MANGEMENT

Importance of Studying Management

Importance of Studying Management

Introduction

Management is a necessary evil of any business. It provides the leadership and administration that will ensure that the organization runs the way that it should. According to Henry Mintzberg management is a science, art and a craft. To explain this he states that it is: 1) a science because it requires the use of founded and scientifically proven management knowledge; 2) an art because it requires creative, develop new design and systems; and 3) a craft because one gains experience through repetitive practical learning. No organization whether developed or developing, small or large, can neither survive as we identify it nor recover without a stable management structure. An organization can generally be defined as any social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. However for an organization to be able to achieve the set goals through proper management, it requires competent managers who know both their roles and the important function that management play towards achieving the set goals. There are three levels of management as highlighted below and these levels vary according the responsibilities of the employees (Fayol, 1949):

Top-Level Management: It is the highest level and all employees aspire to reach this level. It comprised of few people mostly executives who give the organization its general direction towards achieving its goals. They are responsible for making critical decisions since they possess a lot of experience (Fayol, 1949).

Middle-level management: this stage comprises of managers who are neither management nor first-level administrator, but who serve up as a link between the two set. They conduct most of coordination functions and share information with both upper and lower levels. They also help the organization in undertaking profitable ventures through finding creative strategies (Fayol, 1949).

First level Management: this level is made up of supervisors who have been promoted from production or clerical positions into supervisory positions. Majority have low level of education which is technical-centered. Majority of employees are found in this level. Supervisors help shape the attitudes of new employees toward the firm (Schroeder, Meyer & Johnny, 2011). Newcomers who like and respect their first level manager tend to stay with the firm longer. Different levels of managers will play different roles to a different extent. For instance, a front line (junior) supervisor will likely be a resource allocator and a disturbance handler to far greater extent than they will act as a figurehead. A chief executive likely will act as a spokesperson and perhaps an entrepreneur more than they will act as a monitor (Fayol, 1949).

Discussion

A role, in the business context, is an anticipated set of actions or behaviors originating According to Dublin in his book Essentials of Management (2000) states that roles and functions are directly related (they are both activities carried out by managers). Borrowing from Mintzberg work on roles of managers, he highpoints that managerial roles can be grouped according to the managerial functions they relate to most closely (Kinicki & Brian, ...