MODULE 1: Topic 1 - Understanding Management and Organisations

Management

The organisation and coordination of the activities of a business to achieve defined objectives; taking resources and creating outputs/outcomes efficiently and effectively.

Four Functions of Management

Planning, Organising, Leading, Controlling - essential activities for achieving organisational goals.

Planning

Defining goals for future organisational performance and deciding tasks and resource use to achieve them.

Organising

Assigning tasks, grouping tasks into departments, and allocating resources.

Leading

Using influence to motivate employees to achieve organisational goals.

Controlling

Monitoring activities, keeping the organisation on track, and making corrections as needed.

Organisational Performance - Effectiveness

The degree to which the organisation achieves a stated goal.

Organisational Performance - Efficiency

Using minimal resources to produce a desired output; the optimum balance is achieving peak effectiveness efficiently.

Mintzberg's Managerial Roles

Interpersonal (figurehead, leader, liaison), Informational (monitor, disseminator, spokesperson), Decisional (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator).

Conceptual Skills

The cognitive ability to perceive the organisation as a whole and understand the relationship among its parts.

Human Skills

Ability to work with and through others effectively in teams and groups.

Technical Skills

Understanding and proficiency in performing specific tasks.

Decisional - Entrepreneur Role

Drives change, identifies opportunities, improves processes; critical for organisational growth.

Interpersonal - Leader Role

Motivates and develops staff, shapes culture and morale, impacts productivity.

Informational - Monitor Role

Gathers and analyses internal and external information to support decision-making and strategic responses.

CEO Technical Expertise

Less important for CEOs because they focus on strategic direction and leadership, relying on specialists for technical knowledge.

Scientific Management

Improving efficiency and productivity through scientific study of tasks, standardised methods, training, support, and wage incentives.

Father of Scientific Management

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Bureaucratic Organisations

Structured with formal rules, clearly defined hierarchy, merit-based advancement, and authority based on position.

Administrative Principles

Focused on managing the total organisation rather than individual tasks.

Humanistic Principles

Emphasised understanding human behaviour, needs, and attitudes to improve workplace performance.

Hawthorne Studies

Experiments showing productivity improves when workers feel observed and valued, highlighting social and psychological factors.

Mary Parker Follett - "Power With"

Emphasises cooperation, collaboration, and shared decision-making instead of domination ("power over").

Conflict Resolution According to MPF

Achieved through integration, finding solutions satisfying all parties rather than compromise or domination.

Systems Thinking

Viewing organisations as open systems with interdependent subsystems; focuses on synergy and relationships between parts.

Contingency View

Management practices depend on the situation; what works in one case may not work in another.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Managing the total organisation to deliver quality through employee involvement, customer focus, benchmarking, and continuous improvement.

Triple Bottom Line

Sustainable management considering Profit, People, Planet - balancing financial, social, and environmental performance.

Technology in the Workplace

Enhances agility, competitive edge, and rapid adoption of new methods.

Effectiveness

Degree to which the organisation achieves its goals.

Efficiency

Using minimal resources to achieve desired output; balance with effectiveness is key.

Organisational Resources

Not just money and people, but also materials, technology, information, and time.

Issues with excessive multitasking

Reduced productivity, disrupted workflow, operational difficulties, higher costs, and decreased service quality.