UNIT 1 MANAGEMENT AND THE ORGANIZATION
Getting started
All human activities take place within a structured social system or organization. This is true whether it be a family, a city, a business or a church. Many of these organizations have a formal structure, the purpose of which is to make it possible to achieve the objectives of that organization. Within that, formal structure there is a group of people who plan, organize, direct, and control the day-to-day operations of the organization the managers.
Management is that group of activities undertaken by managers. It can also be defined as a social process entailing responsibility for the effective and economical planning and regulation of the operations of an enterprise in the fulfilment of a given task or purpose.
In this unit, we will look at how managers act today and consider some organizational characteristics, which are present in every organization.
Discuss the following points.
1. Could you describe a family, a city or a church as a structured social system or organization?
2. Define the concept of management the way you understand it.
Look through the following vocabulary notes which will help you understand the text and discuss the topic.
activities | , |
peripheral activities | |
structure | |
structured, well-structured | () |
a formal structure | |
to achieve objectives/goals | |
to attain objectives/goals | |
to plan | |
to implement a plan | |
planning | |
to organise | |
organising | ( ) |
organization | |
line and staff organization | - |
organization chart | |
a matrix organization | |
to direct | , |
directing | |
to control | , |
controlling | , , , , |
to undertake smth/doing smth | , |
economic | |
economical | |
to fulfil/complete a task | |
to entail smth | |
to enable smbd to do smth | - - |
to unify | |
interconnected/interrelated | |
a department | |
a unit | |
a division | |
a line department | |
a rule | |
a regulation | , |
to govern | |
to operate a department | |
personnel | , , |
staff | , |
human resources | |
to bring together | |
a function | |
to function | |
to perform a function | |
to create | , |
creativity | |
communication | |
communication networks | |
communications channels | |
to coordinate | |
to motivate | |
to review plans | |
to train staff | |
hierarchy | |
hierarchical | |
emphasis | , |
senior management | |
middle management | |
supervise | , |
supervisor | |
supervisory management | |
time horizon | |
horizontal relationships | |
a schedule of work | |
to delegate | |
delegation | |
a subordinate | |
monetary incentives | |
span of control | , |
chain of command | , |
authority | , |
job rotation | |
job description | |
enlargement | |
enrichment | |
to overcome | |
resistance | |
to measure smth against smth | |
a budget | |
to budget | / |
budgeted results | |
to deviate from | |
skills | |
interpersonal skills | |
division of labour | |
chief executive | , |
chief accountant | |
distribution manager | |
cost accountant | |
internal auditor | |
advertising manager | |
sales manager | |
market research officer | |
behaviour patterns | |
team approach | |
teamwork | |
accountability | |
to be accountable to smbd | / |
a conflict | , |
Reading
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Management a Unifying Resource
Any organization has a role or objective. In private business that would be to produce and offer for sale a product or service, in order to maximise profit and the wealth of the shareholders. In order to do so the organization must have a structure - an interconnected system of departments and units, together with a set of operational rules and regulations governing their work. To operate these departments will need the appropriate plant and equipment and above all the personnel to operate the system. The decisions as to how this system be structured and operated, and for what purposes, are made by managers. Management is, therefore, best seen as a unifying resource, bringing together resources (people, materials, machines and money) in order to achieve the objectives of the organization.