Functions of Management

             

1. Planning

It is the basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future course of action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of actions for achievement of pre-determined goals. According to KOONTZ, “Planning is deciding in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap from where we are & where we want to be”. A plan is a future course of actions. It is an exercise in problem solving & decision making. Planning is determination of courses of action to achieve desired goals. Thus, planning is a systematic thinking about ways & means for accomplishment of pre-determined goals. Planning is necessary to ensure proper utilization of human & non-human resources. It is all pervasive, it is an

intellectual activity and it also helps in avoiding confusion, uncertainties, risks, wastages etc.

2. Organizing

It is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of organizational goals. According to Henry Fayol, “To organize a business is to provide it with everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools, capital and personnel’s”. To organize a business involves determining & providing human and non-human resources to the organizational structure. Organizing as a process involves:

Identification of activities. Classification of grouping of activities. Assignment of duties. Delegation of authority and creation of

responsibility. Coordinating authority and responsibility

relationships.3. Staffing

It is the function of manning the organization structure and keeping it manned. Staffing has assumed greater importance in the recent years due to advancement of technology, increase in size of business, complexity of human behavior etc. The main purpose o staffing is to put right man on right job i.e. square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes. According to Kootz & O’Donell, “Managerial function of staffing

involves manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal & development of personnel to fill the roles designed un the structure”. Staffing involves:

Manpower Planning  (estimating man power in terms of searching, choose the person and giving the right place).

Recruitment, selection & placement. Training & development. Remuneration. Performance appraisal. Promotions & transfer.

4. Directing

It is that part of managerial function which actuates the organizational methods to work efficiently for achievement of organizational purposes. It is considered life-spark of the enterprise which sets it in motion the action of people because planning, organizing and staffing are the mere preparations for doing the work. Direction is that inert-personnel aspect of management which deals directly with influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating sub-ordinate for the achievement of organizational goals. Direction has following elements:

Supervision Motivation Leadership Communication

Supervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers.

Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-ordinates with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary incentives may be used for this purpose.

Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides and influences the work of subordinates in desired direction.

Communications- is the process of passing information, experience, opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.

5. Controlling

It implies measurement of accomplishment against the standards and correction of deviation if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals. The purpose of controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in conformities with the standards. An efficient system of control helps to predict deviations before they actually occur. According to Theo Haimann, “Controlling is the process of checking whether or not proper progress is being made towards the objectives and goals and acting if necessary, to correct any deviation”. According to Koontz & O’Donell “Controlling is the measurement & correction of performance activities of subordinates in order to make sure that the enterprise objectives and plans

desired to obtain them as being accomplished”. Therefore controlling has following steps:

a. Establishment of standard performance.b. Measurement of actual performance.c. Comparison of actual performance with the

standards and finding out deviation if any.d. Corrective action

Effective Management Techniques Every Manager Should Know

Anie Kol, Yahoo! Contributor Network

Oct 11, 2008 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

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Working in management vertical is not at all difficult once you have learned tips of the trade. There are numerous techniques, if learned seriously can be effective management tools. Some individuals pay thousands to grab there tips from industry experts.

One of the easiest methods to learn is observe you boss and boss's boss.Yes, this damn effective way to learn

management skills but it take years to learn. Planning is the key ingredient. Planning plays a vital role to succeed in management. Chalk out a plan first.

The chain of command is most crucial weapon in hand for an effective manager. This in truly justified if your are in lower or middle level of management. You become an interface between employees and top management .All sorts of problem and solutions are brought to your notice. Hence, nobody is bothered to know that it was you who identified the problem and corrected it.

One scenario to make things clear.

You identified a problem that is costing thousands of dollars to your organization. You have people to deal with it and they too loaded to handle such issues. So what you do is hop to next link in chain. You make it point that issue is causing concern it terms of loss and profit and you come with a unanimous solution. Problem is addressed; you are showered with appreciation and probably bonus too. Every one is happy.

Other facet of same scenario. You the hard worker manager complete a task and take a breather when suddenly a peon raises a issue. You answer in your own way. Make him realize that his absence in organization will not have an impact in terms of productivity. At end you suggest him to send an email addressing the issue.

Now that you know you have addressed the problem, you finish you relaxation task and get back to check your emails. You are horrified to see a one liner email from vice-

president of your organization .it says, 'See Me'. This is most dangerous two words that entire management world is scared of. It's alarm for new problem.

You realized that something has jumped chain of command. A worker at lowest level of your company has taken the issue and got the credit. You know this was your piece of cake.

Chain of command is always there for exploitation. You must take the charge and command over it. If you keep chain -jumpers in check, you will receive the credit you deserve regardless of issues.

You must be fully aware of strengths and weakness of you workers. This will help you to use potential of each to fullest. This will help to keep production moving in streamlined way.

Delegating things will help you to dedicate your time in more important tasks. Without giving full authority you can delegate few of your activities to your juniors. You will be thrilled by their excitement. It is very important you praise their work once completed .It will keep your juniors motivated.

Always pretend you are busy. Walk briskly. This indicates you are heading for a meeting .Read while you walk. People will think you are too busy to deal with anything else.

Management stylesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(October 2011)

Management styles are characteristic ways of making decisions and relating to subordinates. Management styles can be categorized into two main contrasting styles, autocratic and permissive.[1] Management styles are also divided in the main categories of autocratic, paternalistic, and democratic.[2] This idea was further developed by Robert Tannenbaum and Warren H. Schmidt (1958, 1973), who argued that the style of leadership is dependent upon the prevailing circumstance; therefore leaders should exercise a range of management styles and should deploy them as appropriate.

Contents

[hide]

1 Autocratic 2 Consultative 3 Persuasive 4 Democratic 5 Laissez-faire 6 MBWA 7 Paternalistic 8 Asian paternalistic 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading

[edit]Autocratic

An Autocratic style means that the manager makes decisions unilaterally, and without much regard for subordinates. As a result, decisions will reflect the opinions and personality of the manager; this in turn can project an image of a confident, well managed business. On the other hand, strong

and competent subordinates may chafe because of limits on decision-making freedom, the organization will get limited initiatives from those "on the front lines", and turnover among the best subordinates will be higher.

There are two types of autocratic leaders in this world:

the Directive Autocrat makes decisions unilaterally and closely supervises subordinates;

the Permissive Autocrat makes decisions unilaterally, but gives subordinates latitude in carrying out their work

[edit]Consultative

A more paternalistic form is also essentially dictatorial; however, decisions take into account the best interests of the employees as well as the business. Communication is again generally downward, but feedback to the management is encouraged to maintain morale. This style can be highly advantageous when it engenders loyalty from the employees, leading to a lower labor turnover, thanks to the emphasis on social needs. On the other hand for an autocratic management style the lack of worker motivation can be typical if no loyal connection is established between the manager and the people who are managed. It shares disadvantages with an autocratic style, such as employees becoming dependent on the leader.

A good example of this would be David Brent or Michael Scott running the fictional business in the television show The Office.

[edit]Persuasive

A persuasive styled manager shares some characteristics with that of an autocratic manager. The most important aspect of a persuasive manager is that they maintain control over the entire decision making process. The most prominent difference here is that the persuasive manager will spend more time working with their subordinates in order to try to convince them of the benefits of the decision that have been made. A persuasive manager is more aware of their employees, but it wouldn't be correct to say that the persuasive style of management is more inclusive of employees.[3]

Just as there are occasions where the use of an autocratic style of management would be appropriate, there are also instances where a company will benefit from a persuasive style of management. An example of this being, if a task that needs to be completed but it is slightly complicated it may be necessary to rely upon input from an expert. In such a situation as this, the expert may take to time to explain to others why events are happening in the order in which they will occur, but ultimately the way in which things are done will be that person's responsibility. In those circumstances, they are highly unlikely to delegate any part of the decision making process to those who are lower down in the hierarchy.

Advantages to a persuasive style of management:

1. Decisions are able to be made quickly. This is also true with the autocratic style of management, persuasive managers are able to make decisions very quickly because they don't use a consultation process with employees.

2. The employees will have a clear understanding of what's likely to happen and what their role will be. As all of the decisions are made centrally and the communication is entirely top-down, employees will be able to perform their tasks in an efficient manner.

3. Difficult or tedious situations are able to be managed effectively. Just as an autocratic manager will be able to navigate through challenging situations, a persuasive manager will be in a position which allows them to steer an organization towards a challenging outcome as well.

Disadvantages to a persuasive style of management:

1. There may not be enough or even an entire lack of support from employees for management. Seeing as how the employees will have no input into the decision making process. They also may not trust the decisions that are made.

2. A system that has no input from employees minimises access to one of the most valuable resources that a business has; the ideas of the people who are working on the "front line". As a result, employees will show no initiative, which can reduce productivity.

3. One-way communication models are unlikely to be effective when compared to Two-way communication.

[edit]Democratic

In a democratic style, the manager allows the employees to take part in decision-making: therefore everything is agreed upon by the majority. The communication is extensive in both directions (from employees to leaders and vice-versa). This style can be particularly useful when complex decisions need to be made that require a range of specialist skills: for example, when a new ICT system needs to be put in place, and the upper management of the business is computer-illiterate. From the overall business's point of view, job satisfaction and quality of work will improve, and participatory contributions from subordinates will be much higher. However, the decision-making process could be severely slowed down unless decision processes are streamlined. The need for consensus may avoid taking the 'best' decision for the business unless it is managed or limited. As with the autocratic leaders, democratic leaders are also two types i.e. permissive and directive.

[edit]Laissez-faire

In a laissez-faire leadership style, the leader's role is as a mentor and stimulator, and staff manage their own areas of the business. Thus it is only successful with 1] inspirational leadership that understands the different areas of initiative being taken by subordinates, and 2] strong and creative subordinates who share the same vision throughout the organization. It is a style that is best for strong, entrepreneurial subordinates in an organization with dynamic growth in multiple directions. This style brings out the best in highly professional and creative groups of employees; however in cases where the leader does not have broad expertise and ability to communicate a strong vision, it can degenerate into disparate and conflicting activities. Lacking a strong maestro as leader, there is a risk in both focus and direction.

[edit]MBWA

This article may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. Please improve the articleby adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page. (January 2011)

Management by Walking Around (MBWA) is a classic technique used by managers who are proactive listeners. Managers using this style gather as much information as possible so that a challenging situation doesn't turn into a bigger problem. Listening carefully to employees' suggestions and concerns will help evade potential crises. MBWA benefits managers by providing unfiltered, real-time information about processes and policies that is often left out of formal communication channels. By walking around, management gets an idea of the level of morale in the organization and can offer help if there is trouble.

A potential concern of MBWA is that the manager will second-guess employees' decisions. The manager must maintain his or her role as coach and counselor, not director. By leaving decision-making responsibilities with the employees, managers can be assured of the fastest possible response time.

One downside is that MBWA poses the threat of the manager losing authority as the employees feel that they can run the business.

[edit]Paternalistic

An autocratic style means that the manager makes decisions unilaterally, and without much regard for subordinates. As a result, decisions will reflect the opinions and personality of the manager; this in turn can project an image of a confident, well managed business. On the other hand, strong and competent subordinates may chafe because of limits on decision-making freedom, the organization will get limited initiatives from those "on the front lines", and turnover among the best subordinates will be higher.

[edit]Asian paternalistic

Like consultative and easily confused with autocratic and dictatorial; however, decisions take into account the best interests of the employees as well as the business, often more so than interests of the individual manager. Communication is downward. Feedback and questioning authority are absent as respect to superiors and group harmony are central characteristics within the culture. This style demands loyalty from the employees, often more than to societies' rules in general. Staff turnover is discouraged and rare. Worker motivation is the status quo with East Asians often having the world's highest numbers of hours worked per week, due to a sense of family duty with the manager being the father, and staff being obedient children, all striving for harmony, and other related Confucian characteristics. Most aspects of work are done with a highly collectivist orientation. It shares disadvantages with an autocratic style, such as employees becoming dependent on the leader, and related issues with seniority based systems.

An Asian Paternalistic style means that the manager makes decisions from a solid understanding of what is desired and best by both consumers and staff. Managers must appear confident, with all answers, and promote growth with harmony, often even if hiding harmful or sad news is required.

Management Styles

Managers have to perform many roles in an organization and how they handle various situations will depend on their style of management. A management style is an overall method of leadership used by a manager. There are two sharply contrasting styles that will be broken down into smaller subsets later:

o Autocratic o Permissive

Each style has its own characteristics:

Autocratic: Leader makes all decisions unilaterally.

Permissive: Leader permits subordinates to take part in decision making and also gives them a considerable degree of autonomy in completing routine work activities.

Combining these categories with democratic (subordinates are allowed to participate in decision making) and directive (subordinates are told exactly how to do their jobs) styles gives us four distinct ways to manage:

Directive Democrat: Makes decisions participatively; closely supervises subordinates.

Directive Autocrat: Makes decisions unilaterally; closely supervises subordinates.

Permissive Democrat: Makes decisions participatively; gives subordinates latitude in carrying out their work.

Permissive Autocrat: Makes decisions unilaterally; gives subordinates latitude in carrying out their work.

In what situations would each style be appropriate? Inappropriate?

Managers must also adjust their styles according to the situation that they are presented with. Below are four quadrants of situational leadership that depend on the amount of support and guidance needed:

Telling: Works best when employees are neither willing nor able to do the job (high need of support and high need of guidance).

Delegating: Works best when the employees are willing to do the job and know how to go about it (low need of support and low need of guidance).

Participating: Works best when employees have the ability to do the job, but need a high amount of support (low need of guidance but high need of support).

Selling: Works best when employees are willing to do the job, but don�t know how to do it (low need of support but high need of guidance).

The different styles depend on the situation and the relationship behavior (amount of support required) and task behavior (amount of guidance required).

Can you guess which management styles would work best for each situation listed above?

Should managers use only one management style? Situational style?

Listed below are a few situations and options for what you would do. Try to decide which of the four situational styles would work best in each situation. Then pick the option that best fits that style.

Situation 1

The employees in your program appear to be having serious problems getting the job done. Their performance has been going downhill rapidly. They have not responded to your efforts to be friendly or to your expressions of concern for their welfare.

Which style would you pick? What would you do?

a. Reestablish the need for following program procedures and meeting the expectations for task accomplishment.

b. Be sure that staff members know you are available for discussion, but don�t pressure them.

c. Talk with your employees and then set performance goals.d. Wait and see what happens.

Situation 2

During the past few months, the quality of work done by staff members has been increasing. Record keeping is accurate and up to date. You have been careful to make sure that the staff members are aware of your performance expectations.

Which style would you pick? What would you do?

a. Stay uninvolved.b. Continue to emphasize the importance of completing tasks and meeting

deadlines.c. Be supportive and provide clear feedback. Continue to make sure that staff

members are aware of performance expectations.d. Make every effort to let staff members feel important and involved in the

decision making process.

Situation 3

Performance and interpersonal relations among your staff have been good. You have normally left them alone. However, a new situation has developed, and it appears that staff members are unable to solve the problem themselves.

Which style would you pick? What would you do?

a. Bring the group together and work as a team to solve the problem.b. Continue to leave them alone to work it out.

c. Act quickly and firmly to identify the problem and establish procedures to correct it

d. Encourage the staff to work on the problem, letting them know you are available as a resource and for discussion if they need you.

Situation 4

You are considering a major change in your program. Your staff has a fine record of accomplishment and a strong commitment to excellence. They are supportive of the need for change and have been involved in the planning.

Which style would you pick? What would you do?

a. Continue to involve the staff in the planning, but direct the change.b. Announce the changes and then implement them with close supervision.c. Allow the group to be involved in developing the change, but don�t push the

process.d. Let the staff manage the change process.

Top 10 Qualities of an Excellent ManagerGet the PDF Version

By Jan Gordon

An excellent manager taps into talents and resources in order to support and bring out the best in others. An outstanding manager evokes possibility in others.

1. Creativity

Creativity is what separates competence from excellence. Creativity is the spark that propels projects forward and that captures peoples' attention. Creativity is the ingredient that pulls the different pieces together into a cohesive whole, adding zest and appeal in the process.

2. Structure

The context and structure we work within always have a set of parameters, limitations and guidelines. A stellar manager knows how to work within the structure and not let the structure impinge upon the process or the project. Know the structure intimately, so as to guide others to effectively work within the given parameters. Do this to expand beyond the boundaries.

3. Intuition

Intuition is the capacity of knowing without the use of rational processes; it's the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. People with keen insight are often able to sense what others are feeling and thinking; consequently, they're able to respond perfectly to another through their deeper understanding. The stronger one's intuition, the stronger manager one will be.

4. Knowledge

A thorough knowledge base is essential. The knowledge base must be so ingrained and integrated into their being that they become transparent, focusing on the employee and what s/he needs to learn, versus focusing on the knowledge base. The

excellent manager lives from a knowledge base, without having to draw attention to it.

5. Commitment

A manager is committed to the success of the project and of all team members. S/he holds the vision for the collective team and moves the team closer to the end result. It's the manager's commitment that pulls the team forward during trying times.

6. Being Human

Employees value leaders who are human and who don't hide behind their authority. The best leaders are those who aren't afraid to be themselves. Managers who respect and connect with others on a human level inspire great loyalty.

7. Versatility

Flexibility and versatility are valuable qualities in a manager. Beneath the flexibility and versatility is an ability to be both non-reactive and not attached to how things have to be. Versatility implies an openness - this openness allows the leader to quickly change on a dime when necessary. Flexibility and versatility are the pathways to speedy responsiveness.

8. Lightness

A stellar manager doesn't just produce outstanding results; s/he has fun in the process! Lightness doesn't impede results but rather, helps to move the team forward. Lightness complements the seriousness of the task at hand as well as the resolve of the team, therefore contributing to strong team results and retention.

9. Discipline/Focus

Discipline is the ability to choose and live from what one pays attention to. Discipline as self-mastery can be exhilarating! Role model the ability to live from your intention consistently and you'll role model an important leadership quality.

10. Big Picture, Small Actions

Excellent managers see the big picture concurrent with managing the details. Small actions lead to the big picture; the excellent manager is skillful at doing both: think big while also paying attention to the details.

pes of Management Styles

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Types of Management Styles – Total DefinitionsSkip to comments

Management Style Definition 

First it’s better to understand what exactly management styles are. Robert Tannenbaum and Warren H. Schmidit (1958, 1973) said that Management Styles are characteristic ways of making decision and relating to subordinates. The styles of leadership is dependent upon the preveiling circumstance, therefore leaders should exercise a range of management styles and should deploy them as approriate. Other definitions, Management Styles are concepts and theories that influence the general work environment of an organization. Different management styles can vary a little bit with a change in leadership; however, the crux of the style mostly remains the same.

Well you now understand about Management Styles definition, so let’s learn about Types of Management Styles. There are some types of management styles in the leadership. All the types has own advantages, characteristic, pros and cons.

The most popular types of management styles define by personality and leadership qualities of a leader-manager. They are based on the style and principles followed by a manager in particular, not the organization, as a whole. There are four types of management styles in this category.

1.      Autocratic or Authoritarian

This types of management styles means that the manager makes decisions unilaterally, and without much regard for subordinates. In this style the complete authority is in one person’s hand and no one else can question it. It is also known as totalitarianism or dictatorship. As a result,

decisions will reflect the opinions and personality of the manager; this in turn can project an image of a confident, well managed business. On the other hand, subordinates may become overly dependent upon the leaders and more supervision may be needed.

There are two types of autocratic leaders:

the Directive Autocrat makes decisions unilaterally and closely supervises subordinates;

the Permissive Autocrat makes decisions unilaterally, but gives subordinates latitude in carrying out their work

In this types of management styles, the concept of “employee satisfaction” does not hold importance for such a manager.

2. Paternalistic

Second types of management styles are Paternatlistic. In this style, the authority is in the hand of one individual. Communication is again generally downward, but feedback to the management is encouraged to maintain morale. However, that one individual cares more about the employees than outcomes and profits. That means the manager will be more like a parent rather than a boss. On the other hand for an autocratic management style the lack of worker motivation can be typical if no loyal connection is established between the manager and the people who are managed. It shares disadvantages with an autocratic style, such as employees becoming dependent on the leader.

3. Democratic

The next types of management styles are Democratic. Also known as Participative style. In this management style, the management allows the employees to voice their opinions. Most company policies and decisions are made, taking into consideration employee opinions. How a Democratic style works? The manager will allows the employees to take part in decision making and the result is upon by the majority. However,

the decision-making process is severely slowed down, and the need of a consensus may avoid taking the ‘best’ decision for the business. It can go against a better choice of action.As the autocratic leaders, democratic leaders are also two types i.e. permissive and directive.

4. Laissez-faire

Last types of management styles based on Manager Personality are Laissez-faire. This style is also called a liberal management style where the target is communicated to the employees. Communication is free, however, more through the grapevine. This leads to the employees taking their work for granted. On the other hand, the manager evades his duty very conveniently. The communication in this style is horizontal, meaning that it is equal in both directions, however very little communication occurs in comparison with other styles. The style brings out the best in highly professional and creative groups of employees, however in many cases it is not deliberate and is simply a result of poor management.

Types of Management Styles based on Process Approach

This types of management styles was born in the early business management styles, propounded by Henry Fayol in the 1920s, also called as Fayolism. The process approach really simplified several production as well as service functions and is still widely followed and studied. In fact, it is known as one of the most effective management styles.

On the Process Approache types of management styles, a manager has to have 7 qualities. Health and vigor, Clerverness, Moral qualities, General knowledge, Management capacity, Nations about other functions activities and the strongest skills in the function managed.

 

Types of Management Styles based on Scientific Mangement

Scientific management style is the first official management style that came into existence. It greatly impacted the world economy and led to several organizational reforms. It was propounded and develop by Frederick Winslow Taylor in 1900, also called as Taylorism. This types of management styles are called as the best one management style method. Here is the overview of scientific management styles.

First, decision making should be under the purview of the management using a scientific approach. Second, developing a standard method to perform each job, this can speed up the production process. Third, selecting workers with approrioate abilities for each job and fourth, workers used to be trained along the standard methods. Fifth, taylorism types of management styles believed in providing complete support to the employees for a good efficiency. The last duty from this style management is the concept of wage incentives to ensure that the employees were motivated to perform as well as they could.

There are still some other types of management styles in leadership, but I don’t want you to be overwhelming, so I will talk about other types of management styles on the next post.

While you learn about we have talk above, you can see the differences between each other. On the next post, we will exactly learn about the differences of each types of management styles.

What are the Skills Needed to be a Good Manager

A manager has a very important role to play in a company and for that he needs to possess certain skills. Take a look at some of the skills needed to be a good manager.

In order for any organization to run smoothly, there has to be a great team in place. While the employees make all the work happen (so to say), the managers ensure that all the work is done well enough. In that order, a good manager is a boon for any company. He is the one who has to ensure that the organization's affairs are well taken care of. Thus, a good manager needs to have a strong knowledge about the functioning of the company so that he can make valuable contributions to the same. But isn't 'good' a rather ambiguous term to use when describing the qualities of a manager? What does 'good' mean? By using the term 'good' we mean a capable and responsible person, one who can make things happen. This is merely to state a few. While it is true that there are a few who are born to be natural leaders, there are others who need to work their way towards becoming one. In this following article, we will look at some of the ways in which to become a good manager and the skills that are necessary for the same.

There are certain skills that a person must possess in order to become a responsible manager. Let us review some of the skills necessary for the same.

Great CommunicationThe most important skill that makes a good manager is his ability to communicate well with his team. Unless he is able to communicate with his team and explain to them what the management expects from them there will be no results garnered.

Problem-Solving and Decision-MakingIn the course of achieving a goal, a team will be faced with several problems and difficult times. In such a situation, it is necessary that the team manager be adept at decision making and problem solving.

A Set of SkillsThere are several skills that a manager should possess. The most important one being that he should be able to organize and plan well. This becomes necessary in order to meet the goal that has been set. For this to happen, he must also possess the knowledge of effective time management. A person who manages to plan the schedule and divide time equally between tasks can be an asset for the organization.

Ability to GuideA good manager should have all the basic leadership skills. There are various ways in which a person can handle different situations through various leadership roles. A good leader should be able to guide his/her teammates to be able to perform well. Leadership does not mean dominating people. It means encouraging them such that they work to the best of their abilities and produce positive results.

Building a Great TeamTeam building is not a simple task and the test of a good manager lies in the fact whether he can build a great team. For this, it is necessary that

he learns what the skills of each team worker are and makes use of them in the best possible manner for the good of the greater goal. He must possess the ability to listen and encourage his team as well. For a team to perform efficiently, a good manager should be able to motivate the team for their tasks. He/she should encourage talents. In case of people with low performances, he/she should tackle the situation with professionalism to reach a positive conclusion.

KnowledgeIt is very, very important that a manager keep himself constantly updated about the workings of his field. This is necessary so that he can use the knowledge and make positive contributions to the goal.

Possessing GoalsA good manager should also have a visionary sight for the benefit of the company. He/she should plan the future steps for the growth of the company.

Other SkillsHere are some other skills that a good manager must possess:

Even in a crisis, a person with good managerial skills should be able to perform well. He/she should be mentally tough to handle any kind of situation and tackle a trying period with ease.

He/she should also be responsible enough to maintain a good office atmosphere. A manager should be sensitive towards others in the workplace. A happy atmosphere would only lead to more productivity for the company.

With these skills, a person can definitely strive to be a good manager and thus be an asset for any organization.

What is Strategic Planning?

Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is

used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen

operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working

toward common goals, establish agreement around intended

outcomes/results, and assess and adjust the organization's direction in

response to a changing environment. It is a disciplined effort that

produces fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide

what an organization is, who it serves, what it does, and why it does it,

with a focus on the future. Effective strategic planning articulates not

only where an organization is going and the actions needed to make

progress, but also how it will know if it is successful.

What is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is a document used to communicate with the

organization the organizations goals, the actions needed to achieve

those goals and all of the other critical elements developed during the

planning exercise. 

What is Strategic Management?

Strategic management is the comprehensive collection of ongoing

activities and processes that organizations use to

systematically coordinate and align resources and actions with

mission, vision and strategy throughout an organization. Strategic

management activities transform the static plan into a system

that provides strategic performance feedback to decision making and

enables the plan to evolve and grow as requirements and other

circumstances change.

What Are the Steps in Strategic Planning & Management?

There are many different frameworks and methodologies for strategic

planning and management. While there is no absolute rules regarding

the right framework, most follow a similar pattern and have common

attributes. Many frameworks cycle through some variation on some

very basic phases: 1) analysis or assessment, where an understanding

of the current internal and external environments is developed,

2) strategy formulation, where high level strategy is developed and a

basic organization level strategic plan is documented 3) strategy

execution, where the high level plan is translated into more

operational planning and action items, and 4) evaluation or

sustainment / management phase, where ongoing refinement and

evaluation of performance, culture, communications, data reporting,

and other strategic management issues occurs. 

What Are the Attributes of a Good Planning Framework?

The Association for Strategic Planning (ASP), a U.S.-based, non-profit

professional association dedicated to advancing thought and practice

in strategy development and deployment, has developed a Lead-Think-

Plan-Actrubric and accompanying Body of Knowledge to capture and

disseminate best practice in the field of strategic planning and

management. ASP has also developed criteria for assessing strategic

planning and management frameworks against the Body of Knowledge.

These criteria are used for three primary purposes:

Ensure that the ASP Body of Knowledge is continuously updated to

include frameworks that meet these criteria.

Maintain a list of qualifying commercial and academic

frameworks recommended for study and training, to prepare

participants to sit for the three ASP certification examinations.

Provide a resource and “check list” for practitioners as they refine and

improve their organization’s systems and for consultants as they

improve their product and service offerings.

The criteria developed by the ASP are:

1. Uses a Systems Approach that starts with the end in mind.

2. Incorporate Change Management and Leadership Development

to effectively transform an organization to high performance.

3. Provide Actionable Performance Information to better inform

decision making.

4. Incorporate Assessment-Based Inputs of the external and internal

environment, and an understanding of customers and

stakeholder needs and expectations.

5. Include Strategic Initiatives to focus attention on the most

important performance improvement projects.

6. Offer a Supporting Toolkit, including terminology, concepts,

steps, tools, and techniques that are flexible and scalable.

7. Align Strategy and Culture, with a focus on results and the drivers

of results.

8. Integrate Existing Organization Systems and Align the

Organization Around Strategy.

9. Be Simple to Administer, Clear to Understand and Direct, and

Deliver Practical Benefits Over the Long-Term.

10. Incorporate Learning and Feedback, to Promote Continuous

Long-term Improvement.

Human resources (HR) planning refers to classic HR administrative functions, and the evaluation and identification of human resources requirements for meeting organizational goals. It also requires an

assessment of the availability of the qualified resources that will be needed. To ensure their competitive advantage in the marketplace and anticipate staffing needs, organizations must implement innovative strategies that are designed to enhance their employee retention rate and recruit fresh talent into their companies. Humanresources planning is one way to help a company develop strategies and predict company needs in order to keep their competitive edge.

Develop Strategies

Effective human resources planning strategies are those that include having sufficient staff, with the right mixture of talent, who are in the appropriate locations, performing their jobs when needed. It moves beyond the traditional role of human resources as primarily an administrative control function. In today’s corporate environment, HR planning is viewed as a valuable component for adding value to an organization. Both employees and the company will often realize many benefits of planning over the long-run.

Purpose Of Human Resource Planning on wiseGEEK: Developing a strategic plan that is in alignment with the corporate

strategy accounts for a large segment of the human resources planningprocess. This strategic plan must discuss its current human resources capacity, needs and direction.

For some companies, this effort involves planning for an employee's care in the event of a life crisis, or offering incentives for loyal, high-performing workers. Managers of human resource planning and development also may coordinate team-building exercises to help employees feel a sense of belonging in the company.

The Isle of Wight County School Plant Facilities Department is responsible for the upkeep of the physical assets of the division and is committed to providing clean, safe, and and inviting facilities where students can learn and staff members can work comfortably.

 The School Plant Facilities Department includes the following operational components: Maintenance (repairs and preventive maintenance), Plant Operations (Grounds Maintenance), and Emergency Management.

Action Planning 

What is Action Planning? Goals for an Action Plan Action Planning Model The Main Steps in Preparing an

Action Plan Example Action Plan

WHAT IS ACTION PLANNING?Action planning is a process which will help you to focus your ideas and to decide what steps you need to take to achieve particular goals that you may have. It is a statement of what you want to achieve over a given period of time. Preparing an action plan is a good way to help you to reach your objectives in life: don't worry about the future, start planning for it!

It involves:

Identifying your objectives Setting objectives which are achievable & measurable. Prioritising  your tasks effectively. Identifying the steps needed to achieve your goals. Using lists. Being able to work effectively under pressure.

Completing work to a deadline.

Having a contingency plan

 

Writing down your goals turns them into a plan, not a dream.

An effective action plan should give you a concrete timetable and set of clearly defined steps to help you to reach your objective, rather than aimlessly wondering what to do next. It helps you to focus your ideas and provides you with an answer to the question ‘‘What do I do to achieve my objective?’’.

It’s OK to have several objectives, but you will need to make a separate action plan for each, otherwise things get confused.

Although here we shall be applying the techniques to careers, it can be used effectively to help you to reach your goals in many other aspects of your life.

The following are all valid goals for an action plan:

To get more involved in a student society to get to know more people.

Deciding what skills I need to improve and deciding how I will improve them.

A study of 327 job seekers.by Prof. Daniel Turban, University of Missouri College of Business found that writing a plan at the start of your job search, has a big impact on success: make a plan and continuously assess your progress.

"Thinking about a plan, acting on a plan and reflecting upon that a plan were important early in the job search while having positive emotions were important later in the job search"

You also have to expect rejections and develop a coping strategy in advance. This should help maintain positive emotions during the process to improve your chances of getting a job. Positive emotions may help job seekers behave more confidently and cope better with stress, “thereby responding more skillfully in interviews than job seekers with less positive emotions”

“People don’t have strategies, they don’t assess their plans and they don’t think about their strategies and reflect on whether it’s working or how to make them work better. They just don’t do it."

When careers action planning there are likely to be three main areas for action plans. These are:

Choosing the career you wish to enter.

Working out a strategy to help you enter this career e.g. application and interviews.

Developing skills  that you need to acquire to allow you to enter the career of your choice and to be successful in it.

ACTION PLANNING MODELThere are many different models of action planning, but a good starting point is shown here. Action planning is a cyclical process, and once you have been through one cycle, you can start again at the beginning. Of course, in real life it’s not quite as simple as this. The process is more organic and stages will overlap, or you may change your goals as you progress, and you must be prepared to revise your plan as circumstances dictate. The stages are as follows:

WHERE AM I NOW? This is where you review your achievements and progress, and undertake self-assessment.

WHERE DO I WANT TO BE? This is where you decide your goals.

HOW DO I GET THERE? This is where you define the strategy you will use to achieve your goals, and to break down your goal

In a survey of 50 start-up businesses, those with a plan outperformed those without even if the plan was not followed!

Working together to develop a plan builds stronger relationships and a deeper shared understanding of what needs to be done, so if unexpected things happen individuals can make good decisions.

The best return occurs when just one percent of the time taken to carry out a task is spent on planning. Too much planning can be procrastination: delaying actually getting down to taking action.

"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable" President Eisenhower (overlord of D-Day landings) 

into the smaller discreet steps you will need to take to achieve your target.

TAKING ACTION. This is the nitty gritty where you implement your plan!

WHERE AM I NOW?

 

The cycle begins again with a redefinition of your goals........

The main steps in preparing an action plan are as follows:

Have a clear objective. (‘‘Where do I want to be?’’). To be motivating a goal needs to be challenging enough to stimulate us, but not too difficult enough to be demoralising. It should be just outside your comfort zone: stretching but not highly stressful. Be precise about what you want to achieve,

List the benefits you would gain by achieving your goal.

Start with what you will do NOW. There is no point in having an action plan that will start in six months time.

Define clearly the steps you will take. ("How do I get there?’’) Think of all the possible things you could do to take you closer to achieving your goal, no matter how small. Break down any large steps into smaller components, so it doesn’t seem so

A study on 1979 Harvard MBA students asked them, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?" 

Only 3% of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13% had non-written goals and 84% had no specific goals at all.

Ten years later, they were interviewed again.The 13% of the class who had goals were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84% who had no goals. And the 3% who had clear, written goals were earning, on average,ten times as much as the other 97% put together.

difficult to achieve. What is the biggest obstacle? What could go wrong?

Identify the end point for each step and give yourself a smallreward for achieving it! This could be sweets, clothes, a gadget, book or CD or meal out with friends.

Arrange the steps in a logical, chronological order and put a date by which you will start each step. Put these dates into your diary or onto a calendar. Try to set yourself weekly goals: what research you will do into jobs, what skills you will concentrate on learning etc. It’s also a good idea to get into the habit of planning a timetable each evening listing your tasks for the next day or two.

You need to consider if your plans are attainable and what would happen if you failed to achieve your goals. Try to map out several paths to your goal, then if one becomes blocked another is available: build flexibility into your planning. People tend to strongly underestimate how long a project will take, especially if working in a group because they tend to visualise everything going to plan with no problems. Think about the type of problems you might encounter at each step. What are the barriers in the way of achieving your goal? What you would do to overcome these problems? Concentrate 10% on the problem and 90% on

Action generates the impetus for further action: if you want something done quickly, give it to a busy person.

The best time to do something is usually NOW!

Life satisfaction is greatest for those involved in short term goals which are enjoyable, not too difficult; and done in cooperation with others. Focus on one objective at a time and always have the next goal in mind. To accomplish more difficult tasks, break them down into components. The most satisfaction comes from pursuing an objective, not simply from achieving it.

Ari Kiev

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.

Ursula K. Le Guin

Unless you have a definite, precise, clearly set goals, you are not going to realize the maximum potential that lies within you.

Zig Ziglar

Well begun is half done.

Mary Poppins!

the solution. Try to turn every problem into a challenge and every challenge into an opportunity.

Review your progress. Keep a diary or blog of your daily activities and record your progress as things happen: this keeps your plan as concrete as possible. A good time to start your review is about two weeks after you have begun. Review how far you have got towards your objective, identify any mistakes you made and what you can learn from them, look at any new ideas or opportunities that may have presented themselves and then revise your plan to incorporate these.

Mix with positive people who will encourage you to keep going! Tell your friends or relatives about your goals. They will provide support when going gets tough and will also give you an incentive to keep going as you'll feel embarrassed if you have to tell them you've given up!

 

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!If you take a stand that is visible to others, a drive arises to maintain that stand in order to look consistent. Public commitment makes people stubborn:A hardened smoker desperately wanted to stop smoking. She made a list of all the people who she really wanted to respect her, then got some blank cards and wrote on the back of each card, “ I promise you that I will never smoke another cigarette” and signed it. She gave or sent the cards to her family, friends and boyfriend. Stopping was the hardest thing she had ever done, but every time she thought about having a cigarette, she pictured how all the people on her list would think of her if she broke her promise. She never smoked again.

If you write your commitments on paper you tend to live up to what you

Supportive text messages can double the chance of someone successfully quitting smoking, according to a study published in The Lancet Over 10% of smokers who received encouraging texts such as "you can do it" had quit after six months, but only 4.9% who did not have the same support gave up. Dr Caroline Free, who led the trial said: "Text messages are a very convenient way for smokers to receive support to quit. People described txt2stop as being like having a friend encouraging them or an angel on their shoulder." Similar text messages could be used to help people modify other behaviour.

have written down as written commitments require more effort to make than verbal ones and there is also a reminder for you. The process of writing things down also seems to embed the commitment in your brain:

"One final tip before you get started: set a goal and write it down. Whatever the goal, the important thing is that you set it, so you've got something for which to aim- and that you write it down. There is something magical about writing things down. So set a goal and write it down. When you reach that goal, set another and write that down. You'll be off and running." Amway Corporation

From the excellent Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Professor Robert Cialdini

 

Visualisation techniques can help prepare neural pathways in the brain for when the task is performed for real. However research has found that visualising just the outcome decreases chance of success so you need to imagine the steps along the way as well. Oettingen and Mayer found that students who reported fantasizing about success made fewer job applications, received less job offers and had smaller salaries. So you need to realistically assess problems that could be encountered as well.

 

EXAMPLE COMPLETED ACTION PLANMY OBJECTIVE IS: To choose my future career!

TO ACHIEVE THIS I NEED TO:  List the steps you need to take. Be detailed and specific (not ‘‘I'll contact some employers’’, but ‘‘Find email addresses of 5 local employers who have marketing departments & contact them"

Date I expect to complete this step

by

My reward for

completing this step will be

I will tell my plan to: my three best friends, my parents!

   

I will start my action plan on (date): 3rd March  

Step 1. I will use the Prospects Planner computer guidance system to help me to identify jobs of interest

4th MarchSome nice chocolate!

Step 2. I will use the "What can I do with my degree in ..." pages to find out what jobs graduates from my subject can enter

6th MarchMore nice chocolate!

Step 3. I will pick up booklets from the Career Service on some of the careers suggested and browse through these.

9th MarchTime in gym to burn off chocolate!

Step 4. I will use the Careers Network to arrange a day shadowing the work of a graduate in the Career that seems to be most of interest. 

Over Easter vacation

Book by favourite author

Step 5. I will see my careers adviser to discuss the ideas I have got from the above and to narrow these down.

By 10th May

Meal out with friends

What problems am I likely to face? What will I do to overcome these? Fear of life after university. Have procrastinated too long and now realise that I must take action or miss opportunities.Will I be able to arrange a suitable work-shadow? If nobody suitable in the Careers Network, may have to contact companies directly for help.

Basics of Action Planning (as part of strategic planning)

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation.

The reader might best be served to first read the information in the topicStrategic Planning.

Sections of This Topic Include

One of Biggest Problems in Strategic Planning: Plan Isn't ImplementedDeveloping Action Plans (or Work Plans)Developing Objectives and Timelines

Also seeRelated Library Topics

Also See the Library's Blogs Related to Evaluating the Strategic Plan

In addition to the information on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Evaluating the Strategic Plan. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the bottom of a post in the blog.

Library's Business Planning BlogLibrary's Leadership BlogLibrary's Project Management BlogLibrary's Strategic Planning Blog

(At this point in the strategic planning process, planners have usually already completed all or most of the strategic analysis, including the environmental scan, SWOT analysis, identifying strategic issues and goals. They've probably already developed/updated the mission statement (and a vision statement and values statement, if they choose to add these).

Action planning typically includes deciding who is going to do what and by when and in what order for the organization to reach its strategic goals. The design and implementation of the action planning depend on the nature and needs of the organization.

One of Biggest Problems in Strategic Planning: Plan Isn't Implemented

At this point in planning, planners are sometimes fatigued from completing the earlier phases of planning. Action planning may seem detailed and tedious compared to earlier phases of strategic planning which often seem creative in nature. Therefore, action planning is too often ignored, leaving the results of earlier stages of planning much as “castles in the air” -- useless philosophical statements with no grounding in the day-to-day realities of the organization. Meaningful stages of earlier planning become utterly useless.

The organization's commitment to strategic planning is commensurate to the extent that a) the organization completes action plans to reach each strategic goal and b) includes numerous methods for verifying and evaluating the actual extent of implementation of the action plan.

Developing Action Plans (or Work Plans)

1. Actions plans specify the actions needed to address each of the top organizational issues and to reach each of the associated goals, who will complete each action and according to what timeline.

2. Develop an overall, top-level action plan that depicts how each strategic goal will be reached.

3. Develop an action plan for each major function in the organization, e.g., marketing, development, finance, personnel, and for each program/service, etc. These plans, in total, should depict how the overall action plan will be implemented. In each action plan, specify the relationship of the action plan to the organization's overall, top-level action plan.

4. Ensure each manager (and, ideally each employee) has an action plan that contributes to the overall. These plans, in total, should depict how the action plans of the major functions will be implemented. Again, specify the relationship of these action plan to the organization's overall, top-level action plan.

5. The format of the action plan depends on the nature and needs of the organization. The plan for the organization, each major function, each manager and each employee, might specify:a) The goal(s) that are to be accomplishedb) How each goal contributes to the organization's overall strategic goalsc) What specific results (or objectives) much be accomplished that, in total, reach the goal of the organizationd) How those results will be achievede) When the results will be achieved (or timelines for each objective)

Developing Objectives and Timelines

1. Objectives are specific, measurable results produced while implementing strategies.

2. While identifying objectives, keep asking “Are you sure you can do this?”

3. Integrate the current year’s objectives as performance criteria in each “implementer’s” job description and performance review.

4. Remember that objectives and their timelines are only guidelines, not rules set in stone. They can be deviated from, but deviations should be understood and explained.

5. Consider the following example format for action your plan.

Strategic Goal

Strategy

ObjectiveResponsibilit

yTimeline

1. (Goal #1)

1.1 (first strategy to reach Goal #1)

1.1.1 (first objective to reach while implementing Strategy #1.1)

(who’s going to accomplish that objective)

(when the implementer is going to be accomplish that objective)

Educational facilities-refer to all the physical property of a school,consisting of the grounds, buildings,and the various facilities w/n the school grounds and inside the school buildings.

Human resource management- activities necessary for staffing the organization and sustaining high employee performance.

Recruitment(addition of staff) or the process of locating,identifying, and attracting capable applicants.

Decruitment-techniques for reducing the labor supply within an organization.

Selection- the process of screening job applicants to ensure that most appropriate candidates are hired.

Orientation—the introduction of a new employee into his or her job and the organization.

Training-in which employees learn on the same equipment they will be using but in a simulated work environment.

Performance appraisal-

Career developmet-sequence of positions occupied by a person during a course of a lifetime

Satisfactory labor-management relations

Exposing job candidates to both negative and positive information about job and an organization.

Human resource planning-the process by which management ensures that it has the right personnel, who are capable of completing those tasks that help the organization reach its objectives.

Skills of a good manager- a manager must be able to communicate effectively,evaluate personnel and situations and know when to push and when to watch. He or she must possess good people skills-skills that allow understanding of what causes certain reactions

Counseling skills-to redirect retrain or replace when appropriate

Effective listening skills-help the manager determine both sides of the story before looking for solutions.

Then successful manager provides an environment that allows key staff members to freely communicate their ideas and concerns about the subject, the job and the organization

Technical skills-skills that include knowledge of and proficiency in a certain specialized field

Human skills-ability to wwork well with other people

Conceptual skills –ability to think and the to conceptualize about abstract situations

An effective managers is someone who can be both strict and understanding. Strict when he has to implement the decisions taken,when he has to get things done w/n a stipulated time, and understanding when it comes to considering employee concerns, accepting their feedback and catering to their difficulties. A manager should be a ble to differentiate between the right and the wrong. He knows where to play the stickler for rules and when to be considerate.