Basic Management &

Supervision
Facilitator: Theo South
 Functions of Management

This can be defined as the procedure of planning, organizing,

influencing and controlling the efforts of organizational members
and of managing organizational sources to accomplish particular
goals.
• Planning
• Organizing
• Influencing
• Controlling
Management Function: Planning

Planning is the purpose of ascertaining in advance what is

supposed to be done and who has to do it. This signifies
establishing goals in advance and promoting a way of
delivering them effectively and efficiently.
 Management Function:
Organizing

Organizing is the administrative operation of specifying

grouping tasks, duties, authorizing power and designating
resources needed to carry out a particular system. Once a
definite plan has been set for the completion of an
organizational intent, the organizing party reviews the actions
and resources expected to execute the program.
 Management Function:
Influencing

Leading consists of motivating employees and influencing their

behavior to achieve organizational objectives. Leading focuses
on managing people, such as individual employees, teams and
groups rather than tasks
 Management Function:
Controlling

Control is installing processes to guide the team towards goals

and monitoring performance towards goals (Batemen & Snell,
2013). The purpose of the control function is to ensure that the
organization makes progress towards the established goals.
 Management Theories
Scientific Management Theory
Developed by Frederick Taylor, he was one of the first to study
work performance scientifically. His philosophy emphasized that
forcing people to work hard would result in the most productive
workplace. Instead, he recommended simplifying tasks to increase
productivity. He suggested that leaders assign team members to
jobs that best match their abilities, train them thoroughly and
supervise them to ensure they are efficient in the role.

His focus on achieving maximum workplace efficiency by finding

the optimal way to complete a task
 Management Theories
Systems Management Theory
This theory asserts that businesses consist of multiple
components that must work in harmony for the larger system
to function optimally. The organization’s success, therefore,
depends on synergy, interdependence and interrelations
between subsystems. According to this theory, employees are
the most important components of a company, and
departments, workgroups and business units are all additional
crucial elements for success.
 Management Theories
Contingency Management Theory

Developed by Fred Fiedler, this theory’s primary focus is that no

one management approach works for every organization.
Fiedler suggested that a leader’s traits were directly related to
how effectively they lead their team. He asserts that there are
leadership traits that apply to every kind of situation and that a
leader must be flexible to adapt to a changing environment.
 Their Role in Contemporary
Management Practices
Understanding and applying the best practices from
management theories can help you be more effective in
guiding your team to success. Many of these theories gave rise
to the leadership approaches commonly used to guide and
grow organizations today, and you can choose from among
them to identify the strategies that will work best for you and
your team. Understanding and applying management theories
takes practice and possibly some trial and error.
 COMMUNICATION
Managers accomplish each of the influencing activities, to some
extent by communicating with fellow managers and other
employees

Communication is the process of sharing information with other

individuals and is used to improve relationships, productivity,
motivation, and performance in all organized settings The
transfer and understanding of meaning as it was meant to be
understood.
 COMMUNICATION THEORIES

Magic Bullet Theory- The magic bullet theory (also called the
hypodermic needle theory) suggests that mass communication
is like a gun firing bullets of information at a passive audience.
“Communication was seen as a magic bullet that transferred
ideas or feelings or knowledge or motivations almost
automatically from one mind to another”. This theory has been
largely discredited by academics because of its suggestion that
all members of an audience interpret messages in the same
way, and are largely passive receptors of messages
 COMMUNICATION THEORIES

Two-Step Flow Theory After World War II, researchers began noticing
that not all audiences react in the same ways to mass communication.
Instead, a small group of people, gatekeepers, screen media messages,
reshape these messages, and control their transmission to the masses.
Opinion leaders initially consume “media content on topics of particular
interest to them” and make sense of it based upon their own values
and beliefs. In the second step, the opinion leaders filter and interpret
the messages before they pass them along to individuals with shared
ideologies who have less contact with the media, opinion followers.
 COMMUNICATION THEORIES

Uses and Gratification Theory. The uses and gratification

theory suggests that audience members actively pursue particular
media to satisfy their own needs. “Researchers focus their
attention, then, on how audiences use the media rather than how
the media affect audiences” (Berger 127). The reciprocal nature of
the mass communication process no longer sees the media user as
an inactive, unknowing participant but as an active, sense-making
participant that chooses content and makes informed media
choices.
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
 How does the communication process
works

The source/encoder is the person who originates and encodes

information to be shared with another person
b. The signal is a message that has been transmitted from one person
to another
c. A message is encoded information that the source/encoder intends to
share with others
d. The decoder/destination is the person or people with whom the
source/encoder is attempting to share information
e. Decoding is the process of converting messages back into
information
f. In all interpersonal communication situations, message meaning is a
result of decoding
 Barriers to Interpersonal
Communication
• Psychological Barriers. Psychological barriers may include shyness or embarrassment.
Sometimes, a person may present herself as being abrupt or difficult when she may
actually be nervous.
• Cultural Barriers. Acceptable styles of communication vary between cultures. In some
societies physical gestures are extravagant, and touch is more acceptable.
• Language Barriers. A communication barrier may be present because the parties do not
share a common language. Interpreters and translators may be used to good effect in
these circumstances.
• Environmental Barriers. Environmental barriers to communication can include noise and
lack of privacy. An environment which is too hot or cold will not be conducive to
effective communication.
 Successful and Unsuccessful
Interpersonal Communication
1. Successful communication occurs when the information the
source intends to share and the meaning the destination derives
from the transmitted message are the same

2. Unsuccessful communication occurs when the information

the source intends to share and the meaning the destination
derives from the transmitted message are different
Overcoming Communication Barriers
Seek to clarify ideas before communicating
Examine the true purpose of each communication
Consider the total physical and human setting
Consult with others when planning communications
Constrain emotion
Simplify language
Be mindful of communication overtones
. Take the opportunity to convey something of value to the receiver
. Follow up your communication
. Communicate for tomorrow as well as today
. Watch nonverbal cues - Make your actions support your communications
. Seek to understand, be a good and active listener
. Use feedback
 Management/Subordinate
Communication
Organizational Communication can be Formal or Informal:
- Formal - communication that follows the lines of the organizational
chart
- Informal - communication that does not follow the lines of the
organizational chart
• Key Organizational Communication flows
Downward organizational communication
Upward organizational communication
Lateral organizational communication
 Participation in Talent Selection
for the Organization

The organization must announce the job’s availability to the

market and attract qualified candidates to apply. The organization
may seek applicants from inside the organization, outside the
organization or both. Talent selection is the process to make a
“hire” or “no hire” decision about each applicant for a job.
Some desired qualities:
Good team players Ambitious Good interpersonal skills
Proactive
Focused on priorities of the firm Skillful Problem solvers
 Independent Research to be done by
students

• Response styles in Communicating with Other Managers and

Subordinates

• Reports/Email Etiquette in Business Communication