It has been said that leaders do the right thing and managers do things right. While this is a subtle distinction between leaders and managers, in business, it can be the determining factor between failure and success. Unfortunately, it is one that often goes disregarded. Typically, the term management refers to the actions involved in four common functions of business: planning, organizing, leading and coordinating of resources. In order to better recognize and fully appreciate the functions of a manager and how they operate, one must first understand what the basic functions of management are.
Whether the system is an organization, department, business or project, the planning process typically includes similar activities that are carried out in some sort of sequential order. Often, a plan is implemented in a cautious and well defined manner. Part of the planning process involves some sort of organizational behavior. Organizing is typically viewed as activities utilized in an effort to collect and configure resources in order to implement plans in an efficient fashion. The role of an organizer involves a broad set of activities, and is often though of as one of the major functions of a successful manager. Organization can span many aspects of business.
While organization plays a crucial role within the management ranks, leadership and the ability to lead people must not be taken for granted. A leader can be thought of as someone who provides direction in an effort to influence people to follow a certain direction. Managers are individuals who are able to motivate by using a variety of well established methods such as facilitation, coaching, mentoring, directing, and delegating. Managers that have the ability to lead do so with a wide variety of styles. A great leader must be able to evaluate his or her resources and leverage them accordingly.
In today’s business market, managers are in high demand. The world has an endless amount of work to be done and needs all the help it can get; however, one must remain cognizant of the fact that management is not simply a job, but rather an art form. Globally, people can be managed in a similar fashion. The skills of a superior manager remain the same across board. If one can master the four management functions of planning, organizing, leading and coordinating of resources, their opportunities are endless.
By: Alan Barnes
Posts Tagged ‘Failure’
Functions Of Business Management
April 21st, 2010Talent Management – Why Does It Matter?
March 14th, 2010
Pick up any publication or listen to podcasts related to human resource management and chances are you will come across something on talent management. You might be asking yourself, why do I need to worry about talent management? Well if you are a manager or leader, this is a vitally important area for a number of reasons:
o Failure to take it serious will result in you losing your best people and you may have a real problem with retention generally
o Recruiting replacements for people who leave is expensive. It is not uncommon to be paying 25% of the first year salary in commission to recruitment consultants to find the right candidate. This is in addition to the salary cost. You also need to take into account the time cost of recruiting
o There is, in many sectors and professions, a real shortage of good quality candidates. In the accountancy press, it was claimed that 64% were experiencing difficulties in recruiting quality staff
o Candidates who come along for interview are more than likely going to want to see that you have given some thought to them and their progression, rather than just fill a post
o You may well find yourself in a position where you cannot attract staff. I spoke to someone recently who told me that in his team, 75% of the people were interim or temporary staff
o If you are finding it difficult to recruit people, those that are in post will be under significant pressure. This in turn can lead to increased sickness
So given these significant reasons, how can you start to make progress on talent management?
1. Develop a basic strategy
You do not need to have a 50 page manual but it is useful to document out your broad philosophy and approach to talent management and get buy-in to it. Human Resources can help with this but you need to take a very active role as a manager and leader so that whatever is developed is workable.
2. Make induction a priority
Over the years, I have seen many organisations that spend a lot of time and energy in the recruiting and selection phase then give little attention to induction. We all know what it is like to step into a new job. A well thought out induction plan can make all of the difference
3. Set objectives
While many organisations have their cycle for staff reviews, it is essential to make the time when someone joins to set objectives. In doing this, make sure it does not just cover results for the job but also includes initial personal development needs
4. Identify key posts in the business
In most organisations there will be a number of really key posts, where loss of someone could have a major impact. Establish what those posts are and the key skills, experience and attributes that are required.
5. Use staff reviews and appraisals to identify high performers
Well conducted appraisals produce real insights into how people are performing. Use these insights to identify those people that are performing well and demonstrating potential to go further.
6. Expose high performers to new challenges
This could be anything ranging from involvement in special projects, short term secondments or shadowing.
7. Take professional development seriously
No matter what potential is being shown, you need to develop it so that the talented individuals can make the step into more senior roles confidently and comfortably. This might be through attending skills development courses, for example, presentations or project management or it might be through coaching or mentoring.
Talent management is becoming increasingly important. As a manager and leader you need to be giving it appropriate priority.
By: Duncan Brodie
