MANAGEMENT AS A PROFESSION:

A profession is a field which is supposed to possess a well defined body of

knowledge one which is learned and organized, one with entry restrictions by
examination and is concerned with service to others.

IS MANAGEMENT THEREFORE A PROFESSION?

Yes it is because it meets the first criteria of a profession which is a body of

knowledge .e.g a graduate programme of business management gives knowledge
on management.

But no because it fails to meet criteria of a profession in that anybody can label
himself as a manager and apply it in business.

However managers are not self made but are a product of classroom and research.
They should be educated and trained in order to succeed.

Management is not an outright profession but its making strides in that direction.
The question of whether management is a profession is complex because it’s a
broad subject since partly it’s a profession and partly its not. For example entrance
into a profession is restricted by standards established by an association which is
not the case in management. A lot of damage can be done to a society and the
economy if management was professionalized and thus limiting access of
management to people with special academic degrees.

Management versus Administration

There has been differing opinion over the relationship between management and
administration. Some makes no difference between them, others considers one as
part of the other while others consider them as separate.

1. Administration is different from management

This view sees administration being a higher level activity than
management. Administration determines the objectives and policies of the
organization while management deals with implementation of these policies.
Its an executive function. It offers direction of efforts for the achievement of
objectives.

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 Among those who made this distinction is Oliver Sheldon who said that
administration is concerned with
1. Determining objectives and policies
2. Coordinating finances, production and distribution
3. Setting structure of the organization
4. Control of the executive.

According to him organization sets the goals and management strives towards it.

2. Administration is part of management

According to European school of thought management is a wider term which
includes administration and organization. Management according to Brech is
that term for total process of executive control which involves planning and
guidance of operations in a business. Administration is that part of
management which is concerned with installation and carrying out of
procedures or programmes laid down and communicating the progress of
activities as per plans.
3. Administration and management are one
Many writers like Henri Fayol , William Newman and Chester Benard,
makes no distinction between management and administration. New man
says “management or administration is the guidance leadership and control
of efforts-------towards some common goal” this means that the two terms
are used interchangeably.
Modern view of management
To solve the terminological differences management can be classified into
two
1. Administrative management
2. Operative management

Administrative management determines objectives and policies of the

organization , while operative management deals with execution of the plans for
achievement of objectives.

At every level of management a manager performs both types of functions

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Administration

1. Board of directors
2. Managers/directors
3. supervisors

Degree of the administration /management keeps varying from one level to the
other

This means managers at higher level spend time on administrative functions thus
requires more administrative skills. Managers at lower level devote their time to
managerial functions .Administration is therefore superior than management.

LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT

(1) Management is an essential activity of all organizational levels.Management

applies to:

(i) Small and large Organizations.

(ii) Profit and non- profit Organization.

(iii) Manufacturing Organization.

(iv) Service rendering Organization

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There are a number of levels of management in each organization.The number of
levels of management will depend on the size of the organization, technology
applied in the organization and diversity in the range of production.

A large organization will need several levels of management for better planning
and control. An organization using complex technology with several stages to final
product will need several levels of management. A plant manufacturing a large
number of diverse products will need several layers of management. The levels of
management should be kept minimum due to cost implication and effective
communication.

The different levels of management may be classified into 4 categories

1. Top Management
2. Upper middle
3. Middle management
4. Supervisory/lower management/ operating management

Top management:
It consists of directors and chief executives, managing director, general
manager, president etc. It’s the ultimate source of authority
They deals with environmental forces, budgeting, coordination of activities
in the organization, appointment of heads of department and making of goals
and policies.
Upper middle management:
These are departmental heads in charge of marketing , finance and
personnel. They are responsible for their departments whereby they establish
departmental plans and evaluates results of their department.

Middle managers
These are deputy heads of department and sectional officers. They serve as a
link between top management and the supervisory. They interprete and
explain policies and issues details on production.They develop and train
supervisors.
Supervisory or lower management

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 It’s the lowest level of management. It consists of plant supervisor, sales
officers accountants etc Its concerned directly with the mechanic of the
job.They are the link between the workers and top management.
 They plan the day today production
 They assign workers jobs
 They train them
 They arrange material tools
 They advise and assist workers
 They explain procedures.
 Solves workers problems and maintains discipline

SKILLS OF MANAGEMENT

Today the job of a manager is very complex and therefore he needs different skills
to manage effectively a large organization I a dynamic environment

There are four skills of management. A manager is expected to have:

(1)Technical skills: Technical skills that reflect an understanding of and a

proficiency in a specialized field. For example, a manager may have technical
skills in accounting, finance, engineering, manufacturing, or computer science.
They refer to the ability and knowledge in using the Equipment, techniques and
procedures involved in performing specific tasks. Technical skills deals with the
job

Human Skills: Human skills are skills associated with manager’s ability to work
well with others, both as a member of a group and as a leader who gets things done
through other. These skills requires a sense of feeling for others and the capacity to
see things from others point of view.

Its understanding people and working well with others.

Concept Skills: Conceptual skills related to the ability to visualize the organization
as a whole, i.e. the interrelationships among organizational parts, and understand
how the organization fits into the wider context of the industry, community, and
world. They help the manager to have a general understanding and overview of
organizational activities.

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 Conceptual skills, coupled with technical skills, human skills and knowledge base,
are important ingredients in organizational performance.

Design Skills (diagnostic):

It is the ability to solve the problems in ways that will benefit the enterprise.
Managers must be able to solve the problems. Its used to define and understand
situations and events. These skills are directed at problem solving. The manager
identifies the problem, determines the cause of the problem and finds ways of
solving it.

These Skills are interrelated but the proportion varies at different levels of
management:

The Function of Managers:

There are five functions of managers:

Planning,

Organizing,

Staffing,

Leading

Controlling.

The functions of managers provide a useful structure for organizing management

knowledge.

(1) Planning:
It’s the basic or primary function, its basic because a manager plans before he
acts. It implies planning a head and deciding in advance what is to be done.
Planning involves selecting missions and objectives and the action to achieve
them.
It requires decision making, and choosing future courses of action from among
alternatives. There are five types of planning:
1. Missions and objectives.
2. Strategies and polices.

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 3. Procedures and rules.
4. Programs.
5. Budgets.

(2) Organizing :
Organizing is the part of managing that involves establishing an intentional
structure of roles for people to fill in an organization.
The purpose of an organization structure is to creating an environment helpful
for human performance.
It is a management tool. The structure must define the task to be done. The
rules established must also be designed in the light of the abilities and
motivations of the people available. Designing an effective organization
structure is not an easy managerial task. Many problems arises in making
structures fit situations.

(3)Staffing
Staffing involves filling and keeping filled, the positions in the organization.
This is done by identifying the work force requirement. It involves recruiting,
selecting, placing, promoting, appraising, planning the careers, compensating
and training.

(4)Leading
Leading is influence people so that they will contribute to organization and
group goals. All managers would agree that most problems arises from peoples
desires and problems , their behavior as individuals and in groups .
Effective managers also need to be effective leaders. Leading involves
motivation, leadership styles and approaches and communications.
It involves
1. issuing of orders instruction
2. overseeing people at work
3. creating the willingness to work
4. influencing the behavior of employees

(5)Controlling:
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It’s the process of ensuring that the organization is moving in the desired
direction
Controlling is measuring and correcting individuals and organizational
performance.
It involves measuring performance against goals and plans, showing where the
deviations from standards exit and helping to correct them.
In short controlling facilitates the accomplishment of plans. Control activity
generally relate to the measurement of achievement. Some means of
controlling like the budget for expenses, inspection, record of labors-hours lost,
are generally familiar. Each shows whether plans are working out.