Q. What is the meaning of Management? Explain its essential characteristics in detail.
Ans. MEANING OF MANAGEMENT: Management can be scanned as 'Manage‐Men- T' i.e Manage - Men - Tactfully. It is the art of getting work done by others. Management refers to the process of conducting a set of functions (such as planning, organising, staffing,directing and controlling) to get the work done in an. efficient and effective manner. It also means taking care of pre-determined objectives. Its purpose is to achieve the best possible results by making use of material, labour, machine, methods, money and market with the minimum time, investment and efforts. Management brings together all six Ms i.e., Men, Money, Machines, Materials, Methods and Markets.
According to Harold Koontz, "Management is the art of getting things done through others and with formally organised groups."
According to F.W. Taylor, "Management is the art of knowing what you want to do and then seeing that they do it in the best and cheapest way."
According to Prof. Donald J. Clough (Prof. Clouge), "Management is the art and science of decision-making and leadership."
According to Rose Moore, "Management means decision-making."
ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MANAGEMENT:
i) Management is a Goal-oriented Process: No goal in hand-no need of management. In other words, we need management when we have some goals to be achieved. A manager on the basis of his knowledge and experience tries to achieve the goals which are already decided. Hence, nothing is wrong to say that management is a goal-oriented process.
ii) Management is all pervasive: Anything minus management is nothing or zero. Here, by anything we mean all types of activities—business and non-business. If we deduct management out of these activities, the result will be failure or zero. It means management is necessary to conduct any type of activities. Hence, it is pervasive or universal. [Management is pervasive in nature I.e. applicable to everywhere. It is used in business as well as non-business organisations like educational institutions, charitable trusts etc. The principles of management are applicable at all the levels, departments, employees in the organisation.]
iii) Management is multi-dimensional: Management is three dimensional activity. Or Management is a complex activity that has three main dimensions. These are:
a) Management of work: Every organisation is established for doing some work such as school provides education, hospital treat patients and factory produces goods etc. Of these, no work will be satisfactorily completed without management.
b) Management of people: Each organisation is established for doing some work and the same is conducted by people. Hence, it is necessary to manage the people so that the work can be accomplished in a better way.
c) Management of operations: To achieve the goals of an organisation many operations or activities need to be conducted, such as, production, sale, purchase, finance, accounting, R&D etc. Again, management is needed to make sure that operations are accomplished efficiently and effectively.
iv) Management is a Continuous process: Management is not a process which can be performed once and for all, but it is a Continuous process. Functions of management like planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling Continuously need to be done. These functions are simultaneously performed by all managers all the time. A manager is busy sometimes doing one managerial activity and at the other time, some other activity. [It is a continuous process as it continues till business survives.]
v) Management is a Group Activity: It means that it is not a single person who consummates all the activities of an organisation but it is always a group of persons (managers). Hence, management is a group effort.
vi) Management is a Dynamic Function: Management is a dynamic function and has to adapt itself to the changing environment.
vii) Management is an Intangible Force: Management is that power which cannot be seen. It can only be felt. If any organisation is heading towards higher levels of achievement, it signifies an existence of good management and vice-versa.
OR
(i) It is a Group Effort: As per this characteristic of management, it is not a single person who consummates (completes) the whole process of management but it is a group effort. All the managers are affected by each and every decision taken in the organisation. A task can be successfully accomplished only with the collective (group) effort. For example, a company wants expansion of its business. For the fulfilment of this objective, participation of all, i.e. marketing manager, production manager, sales manager, finance manager etc. is required. So, it is right to call management a group effort.
(ii) It is a Goal Oriented Process: Every organisation is established for the fulfilment of one or the other objective. Management acts as a medium which facilitates in achieving these objectives. A manager on the basis of his knowledge and experience anticipates future events and plans accordingly. He not only monitors the work progress of the subordinates but also guides them. Moreover, from time to time the manger motivates his subordinates and finally, in this manner, predetermined objectives are achieved.
(iii) It has a Distinct Entity: It is not possible for an owner to perform all functions himself. In other words, it can be said that in an organisation the owner (who invests money) and a manager (who manages the organisation) can be different persons.
(iv) It is an Intangible Force: Management is a force/power which is not visible/seen. It can only be felt or realised on the basis of the success of an organisation. For example, if an organisation marches ahead on the path of progress, it will be taken as a sign of good management but if an organisation is moving towards decline, it signals unsuccessful management. Hence, management can be called an Intangible force.
(v) It is a process: A process means a definite system of functioning. Management is a process which includes the activities like planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling and it is used in efficiently utilising the human and material resources for the achievement of pre-determined objectives.
(vi) It is an Inborn and Acquired Ability: According to the Traditional Concept of Management, management ability is an inborn quality which means managers are not made but born. In other words, management ability is inborn and a person inherits it and it cannot be acquired with the help of education and training. According to Modern Concept of Management, if a person does not possess the gift of in-born management ability, it can be acquired through education in management.
(vii) It is a Universal Activity: Universality is that truth which is prevalent in every sphere (Business or non-business) and is equally applicable everywhere and management too has this quality. Every business (industrial enterprise) or non-business organisation (educational institutions, govt. offices, Army clubs and social institutes) has to make an efficient use of human and material resources in order to achieve their objectives and go through a process of planning, organising, staffing, leading and controlling. In this way the management activity is the same in all the types of organisations and the same principles are applied every where. [Management is not applicable in business undertakings only. It is applicable to political, social, religious and educational institutions also.]
(viii) It is Multidisciplinary: In reality management is Multidisciplinary. It means that management is a separate subject and developed from various other disciplines. In developing itself into a separate subject, it has benefitted from various disciplines like Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, Statistics, Mathematics etc. After collecting various thoughts from disciplines, management came to develop its own thoughts and principles. The integrated knowledge of different subjects has made a valuable contribution to the subject of management. It is called The foundation of management.
(ix) It is a Social Science: Social Science is connected with human beings. Management is a social science like other social sciences- Economics, Sociology, Political Science etc. It is related to man as a social being who is sensitive, reasoning and dynamic being. The managers accept management principles for their guidance.
(x) It is a system: Now management is being looked upon as a system. It means taking various aspects of management into consideration rather than thinking about a particular single aspect. Management lays stress upon the coordination between various activities of the organisation.
(xi) It is a Dynamic System: Management is based on certain principles which are dynamic. Principles mean some basic truth which establishes a link between cause and effect. The principles of management continue changing according to the atmosphere in which an organisation functions. Because of this Continuous change in atmosphere many old principles have been replaced by new ones. Thus, no principle can be treated as final. In this context it can be said that nothing is permanent in the field of management. Because of the fear of adverse effects of these changes a manager can anticipate them before hand. He can give such a direction to the polices and planning of his organisation as not to allow these changes to affect it.
(xii) It involves social responsibility: Today, management is looked upon as a social responsibility. A manager always takes decision in the interest of the organisation. But if a particular decision takes into consideration only the interest of organisation and ignores the interest of society, it will not only endanger the existence of organisation bur ensire its downfall. In other words, no decision of the manager is acceptable which is one sided. For example, if a top-level managers takes the decision of establishing a factory in a residential area which can possibly endanger the environment, the people will threaten the very existence of the manager and the organisation. Similarly, inferior goods, high prices and improper stocking of goods may be in the interest of the organisation but any such decision is anti-social and for this society will never forgive the business enterprise (the organisation). Thus, the functions of manager are not confined to the organisation alone, he is responsible to society also.
(xiii) It is a Profession: These days management is popular as a profession. Now nobody is made a manager in a business organisation simply because he has invested capital in it or he is related to such a person but he is appointed as manager simply because he has the requisite ability and qualifications. On this basis managers have come to be recognized as professionals like doctors, lawyers and teachers.
(xiv) It is both Science and Art: Management possesses the qualities of both science and art. Science refers to a systimatic body of knowledge which is acquired on the basis of observation and experiments and verification of this knowledge is possible. Management is called science because like science it has its own definite principles which are applied everywhere. For example, the principle of division of labour and specialisation is applied every where. This principle is based on the fact that if work is divided according to the ability and taste, and some person is given the same work repeatedly, he gains proficiency in his work performance. On the other hand, Art means a system of doing something in a disciplined or organised manner. It refers to the practical application of existing knowledge skillfully. Management is described as an art as an efficient manager tries to function in organised or systematic manner by establishing coordination between human and material resources. [Management is a science as it follows well established principles which are universally applicable. Management is a social science as it deals with people. On the other hand, management is an art as it involves getting things done through people. Art is an inborn talent and requires skill. Managers as an artist needs to be creative and should have skill to get work done through people to organisational objectives.
