5 Principles of Great Management
5 Principles of Great Management
Management
Understanding the functions will help managers focus efforts on activities that gain
results. Summarizing the five functions of great management (ICPM Management
Content):
1. Planning: When you think of planning in a management role, think about it as the
process of choosing appropriate goals and actions to pursue and then determining
what strategies to use, what actions to take, and deciding what resources are
needed to achieve the goals.
2. Organizing: This process of establishing worker relationships allows workers to
work together to achieve their organizational goals.
3. Leading: This function involves articulating a vision, energizing employees,
inspiring and motivating people using vision, influence, persuasion, and effective
communication skills.
4. Staffing: Recruiting and selecting employees for positions within the company
(within teams and departments).
5. Controlling: Evaluate how well you are achieving your goals, improving
performance, taking actions. Put processes in place to help you establish standards,
so you can measure, compare, and make decisions.
Principle No. 2: The Types and Roles of
Managers within the Organization
Organizational structure is important in driving the business forward and every
organization has a structure. No matter the organizationally specific title, organizations
contain front-line, middle, and top managers. Above the top management team are a
CEO and a board of director levels. To see this structure even more clearly, visualize a
pyramid model. The more you move toward the top of the pyramid, the fewer managers
you have. All of these management roles have specific tasks and duties. According to
Jones and George, “A managerial role is the set of specific tasks that a manager is
expected to perform because of the position he or she holds in an organization.” These
skills can be gained with a degree in organizational management.
All great managers play important roles in this model. One important thing to remember
is from Henry Mintzberg, a management scholar who researched and reduced
thousands of tasks performed by managers to 10 roles (ICPM). His model points out
that there are three main types of roles all managers play; they are decisional,
interpersonal, and informational. In the decisional role, managers can perform in an
entrepreneurial manner, as a disturbance handler, resource allocator or negotiator. In
an interpersonal role, managers may be figureheads, leaders, and liaisons. In the
informational role, they monitor, are disseminators or spokespersons, and they share
information.
“I define resources as people, time, money, and assets — and of course the basic
definition of a project is to have a goal and a start and end date — for pretty much any
activity we do,” he explains.
The job of the manager is to find a way to turn a team member’s skill and talent into a
higher level of performance. This idea doesn’t suggest manipulation at all. Instead, it is
about maximizing human potential, one team member at a time. It is as much art as it is
science.
Dr. Diane Hamilton, program chair in the Forbes School of Business & Technology,
recently described a candidate seeking a position on the faculty senate with having a
high EQ. Dr. Hamilton, a highly skilled professional who possesses knowledge and skill
in the area of Meyers Briggs Type Indicator, recognizes the importance of EQ.
“He demonstrates emotional intelligence and exemplifies the high caliber of candidate I
would like to represent the FSB,” she said about the candidate.
Conclusion
Remember, as a manager, for greater job satisfaction and career success you should
align to your organization’s vision, mission, strategies, leadership, systems, structure,
and cultures. In all you do, treat people fairly and honestly and do your best to follow
and embrace your organization’s ethics and core values as well as your own. Talk the
walk and walk the talk, and remember, people are watching and seeing how you walk it.
Give your very best to your teams, organizations, and customers. Be an effective
manager to get the performance results for your organization and build trust and
positive relationship with your people.