NATURE AND CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT: Definition and

Functions of Management

Management Defined
Management is the process of coordinating and overseeing the work
performance of individuals working together in organizations, so that
they could efficiently accomplish their chosen aims or goals.

Management covers the whole organization and is present in every area in

the organization. For management to be successful- coordination,
efficiency and effectiveness are required to carry it out.

Similarly, a manager is a significant person whose role is different from

other employees in the organization. The managerial functions are
performed by the manager. Thus, it can be summarized that all
organizations—no matter the kind, size, or location—need good managers
in order to successfully achieve their organizational goals and objectives.

Functions of Management
For managerial duties to be more understandable, it is broken down
into five functions. These functions include the following: planning,
organizing, staffing, leading and controlling.

Table1.Management Functions

Management Functions Definition

Planning Involves determining the organization’s goals or
performance objectives, defining strategic
actions that must be done to accomplish them,
and developing coordination and integration
activities.
Organizing Demands assigning tasks, setting aside funds,
and bringing harmonious relations among the
individuals and work groups or teams in the
organization.
Staffing Indicates filling in the different job positions in
the organization’s structure; the factors that
influence this function include: size of the
organization, types of jobs, number of
individuals to be recruited, and some internal
or external pressures
 Leading Entails influencing or motivating subordinates
to do their best so that they would be able to
help the organization’s endeavor to attain their
set goals.
Controlling Involves evaluating and, if necessary,
correcting the performance of the individuals
or work groups or teams to ensure that they
are all working toward the previously set
goals and plans of the organization.

Coordination, Efficiency, and Effectiveness:

Management functions when applied to organization and management is
defined as functions needed in order to accomplish the management
process of coordinating and overseeing the work performance of
individuals working together in organizations;
The management functions namely: planning, organizing, staffing, leading,
and controlling—will be wasted if coordination, efficiency, and
effectiveness are not practiced by an organization’s appointed managers.
Top-level managers, middle- level managers, and team leaders or
supervisors must all be conscious of the said practices of successful or
ganizations as they perform their management functions.

Webster’s Dictionary defines coordination as the harmonious,

integrated action of the various parts and processes of an organization;
efficiency is being able to yield the maximum output from a minimum
amount of input; and effectiveness as being adopted to produce an
effect, or being able to do things correctly. When applied to
management functions, coordination ensures that all individuals,
groups, or teams are harmoniously working together and moving
toward the accomplishment of the organization’s vision, mission, goals,
and objectives ;efficiency, meanwhile, refers to the optimal use of
scarce resources—human, financial, physical, and mechanical— in
order to bring maximum productivity; and effectiveness means “doing
things correctly” when engaged in activities that will help the
organization attain its aims.
NATURE AND CONCEPTS OF MANAGEMENT: Evolution
of Management Theories
Types and theories of Management
The development of the concepts of management today is a by-product of
the various contributions of major key players of management.
A. Scientific Management Theory

FrederickW.Taylor

The propenent for this management theory is Frederick W. Taylor

(1856-1915). He is also known as the Father of Scientific Management.
This management theory makes use of the step by step, scientific
methods for finding the single best way for doing a job. Working as a
mechanical engineer in a steel company in Pennsylvania in the United
States of America (USA) Taylor could not help but notice the workers’
mistakes and inefficiencies in doing their routine jobs. Their lack of
enthusiasm, the discrepancy between their abilities and aptitudes, and
their job assignments result to low output. Because of these
observations, Taylor tried to identify clear guidelines for the
improvement of their productivity.
Taylor’s Scientific Management Principles are as follows:
 Develop a science for each element of an individual’s work to
replace
the old rule of thumb method.
 Scientifically select and then train, teach, and develop the
workers.
 Heartily cooperate with the workers so as to ensure that
all work is done in accordance with the principles of the
science that has been developed.
 Divide work and responsibility almost equally between
management and workers.
Pre-scientific Management Period
.
Employees went to their work instead of receiving it, and so, the factory system, as it is known
today, become a dominant feature of the economy. Under this system, land and buildings, hired
labor, and capital are made available to the entrepreneur, who strives to combine these factors in
the efficient achievement of a particular goal. All these
changes, in turn, brought about changes in the field of management. Traditional, conventional or
customary ideas of management were slowly given up and management
came to be based on scientific principles. In the words of L. F. Urwick-"Modern management has
thrown open a new branch of human knowledge, a fresh universe of discourse". During the period
following the industrial revolution, certain pioneers tried to
challenge the traditional character of management by introducing new ideas and character of
management by introducing new ideas and approaches.
 B. General Administrative Theory

HenriFayol

The General Administrative Theory proposed by Henri Fayol (1841-

1925) and Max Weber (1864-1920) concentrates on the manager’s
functions and what makes up good management practice or
implementation. Fayol’s 19th century writings were concerned with
managerial activities which he based on his actual experience as a
managing director in a big coal mining company. Fayol believed that
managementis an activity that all organizations must practice and
viewed it as separate from all other organizational activities such as
marketing, finance, research and development, and others. Similarly,
Weber, a German sociologist wrote in the early 1900s that ideal
organizations, especially large ones, must have authoritystructures and
coordination with others based on what he referred to as bureaucracy.
Present-day organizations still make use of Weber’s structural design.

Classical Theory
During this period, stalwarts like F.W. Taylor, H.L. Gantt, Emerson,
Frank and Lillian Gilberth etc., laid the foundation of management,
which in due course, came to be known as scientific management. This
epoch in the history of management will be remembered as an era in
which traditional ways of managing were challenged, past
management experience was scientifically systematized, and
principles of management were distilled and propagated.
F.W. Taylor and Henry Fayol are generally regarded as the founders of
scientific management and administrative management and both
provided the bases for science and art of management.

Features of Management in the Classical Period:

1. It was closely associated with the industrial revolution and the rise of
large- scale enterprise.
2. Classical organization and management theory is based on contributions
from a number of sources. They are scientific management,
Administrative management theory, bureaucratic model, and micro-
 economics and public administration.
3. Management thought focused on job content division of labor,
standardization, simplification and specialization and scientific approach
towards organization.

A. Total Quality Management(TQM)

W.EdwardsDeming JosephM.Juran
Total Quality Management is a management philosophy that focuses on
the satisfaction of customers, their needs, and expectations. Quality
experts W.Edwards Deming (1900–1993) and Joseph M. Juran (1904–
2008) introduced this customer-orientedideainthe1950s, however, the
concept had few supporters. The Americans did not immediately take
to the idea since the US was enjoying supremacy in the global market at
the time. Japanese manufacturers, on the other hand, took notice of it
and enthusiastically experimented on its application. When Japanese
firms began to be recognized for their quality products, Western
managers were forced to give a more serious consideration of
Deming’s and Juran’s modern management philosophy that eventually
became the foundation of today’s quality management practices.

D. Organizational Behavior (OB) Approach

The Organizational Behavior (OB) approach involves the study of the

conduct, demeanor, or action of people at work. Research on behavior
helps managers carry out their functions—leading, team building,
resolving conflict, and others. Robert Owen, Mary Parker Follett, Hugo
Munsterberg, and Chester Barnard were the early supporters of the OB
approach. During the late 1700s, Owen noticed lamentable conditions
in workplaces and proposed ideal ways to improve the said conditions.
Follett, in the early 1900s, introduced the idea that individual or group
behavior must be considered in organizational management. Likewise,
in the early 1900s, Munsterberg proposed the administering of
psychological tests for the selection of would-be employees in
companies. Barnard, in the 1930s, suggested that cooperation is
required in organizations since it is, mainly, a social system.

Management theories are theories that help improve the management

process; and management process is the coordinating and overseeing of
the work performance of individuals working together in organizations so
that they could efficiently and effectively accomplish their chosen goals.

Neoclassical Theory: Neo-classical Theory is built on the base of classical theory.

It modified, improved and extended the classical theory. Classical theory
concentrated on job content and management of physical resources whereas,
neoclassical theory gave greater emphasis to individual and group relationship in
the workplace. The neo-classical theory pointed out the role of psychology and
sociology in the understanding of individual and group Behaviour in an
organization.
Hawthorne Experiment: In 1927, a group of researchers led by Elton Mayo and
Fritz Roethlisberger of the Harvard Business School were invited to join in the
studies at the Hawthorne Works of Western Electric Company, Chicago. The
experiment lasted up to 1932. The Hawthorne Experiments brought out that the
productivity of the employees is not the function of only physical conditions of
work and money wages paid to them. Productivity of employees depends heavily
upon the satisfaction of the employees in their work situation. Mayo's idea was
that logical factors were far less important than emotional factors in determining
productivity efficiency.
 Modern Theory (System Approach): The systems approach to management
indicates the fourth major theory of management thought called modern theory.
Modern theory considers an organization as an adaptive system which has to
adjust to changes in its environment. An organization is now defined as a
structured process in which individuals interact for attaining objectives.
Meaning of "System": The word system is derived from the Greek word meaning
to bring together or to combine. A system is a set of interconnected and inter-
related elements or component parts to achieve certain goals. A system has three
significant parts:
1. Every system is goal-oriented and it must have a purpose or objective to be attained.
2. In designing the system we must establish the necessary arrangement of
components.
3. Inputs of information, material and energy are allocated for processing as per plan so
that the outputs can achieve the objective of the system.

Systems Approach Applied to an Organization: When systems approach is

applied to organization, we have the following features of an organization as an
open adaptive system:-
1. It is a sub-system of its broader environment.
2. It is a goal-oriented – people with a purpose.
3. It is a technical subsystem – using knowledge, techniques, equipment and facilities.
4. It is a structural subsystem – people working together on interrelated activities.
5. It is a psychosocial system – people in social relationships.
6. It is co-ordinate by a managerial sub system, creating, planning, organizing,
motivating, communicating and controlling the overall efforts directed towards set
goals.
Characteristics of Modern Management Thought:
1. The Systems Approach: An organization as a system has five basic parts -
1. Input
2. Process
3. Output
4. Feedback and
5. Environment.
Contingency Theory: Systems approach emphasizes that all sub- systems of an
organization along with the super system of environment are interconnected and
interrelated. Contingency approach analysis and understands these inter
relationship so that managerial actions can be adjusted to demands of specific
situations or circumstances.