ADMINISTRATIVE

MANAGEMENT
MGT 202

CHAPTER 1
THE OFFICE IN TODAY’S BUSINESS WORLD

PROF. POLICARPIO SANTIAGO

Czareene Peralta-Manalo, RN, CRN

Czareene29@gmail.com
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT
MGT 202

THE OFFICE IN TODAY’S BUSINESS WORLD

An OFFICE is a room or other area where an organization’s employees perform administrative work in
order to support or realize objectives and goals of an organization. The word “office” may also denote
a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it; the latter is in fact an earlier usage,
office as place originally referring to the location of one’s duty. When used as an adjective “office”
may refer to business related tasks. In law, a company or organization has offices in any place where
it has official presence, even if that presence consists of a storage silo rather than an establishment
with desk and chairs. An office is also an architectural and design phenomenon, ranging from a small
office such as a bench in a corner of a small business of an extremely small size through entire floors
of buildings, up to and including massive buildings dedicated entirely to one company. In modern
terms, an office is usually the location where white-collar workers carry out their functions.

Offices in classical antiquities where often part of a palace complex or of a large temple. The High
Middle ages (1000-1300) saw the rise of the medieval chancery, which was usually the place where
most government letters were written and where laws were copied in the administration of the
kingdom. With the growth of large, complex organizations in the 18th century, the first purpose-built
office spaces were constructed. As the Industrial revolution intensified in the 18th and 19th centuries,
the industries of banking, rail, insurance, retail, petroleum and telegraphy grew dramatically, requiring
a large number of clerks, and as result more office spaces was assigned to house their activities.

The main purpose of an office environment is to support its occupants in performing their jobs. Work
spaces in an office are typically used for conventional office activities such as reading, writing and
computer work. There are nine generic types of work space, each supporting different activities. In
addition to different cubicles, one can find meeting room, lounges and spaces for support activities,
such as photocopying and filing. Some offices also have kitchen areas where workers can make their
lunches. There many different ways of arranging the space in an office and whilst these vary according
to function, managerial fashions and the culture of specific companies can even be more important.
While offices can be built in almost any location and in almost any building, some modern
requirements for offices make this more difficult, such as requirement for light, networking and
security. The major purpose of an office building is to provide a workplace and working environment
– primarily for administrative and managerial workers. These workers usually occupy set areas within
the office building, and usually provided with desks, PC’s and other equipment they may need within
these areas.

IMPORTANCE OF OFFICE WORK

1. INFORMATION CENTER – provides information relating to business transactions. Such
information is very useful. It is used by management for the purpose of planning, organizing,
staffing, directing and controlling.
2. CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION – office not only keeps records of information, but also plays
the role of reliable channel of communicating the information. It is required for the smooth
functioning of the organization.
3. CCORDINATING CENTER – the success of business depends on the proper coordination of
people and activities of the organization. It keeps relations with all departments and deal with
information necessary for effective coordination; it is a mechanism or coordination.
4. CONTROL CENTER – an office acts as a control center. Controlling is the important function of
management. It helps to monitor plans and policies which help in implementation of proper

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ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT
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working environment. It helps to prevent in unwanted deviations. It provides data for

managing and correcting deviations.
5. SERVICE CENTER – it provides services to all the department of an organization. It provides
necessary information to all the department of an organization. Business cannot operate
successfully without better service system and office fulfills this requirement.
6. MEMORY CENTER – an office is the store house of records. It keeps the records of past and
present. It provides necessary information for the future. It helps to report letters, circulars,
notifications, policies, etc. it is known as brain of organization.
7. HELP EMPLOYEES – an office provides salaries, wages to their employees. They also keep
records of worker attendance, leave due, provident fund and calculating overtime pay. They
also help to maintain the relationship between management and worker.
8. OFFICE AS INTERMEDIARY – an office works as a middleman between department and
outsiders. It links with suppliers, customers, stakeholders, government and general public.
These office activities enhance the image of the firm.

OFFICE MANAGEMENT
Office management is the technique of planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling office
activities with a view to achieve business objectives and is concerned with efficient and effective
performance of the office work. The success of business depends upon the efficiency of its office.
The volume of paper work In offices has increased manifold in these days due to industrialization,
population explosion, government control and application of various tax and labor laws to any
business enterprise. Efficiency and effectiveness which are key words in management are
achieved only through proper planning and control of activities, reduction of office costs and
coordination of all activities of the business.

INFORMATION AND OFFICE MANAGEMENT

Data is one of the most important assets to any organization and managing information is extremely
crucial to the success of the organization. So, management of information is important, just like that
for supporting technology and processes. The information in an organization consists of data in various
formats, and also includes the data from email and social media. Also, information is key for
organizations to stay on trend and get ahead of the competition. Insights gained from the data are
extremely useful in the formulation of important decisions that drive the growth of the business. Here
are a few key benefits:

1. Greater ROI on the information resources implemented.

2. Easy exchange of information made possible.

3. Well-integrated information systems that support the business operations.

4. Discovering what’s hidden in the data becomes easier.

5. Adherence to the standards that define management of information.

6. Availability of real time insights for forecasting, planning, and evaluation.

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TRENDS IN OFFICE MANAGEMENT

The trends in office management are easy to work out and to know. It doesn't matter what the
office if for and what the company does, they are going to have to have the same basis to work
from and they are going to aim for the same management which is going to work for them.

•Organization

Office management would be nothing without organization. You cannot have an office that is
not organized, it simple wouldn't be possible! There would be no structure and nothing would
ever get done on time or successfully.

•Training

Office management is not going to be the best that it can if the staff are not going to be
trained properly. There are many different types of training that different offices do, but you can
be sure that there are going to be many different trends that are also followed within the training
that takes place.

•Systems

Systems are very important. Without certain systems in place then office management simply
wouldn't work. You are not going to be able to ensure that every target is met is there is not a
system in place to help you with this and to ensure that you know when the target is for.

Trends in office management are simple, there needs to be organization and structure to ensure
that there are not going to be any problems along the way. No matter what the office may be for,
it is not going to be successful without these basic trends in place which have been tried and
tested by many different companies before.

An office is not going to succeed if the staff doesn't know what they are doing and are going to
work at a slow pace; management is in place to ensure that this does not happen.

THE OFFICE MANAGER

An office manager is someone who is responsible for organizing all of the administrative activities
that facilitate the smooth running of an office. They must be skilled at supervising other employees
in a fair, consistent manner. A manager's duties may also include hiring and firing employees, as well
as resolving disputes or any other issues that may come up among employees.

Duties for office managers vary according to the size of the employing organization, so it could mean
organizing, planning and overseeing a large pool of administrative assistants, or working with one or two
people in a smaller office. Regardless of the size of the organization, an office manager must be able to
motivate and encourage employees to increase both productivity and work quality.

Responsibilities typically include:

 organizing meetings and arranging appointments

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 typing, and dealing with correspondence, complaints and queries

 booking transport and accommodation

 ordering stationery and furniture

 preparing letters, presentations and reports

 supervising and monitoring the work of secretarial, clerical and administrative staff

 managing office budgets

 liaising with staff, suppliers and clients

 implementing and maintaining procedures/office administrative systems

 delegating tasks to junior employees

 organizing induction programmes for new employees

 ensuring that health and safety policies are up to date

 using a range of software packages

 handling staff recruitment and appraisals

 attending meetings with senior management

 keeping personnel records

Skills and Requirements Needed:

 Communication Skills: Office managers collaborate with co-workers, management, direct reports and
in some cases customers. They need to be able to listen and communicate effectively.

 Attention to Detail: From ordering office supplies to complying with OSHA standards, making sure
every detail is right is crucial to an office manager's work.

 Leadership Skills: Office managers are in charge of the support staff. They need to motivate, discipline
and resolve conflicts on a regular basis.

 Analytical Skills: How can the company save money? Are we getting the most out of our resources?
Office managers need to find inefficiencies and cost-savings as part of their day-to-day job.

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