Theory of Administration and Management
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY
Definition of Management: Its Nature and Purpose
Before we give the definition of management, it is well to point out that one of the most important activities of human beings is managing. And the idea of managing the resources of a group started even since human beings started coming together and working in groups. This is important so that the objectives of the group can be attained through proper linking of the various activities being performed by the group members. As organizations, particularly formal organization like business organization, ministries, and schools including universities become large, the task of the manager starts getting bigger and more complex. And the aim of the manager is to promote excellence.
Management is a word used by different people with varying meanings. The noun management is used as a collective noun to refer to all those who manage within a particular organization. That is why in an organization there are different people occupying different positions and seeing to it that the resources of such organization are put into effective use. There are also those managers that assist other managers to perform their function. They are all managers.
The word management can also be used to separate a special class of people in an organization from other classes. You should have heard such statement as the management of the organization has taken a decision concerning the demand of the workers for higher pay’. Such statement is making reference to those people that take decisions whether a temporal decision or a final decision.
In trying to give a precise definition of management, it is always faced with problems. This is because of the interest and background of the person giving such definition. The accountant will like to see management in terms of cash flow: how much the organization is expending in other to get revenue or returns, as well as the timing of SMS such expenditure and revenue. The marketing manager sees management in terms of analyzing the consumer needs with a view to bring out a product or service capable of satisfying the needs and at a profit to the organization. The personnel manager on his own interests will regards management as employing suitably qualified candidates to fill existing vacancies and motivating them to work as a team towards the attainment of organization objectives. We can go on and on.
Definition of Management
Weihrich and koontz sees that management as a process is designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals, working together in groups, efficiently accomplish selected aims. This is a basic definition which needs to be expanded in the following ways:
(a) As managers, people carry out some functions. And they are employed to carry out the specific functions. These functions are commonly referred to as managerial functions. We shall be looking at these managerial functions one after the other in subsequent units of this course. These functions are planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling among others.
(b) Management applies to any of organization. This is another nature and purpose of management: Management is not restricted to any particular organization like the Nigeria Bottling Company Plc. Any organization as long as human and other resource is there calls for management. Consequently, management is needed in a philanthropic organization, in the church, in the mosque, in the Lion’s club, in a football team among others.
Values of management: is management an art or science?
- Values of Management: management has values. A value is the importance we attach to something. This means that something is of importance to us simply because we have placed some values on it. The same consideration goes to management. Management has importance because there are core values associated with it. These values constitute the reasons why we bother tostudy management.
- To keep pace with the environment: to keep pace with the environment is one of the values of management. The environment of management is a dynamic one; that is, it is always undergoing changes. It is never The practice of yesterday becoming obsolete today. To be abreast with these changes demands thorough planning, plan execution control and evaluation. All these and more demand careful thinking and analysis so that we may not make mistakes in our decisions,
CHAPTER THREE
CONCEPT OF ORGANIZATION, BUREAUCRACY AND OTHER THEORIES OF MANAGEMENT
Definition of Organization
The term Organization is given a variety of Interpretations. In the words of Prasad Morye, Organization is the foundation upon which the whole structure of management is built. Organization is related with developing a framework where the total work is divided into manageable components in order to facilitate the achievement of objectives or goals. Thus, organization is the structure or mechanism (machinery) that enables living things to work together. In a static sense, an organization is a structure or machinery manned by group of individuals who are working together towards a common goal.
Venkatesh defines Organization as the structural framework of duties and responsibilities required of personnel in performing various functions with a view to achieving business goals through organization. Management tries to combine various business activities to accomplish predetermined goals. In the words of Allen, organization is an instrument for achieving organizational goals. The work of each and every person is defined and authority and responsibility is fixed for accomplishing the same.
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCEPT OF DECISION-MAKING
Meaning of Decision-Making
Decision making is not is a separate function of management, it is intertwined with other functions such as planning, coordinating, and controlling. These functions all require that decision be made. An understanding of decision making involves, together with a few effective techniques, will help produce better decision, (Hariz, 1998). He further posits that to define decisions making as the study of identify and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision maker. Making a decision implies that there are alternatives choices to be considered, and in such a case we want not only to identify as many of these alternatives as possible but to choose the one that (1) has the highest probability of success or effectiveness and (2) best first with our goals, desires, lifestyles, values and so on. Decision making connects the organization’s present circumstances to action that will take the organization into the future. Decision making encompasses the process that lead up to and includes the choice of a course of action from among two or more alternatives, (Akinseye, 2011).
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCEPT OF MOTIVATION
Introduction
Human resources forms the life wire of every business enterprise because the way human beings work and the quality of decisions they make affect the extent to which physical and financial resources can be combined and utilized to achieve the objective of a business.
It is obvious that while enterprise objectives differ somewhat in various organizations, the individuals involved also have needs and objectives that are especially important to them. It is through the function of motivating that manager’s help people see that they can satisfy their own needs and utilize their potentials; while at the same time they contribute to the aims and objectives of their enterprise. Managers, thus, require and understanding of the roles assumed by people, the individually of people and their personalities.
CHAPTER SIX
COMMUNICATION
Introduction
Communication is a key element in any human activity. Communication is a learned skill. However, while most people are born with the physical ability to talk, not all can communicate well unless they make special efforts to develop and refine this communication skill. Very often, we take the ease with which we communicate with each other for granted, so much so that we sometimes forget how complex the communication process actually is. Communication takes place when we are supposedly at the same level of understanding and comprehension as other interlocutors. Common forms of communication include speaking, writing, gestures, touch, using pictures and broadcasting. Communication is therefore not what is said whether verbally or non-verbally, but what is understood.
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