business students? This question is very exquisitely put across by Mintzberg. A manager plays several roles and it is very hard to excel in any one role, he has to mix and match his roles. Management is not only about coordinating, planning and controlling but it is also about a host of other things. There is relentless pressure on the managers these days and they have to deal with this efficiently. This pressure very often forces a manager to take up too much work and this in turn creates several problems for the manager. Interruptions are a part and parcel of management and a manager constantly operates with interruptions, this is a very difficult task, it becomes very difficult to focus on the job when there are several interruptions. Complex events are very common in management and a manager is very often forced to respond to such events prematurely, this sometimes may become a colossal problem for the manager and his team. There is a lot of thinking involved in the process of management but the situation sometimes forces a manager to act more and think less, these are some of the most common difficulties that a manager faces day in and day out. The most important aspect of management is decision making and sometimes a manager makes decisions without taking into account the bigger picture and then he pays for the same in the future. A manager has to be a figurehead if he is to stand any chance of facing the above challenges, he has to take over the organization and make his presence felt at large. Leadership is another very important aspect of management, hiring the right people has become an imperative task for any manager these days and this process does not end here, training the employees and constantly motivating them is a continuous process that ensures the growth of an organization and also completes the role of a manager to a large extent. Maintaining contact with colleagues is another pivotal function of a manager. Networking is very essential for any manager; it determines how successful a manager can be in the near future. Information Roles of a Manager 1) Monitoring: Monitoring the performance of the employees is one of the most important functions of a manager and a manager, who fails to do this, can never be successful. Monitoring can provide vital information with the help of which a manager can transform the fortune of a company and hence it becomes very important to monitor the activities for a manager. 2) Disseminator: Under this process a manager usually feeds information to employees who lack access to important information. This is another good way of developing a strong organization and making it a force to reckon with. 3) Spokesperson: A manager is supposed to be a spokesperson for the organization, meaning he is expected to provide information about the organization to other people in the organization and to the outside authorities interested in that information. Decision Roles of a Manager Decision making is arguably the most important function of a manager; a manager must consider many aspects before arriving at a decision. The following part of the paper will throw light upon the decision roles of a manager. 4) Entrepreneur: Profit making is the ultimate goal of any manager and unless and until a manager takes up the role of an entrepreneur, he can never make as much profit as he can. Taking up responsibility is the most important step that a manager must take and when this happens a manager is ready to be an entrepreneur and make profits for his organization. 5) Handling Disturbances: Management involves dealing with numerous disturbances and a manager must again take an initiative to reduce these disturbances and move on towards the goals of the organization. Crisis may be caused by customers, employees and other powerful authorities but a manager must ensure that these disturbances don’t become a hindrance in the growth of the organization. 6) Allocating Resources: A manger must be good at allocating resources and he must try and make the most of the limited resources available at his disposal. A manager must ensure that he is allocating the resources to the right people; failing to do the same can produce disastrous results for a manager. 7) Negotiation Skills It is imperative for a manager to have negotiation skills, promoting shared decisions, establishing contacts, resolving grievances are some of the most important activities that fall under negotiation skills. It is very important to have good negotiation skills for a manager, these skills can pay rich dividend in the long run for a manager. A manager must be fully aware of his naturally liked roles simply because a manager has to play several roles. Making the naturally liked roles stronger can result in a very positive change in the organization. This can strengthen the organization by leaps and bounds and this can give the manager a lot of confidence. Sometimes a manager must step out of the comfort zone according to Mintzberg, a manager must test his skills by facing unprecedented situations bravely. Reducing the work load is also a very important task that every manager must perform, this ensures better work rate of employees and a good environment in an organization. A manager must avoid making superficial decisions at all costs; these decisions can be fatal for the growth of the organization. Another important duty that a manager must do is to ensure that all important things are carried out and he must make a note in his calendar to ensure that all the necessary things are completed well before schedule. Innovation must be the target for any manager, he must strive really hard to ensure he does something out of the box and innovative. Innovation is the easiest way that ensures success for managers these days, even a small innovative product can fetch an organization unprecedented profits and this is exactly why most managers have turned their attention towards innovation. Complexity Theory The complexity theory is about galvanizing the organization and its main aim is to enhance the interaction across the traditional organizational boundaries. The complexity theory encourages leadership and innovation in an organization, and this is carried out by making use of shared work. It is group effort and individuals not working in a group are not capable of producing desired results. This is exactly why this theory places emphasis on working in a group and leadership and innovation inevitably become a part of this theory. This theory focused upon the shift of leadership from the industrial age to the new knowledge era. This theory also focuses upon how leadership is a process emerging from interaction of individuals and believes that if that is case then there should be no limit capacity of leadership. One of the most important goals of the complexity theory is to foster as much interaction as possible and to reap the rewards of the same. Complexity leadership also creates suitable provisions for unprecedented circumstances, this is very important because the environment these days has become unpredictable and hostile. Complexity theory optimizes the role of a leader and the organization benefits from the very same. The role of senior leaders is pivotal in the complexity theory; they must follow the complexity leadership theory in order to be innovative and to foster a new leadership format all together that will ensure the success of the organization they are working for. According to the complexity theory, the future is unpredictable and it focuses upon inventing newer forms of leadership in order to deal with the unpredictable circumstances that the future holds in store. Complexity theory is a theory of process rather than being a theory of outcome. A good leadership theory has to be really strong from many aspects, aspects like logical consistency, research oriented, compatible etc and complexity theory is one such theory that satisfies all the needs for being a good leadership theory. This is one of the most optimistic theories and the right time for this theory to be out into practice is upon us. This theory is believed to be the most fruitful for leaders and the theory that is most fruitful should be brought into practice right away without further contemplations. Context and process are the two most pivotal aspects of the complexity theory, the condition of the organization is also referred to as context and an interdependent interaction is referred to as process. The focus of complexity leadership theory is directly on learning and adaptability and these processes are considered emergent outcomes resulting from a collective action of agents. Leadership has been given a new dimension by the theory of complexity, the leaders have to follow and develop this theory because this is a very profitable theory. Mintzerberg’s article focuses upon this theory and he is very right in concluding that a leader’s job is much tougher than what it is perceived to be. Developing the complexity theory within an organization can make that tough job a whole lot easier. This theory focuses upon the involvement of leaders and this theory requires them to develop a good social network so that they can get all their work done through the people. Innovation is the key for success these days and complexity theory is very innovative and one of its kind, once this theory is developed it can change the fortune of an organization. Initially the leaders might find it hard to develop this theory in an organization but once the leaders and the staff gets comfortable then the organization will benefit from the same. The organization will witness unprecedented growth and everything will be on the right track for the organization. Leadership has been redefined by this theory, earlier it was restricted to actions like staffing, planning etc but this theory has given it a wider dimension and scope. This theory requires a lot of patience to be developed in an organization; initially the plans of leaders might not work but as time passes by this theory usually gives positive results. This theory works as a catalyst in the growth of an organization and after a point in time the leaders find it really easy to follow this theory. This theory is becoming quite popular these days as it gives birth to a lot of innovation in an organization, every organization is looking to do something innovative and this theory is a theory that can make all the difference for an organization, hence this theory must be adopted by the leaders located in the various parts of the globe. This revolutionary theory is only here to stay and to turn around the fortune of several organizations, early bird catches the worm, the sooner organizations adopt this theory, the better it will be for them. There are several advantages of this theory and some of the biggest advantages have been mentioned in the paper. Minzterberg article threw light upon a job of a manger and it has been analyzed from the complexity perspective and it is truly found that the job of a manager is much difficult than it is perceived to be. To conclude it is very fair to say that complexity theory simplifies the process of leadership and it is a much more difficult process than what people perceive it to be. Conclusion The essence of the article suggests that the role of a manager is much more than perceived by most people, the article has suggested that management is not merely about coordinating, planning, staffing etc but it is about playing several roles successfully. There is no proper definition of management but it an art which involves several roles. Mintzberg has presented this in his article “The Manager’s Job”. The article also suggests that the roles of a manager are very difficult than perceived by the people and the situation demands a variety of components that must be possessed by a manager. Works Cited 1.Henri Fayol (1949). General and Industrial Management. New York: Pitman Publishing, 107-109. 2. Robert H. Guest, “Of Time and the Foreman,” Personnel, May 1956, p.478. 3. Rosemary Stewart, Managers and Their Jobs (London: Macmillan, 1967); see also Sune Carlson, Executive Behaviour (Stockholm: Strombergs, 1951). 4. Francis J. Aguilar, Scanning the Business Environment (New York: Macmillan, 1967), p. 102. 5. Unpublished study by Irving Choran, reported in Mintzberg, The Nature of Managerial Work. 6. Robert T. Davis, Performance and Development of Field Sales Managers (Boston: Division of Research, Harvard Business School, 1957); George H. Copeman, The Role of the Managing Director (London: Business Publications, 1963). 7. Stewart, Managers and Their Jobs; Tom Burns, “The Directions of Activity and Communication in a Departmental Executive Group,” Human Relations 7, no. 1 (1954): 73. 8. H. Edward Wrapp, “Good Managers Don’t Make Policy Decisions,” HBR September–October 1967, p. 91. Wrapp refers to this as spotting opportunities and relationships in the stream of operating problems and decisions; in his article, Wrapp raises a number of excellent points related to this analysis. 9. Richard E. Neustadt, Presidential Power (New York: John Wiley, 1960), pp. 153–154; italics added. 10. For a more thorough, though rather different, discussion of this issue, see Kenneth R. Andrews, “Toward Professionalism in Business Management,” HBR March–April 1969, p. 49. 11. C. Jackson Grayson, Jr., in “Management Science and Business Practice,” HBR July–August 1973, p. 41, explains in similar terms why, as chairman of the Price Commission, he did not use those very techniques that he himself promoted in his earlier career as management scientist. 12. George C. Homans, The Human Group (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1950), based on the study by William F. Whyte entitled Street Corner Society, rev. ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955). 13. Neustadt, Presidential Power, p. 157. 14. Leonard R. Sayles, Managerial Behavior (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964), p. 162. 15. See Richard C. Hodgson, Daniel J. Levinson, and Abraham Zaleznik, The Executive Role Constellation (Boston: Division of Research, Harvard Business School, 1965), for a discussion of the sharing of roles. 16. James S. Hekimian and Henry Mintzberg, “The Planning Dilemma,” The Management Review, May 1968, p. 4. 17. See J. Sterling Livingston, “Myth of the Well-Educated Manager,” HBR January–February 1971, p. 79. Read More