Throughout this series of blog posts, my main objective was to develop a meaningful connection with the fundamentals of management. Some people think this can be done by simply reading a textbook, and while this is a great way to learn these concepts, it can be difficult to relate what you learn back to yourself. With this assignment, I was able to do just that.
My biggest takeaway from this is how management as a whole has numerous functions, such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. I was also able to learn how each of these functions have a lot more aspects that help the manager. With all of this, I now have a deeper understanding of management and have skills that I can apply in my life now, and in the future.
Thank you for reading all of my blog posts!
- Sayuz
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Control Summary
While the other fundamentals of management, which includes planning, organizing, and leading, are extremely important, control is the glue that holds all of them to the organization. A manager is able to enact plans and lead an organization effectively through the control he or she has. Without control, the organization will have a difficult time accomplishing its goals and all efforts will seem to be meaningless. Another thing I learned about control through this unit is that is relies heavily on a balance. A manager can seem to have limitless power over the organization, but he or she must be able to use this control of the organization for the greater benefit of the company. Control can be difficult to do just right, but if executed perfectly, the organization will be in good standing.
- Sayuz
- Sayuz
Control
The final fundamental function of management I will talk about in my blog is control. Control is defined by Daft and Marcic to be "the systematic process of regulating organizational activities to make them consistent with the expectations established in plans, targets, and standards of performance." (Daft & Marcic, p. 538) In simpler, 21st century management terms, control can be said to be the methods used to ensure that performance is met and all other functions of the organization are working properly.
In my organization, I am responsible for all of the control. It is the manager's job to ensure that everything that needs to be done within the organization is getting done, and that everyone is staying productive. Using the other fundamentals of management, such as leading, the manager plays in important role in being in control of the organization. The biggest hurdle that this control process can encounter, however, is a lack of information. In an article on the control function, Douglas S. Sherwin summarizes the concept of control as "action which adjusts operations to predetermined standards, and its basis is information in the hands of managers." (Sherwin) The key phrase to take from this is the basis of control being information available to managers. Without this information, it is difficult to know how performance is going, and to know what needs to be improved upon in the organization. One way to enhance control is for managers to know what information is essential, how they will obtain that information,and how they can and should respond to it. By knowing which metrics to look at, a manager will be able to be more effectively in control of the organization.
As a manager, it is my responsibility to look at measures of performance and emphasizing which ones are most important to the organization. Similar to how most managers today measure performance, I would use the balanced scorecard method. Daft and Marcic define this to be a "comprehensive management control system that balances traditional financial measures with operational measures relating to a company's critical success factors." (Daft & Marcic, p. 540) This method has four key perspectives, which are financial performance, customer service, internal business processes, and the organization's capacity for learning and growth. Among these, besides financial performance which almost every organization emphasizes heavily, capacity for learning and growth will be extremely important for my organization. An organization can especially thrive if the resources and human capital are being managed for the company's future, and by focusing on this aspect of performance, it is likely that the organization will be able to be in business for future years.
Albert Einstein has an assertion that ties heavily into the fundamentals of control in management. "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (YouConnect) This relates to the performance aspects of control, specifically looking at what measures a manager looks at when determining performance. Although a manager has a lot of data he or she can evaluate, not all of this data is important. On the other hand, some key information has the possibility of not being quantifiable.
While a manager is the one with all of the control in an organization, it is possible for a manager to experience an illusion of control as well. Some illusions for example include setting and enforcing rules when they are not necessary, or thinking you are in control of a situation when in fact the outcome is independent from everything else. Managers must be wary of these and turn to control methods that are actually pertinent. This can be done through feedback model systems and finding out whether or not actions taken by the manager are resulting in successes for the organization.
Control today has two primary methods that it follows: hierarchical and decentralized. Hierarchical control "involves monitoring and influencing employee behavior through extensive use of rules, policies, hierarchy of authority, written documentation, reward systems, and other formal mechanisms." (Daft & Marcic, p. 548) This contrasts with decentralized control, which relies on "cultural values, traditions, shared beliefs, and trust to foster compliance with organizational goals." (Daft & Marcic, p. 549) For my organization, the decentralized method is more important. An organization that focuses its values on traditions, shared beliefs, and trust has a better organizational chemistry with everyone having an understanding of the organization's mission, and their role to achieve this mission. With this method, it is also easier to have continuous improvement, which is extremely important for any organization. Growth and learning are key performance measures, and by working on little tasks to improve one at a time, employees can have this growth and development and the organization as a whole can have continuous improvement.
One vital aspect of an organization that a manager has a lot of control in is financial control. Financial controls tell whether the organization is on sound financial footing, and it also is useful in indicating other kinds of performance problems. In order to ensure relevant financial management, it is critical to see which services are working and which are not. It is also necessary to look at the balance sheet and income statement to see what assets are available, and to see where the organization's spending is going. Focusing on a zero-based budgeting approach can also be helpful in starting over when it comes to starting over and setting a budget for everything in the organization.
- Sayuz
Sources:
Daft, Richard L. Management. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.
Sherwin, Douglas S. “The Ethical Roots of the Business System.” Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 1 Aug. 2014, hbr.org/1983/11/the-ethical-roots-of-the-business-system.
https://hbr.org/1983/11/the-ethical-roots-of-the-business-system
In my organization, I am responsible for all of the control. It is the manager's job to ensure that everything that needs to be done within the organization is getting done, and that everyone is staying productive. Using the other fundamentals of management, such as leading, the manager plays in important role in being in control of the organization. The biggest hurdle that this control process can encounter, however, is a lack of information. In an article on the control function, Douglas S. Sherwin summarizes the concept of control as "action which adjusts operations to predetermined standards, and its basis is information in the hands of managers." (Sherwin) The key phrase to take from this is the basis of control being information available to managers. Without this information, it is difficult to know how performance is going, and to know what needs to be improved upon in the organization. One way to enhance control is for managers to know what information is essential, how they will obtain that information,and how they can and should respond to it. By knowing which metrics to look at, a manager will be able to be more effectively in control of the organization.
As a manager, it is my responsibility to look at measures of performance and emphasizing which ones are most important to the organization. Similar to how most managers today measure performance, I would use the balanced scorecard method. Daft and Marcic define this to be a "comprehensive management control system that balances traditional financial measures with operational measures relating to a company's critical success factors." (Daft & Marcic, p. 540) This method has four key perspectives, which are financial performance, customer service, internal business processes, and the organization's capacity for learning and growth. Among these, besides financial performance which almost every organization emphasizes heavily, capacity for learning and growth will be extremely important for my organization. An organization can especially thrive if the resources and human capital are being managed for the company's future, and by focusing on this aspect of performance, it is likely that the organization will be able to be in business for future years.
Albert Einstein has an assertion that ties heavily into the fundamentals of control in management. "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (YouConnect) This relates to the performance aspects of control, specifically looking at what measures a manager looks at when determining performance. Although a manager has a lot of data he or she can evaluate, not all of this data is important. On the other hand, some key information has the possibility of not being quantifiable.
While a manager is the one with all of the control in an organization, it is possible for a manager to experience an illusion of control as well. Some illusions for example include setting and enforcing rules when they are not necessary, or thinking you are in control of a situation when in fact the outcome is independent from everything else. Managers must be wary of these and turn to control methods that are actually pertinent. This can be done through feedback model systems and finding out whether or not actions taken by the manager are resulting in successes for the organization.
Control today has two primary methods that it follows: hierarchical and decentralized. Hierarchical control "involves monitoring and influencing employee behavior through extensive use of rules, policies, hierarchy of authority, written documentation, reward systems, and other formal mechanisms." (Daft & Marcic, p. 548) This contrasts with decentralized control, which relies on "cultural values, traditions, shared beliefs, and trust to foster compliance with organizational goals." (Daft & Marcic, p. 549) For my organization, the decentralized method is more important. An organization that focuses its values on traditions, shared beliefs, and trust has a better organizational chemistry with everyone having an understanding of the organization's mission, and their role to achieve this mission. With this method, it is also easier to have continuous improvement, which is extremely important for any organization. Growth and learning are key performance measures, and by working on little tasks to improve one at a time, employees can have this growth and development and the organization as a whole can have continuous improvement.
One vital aspect of an organization that a manager has a lot of control in is financial control. Financial controls tell whether the organization is on sound financial footing, and it also is useful in indicating other kinds of performance problems. In order to ensure relevant financial management, it is critical to see which services are working and which are not. It is also necessary to look at the balance sheet and income statement to see what assets are available, and to see where the organization's spending is going. Focusing on a zero-based budgeting approach can also be helpful in starting over when it comes to starting over and setting a budget for everything in the organization.
- Sayuz
Sources:
Daft, Richard L. Management. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.
Sherwin, Douglas S. “The Ethical Roots of the Business System.” Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 1 Aug. 2014, hbr.org/1983/11/the-ethical-roots-of-the-business-system.
https://hbr.org/1983/11/the-ethical-roots-of-the-business-system
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Leading Summary
Before I had learned about this section of management, I thought the terms leading and managing were interchangeable. I now know that leading is a critical function of good management, and I have a deeper understanding of all the various aspects of leading. To be an effective leader, certain criteria have to be met. Some keys include: self-awareness, understanding others, motivating others, establishing good communication and teams, and emphasizing good listening. With these factors, any manager can become a good leader.
- Sayuz
- Sayuz
Leading (Part 2)
For an organization to be as successful as it can be, it is essential to have good teams and communication throughout the entire organization. Teams will be important for my organization because it will allow for increased creativity and ideas, speed of responses, better productivity, lower costs, and even enhanced motivation and satisfaction. The keys to having successful teams are rallying people around a compelling purpose, sharing the power, and admitting ignorance. A great team leader will make sure that his or her team has the three following structures within the team, and this will lead to better team effectiveness. Along with teamwork comes communication. As an organization, it is necessary to employ strategic communication. This is defined by Daft and Marcic to be "people talking across boundaries and hierarchical levels about the team or organization's vision, critical strategic themes, and the values that help achieve important goals." (Daft & Marcic, p. 472) Common communication has a receiver and a sender of a message, but for this communication to be of use in the organization, the sender and receiver should have a two-way relationship. When both of these people share information, it can add to their work, and also serve as a way to build trust and maintain good relations. The biggest factor that can get in the way of effective communication is not properly listening. When people listen, they usually only listen until they start to think of what they can say back. If the organization practices effective listening, which includes thoroughly understanding what someone else is saying before formulating a response, then communication within the organization should have no issues.
- Sayuz
Sources:
Daft, Richard L. Management. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.
Sources:
Daft, Richard L. Management. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.
Leading (Part 1)
When it comes to management in the real world and in various organizations, leadership is a key concept that will decide either the success or failure of a manager. In our textbook, Daft and Marcic have defined leadership to be "the ability to influence people toward the attainment of goals." (Daft & Marcic, p. 410) With this definition, it is almost impossible to imagine a corporation to reach the goals it has set without a valid form of leadership, which is why I believe leading is one of the most important aspects of management.
Looking at leading, there are many topics that must be discussed. The first one that I will be discussing here is self-awareness. Self-awareness is one of the four basic components of emotional intelligence, and Daft and Marcic simply define it as "being aware of what you are feeling." (Daft & Marcic, p. 388) As a manager, we have the responsibility of knowing just exactly what we feel in regards to certain aspects of the organization. With a strong self-awareness, a manager will also be able to know his or her own strengths and weaknesses, as well as have a healthy sense of self-confidence. As a manager myself, I know my own limitations and so I can be more productive by playing into my strengths instead. By being self-aware of one's own strengths, managers can can put better use of their time and work "smarter" by focusing on tasks that use these skills. Maintaining self-awareness can be done by keeping note of your feelings on situations at all times, and by also realizing what areas you are strong in and which ones need more work. Along with being aware of one's own self, a good leading manager will also need to be able to understand the perceptions and attributions of other people in order to handle any emotions and make good decisions. This can be done by getting a good understanding of what other people feel, and then removing one's own emotions from the situation at hand. By doing this, the manager will be able to make a decision based on the effect it will have on everyone, and not just him or herself.
Other factors of emotional intelligence include self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Before talking about these other factors and my role in each of them, it is essential to look at the Big Five personality factors and how they relate to me. According to Daft and Marcic, the Big Five personality factors "describe an individual's extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience." (Daft & Marcic, p. 386) With each of these traits, I can safely say that I have a high degree of each one as a manager. Out of these five traits, the one that most defines me as a leader is my openness to experience. This is defined in the textbook as "the degree to which a person has a broad range of interests and is imaginative, creative, artistically sensitive, and willing to consider new ideas," (Daft & Marcic, p. 386) which defines me perfectly. OI am a manager who would always be open to listening to various people in order to discover new ideas and approaches. In a way, this is the essence of my personality, and to manage it, I must make sure that even though somebody states a new idea, I take careful consideration and thoughtful decision making approaches to pick the best idea. Going back to emotional intelligence, I have great abilities in the four basic components. However, when looking at which one might be the most challenging one for me, the answer would have to be self-management. Although I would still say I have a good sense of self-management, this can be my weakest facet in terms of letting worry and anxiety let out at times. I know as a manager I must work on improving this by being able to better control disruptive and harmful emotions, especially when it comes to the workplace.
Tying into the topic of self-awareness, this trait can also help with understanding my personal motivations as a manager. By looking at my own personal motivations, it becomes easier to figure out how to keep employers motivated as well. The concept of motivation has two types of rewards behind it: intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards are "the satisfactions a person receives in the process of performing a particular action," (Daft & Marcic, p. 442) such as the feeling of accomplishment somebody gets when they complete a task. Extrinsic rewards are "given by another person, typically a manager, and include promotions, pay increases, and bonuses." (Daft & Marcic, p. 442) In order to keep employees motivated, as a manager I would use both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards could come as a sense of achievement when employees do their work, and this can be done by making sure that the work that employees do is valuable and useful to the organization. Employees will also be motivated with extrinsic rewards such as bonuses for exceeding expectations and doing superior work assignments. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs can accurately depict what each employee might value in the organization. As a manager, I would want a job that is both rewarding, and pays appropriately, which takes care of the physiological needs descrived in this hierarchy. Next, I would want job safety, and also a culture in which I feel included in. These two relate to the safety needs, and belongingness needs of the hierarchy. Lastly, I would want a job in which I have the opportunity for improvement and growth, which is similar to the esteem needs and the self-actualization needs. I would speculate that most people would value these needs as well for what they want out of a job, and so as a manager I will make sure that these needs are met. Employees must have some sense of empowerment, and by allowing them to fulfill these needs, I as a manager will also give them this empowerment.
As a manager and a leader, it is important to know about the different leadership styles. For my organization, I would be more of a situational leader. This is a "contingency approach to leadership that links the leader's behavioral style with the task readiness of subordinates." (Daft & Marcic, p. 418) I believe that everybody has their own skills and strengths, and so each person will also need a different leadership style in order to increase overall mood and productivity in the workplace. With the situational style of leadership, I will be able to adopt different leadership styles based on a combination of relationship and task behavior. The biggest downside to this approach would have to be custom tailoring leadership styles for different people, but this is also a positive because it ensures that the manager has a sense of what each employee thinks and feels, and can form better relations.
- Sayuz
Sources:
Daft, Richard L. Management. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.
Looking at leading, there are many topics that must be discussed. The first one that I will be discussing here is self-awareness. Self-awareness is one of the four basic components of emotional intelligence, and Daft and Marcic simply define it as "being aware of what you are feeling." (Daft & Marcic, p. 388) As a manager, we have the responsibility of knowing just exactly what we feel in regards to certain aspects of the organization. With a strong self-awareness, a manager will also be able to know his or her own strengths and weaknesses, as well as have a healthy sense of self-confidence. As a manager myself, I know my own limitations and so I can be more productive by playing into my strengths instead. By being self-aware of one's own strengths, managers can can put better use of their time and work "smarter" by focusing on tasks that use these skills. Maintaining self-awareness can be done by keeping note of your feelings on situations at all times, and by also realizing what areas you are strong in and which ones need more work. Along with being aware of one's own self, a good leading manager will also need to be able to understand the perceptions and attributions of other people in order to handle any emotions and make good decisions. This can be done by getting a good understanding of what other people feel, and then removing one's own emotions from the situation at hand. By doing this, the manager will be able to make a decision based on the effect it will have on everyone, and not just him or herself.
Other factors of emotional intelligence include self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Before talking about these other factors and my role in each of them, it is essential to look at the Big Five personality factors and how they relate to me. According to Daft and Marcic, the Big Five personality factors "describe an individual's extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience." (Daft & Marcic, p. 386) With each of these traits, I can safely say that I have a high degree of each one as a manager. Out of these five traits, the one that most defines me as a leader is my openness to experience. This is defined in the textbook as "the degree to which a person has a broad range of interests and is imaginative, creative, artistically sensitive, and willing to consider new ideas," (Daft & Marcic, p. 386) which defines me perfectly. OI am a manager who would always be open to listening to various people in order to discover new ideas and approaches. In a way, this is the essence of my personality, and to manage it, I must make sure that even though somebody states a new idea, I take careful consideration and thoughtful decision making approaches to pick the best idea. Going back to emotional intelligence, I have great abilities in the four basic components. However, when looking at which one might be the most challenging one for me, the answer would have to be self-management. Although I would still say I have a good sense of self-management, this can be my weakest facet in terms of letting worry and anxiety let out at times. I know as a manager I must work on improving this by being able to better control disruptive and harmful emotions, especially when it comes to the workplace.
Tying into the topic of self-awareness, this trait can also help with understanding my personal motivations as a manager. By looking at my own personal motivations, it becomes easier to figure out how to keep employers motivated as well. The concept of motivation has two types of rewards behind it: intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards are "the satisfactions a person receives in the process of performing a particular action," (Daft & Marcic, p. 442) such as the feeling of accomplishment somebody gets when they complete a task. Extrinsic rewards are "given by another person, typically a manager, and include promotions, pay increases, and bonuses." (Daft & Marcic, p. 442) In order to keep employees motivated, as a manager I would use both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards could come as a sense of achievement when employees do their work, and this can be done by making sure that the work that employees do is valuable and useful to the organization. Employees will also be motivated with extrinsic rewards such as bonuses for exceeding expectations and doing superior work assignments. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs can accurately depict what each employee might value in the organization. As a manager, I would want a job that is both rewarding, and pays appropriately, which takes care of the physiological needs descrived in this hierarchy. Next, I would want job safety, and also a culture in which I feel included in. These two relate to the safety needs, and belongingness needs of the hierarchy. Lastly, I would want a job in which I have the opportunity for improvement and growth, which is similar to the esteem needs and the self-actualization needs. I would speculate that most people would value these needs as well for what they want out of a job, and so as a manager I will make sure that these needs are met. Employees must have some sense of empowerment, and by allowing them to fulfill these needs, I as a manager will also give them this empowerment.
As a manager and a leader, it is important to know about the different leadership styles. For my organization, I would be more of a situational leader. This is a "contingency approach to leadership that links the leader's behavioral style with the task readiness of subordinates." (Daft & Marcic, p. 418) I believe that everybody has their own skills and strengths, and so each person will also need a different leadership style in order to increase overall mood and productivity in the workplace. With the situational style of leadership, I will be able to adopt different leadership styles based on a combination of relationship and task behavior. The biggest downside to this approach would have to be custom tailoring leadership styles for different people, but this is also a positive because it ensures that the manager has a sense of what each employee thinks and feels, and can form better relations.
- Sayuz
Sources:
Daft, Richard L. Management. 9th ed., Cengage Learning, 2018.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Synthesis
Throughout my studies of organization, I have learned that the managers role has a lot more to it than just keeping a schedule and a tidy workplace. When it comes to organization in an organization, I have learned that managers must ensure that they are maintaining resources, and using these resources in an effective manner. Managers must also take note of the human resources sides of organization. For example, they must know how to build an efficient workforce, and then learn how to manage an effective workforce. Through all of this organization that managers must do, I have learned just how important the organization aspect of a company is.
- Sayuz
- Sayuz
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