MidTerm MGT
MidTerm MGT
Management can be defined as a process of getting the work or the task done that is required for
achieving the goals of an organisation in an efficient and effective manner. Process implies the functions
of the management. That is, planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling.
Management is a process through which the members of an organization gets the job done with the
help of other people. The decision-making process and the performance of management are guided by
various principles of management. Different management theories are composed of many management
thinkers. Out of which, two such eminent thinkers are Fredrick Winslow Taylor (F.W. Taylor) and Henry
Fayol.
In management theory, Henry Fayol, a French mining engineer contributed fourteen management
principles and various concept of a general theory of administration, whereas, F.W.Taylor, an American
mechanical engineer improved the theory of scientific management and contributed four management
principles. Let’s learn in-depth the Fayol vs Taylor’s Theories of Management.
Why may Taylor's techniques of scientific management not be applicable to all types of organisations?
Taylor’s techniques of scientific management are not applicable to all types of organisations because
they are more specific in nature and should be applied only in specific conditions.
These five (5) principles of scientific management process involved experiments, observation, analysis,
and inference and were applied to create a cause and effect relationship.
In 1916, Henri Fayol postulated the 14 principles of management for general use that are still followed
by businesses and organizations today. Listed below are Henri Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management with
Examples -
1. Division of labor
2. Authority and Responsibility
3. Discipline
4. Unity of Command
5. Unity of Direction
6. Subordination of Individual Interest
7. Remuneration
8. Degree of Centralization
9. Scalar Chain
10. Order
11. Equity
12. Stability of Tenure of Personnel
13. Initiative
14. Esprit de Corps
Definition: Planning is the process of establishing the goals and objectives of a project and determining
the resources and actions needed to achieve those goals.
It involves creating a detailed project plan that outlines the steps and tasks required to complete the
project, as well as identifying potential risks or challenges and developing strategies to manage them.
The goal of planning is to create a roadmap for the project that ensures its successful completion.
To do this, managers need to have a good understanding of the current situation and where they want
to be in the future.
Types of planning
An example of strategic planning for a SaaS company that offers project management software and
wants to expand its customer base and increase revenue would look like this: Conduct market research,
Analyze the competitive landscape to identify potential opportunities and threats.
To achieve these goals, the company allocates needed resources for marketing, development, and
customer support staff.
Operational planning
Operational planning is the process of defining specific actions and resources needed to achieve the
goals set out in the strategic plan.
It involves developing detailed plans and budgets to implement the strategies and tactics outlined in the
strategic plan and identifying and addressing any potential risks or challenges that may arise.
To achieve this goal, the company develops an operational plan that outlines the specific actions and
resources needed to execute this strategy.
The operational plan includes tasks such as:
Implemen ng new features.
Alloca ng development resources and se ng goals and melines for developing the new
features.
Developing a budget for tes ng and quality assurance efforts.
Assigning staff members to oversee the development and tes ng of the new features.
Tactical planning
Tactical planning develops plans and actions to achieve the goals set out in the operational plan.
Tactical planning includes developing content marketing campaigns, promoting new features, assigning
tasks to developers, etc.
Contingency planning
Contingency planning is the process of identifying potential risks or challenges that may arise and
developing plans to mitigate or address them.
To ensure the success of the launch of the new features, our example SaaS company develops a
contingency plan to mitigate potential risks or challenges that may arise.
The contingency plan includes the following measures:
Iden fying poten al disrup ons to the development process, Iden fying poten al IT issues,
Sudden change in market condi ons or a major compe tor entering the market.
Management or managerial Skills and Organizational Hierarchy?
Understand different types of managerial skills and why these skills are required by
managers:
1. Technical Skills: refers to the ability of a person to carry out a specific activity.
2. Human Skills: refers to the ability of a person to work well with other people in a group.
3. Conceptual Skills: refer to the ability of a person to think and conceptualize abstract situations.
4. Design Skills: refers to the ability of a person to find solutions to the problems in ways beneficial
to the organization.
The relative significance of these skills varies at different levels in the organizational hierarchy as shown
in the below figure.
As a first-line manager, you require more technical skills in order to supervise operational
employees. You need to have good human skills as you need to interact with your
subordinates on a regular basis. However, conceptual skills are usually not very essential for
the managers at the supervisory level.
The need for technical skills is lesser at the middle-manager level. Here, human skills and
conceptual skills are more significant.
At the top-manager level, conceptual, design and interpersonal skills are of greatest
importance; there is little need for technical skills.