Tra’Shun Johnson

Instructor Ellen Mathein, Instructor Kim Scuglik

Operations Management Evolution of Management

19 October 2021

What Is a Manager?

What is a manager? What a question! Well, to understand what a manager is, you must

first understand what management is. Management is “the art of getting things done through the

efforts of other people”[CITATION Ell17 \l 1033 ]. The Principles of Management are categorized

into four major functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, often referred to as

the P-O-L-C framework. The P-O-L-C framework is a very useful way of classifying the

activities managers engage in as they attempt to achieve organizational goals.[CITATION Ell17 \l

1033 ]

To begin, planning is the function of management that involves setting objectives and

creating a course of action to reach that objective. On top of that, managers must identify

alternative routes for achieving objectives. After assessing the various courses of action,

managers must decide what is the best course of action to attain the best results. They must then

create the necessary steps and ensure the plan is followed. Finally, managers must evaluate the

results of their plans and take corrective action when necessary to create a more effective and

efficient course of action. There are many different types of plans and planning. Strategic

Planning involves evaluating the competition, as well as being aware of the strengths and

weaknesses of the organization, and then determining how to best set the organization up to

compete in their environment. Tactical Planning is the step taken after a business or team creates
a strategic plan to break that plan into smaller objectives and goals. A Tactical Plan is used to

precisely define goals and decide what the steps will be taken to ensure proficiency in the

organization and communicate the plans with other members of the organization in a simple,

understandable way. Operational Planning is more department-focused than a strategic plan, it

maps out department budgets and goals to propel the success of the strategic plan with specific,

team-based activities for the next 1-3 years.[ CITATION Mat19 \l 1033 ]

Organizing is also a function of management. “Organizing is the function of management

that involves developing an organizational structure and allocating human resources to ensure the

accomplishment of objectives”[ CITATION Mat19 \l 1033 ]. Organizing involves making different

types of decisions. Decisions made about organizational structure are referred to as

organizational design decisions. When a manager sees a relation between two or more activities,

he can group these activities into groups, or departments. After this, he assigns authority and

responsibility to subordinate managers shaping the organizations hierarchy. Job design involves

how best to design individual jobs to most effectively use human resources effectively.

Leading is the next function of management. Leadership skills include inspiring,

communicating, motivating, and influencing employees for better production. A leader decides

what needs to be done, by whom it is going to be done, and what tasks are included in the plan

and leads them. A skilled workforce can only help to achieve if it being led properly. While

leading, a manager must make sure that proper coordination among the workforce is being

ensured. A proper synchronization among the organization can be achieved only if effective

coordination is present within the organizational structure.[CITATION Haq21 \l 1033 ] Leading is a

very important function of management.

 The last function of management is controlling resources so that performance does not

deviate from standard. The managerial function of controlling should not be confused with

control in the behavioral or manipulative sense. [ CITATION Mat19 \l 1033 ]This function of

management concerns the manager’s role in taking necessary actions to ensure that the work-

related activities of subordinates are consistent with and contributing toward the accomplishment

of organizational and departmental objectives. “Controlling consists of three steps, which include

(1) establishing performance standards, (2) comparing actual performance against standards, and

(3) taking corrective action when necessary” [ CITATION Mat19 \l 1033 ] . Even if employees could

perform a job well, some choose not to do so because individual goals and organizational goals

may not coincide. In other words, there is a lack of goal congruence. Steps must often be taken

either to increase goal congruence or to prevent employees from acting in their own interest

where goal incongruence exists [ CITATION DNS18 \l 1033 ]

The Scientific Management approach was developed by Frederick W. Taylor in the late

19th century. This management approach refers to when a manager studies the methods of

getting a job done and aims at improving the efficiency of the workers in order to achieve

simplification, specialization, standardization and the overall efficiency in the organization. The

first principle is to create uniformity by creating a set of steps to complete task and obtain

objectives consecutively. This is seen in factories today where tasks performed by workers are

optimized using scientific methods and approaches with the aim of increasing productivity and

being able to get optimal results. A supervisor may ask a worker to lift with his knees and not his

knees to cut down on work-related injuries. The second principle is hiring the best possible

person to do the job and develop his skillset to see the best results. The third principle of the

Scientific Method approach is the cooperation between mangers and subordinates. Rather than
managing conflicts, the management should collaborate with the members of the organization.

There should be a comprehensive collaboration between the employees and the management

rather than individualism. The concept is evident today in the form of human relations in the

workplace.

I recently started a job as cashier at BP gas station. The managers at my job also carry out

the P-O-L-C framework to actualize the mission and vision of management. They order snacks

based on previous sales. If they are aware that a product is not being bought by customers, they

will order less, or sometimes not any, for the upcoming weeks. This is a good example of

planning. The organizing function of management is a lot like organizing in anything else.

Assigning people to work certain positions is an example that. For instance, the gas station has a

deli where they cook burgers, fries, and other hot foods. I am a cashier, so I do not cook any

food, nor does the person who cooks, work on the cash register because we are in different

departments. My manager tries to lead by supporting the workforce and attempting to create

relationships with the team. I think it is an effective style of leadership based on the personalities

and performance of the team. An example of the control function of management would be

training. Since, I am still a new employee I am still going through training today. The manager

evaluates my performance and tells me ways I can improve.

To answer the opening question, “What is a manager?” A manager is a person who can

identify a vision, design a plan, bring that vision to life, put other people in positions where they

would be most effective in achieving the goals for that vision, and ensure everything happens

according to plan. A good manager is an effective leader. Management is a universal

phenomenon.[ CITATION Jun18 \l 1033 ]

References

DNS21bravo. (2018, April 18). dns21bravo.blogspot. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from Controlling-

Business Function: https://dns21bravo.blogspot.com/2018/04/controlling-business-

function.html

Haque, F. (2021). Importance of Leading in Management. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from

thestrategywatch.com: https://www.thestrategywatch.com/importance-of-leading-in-

management/

Juneja, P. (2018). What Is Management? Retrieved October 15, 2021, from

managementstudyguide.com: https://managementstudyguide.com/portal/about-us

Mathein, E. (2017). Introduction to Management. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from

nicolet.pressbooks.pub:

https://nicoletcollege.pressbooks.pub/operationsmanagementv2/chapter/introduction-to-

management/

Mathein, E. (2019, June 1). Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. Retrieved October 16, 2021,

from nicoletcollege.pressbooks.pub:

https://nicoletcollege.pressbooks.pub/operationsmanagementv2/