Fundamentals of management
17/09/2021
Final exam: MCQ part, course related questions, mini-cases (warning: reflective questions, structured
responses are expected)
Chapter 1: Managers and management
Who are managers and where do they work?
Organization:
• A systematic arrangement of people brought together to accomplish some specific purpose;
applies to all organizations / A social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a
need or to pursue collective goals.
• Where managers work (manage).
Common characteristics of organizations:
• Distinct purpose and goals
• People
• Systematic structure
Distinctive types of organizations:
• Family-owned organization
• Huge industrial cooperation
• Technological start-up
• … etc
they are different but still we can identify common characteristics (people, structure and a
goal)
Company’s staff differences
Operatives: People who work directly on a job or task and have no responsibility for overseeing the
work of others
Managers: Individuals in an organization who direct the activities of others.
(In charge of the direct work, the leaders, they focus on their specific activities, they have a global
perspective (overview))
Organizational levels:
• Top managers
• middle managers
• first-line managers
• operatives
Identifying managers:
-First-line managers: supervisors responsible for directing the day-to-day activities of operative
employees
-Middle managers: Individuals at levels of management between the first-line managers and top
managers
-Top managers: individuals who are responsible for making decisions about the direction of the
organization and establishing policies that affect all organizational members
Types of decisions taken by managers
, Strategic decision (taken by Operational decision (taken
top managers) by first-line managers)
Impact Global local
Time long term short term
Reversibility weak strong
Dimensions multi single
Likelihood weak more important
Objectives global precise
information partial and aggregated detailed
How do we define management?
Management: the process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, through and with other
people
Efficiency: Doing the thing correctly, refers to the relationship between inputs and outputs; seeks to
minimize resource costs (the process, how you manage things in order to achieve your goal)
Effectiveness: Doing the right things; goals attainment (when you succeed in reaching your goal
(getting things done))
You can be effective without being efficient
What are the processes developed in management?
Management process activities
• Planning => Strategy (chp 2)
• Organizing => Structure (chp3) Management
• Leading => Modes of direction (chp4)
• Controlling => Modes of supervision (chp5)
Achieving the organization’s stated purpose
Management process (principles of management)
Planning: includes defining goals, establishing strategy, and developing plans to coordinate activities.
Organizing: includes determining what tasks to be done, who is to do them, how those tasks are to
be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made.
Leading: includes motivating employees, directing the activities of others, selecting the most
effective communication channel, and resolving conflicts.
Controlling: The process of monitoring performance, comparing it with goals, and correcting any
significant deviation.
, Is the manager’s job universal?
Numerous elements could influence manager’s activities:
-Level in the organization: Do managers differently based on where they are in the organization?
-Profit versus Not-for-profit: Is managing in a commercial enterprise different than managing in a
non-commercial organization?
-Size of organization: does the size of an organization affect how managers function in the
organization?
Distribution of Time per Activity by Organization Level
Is the manager’s job universal? (cont’d)
Management concepts and national borders: is management the same in all economic, cultural,
social and political systems?
Making decisions and dealing with change: do managers all make decisions and deal with change in
the same ways?
General skills for managers
All the leaders are managers, but not all managers are leaders (leadership is something that you have
in you)
Skills of successful managers:
• Conceptual skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Technical skills
• Political skills
Specific skills for managers
Behaviors related to a manager’s success:
• Controlling the organization’s environment and its resources
• Organizing and coordinating
• handling information
• providing for growth and development
• motivating employees and handling conflicts
• strategic problem solving
Why studying management?
We all have a vested interest in improving the way organizations are managed
• Better organizations are, in part, the result of good management
You will eventually either manage or be managed.
• Gaining an understanding of the management process provides the foundation for
developing management skills and insight into the behavior of individuals and the
organizations.
How does management relate to other disciplines?
Management => sociology, psychology, philosophy, political science, economics, anthropo??
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