Management
Management
OF MANAGEMENT
“They say that dedicating is one of the most
beautiful acts of love one can perform. I would
argue that it is even more beautiful to dedicate this
to you without saying my name”
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT (MG2351)
UNIT II PLANNING
Nature and purpose of planning - Planning process - Types of plans – Objectives - -
Managing by objective (MBO) Strategies - Types of strategies - Policies - Decision
Making - Types of decision - Decision Making Process - Rational Decision Making
Process - Decision Making under different conditions.
UNIT IV DIRECTING
Creativity and Innovation - Motivation and Satisfaction - Motivation Theories -
Leadership Styles - Leadership theories
UNIT V CONTROLLING
Process of controlling - Types of control - Budgetary and non-budgetary control
techniques - Managing Productivity - Cost Control - Purchase Control - Maintenance
Control - Quality Control - Planning operations.
UNIT II
PLANNING
DEFINITION
According to Koontz O'Donnel - "Planning is an intellectual process, the conscious
determination of courses of action, the basing of decisions on purpose, acts and considered
estimates".
Nature of Planning
1. Planning is goal-oriented: Every plan must contribute in some positive way towards the
accomplishment of group objectives. Planning has no meaning without being related to goals.
2. Primacy of Planning: Planning is the first of the managerial functions. It precedes all other
management functions.
3. Pervasiveness of Planning: Planning is found at all levels of management. Top
management looks after strategic planning. Middle management is in charge of administrative
planning. Lower management has to concentrate on operational planning.
4. Efficiency, Economy and Accuracy: Efficiency of plan is measured by its contribution to the
objectives as economically as possible. Planning also focuses on accurate forecasts.
5. Co-ordination: Planning co-ordinates the what, who, how, where and why of planning.
Without co-ordination of all activities, we cannot have united efforts.
6. Limiting Factors: A planner must recognize the limiting factors (money, manpower etc) and
formulate plans in the light of these critical factors.
7. Flexibility: The process of planning should be adaptable to changing environmental
conditions.
8. Planning is an intellectual process: The quality of planning will vary according to the
quality of the mind of the manager.
Purpose of Planning
As a managerial function planning is important due to the following reasons:-
1. To manage by objectives: All the activities of an organization are designed to achieve
certain specified objectives. However, planning makes the objectives more concrete by focusing
attention on them.
2. To offset uncertainty and change: Future is always full of uncertainties and changes.
Planning foresees the future and makes the necessary provisions for it.
3. To secure economy in operation: Planning involves, the selection of most profitable course
of action that would lead to the best result at the minimum costs.
4. To help in co-ordination: Co-ordination is, indeed, the essence of management, the
planning is the base of it. Without planning it is not possible to co-ordinate the different activities
of an organization.
5. To make control effective: The controlling function of management relates to the
comparison of the planned performance with the actual performance. In the absence of plans, a
management will have no standards for controlling other's performance.
6. To increase organizational effectiveness: Mere efficiency in the organization is not
important; it should also lead to productivity and effectiveness. Planning enables the manager to
measure the organizational effectiveness in the context of the stated objectives and take further
actions in this direction.
Features of Planning
• It is primary function of management.
• It is an intellectual process
• Focuses on determining the objectives
• Involves choice and decision making
• It is a continuous process
• It is a pervasive function
Classification of Planning
On the basis of content
• Strategic Planning
– It is the process of deciding on Long-term objectives of the organization.
– It encompasses all the functional areas of business
• Tactical Planning
– It involves conversion of detailed and specific plans into detailed and specific
action plans.
– It is the blue print for current action and it supports the strategic plans.
PLANNING PROCESS
The various steps involved in planning are given below
a) Perception of Opportunities:
Although preceding actual planning and therefore not strictly a part of the planning
process, awareness of an opportunity is the real starting point for planning. It includes a
preliminary look at possible future opportunities and the ability to see them clearly and
completely, knowledge of where we stand in the light of our strengths and weaknesses, an
understanding of why we wish to solve uncertainties, and a vision of what we expect to gain.
Setting realistic objectives depends on this awareness. Planning requires realistic diagnosis of
the opportunity situation.
b) Establishing Objectives:
The first step in planning itself is to establish objectives for the entire enterprise and then
for each subordinate unit. Objectives specifying the results expected indicate the end points of
what is to be done, where the primary emphasis is to be placed, and what is to be accomplished
by the network of strategies, policies, procedures, rules, budgets and programs.
Enterprise objectives should give direction to the nature of all major plans which, by
reflecting these objectives, define the objectives of major departments. Major department
objectives, in turn, control the objectives of subordinate departments, and so on down the line.
The objectives of lesser departments will be better framed, however, if subdivision managers
understand the overall enterprise objectives and the implied derivative goals and if they are
given an opportunity to contribute their ideas to them and to the setting of their own goals.
d) Identification of alternatives:
Once the organizational objectives have been clearly stated and the planning premises
have been developed, the manager should list as many available alternatives as possible for
reaching those objectives.
The focus of this step is to search for and examine alternative courses of action, especially
those not immediately apparent. There is seldom a plan for which reasonable alternatives do
not exist, and quite often an alternative that is not obvious proves to be the best.
The more common problem is not finding alternatives, but reducing the number of alternatives
so that the most promising may be analyzed. Even with mathematical techniques and the
computer, there is a limit to the number of alternatives that may be examined. It is therefore
usually necessary for the planner to reduce by preliminary examination the number of
alternatives to those promising the most fruitful possibilities or by mathematically eliminating,
through the process of approximation, the least promising ones.
e) Evaluation of alternatives
Having sought out alternative courses and examined their strong and weak points, the
following step is to evaluate them by weighing the various factors in the light of premises and
goals. One course may appear to be the most profitable but require a large cash outlay and a
slow payback; another may be less profitable but involve less risk; still another may better suit
the company in long–range objectives.
If the only objective were to examine profits in a certain business immediately, if the future were
not uncertain, if cash position and capital availability were not worrisome, and if most factors
could be reduced to definite data, this evaluation should be relatively easy. But typical planning
is replete with uncertainties, problems of capital shortages, and intangible factors, and so
evaluation is usually very difficult, even with relatively simple problems. A company may wish to
enter a new product line primarily for purposes of prestige; the forecast of expected results may
show a clear financial loss, but the question is still open as to whether the loss is worth the gain.
f) Choice of alternative plans
An evaluation of alternatives must include an evaluation of the premises on which the
alternatives are based. A manager usually finds that some premises are unreasonable and can
therefore be excluded from further consideration. This elimination process helps the manager
determine which alternative would best accomplish organizational objectives.
In the process of planning, several plans are prepared which are known as components of
planning.
Plans can be broadly classified as
a) Strategic plans
b) Tactical plans
c) Operational plans
Operational plans lead to the achievement of tactical plans, which in turn lead to the attainment
of strategic plans. In addition to these three types of plans, managers should also develop a
contingency plan in case their original plans fail.
a) Strategic plans:
A strategic plan is an outline of steps designed with the goals of the entire organization as a
whole in mind, rather than with the goals of specific divisions or departments. It is further
classified as
i) Mission:
. The mission is a statement that reflects the basic purpose and focus of the organization which
normally remain unchanged. The mission of the company is the answer of the question : why
does the organization exists?
Properly crafted mission statements serve as filters to separate what is important from what is
not, clearly state which markets will be served and how, and communicate a sense of intended
direction to the entire organization.
Mission of Ford: “we are a global, diverse family with a proud inheritance, providing exceptional
products and services”.
iii) Strategies:
Strategy is the determination of the basic long term objectives of an organization and the
adoption of action and collection of action and allocation of resources necessary to achieve
these goals.
Strategic planning begins with an organization's mission. Strategic plans look ahead over the
next two, three, five, or even more years to move the organization from where it currently is to
where it wants to be. Requiring multilevel involvement, these plans demand harmony among all
levels of management within the organization. Top-level management develops the directional
objectives for the entire organization, while lower levels of management develop compatible
objectives and plans to achieve them. Top management's strategic plan for the entire
organization becomes the framework and sets dimensions for the lower level planning.
b) Tactical plans:
A tactical plan is concerned with what the lower level units within each division must do,
how they must do it, and who is in charge at each level. Tactics are the means needed to
activate a strategy and make it work.
Tactical plans are concerned with shorter time frames and narrower scopes than are strategic
plans. These plans usually span one year or less because they are considered short-term goals.
Long-term goals, on the other hand, can take several years or more to accomplish. Normally, it
is the middle manager's responsibility to take the broad strategic plan and identify specific
tactical actions.
c) Operational plans
The specific results expected from departments, work groups, and individuals are the
operational goals. These goals are precise and measurable. “Process 150 sales applications
each week” or “Publish 20 books this quarter” are examples of operational goals.
An operational plan is one that a manager uses to accomplish his or her job responsibilities.
Supervisors, team leaders, and facilitators develop operational plans to support tactical plans
(see the next section). Operational plans can be a single-use plan or a standing plan.
i) Single-use plans apply to activities that do not recur or repeat. A one-time
occurrence, such as a special sales program, is a single-use plan because it deals with
the who, what, where, how, and how much of an activity.
Programme: Programme consists of an ordered list of events to be followed to
execute a project.
Budget: A budget predicts sources and amounts of income and how much they are
used for a specific project.
ii) Standing plans are usually made once and retain their value over a period of years
while undergoing periodic revisions and updates. The following are examples of ongoing
plans:
Policy: A policy provides a broad guideline for managers to follow when dealing with
important areas of decision making. Policies are general statements that explain how
a manager should attempt to handle routine management responsibilities. Typical
human resources policies, for example, address such matters as employee hiring,
terminations, performance appraisals, pay increases, and discipline.
Procedure: A procedure is a set of step-by-step directions that explains how
activities or tasks are to be carried out. Most organizations have procedures for
purchasing supplies and equipment, for example. This procedure usually begins with
a supervisor completing a purchasing requisition. The requisition is then sent to the
next level of management for approval. The approved requisition is forwarded to the
purchasing department. Depending on the amount of the request, the purchasing
department may place an order, or they may need to secure quotations and/or bids
for several vendors before placing the order. By defining the steps to be taken and
the order in which they are to be done, procedures provide a standardized way of
responding to a repetitive problem.
Rule: A rule is an explicit statement that tells an employee what he or she can and
cannot do. Rules are “do” and “don't” statements put into place to promote the safety
of employees and the uniform treatment and behavior of employees. For example,
rules about tardiness and absenteeism permit supervisors to make discipline
decisions rapidly and with a high degree of fairness.
d) Contingency plans
Intelligent and successful management depends upon a constant pursuit of adaptation,
flexibility, and mastery of changing conditions. Strong management requires a “keeping all
options open” approach at all times — that's where contingency planning comes in.
Contingency planning involves identifying alternative courses of action that can be implemented
if and when the original plan proves inadequate because of changing circumstances.
Keep in mind that events beyond a manager's control may cause even the most carefully
prepared alternative future scenarios to go awry. Unexpected problems and events frequently
occur. When they do, managers may need to change their plans. Anticipating change during the
planning process is best in case things don't go as expected. Management can then develop
alternatives to the existing plan and ready them for use when and if circumstances make these
alternatives appropriate.
OBJECTIVES
Objectives may be defined as the goals which an organisation tries to achieve.
Objectives are described as the end- points of planning. According to Koontz and O'Donnell, "an
objective is a term commonly used to indicate the end point of a management programme."
Objectives constitute the purpose of the enterprise and without them no intelligent planning can
take place.
Objectives are, therefore, the ends towards which the activities of the enterprise are aimed.
They are present not only the end-point of planning but also the end towards which organizing,
directing and controlling are aimed. Objectives provide direction to various activities. They also
serve as the benchmark of measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the enterprise.
Objectives make every human activity purposeful. Planning has no meaning if it is not related to
certain objectives.
Features of Objectives
The objectives must be predetermined.
A clearly defined objective provides the clear direction for managerial effort.
Objectives must be realistic.
Objectives must be measurable.
Objectives must have social sanction.
All objectives are interconnected and mutually supportive.
Objectives may be short-range, medium-range and long-range.
Objectives may be constructed into a hierarchy.
Advantages of Objectives
Clear definition of objectives encourages unified planning.
Objectives provide motivation to people in the organization.
When the work is goal-oriented, unproductive tasks can be avoided.
Objectives provide standards which aid in the control of human efforts in an
organization.
Objectives serve to identify the organization and to link it to the groups upon which its
existence depends.
Objectives act as a sound basis for developing administrative controls.
Objectives contribute to the management process: they influence the purpose of the
organization, policies, personnel, leadership as well as managerial control.
1) Setting objectives:
For Management by Objectives (MBO) to be effective, individual managers must understand the
specific objectives of their job and how those objectives fit in with the overall company
objectives set by the board of directors.
The managers of the various units or sub-units, or sections of an organization should know not
only the objectives of their unit but should also actively participate in setting these objectives
and make responsibility for them.
Management by Objective (MBO) systems, objectives are written down for each level of the
organization, and individuals are given specific aims and targets.
Managers need to identify and set objectives both for themselves, their units, and their
organizations.
3) Reviewing Progress:
Performance is measured in terms of results. Job performance is the net effect of an employee's
effort as modified by abilities, role perceptions and results produced. Effort refers to the amount
of energy an employee uses in performing a job. Abilities are personal characteristics used in
performing a job and usually do not fluctuate widely over short periods of time. Role perception
refers to the direction in which employees believe they should channel their efforts on their jobs,
and they are defined by the activities and behaviors they believe are necessary.
4) Performance appraisal:
Performance appraisals communicate to employees how they are performing their jobs, and
they establish a plan for improvement. Performance appraisals are extremely important to both
employee and employer, as they are often used to provide predictive information related to
possible promotion. Appraisals can also provide input for determining both individual and
organizational training and development needs. Performance appraisals encourage
performance improvement. Feedback on behavior, attitude, skill or knowledge clarifies for
employees the job expectations their managers hold for them. In order to be effective,
performance appraisals must be supported by documentation and management commitment.
Advantages
Motivation – Involving employees in the whole process of goal setting and increasing
employee empowerment. This increases employee job satisfaction and commitment.
Better communication and Coordination – Frequent reviews and interactions between
superiors and subordinates helps to maintain harmonious relationships within the
organization and also to solve many problems.
Clarity of goals
Subordinates have a higher commitment to objectives they set themselves than those
imposed on them by another person.
Managers can ensure that objectives of the subordinates are linked to the organization's
objectives.
Limitations
There are several limitations to the assumptive base underlying the impact of managing by
objectives, including:
It over-emphasizes the setting of goals over the working of a plan as a driver of outcomes.
It underemphasizes the importance of the environment or context in which the goals are set.
That context includes everything from the availability and quality of resources, to relative
buy-in by leadership and stake-holders.
Companies evaluated their employees by comparing them with the "ideal" employee. Trait
appraisal only looks at what employees should be, not at what they should do.
When this approach is not properly set, agreed and managed by organizations, self-centered
employees might be prone to distort results, falsely representing achievement of targets that
were set in a short-term, narrow fashion. In this case, managing by objectives would be
counterproductive.
STRATEGIES
The term 'Strategy' has been adapted from war and is being increasingly used in
business to reflect broad overall objectives and policies of an enterprise. Literally speaking, the
term 'Strategy' stands for the war-art of the military general, compelling the enemy to fight as
per out chosen terms and conditions.
According to Koontz and O' Donnell, "Strategies must often denote a general programme of
action and deployment of emphasis and resources to attain comprehensive objectives".
Strategies are plans made in the light of the plans of the competitors because a modern
business institution operates in a competitive environment. They are a useful framework for
guiding enterprise thinking and action. A perfect strategy can be built only on perfect knowledge
of the plans of others in the industry. This may be done by the management of a firm putting
itself in the place of a rival firm and trying to estimate their plans.
Characteristics of Strategy
It is the right combination of different factors.
It relates the business organization to the environment.
It is an action to meet a particular challenge, to solve particular problems or to attain
desired objectives.
Strategy is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
It is formulated at the top management level.
It involves assumption of certain calculated risks.
TYPES OF STRATEGIES
According to Michel Porter, the strategies can be classified into three types. They are
a) Cost leadership strategy
b) Differentiation strategy
c) Focus strategy
b) Differentiation Strategy
A differentiation strategy calls for the development of a product or service that offers unique
attributes that are valued by customers and that customers perceive to be better than or
different from the products of the competition. The value added by the uniqueness of the
product may allow the firm to charge a premium price for it. The firm hopes that the higher price
will more than cover the extra costs incurred in offering the unique product. Because of the
product's unique attributes, if suppliers increase their prices the firm may be able to pass along
the costs to its customers who cannot find substitute products easily.
Firms that succeed in a differentiation strategy often have the following internal strengths:
Access to leading scientific research.
Highly skilled and creative product development team.
Strong sales team with the ability to successfully communicate the perceived strengths
of the product.
Corporate reputation for quality and innovation.
The risks associated with a differentiation strategy include imitation by competitors and changes
in customer tastes. Additionally, various firms pursuing focus strategies may be able to achieve
even greater differentiation in their market segments.
c) Focus Strategy
The focus strategy concentrates on a narrow segment and within that segment attempts to
achieve either a cost advantage or differentiation. The premise is that the needs of the group
can be better serviced by focusing entirely on it. A firm using a focus strategy often enjoys a
high degree of customer loyalty, and this entrenched loyalty discourages other firms from
competing directly.
Because of their narrow market focus, firms pursuing a focus strategy have lower volumes and
therefore less bargaining power with their suppliers. However, firms pursuing a differentiation-
focused strategy may be able to pass higher costs on to customers since close substitute
products do not exist.
Firms that succeed in a focus strategy are able to tailor a broad range of product development
strengths to a relatively narrow market segment that they know very well.
Some risks of focus strategies include imitation and changes in the target segments.
Furthermore, it may be fairly easy for a broad-market cost leader to adapt its product in order to
compete directly. Finally, other focusers may be able to carve out sub-segments that they can
serve even better.
POLICIES
Policies are general statements or understandings that guide managers’ thinking in
decision making. They usually do not require action but are intended to guide managers in their
commitment to the decision they ultimately make.
The first step in the process of policy formulation, as shown in the diagram below, is to
capture the values or principles that will guide the rest of the process and form the basis on
which to produce a statement of issues. The statement of issues involves identifying the
opportunities and constraints affecting the local housing market, and is to be produced by
thoroughly analyzing the housing market. The kit provides the user with access to a housing
data base to facilitate this analysis.
The statement of issues will provide the basis for the formulation of a set of housing goals and
objectives, designed to address the problems identified and to exploit the opportunities which
present themselves.
The next step is to identify and analyze the various policy options which can be applied to
achieve the set of goals and objectives. The options available to each local government will
depend on local circumstances as much as the broader context and each local authority will
have to develop its own unique approach to addressing the housing needs of its residents.
An implementation program for realizing the policy recommendations must then be prepared,
addressing budgetary and programming requirements, and allocating roles and responsibilities.
Finally, the implementation of the housing strategy needs to be systematically monitored and
evaluated against the stated goals and objectives, and the various components of the strategy
modified or strengthened, as required.
At each step of the way, each component of the strategy needs to be discussed and debated,
and a public consultation process engaged in. The extent of consultation and the participants
involved will vary with each step.
Importance of Policies
Policies are useful for the following reasons:
They provide guides to thinking and action and provide support to the subordinates.
They delimit the area within which a decision is to be made.
They save time and effort by pre-deciding problems and
They permit delegation of authority to mangers at the lower levels.
DECISION MAKING
The word decision has been derived from the Latin word "decidere" which means
"cutting off". Thus, decision involves cutting off of alternatives between those that are desirable
and those that are not desirable.
In the words of George R. Terry, "Decision-making is the selection based on some criteria from
two or more possible alternatives".
TYPES OF DECISIONS
a) Programmed and Non-Programmed Decisions: Herbert Simon has grouped organizational
decisions into two categories based on the procedure followed. They are:
i) Programmed decisions: Programmed decisions are routine and repetitive and are
made within the framework of organizational policies and rules. These policies and rules
are established well in advance to solve recurring problems in the organization.
Programmed decisions have short-run impact. They are, generally, taken at the lower
level of management.
ii) Non-Programmed Decisions: Non-programmed decisions are decisions taken to
meet non-repetitive problems. Non-programmed decisions are relevant for solving
unique/ unusual problems in which various alternatives cannot be decided in advance. A
common feature of non-programmed decisions is that they are novel and non-recurring
and therefore, readymade solutions are not available. Since these decisions are of high
importance and have long-term consequences, they are made by top level management.
b) Strategic and Tactical Decisions: Organizational decisions may also be classified as
strategic or tactical.
i) Strategic Decisions: Basic decisions or strategic decisions are decisions which are of
crucial importance. Strategic decisions a major choice of actions concerning allocation of
resources and contribution to the achievement of organizational objectives. Decisions
like plant location, product diversification, entering into new markets, selection of
channels of distribution, capital expenditure etc are examples of basic or strategic
decisions.
ii) Tactical Decisions: Routine decisions or tactical decisions are decisions which are
routine and repetitive. They are derived out of strategic decisions. The various features
of a tactical decision are as follows:
Tactical decision relates to day-to-day operation of the organization and has to
be taken very frequently.
Tactical decision is mostly a programmed one. Therefore, the decision can be
made within the context of these variables.
The outcome of tactical decision is of short-term nature and affects a narrow part
of the organization.
The authority for making tactical decisions can be delegated to lower level
managers because: first, the impact of tactical decision is narrow and of short-
term nature and Second, by delegating authority for such decisions to lower-level
managers, higher level managers are free to devote more time on strategic
decisions.
DECISION MAKING PROCESS
The decision making process is presented in the figure below:
1. Specific Objective: The need for decision making arises in order to achieve certain specific
objectives. The starting point in any analysis of decision making involves the determination of
whether a decision needs to be made.
2. Problem Identification: A problem is a felt need, a question which needs a solution. In the
words of Joseph L Massie "A good decision is dependent upon the recognition of the right
problem". The objective of problem identification is that if the problem is precisely and
specifically identifies, it will provide a clue in finding a possible solution. A problem can be
identified clearly, if managers go through diagnosis and analysis of the problem.
Diagnosis: Diagnosis is the process of identifying a problem from its signs and
symptoms. A symptom is a condition or set of conditions that indicates the existence of a
problem. Diagnosing the real problem implies knowing the gap between what is and
what ought to be, identifying the reasons for the gap and understanding the problem in
relation to higher objectives of the organization.
Analysis: Diagnosis gives rise to analysis. Analysis of a problem requires:
Who would make decision?
What information would be needed?
From where the information is available?
Analysis helps managers to gain an insight into the problem.
3. Search for Alternatives: A problem can be solved in several ways; however, all the ways
cannot be equally satisfying. Therefore, the decision maker must try to find out the various
alternatives available in order to get the most satisfactory result of a decision. A decision maker
can use several sources for identifying alternatives:
His own past experiences
Practices followed by others and
Using creative techniques.
4. Evaluation of Alternatives: After the various alternatives are identified, the next step is to
evaluate them and select the one that will meet the choice criteria. /the decision maker must
check proposed alternatives against limits, and if an alternative does not meet them, he can
discard it. Having narrowed down the alternatives which require serious consideration, the
decision maker will go for evaluating how each alternative may contribute towards the objective
supposed to be achieved by implementing the decision.
5. Choice of Alternative: The evaluation of various alternatives presents a clear picture as to
how each one of them contribute to the objectives under question. A comparison is made
among the likely outcomes of various alternatives and the best one is chosen.
6. Action: Once the alternative is selected, it is put into action. The actual process of decision
making ends with the choice of an alternative through which the objectives can be achieved.
7. Results: When the decision is put into action, it brings certain results. These results must
correspond with objectives, the starting point of decision process, if good decision has been
made and implemented properly. Thus, results provide indication whether decision making and
its implementation is proper.
The Rational Decision Making Model is a model which emerges from Organizational Behavior.
The process is one that is logical and follows the orderly path from problem identification
through solution. It provides a structured and sequenced approach to decision making. Using
such an approach can help to ensure discipline and consistency is built into your decision
making process.
4) Generate alternatives
The decision maker generates possible alternatives that could succeed in resolving the
problem. No attempt is made in this step to appraise these alternatives, only to list them.
Virtually all decisions are made in an environment to at least some uncertainty However; the
degree will vary from relative certainty to great uncertainty. There are certain risks involved in
making decisions.
a) Certainty:
In a situation involving certainty, people are reasonably sure about what will happen when they
make a decision. The information is available and is considered to be reliable, and the cause
and effect relationships are known.
b) Uncertainty
In a situation of uncertainty, on the other hand, people have only a meager database, they do
not know whether or not the data are reliable, and they are very unsure about whether or not the
situation may change.
Moreover, they cannot evaluate the interactions of the different variables. For example, a
corporation that decides to expand its Operation to an unfamiliar country may know little about
the country, culture, laws, economic environment, and politics. The political situation may be
volatile that even experts cannot predict a possible change in government.
c) Risk
In a situation with risks, factual information may exist, but it may be incomplete. 1o improve
decision making One may estimate the objective probability of an outcome by using, for
example, mathematical models On the other hand, subjective probability, based on judgment
and experience may be used
All intelligent decision makers dealing with uncertainty like to know the degree and nature of the
risk they are taking in choosing a course of action. One of the deficiencies in using the
traditional approaches of operations research for problem solving is that many of the data used
in model are merely estimates and others are based on probabilities. The ordinary practice is to
have staff specialists conic up with best estimates.
Virtually every decision is based on the interaction of a number of important variables, many of
which has e an element of uncertainty but, perhaps, a fairly high degree of probability. Thus, the
wisdom of launching a new product might depend on a number of critical variables: the cost of
introducing the product, the cost of producing it, the capital investment that will he required, the
price that can be set for the product, the size of the potential market, and the share of the total
market that it will represent.
UNIT III
ORGANIZING
DEFINITION
According to Koontz and O'Donnell, "Organization involves the grouping of activities
necessary to accomplish goals and plans, the assignment of these activities to appropriate
departments and the provision of authority, delegation and co-ordination."
Organization involves division of work among people whose efforts must be co-ordinated to
achieve specific objectives and to implement pre-determined strategies.
a) Determination of Objectives:
It is the first step in building up an organization. Organization is always related to certain
objectives. Therefore, it is essential for the management to identify the objectives before starting
any activity. Organization structure is built on the basis of the objectives of the enterprise. That
means, the structure of the organization can be determined by the management only after
knowing the objectives to be accomplished through the organization. This step helps the
management not only in framing the organization structure but also in achieving the enterprise
objectives with minimum cost and efforts. Determination of objectives will consist in deciding as
to why the proposed organization is to be set up and, therefore, what will be the nature of the
work to be accomplished through the organization.
b) Enumeration of Objectives:
If the members of the group are to pool their efforts effectively, there must be proper
division of the major activities. The first step in organizing group effort is the division of the total
job into essential activities. Each job should be properly classified and grouped. This will enable
the people to know what is expected of them as members of the group and will help in avoiding
duplication of efforts. For example, the work of an industrial concern may be divided into the
following major functions – production, financing, personnel, sales, purchase, etc.
c) Classification of Activities:
The next step will be to classify activities according to similarities and common purposes
and functions and taking the human and material resources into account. Then, closely related
and similar activities are grouped into divisions and departments and the departmental activities
are further divided into sections.
d) Assignment of Duties:
Here, specific job assignments are made to different subordinates for ensuring a
certainty of work performance. Each individual should be given a specific job to do according to
his ability and made responsible for that. He should also be given the adequate authority to do
the job assigned to him. In the words of Kimball and Kimball - "Organization embraces the
duties of designating the departments and the personnel that are to carry on the work, defining
their functions and specifying the relations that are to exist between department and
individuals."
e) Delegation of Authority:
Since so many individuals work in the same organization, it is the responsibility of
management to lay down structure of relationship in the organization. Authority without
responsibility is a dangerous thing and similarly responsibility without authority is an empty
vessel. Everybody should clearly know to whom he is accountable; corresponding to the
responsibility authority is delegated to the subordinates for enabling them to show work
performance. This will help in the smooth working of the enterprise by facilitating delegation of
responsibility and authority.
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
An organization structure is a framework that allots a particular space for a particular
department or an individual and shows its relationship to the other. An organization structure
shows the authority and responsibility relationships between the various positions in the
organization by showing who reports to whom. It is an established pattern of relationship among
the components of the organization.
March and Simon have stated that-"Organization structure consists simply of those aspects of
pattern of behavior in the organization that are relatively stable and change only slowly." The
structure of an organization is generally shown on an organization chart. It shows the authority
and responsibility relationships between various positions in the organization while designing
the organization structure, due attention should be given to the principles of sound organization.
FORMAL ORGANIZATION
Chester I Bernard defines formal organization as -"a system of consciously coordinated
activities or forces of two or more persons. It refers to the structure of well-defined jobs, each
bearing a definite measure of authority, responsibility and accountability." The essence of formal
organization is conscious common purpose and comes into being when persons–
(i) Are able to communicate with each other
(ii) Are willing to act and
(iii) Share a purpose.
The formal organization is built around four key pillars. They are:
Division of labor
Scalar and functional processes
Structure and
Span of control
Thus, a formal organization is one resulting from planning where the pattern of structure has
already been determined by the top management.
INFORMAL ORGANIZATION
Informal organization refers to the relationship between people in the organization based
on personal attitudes, emotions, prejudices, likes, dislikes etc. an informal organization is an
organization which is not established by any formal authority, but arises from the personal and
social relations of the people. These relations are not developed according to procedures and
regulations laid down in the formal organization structure; generally large formal groups give
rise to small informal or social groups. These groups may be based on same taste, language,
culture or some other factor. These groups are not pre-planned, but they develop automatically
within the organization according to its environment.
Characteristics features of informal organization
Informal organization is not established by any formal authority. It is unplanned and arises
spontaneously.
Informal organizations reflect human relationships. It arises from the personal and social
relations amongst the people working in the organization.
Formation of informal organizations is a natural process. It is not based on rules, regulations
and procedures.
The inter-relations amongst the people in an informal organization cannot be shown in an
organization chart.
In the case of informal organization, the people cut across formal channels of
communications and communicate amongst themselves.
The membership of informal organizations is voluntary. It arises spontaneously and not by
deliberate or conscious efforts.
Membership of informal groups can be overlapping as a person may be member of a
number of informal groups.
Informal organizations are based on common taste, problem, language, religion, culture, etc.
it is influenced by the personal attitudes, emotions, whims, likes and dislikes etc. of the
people in the organization.
Types of Staff
The staff position established as a measure of support for the line managers may take the
following forms:
1. Personal Staff: Here the staff official is attached as a personal assistant or adviser to the line
manager. For example, Assistant to managing director.
2. Specialized Staff: Such staff acts as the fountainhead of expertise in specialized areas like R
& D, personnel, accounting etc.
3. General Staff: This category of staff consists of a set of experts in different areas who are
meant to advise and assist the top management on matters called for expertise. For example,
Financial advisor, technical advisor etc.
Disadvantages
Unless the duties and responsibilities of the staff members are clearly indicated by
charts and manuals, there may be considerable confusion throughout the organization
as to the functions and positions of staff members with relation to the line supervisors.
There is generally a conflict between the line and staff executives. The line managers
feel that staff specialists do not always give right type of advice, and staff officials
generally complain that their advice is not properly attended to.
Line managers sometimes may resent the activities of staff members, feeling that
prestige and influence of line managers suffer from the presence of the specialists.
The staff experts may be ineffective because they do not get the authority to implement
their recommendations.
This type of organization requires the appointment of large number of staff officers or
experts in addition to the line officers. As a result, this system becomes quite expensive.
Although expert information and advice are available, they reach the workers through
the officers and thus run the risk of misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
Since staff managers are not accountable for the results, they may not be performing
their duties well.
Line mangers deal with problems in a more practical manner. But staff officials who are
specialists in their fields tend to be more theoretical. This may hamper coordination in
the organization.
a) FUNCTIONAL DEPARTMENTATION
Functional departmentation is the process of grouping activities by functions performed.
Activities can be grouped according to function (work being done) to pursue economies of scale
by placing employees with shared skills and knowledge into departments for example human
resources, finance, production, and marketing. Functional departmentation can be used in all
types of organizations.
Advantages:
Advantage of specialization
Easy control over functions
Pinpointing training needs of manager
It is very simple process of grouping activities.
Disadvantages:
Lack of responsibility for the end result
Overspecialization or lack of general management
It leads to increase conflicts and coordination problems among departments.
b) PRODUCT DEPARTMENTATION
Product departmentation is the process of grouping activities by product line. Tasks can
also be grouped according to a specific product or service, thus placing all activities related to
the product or the service under one manager. Each major product area in the corporation is
under the authority of a senior manager who is specialist in, and is responsible for, everything
related to the product line. Dabur India Limited is the India’s largest Ayurvedic medicine
manufacturer is an example of company that uses product departmentation. Its structure is
based on its varied product lines which include Home care, Health care, Personal care and
Foods.
Advantages
It ensures better customer service
Unprofitable products may be easily determined
It assists in development of all around managerial talent
Makes control effective
It is flexible and new product line can be added easily.
Disadvantages
It is expensive as duplication of service functions occurs in various product divisions
Customers and dealers have to deal with different persons for complaint and information
of different products.
c) CUSTOMER DEPARTMENTATION
d) GEOGRAPHIC DEPARTMENTATION
Departmentation by process: -
Advantages
• Oriented towards end result.
• Professional identification is maintained.
• Pinpoints product-profit responsibility.
Disadvantage
• Conflict in organization authority exists.
• Possibility of disunity of command.
• Requires managers effective in human relation
f) MARTIX DEPARTMENTATION
In actual practice, no single pattern of grouping activities is applied in the organization
structure with all its levels. Different bases are used in different segments of the enterprise.
Composite or hybrid method forms the common basis for classifying activities rather than one
particular method,. One of the mixed forms of organization is referred to as matrix or grid
organization’s According to the situations, the patterns of Organizing varies from case to case.
The form of structure must reflect the tasks, goals and technology if the originations the type of
people employed and the environmental conditions that it faces. It is not unusual to see firms
that utilize the function and project organization combination. The same is true for process and
project as well as other combinations. For instance, a large hospital could have an accounting
department, surgery department, marketing department, and a satellite center project team that
make up its organizational structure.
Advantages
Efficiently manage large, complex tasks
Effectively carry out large, complex tasks
Disadvantages
Requires high levels of coordination
Conflict between bosses
Requires high levels of management skills
SPAN OF CONTROL
Span of Control means the number of subordinates that can be managed efficiently and
effectively by a superior in an organization. It suggests how the relations are designed between
a superior and a subordinate in an organization.
2. Wide span of control: Wide span of control means a single manager or supervisor oversees
a large number of subordinates. This gives rise to a flat organizational structure.
Advantages:
• More Delegation of Authority
• Development of Managers
• Clear policies
Disadvantages:
• Overloaded supervisors
• Danger of superiors loss of control
• Requirement of highly trained managerial personnel
• Block in decision making
CENTRALIZATION:
It is the process of transferring and assigning decision-making authority to higher levels
of an organizational hierarchy. The span of control of top managers is relatively broad, and
there are relatively many tiers in the organization.
Characteristics
Philosophy / emphasis on: top-down control, leadership, vision, strategy.
Decision-making: strong, authoritarian, visionary, charismatic.
Organizational change: shaped by top, vision of leader.
Execution: decisive, fast, coordinated. Able to respond quickly to major issues and changes.
Uniformity. Low risk of dissent or conflicts between parts of the organization.
Advantages of Centralization
Provide Power and prestige for manager
Promote uniformity of policies, practices and decisions
Minimal extensive controlling procedures and practices
Minimize duplication of function
Disadvantages of Centralization
Neglected functions for mid. Level, and less motivated beside personnel.
Nursing supervisor functions as a link officer between nursing director and first-line
management.
DECENTRALIZATION:
It is the process of transferring and assigning decision-making authority to lower levels of
an organizational hierarchy. The span of control of top managers is relatively small, and there
are relatively few tears in the organization, because there is more autonomy in the lower ranks.
Characteristics
Philosophy / emphasis on: bottom-up, political, cultural and learning dynamics.
Decision-making: democratic, participative, detailed.
Organizational change: emerging from interactions, organizational dynamics.
Execution: evolutionary, emergent. Flexible to adapt to minor issues and changes.
Participation, accountability. Low risk of not-invented-here behavior.
Advantages of Decentralization
Raise morale and promote interpersonal relationships
Relieve from the daily administration
Bring decision-making close to action
Develop Second-line managers
Promote employee’s enthusiasm and coordination
Facilitate actions by lower-level managers
Disadvantages of Decentralization
Top-level administration may feel it would decrease their status
Managers may not permit full and maximum utilization of highly qualified personnel
Increased costs. It requires more managers and large staff
It may lead to overlapping and duplication of effort
Centralization and Decentralization are two opposite ways to transfer decision-making power
and to change the organizational structure of organizations accordingly.
There must be a good balance between centralization and decentralization of authority and
power. Extreme centralization and decentralization must be avoided.
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY
A manager alone cannot perform all the tasks assigned to him. In order to meet the
targets, the manager should delegate authority. Delegation of Authority means division of
authority and powers downwards to the subordinate. Delegation is about entrusting someone
else to do parts of your job. Delegation of authority can be defined as subdivision and sub-
allocation of powers to the subordinates in order to achieve effective results.
Elements of Delegation
1. Authority - in context of a business organization, authority can be defined as the power and
right of a person to use and allocate the resources efficiently, to take decisions and to give
orders so as to achieve the organizational objectives. Authority must be well- defined. All
people who have the authority should know what is the scope of their authority is and they
shouldn’t misutilize it. Authority is the right to give commands, orders and get the things
done. The top level management has greatest authority. Authority always flows from top to
bottom. It explains how a superior gets work done from his subordinate by clearly explaining
what is expected of him and how he should go about it. Authority should be accompanied
with an equal amount of responsibility. Delegating the authority to someone else doesn’t
imply escaping from accountability. Accountability still rest with the person having the utmost
authority.
2. Responsibility - is the duty of the person to complete the task assigned to him. A person
who is given the responsibility should ensure that he accomplishes the tasks assigned to
him. If the tasks for which he was held responsible are not completed, then he should not
give explanations or excuses. Responsibility without adequate authority leads to discontent
and dissatisfaction among the person. Responsibility flows from bottom to top. The middle
level and lower level management holds more responsibility. The person held responsible
for a job is answerable for it. If he performs the tasks assigned as expected, he is bound for
praises. While if he doesn’t accomplish tasks assigned as expected, then also he is
answerable for that.
3. Accountability - means giving explanations for any variance in the actual performance from
the expectations set. Accountability cannot be delegated. For example, if ’A’ is given a task
with sufficient authority, and ’A’ delegates this task to B and asks him to ensure that task is
done well, responsibility rest with ’B’, but accountability still rest with ’A’. The top level
management is most accountable. Being accountable means being innovative as the person
will think beyond his scope of job. Accountability ,in short, means being answerable for the
end result. Accountability can’t be escaped. It arises from responsibility.
DELEGATION PROCESS
The steps involved in delegation are given below
1. Allocation of duties – The delegator first tries to define the task and duties to the
subordinate. He also has to define the result expected from the subordinates. Clarity of
duty as well as result expected has to be the first step in delegation.
2. Granting of authority – Subdivision of authority takes place when a superior divides
and shares his authority with the subordinate. It is for this reason; every subordinate
should be given enough independence to carry the task given to him by his superiors.
The managers at all levels delegate authority and power which is attached to their job
positions. The subdivision of powers is very important to get effective results.
3. Assigning of Responsibility and Accountability – The delegation process does not
end once powers are granted to the subordinates. They at the same time have to be
obligatory towards the duties assigned to them. Responsibility is said to be the factor or
obligation of an individual to carry out his duties in best of his ability as per the directions
of superior. Therefore, it is that which gives effectiveness to authority. At the same time,
responsibility is absolute and cannot be shifted.
4. Creation of accountability – Accountability, on the others hand, is the obligation of the
individual to carry out his duties as per the standards of performance. Therefore, it is
said that authority is delegated, responsibility is created and accountability is imposed.
Accountability arises out of responsibility and responsibility arises out of authority.
Therefore, it becomes important that with every authority position an equal and opposite
responsibility should be attached.
Therefore every manager, i.e., the delegator has to follow a system to finish up the delegation
process. Equally important is the delegatee’s role which means his responsibility and
accountability is attached with the authority over to here.
STAFFING
Staffing involves filling the positions needed in the organization structure by appointing
competent and qualified persons for the job.
The staffing process encompasses man power planning, recruitment, selection, and training.
a) Manpower requirements:
Manpower Planning which is also called as Human Resource Planning consists of
putting right number of people, right kind of people at the right place, right time, doing the right
things for which they are suited for the achievement of goals of the organization. The primary
function of man power planning is to analyze and evaluate the human resources available in the
organization, and to determine how to obtain the kinds of personnel needed to staff positions
ranging from assembly line workers to chief executives.
b) Recruitment:
Recruitment is the process of finding and attempting to attract job candidates who are
capable of effectively filling job vacancies.
Job descriptions and job specifications are important in the recruiting process because they
specify the nature of the job and the qualifications required of job candidates.
c) Selection:
Selecting a suitable candidate can be the biggest challenge for any organization. The
success of an organization largely depends on its staff. Selection of the right candidate builds
the foundation of any organization's success and helps in reducing turnovers.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Recruitment is the process of finding and attempting to attract job candidates who are
capable of effectively filling job vacancies. The recruitment process consists of the following
steps
Identification of vacancy
Preparation of job description and job specification
Selection of sources
Advertising the vacancy
Managing the response
a) Identification of vacancy:
The recruitment process begins with the human resource department receiving requisitions
for recruitment from any department of the company. These contain:
• Posts to be filled
• Number of persons
• Duties to be performed
• Qualifications required
c) Selection of sources:
Every organization has the option of choosing the candidates for its recruitment
processes from two kinds of sources: internal and external sources. The sources within the
organization itself (like transfer of employees from one department to other, promotions) to fill a
position are known as the internal sources of recruitment. Recruitment candidates from all the
other sources (like outsourcing agencies etc.) are known as the external sources of
the recruitment.
JOB ANALYSIS
Job Analysis is the process of describing and recording aspects of jobs and specifying
the skills and other requirements necessary to perform the job.
The outputs of job analysis are
a) Job description
b) Job specification
Job Description
A job description (JD) is a written statement of what the job holder does, how it is done, under
what conditions it is done and why it is done. It describes what the job is all about, throwing light
on job content, environment and conditions of employment. It is descriptive in nature and
defines the purpose and scope of a job. The main purpose of writing a job description is to
differentiate the job from other jobs and state its outer limits.
Contents
A job description usually covers the following information:
Job title: Tells about the job title, code number and the department where it is done.
Job summary: A brief write-up about what the job is all about.
Job activities: A description of the tasks done, facilities used, extent of supervisory help,
etc.
Working conditions: The physical environment of job in terms of heat, light, noise and
other hazards.
Social environment: Size of work group and interpersonal interactions required to do the
job.
Job Specification
Job specification summarizes the human characteristics needed for satisfactory job completion.
It tries to describe the key qualifications someone needs to perform the job successfully. It
spells out the important attributes of a person in terms of education, experience, skills,
knowledge and abilities (SKAs) to perform a particular job. The job specification is a logical
outgrowth of a job description. For each job description, it is desirable to have a job
specification. This helps the organization to find what kinds of persons are needed to take up
specific jobs.
Contents
A job specification usually covers the following information:
Education
Experience
Skill, Knowledge, Abilities
Work Orientation Factors
Age
SELECTION PROCESS
Selecting a suitable candidate can be the biggest challenge for any organisation. The
success of an organization largely depends on its staff. Selection of the right candidate builds
the foundation of any organization's success and helps in reducing turnovers.
Though there is no fool proof selection procedure that will ensure low turnover and high profits,
the following steps generally make up the selection process-
a) Initial Screening
This is generally the starting point of any employee selection process. Initial Screening
eliminates unqualified applicants and helps save time. Applications received from various
sources are scrutinized and irrelevant ones are discarded.
b) Preliminary Interview
It is used to eliminate those candidates who do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria laid
down by the organization. The skills, academic and family background, competencies and
interests of the candidate are examined during preliminary interview. Preliminary interviews are
less formalized and planned than the final interviews. The candidates are given a brief up about
the company and the job profile; and it is also examined how much the candidate knows about
the company. Preliminary interviews are also called screening interviews.
e) References check
Most application forms include a section that requires prospective candidates to put down
names of a few references. References can be classified into - former employer, former
customers, business references, reputable persons. Such references are contacted to get a
feedback on the person in question including his behaviour, skills, conduct etc.
f) Background Verification
A background check is a review of a person's commercial, criminal and (occasionally) financial
records. Employers often perform background checks on employers or candidates for
employment to confirm information given in a job application, verify a person's identity, or
ensure that the individual does not have a history of criminal activity, etc., that could be an issue
upon employment.
g) Final Interview
Final interview is a process in which a potential employee is evaluated by an employer for
prospective employment in their organization. During this process, the employer hopes to
determine whether or not the applicant is suitable for the job. Different types of tests are
conducted to evaluate the capabilities of an applicant, his behaviour, special qualities etc.
Separate tests are conducted for various types of jobs.
h) Physical Examination
If all goes well, then at this stage, a physical examination is conducted to make sure that the
candidate has sound health and does not suffer from any serious ailment.
i) Job Offer
A candidate who clears all the steps is finally considered right for a particular job and is
presented with the job offer. An applicant can be dropped at any given stage if considered unfit
for the job.
Purposes of Orientation
Orientation isn't a nicety! It is used for the following purposes:
1. To Reduce Startup-Costs:
Proper orientation can help the employee get "up to speed" much more quickly, thereby
reducing the costs associated with learning the job.
2. To Reduce Anxiety:
Any employee, when put into a new, strange situation, will experience anxiety that can
impede his or her ability to learn to do the job. Proper orientation helps to reduce anxiety that
results from entering into an unknown situation, and helps provide guidelines for behaviour and
conduct, so the employee doesn't have to experience the stress of guessing.
3. To Reduce Employee Turnover:
Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are not valued, or are put in
positions where they can't possibly do their jobs. Orientation shows that the organization values
the employee, and helps provide tools necessary for succeeding in the job.
4. To Save Time for Supervisor & Co-Workers:
Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less likely supervisors and co-workers
will have to spend time teaching the employee.
5. To Develop Realistic Job Expectations, Positive Attitudes and Job Satisfaction:
It is important that employees learn early on what is expected of them, and what to
expect from others, in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the organization.
While people can learn from experience, they will make many mistakes that are unnecessary
and potentially damaging.
Job specific orientation is best conducted by the immediate supervisor, and/or manager, since
much of the content will be specific to the individual. Often the orientation process will be
ongoing, with supervisors and co-workers supplying coaching.
CARRER DEVELOPMENT
Career development not only improves job performance but also brings about the
growth of the personality. Individuals not only mature regarding their potential capacities but
also become better individuals.
Purpose of development
Management development attempts to improve managerial performance by imparting
Knowledge
Changing attitudes
Increasing skills
The major objective of development is managerial effectiveness through a planned and a
deliberate process of learning. This provides for a planned growth of managers to meet the
future organizational needs.
Development Process:
The development process consists of the following steps
1. Setting Development Objectives:
It develops a framework from which executive need can be determined.
2. Ascertaining Development Needs:
It aims at organizational planning & forecast the present and future growth.
3. Determining Development Needs:
This consists of
Appraisal of present management talent
Management Manpower Inventory
The above two processes will determine the skill deficiencies that are relative to the future
needs of the organization.
4. Conducting Development Programs:
It is carried out on the basis of needs of different individuals, differences in their attitudes
and behavior, also their physical, intellectual and emotional qualities. Thus a comprehensive
and well conceived program is prepared depending on the organizational needs and the
time & cost involved.
5. Program Evaluation:
It is an attempt to assess the value of training in order to achieve organizational objectives.
TRAINING
Training is a process of learning a sequence of programmed behaviour. It improves the
employee's performance on the current job and prepares them for an intended job.
Purpose of Training:
1) To improve Productivity: Training leads to increased operational productivity and increased
company profit.
2) To improve Quality: Better trained workers are less likely to make operational mistakes.
3) To improve Organizational Climate: Training leads to improved production and product
quality which enhances financial incentives. This in turn increases the overall morale of the
organization.
4) To increase Health and Safety: Proper training prevents industrial accidents.
5) Personal Growth: Training gives employees a wider awareness, an enlarged skill base and
that leads to enhanced personal growth.
1) Identifying Training needs: A training program is designed to assist in providing solutions for
specific operational problems or to improve performance of a trainee.
Organizational determination and Analysis: Allocation of resources that relate to
organizational goal.
Operational Analysis: Determination of a specific employee behaviour required for a
particular task.
Man Analysis: Knowledge, attitude and skill one must possess for attainment of
organizational objectives
2) Getting ready for the job: The trainer has to be prepared for the job. And also who needs to
be trained - the newcomer or the existing employee or the supervisory staff.
Preparation of the learner:
Putting the learner at ease
Stating the importance and ingredients of the job
Creating interest
Placing the learner as close to his normal working position
Familiarizing him with the equipment, materials and trade terms
3) Presentation of Operation and Knowledge: The trainer should clearly tell, show, illustrate and
question in order to convey the new knowledge and operations. The trainee should be
encouraged to ask questions in order to indicate that he really knows and understands the job.
4) Performance Try out: The trainee is asked to go through the job several times. This gradually
builds up his skill, speed and confidence.
5) Follow-up: This evaluates the effectiveness of the entire training effort
TRAINING METHODS
Training methods can be broadly classified as on-the-job training and off-the-job taining
a) On-the-job training
On the job training occurs when workers pick up skills whilst working along side experienced
workers at their place of work. For example this could be the actual assembly line or offices
where the employee works. New workers may simply “shadow” or observe fellow employees
to begin with and are often given instruction manuals or interactive training programmes to work
through.
b) Off-the-job training
This occurs when workers are taken away from their place of work to be trained. This may
take place at training agency or local college, although many larger firms also have their own
training centres. Training can take the form of lectures or self-study and can be used to develop
more general skills and knowledge that can be used in a variety of situations.
The various types of off-the-job training are
(i) Instructor presentation: The trainer orally presents new information to the trainees, usually
through lecture. Instructor presentation may include classroom lecture, seminar, workshop, and
the like.
(ii) Group discussion: The trainer leads the group of trainees in discussing a topic.
(iii) Demonstration: The trainer shows the correct steps for completing a task, or shows an
example of a correctly completed task.
(iv) Assigned reading: The trainer gives the trainees reading assignments that provide new
information.
(v) Exercise: The trainer assigns problems to be solved either on paper or in real situations
related to the topic of the training activity.
(vi) Case study: The trainer gives the trainees information about a situation and directs them to
come to a decision or solve a problem concerning the situation.
(vii) Role play: Trainees act out a real-life situation in an instructional setting.
(viii) Field visit and study tour: Trainees are given the opportunity to observe and interact with
the problem being solved or skill being learned.
CAREER STAGES
What people want from their careers also varies according to the stage of one's career.
What may have been important in an early stage may not be important in a later one. Four
distinct career stages have been identified: trial, establishment/advancement, mid-career, and
late career. Each stage represents different career needs and interests of the individual
a) Trial stage: The trial stage begins with an individual's exploration of career-related matters
and ends usually at about age 25 with a commitment on the part of the individual to a particular
occupation. Until the decision is made to settle down, the individual may try a number of jobs
and a number of organizations. Unfortunately for many organizations, this trial and exploration
stage results in high level of turnover among new employees. Employees in this stage need
opportunities for self-exploration and a variety of job activities or assignments.
c) Mid Career Crisis Sub Stage: The period occurring between the mid-thirties and mid-forties
during which people often make a major reassessment of their progress relative to their original
career ambitions and goals.
d) Maintenance stage: The mid-career stage, which occurs roughly between the ages 45 and
64, has also been referred to as the maintenance stage. This stage is typified by a continuation
of established patterns of work behavior. The person is no longer trying to establish a place for
himself or herself in the organization, but seeks to maintain his or her position. This stage is
viewed as a mid-career plateau in which little new ground is broken. The individual in this stage
may need some technical updating in his or her field. The employee should be encouraged to
develop new job skills in order to avoid early stagnation and decline.
e) Late-career stage: In this stage the career lessens in importance and the employee plans for
retirement and seeks to develop a sense of identity outside the work environment.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
Performance appraisal is the process of obtaining, analyzing and recording information
about the relative worth of an employee. The focus of the performance appraisal is measuring
and improving the actual performance of the employee and also the future potential of the
employee. Its aim is to measure what an employee does.
e) Discussing results:
The result of the appraisal is communicated and discussed with the employees on
one-to-one basis. The focus of this discussion is on communication and listening. The results,
the problems and the possible solutions are discussed with the aim of problem solving and
reaching consensus. The feedback should be given with a positive attitude as this can have an
effect on the employees’ future performance. The purpose of the meeting should be to solve the
problems faced and motivate the employees to perform better.
f) Decision making:
The last step of the process is to take decisions which can be taken either to improve the
performance of the employees, take the required corrective actions, or the related HR decisions
like rewards, promotions, demotions, transfers etc.
UNIT IV
DIRECTING
DEFINITION
"Activating deals with the steps a manager takes to get sub-ordinates and others
to carry out plans" - Newman and Warren.
Directing concerns the total manner in which a manager influences the actions of subordinates.
It is the final action of a manager in getting others to act after all preparations have been
completed.
Characteristics
Elements of Management
Continuing Function
Pervasive Function
Creative Function
Linking function
Management of Human Factor
Scope of Directing
Initiates action
Ensures coordination
Improves efficiency
Facilitates change
Assists stability and growth
Elements of Directing
The three elements of directing are
Motivation
Leadership
Communication
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
Often used interchangeably, they should to be considered separate and distinct.
Creativity can be described as problem identification and idea generation and innovation is
considered as idea selection, development and commercialization.
Creativity is creation of new ideas and Innovation is implementation of the new ideas.
There cannot be innovation without creativity. There can be creativity without innovation but it
has no value.
Steps involved in creativity
a) Preparation: This is the first stage at which the base for creativity and innovation is defined;
the mind is prepared for subsequent use in creative thinking. During preparation the individual is
encouraged to appreciate the fact that every opportunity provides situations that can educate
and experiences from which to learn.
The creativity aspect is kindled through a quest to become more knowledgeable. This can be
done through reading about various topics and/or subjects and engaging in discussions with
others. Taking part in brainstorming sessions in various forums like professional and trade
association seminars, and taking time to study other countries and cultures to identify viable
opportunities is also part of preparation. Of importance is the need to cultivate a personal ability
to listen and learn from others.
b) Investigation: This stage of enhancing entrepreneurial creativity and innovation involves the
business owner taking time to study the problem at hand and what its various components are.
c) Transformation: The information thus accumulated and acquired should then be subjected
to convergent and divergent thinking which will serve to highlight the inherent similarities and
differences. Convergent thinking will help identify aspects that are similar and connected while
divergent thinking will highlight the differences. This twin manner of thinking is of particular
importance in realizing creativity and innovation for the following reasons:
One will be able to skim the details and see what the bigger picture is
the situation/problem's components can be reordered and in doing so new patterns can
be identified.
It will help visualize a number of approaches that can be used to simultaneously tackle
the problem and the opportunity.
One's decision-making abilities will be bettered such that the urge to make snap
decisions will be resisted.
d) Incubation: At this stage in the quest for creativity and innovation it is imperative that the
subconscious reflect on the accumulated information, i.e. through incubation, and this can be
improved or augmented when the entrepreneur:
Engages in an activity completely unrelated to the problem/opportunity under scrutiny.
Takes time to daydream i.e. letting the mind roam beyond any restrictions self-imposed
or otherwise.
Relax and play
Study the problem/opportunity in a wholly different environment
e) Illumination: This happens during the incubation stage and will often be spontaneous. The
realizations from the past stages combine at this instance to form a breakthrough.
f) Verification: This is where the entrepreneur attempts to ascertain whether the creativity of
thought and the action of innovation are truly effective as anticipated. It may involve activities
like simulation, piloting, prototype building, test marketing, and various experiments. While the
tendency to ignore this stage and plunge headlong with the breakthrough may be tempting, the
transformation stage should ensure that the new idea is put to the test.
MOTIVATION AND SATISFACTION
MOTIVATION
"Motivation" is a Latin word, meaning "to move". Human motives are internalized goals within
individuals. Motivation may be defined as those forces that cause people to behave in certain
ways. Motivation encompasses all those pressures and influences that trigger, channel, and
sustain human behavior. Most successful managers have learned to understand the concept of
human motivation and are able to use that understanding to achieve higher standards of
subordinate work performance.
According to Koontz and O'Donnell, "Motivation is a class of drives, needs, wishes and similar
forces".
IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION
A manager's primary task is to motivate others to perform the tasks of the organization.
Therefore, the manager must find the keys to get subordinates to come to work regularly and on
time, to work hard, and to make positive contributions towards the effective and efficient
achievement of organizational objectives. Motivation is an effective instrument in the hands of a
manager for inspiring the work force and creating confidence in it. By motivating the work force,
management creates "will to work" which is necessary for the achievement of organizational
goals. The various benefits of motivation are:-
Motivation is one of the important elements in the directing process. By motivating the
workers, a manager directs or guides the workers' actions in the desired direction for
accomplishing the goals of the organization.
Workers will tend to be as efficient as possible by improving upon their skills and knowledge
so that they are able to contribute to the progress of the organization thereby increasing
productivity.
For performing any tasks, two things are necessary. They are: (a) ability to work and (b)
willingness to work. Without willingness to work, ability to work is of no use. The willingness
to work can be created only by motivation.
Organizational effectiveness becomes, to some degree, a question of management's ability
to motivate its employees, to direct at least a reasonable effort towards the goals of the
organization.
Motivation contributes to good industrial relations in the organization. When the workers are
motivated, contented and disciplined, the frictions between the workers and the
management will be reduced.
Motivation is the best remedy for resistance to changes. When changes are introduced in an
organization, generally, there will be resistance from the workers. But if the workers of an
organization are motivated, they will accept, introduce and implement the changes whole
heartily and help to keep the organization on the right track of progress.
Motivation facilitates the maximum utilization of all factors of production, human, physical
and financial resources and thereby contributes to higher production.
Motivation promotes a sense of belonging among the workers. The workers feel that the
enterprise belongs to them and the interest of the enterprise is their interests.
Many organizations are now beginning to pay increasing attention to developing their
employees as future resources upon which they can draw as they grow and develop.
SATISFACTION
Employee satisfaction (Job satisfaction) is the terminology used to describe whether
employees are happy and contented and fulfilling their desires and needs at work. Many
measures purport that employee satisfaction is a factor in employee motivation, employee goal
achievement, and positive employee morale in the workplace.
Employee satisfaction, while generally a positive in your organization, can also be a downer if
mediocre employees stay because they are satisfied with your work environment.
Factors contributing to employee satisfaction include treating employees with respect, providing
regular employee recognition, empowering employees, offering above industry-average benefits
and compensation, providing employee perks and company activities, and positive management
within a success framework of goals, measurements, and expectations.
Employee satisfaction is often measured by anonymous employee satisfaction surveys
administered periodically that gauge employee satisfaction in areas such as:
management,
understanding of mission and vision,
empowerment,
teamwork,
communication, and
Coworker interaction.
The facets of employee satisfaction measured vary from company to company.
A second method used to measure employee satisfaction is meeting with small groups of
employees and asking the same questions verbally. Depending on the culture of the company,
either method can contribute knowledge about employee satisfaction to managers and
employees.
JOB DESIGN
It is the process of Work arrangement (or rearrangement) aimed at reducing or
overcoming job dissatisfaction and employee alienation arising from repetitive and
mechanistic tasks. Through job design, organizations try to raise productivity levels
by offering non-monetary rewards such as greater satisfaction from a sense of personal
achievement in meeting the increased challenge and responsibility of one's work.
a) Positive Motivation:
This type of motivation is generally based on reward. A positive motivation involves the
possibility of increased motive satisfaction. According to Flippo - "Positive motivation is a
process of attempting to influence others to do your will through the possibility of gain or
reward". Incentive motivation is the "pull" mechanism. The receipt of awards, due recognition
and praise for work-well done definitely lead to good team spirit, co-operation and a feeling of
happiness.
Positive motivation include:-
Praise and credit for work done
Wages and Salaries
Appreciation
A sincere interest in subordinates as individuals
Delegation of authority and responsibility
b) Negative Motivation:
This type of motivation is based on force and fear. Fear causes persons to act in a certain way
because they fear the consequences. Negative motivation involves the possibility of decreased
motive satisfaction. It is a "push" mechanism. The imposition of punishment frequently results in
frustration among those punished, leading to the development of maladaptive behaviour. It also
creates a hostile state of mind and an unfavourable attitude to the job. However, there is no
management which has not used the negative motivation at some time or the other.
MOTIVATION THEORIES
Some of the motivation theories are discussed below
On analysis of the assumptions it can be detected that theory X assumes that lower-order
needs dominate individuals and theory Y assumes that higher-order needs dominate
individuals. An organization that is run on Theory X lines tends to be authoritarian in nature, the
word “authoritarian” suggests such ideas as the “power to enforce obedience” and the “right to
command.” In contrast Theory Y organizations can be described as “participative”, where the
aims of the organization and of the individuals in it are integrated; individuals can achieve their
own goals best by directing their efforts towards the success of the organization.
All of the needs are structured into a hierarchy and only once a lower level of need has been
fully met, would a worker be motivated by the opportunity of having the next need up in the
hierarchy satisfied. For example a person who is dying of hunger will be motivated to achieve a
basic wage in order to buy food before worrying about having a secure job contract or the
respect of others.
A business should therefore offer different incentives to workers in order to help them fulfill each
need in turn and progress up the hierarchy. Managers should also recognize that workers are
not all motivated in the same way and do not all move up the hierarchy at the same pace. They
may therefore have to offer a slightly different set of incentives from worker to worker.
If people feel that they are not equally rewarded they either reduce the quantity or quality of
work or migrate to some other organization. However, if people perceive that they are rewarded
higher, they may be motivated to work harder.
Importance of Leadership
1. Aid to authority
2. Motive power to group efforts
3. Basis for co operation
4. Integration of Formal and Informal Organization.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
The leadership style we will discuss here are:
a) Autocratic style
b) Democratic Style
c) Laissez Faire Style
a) Autocratic style
Manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does
not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. Employees are expected to obey
orders without receiving any explanations. The motivation environment is produced by creating
a structured set of rewards and punishments.
Advantages
● Reduced stress due to increased control
● A more productive group ‘while the leader is watching’
● Improved logistics of operations
● Faster decision making
Disadvantages
● Short-termistic approach to management.
● Manager perceived as having poor leadership skills
● Increased workload for the manager
● People dislike being ordered around
● Teams become dependent upon their leader
b) Democratic Style
Democratic Leadership is the leadership style that promotes the sharing of responsibility,
the exercise of delegation and continual consultation.
Advantages
● Positive work environment
● Successful initiatives
● Creative thinking
● Reduction of friction and office politics
● Reduced employee turnover
Disadvantages
● Takes long time to take decisions
● Danger of pseudo participation
● Like the other styles, the democratic style is not always appropriate. It is most successful
when used with highly skilled or experienced employees or when implementing operational
changes or resolving individual or group problems.
c) Laissez-Faire Style
This French phrase means “leave it be” and is used to describe a leader who leaves
his/her colleagues to get on with their work. The style is largely a "hands off" view that tends to
minimize the amount of direction and face time required.
Advantages
No work for the leader
Frustration may force others into leadership roles
Allows the visionary worker the opportunity to do what they want, free from interference
Empowers the group
Disadvantages
● It makes employees feel insecure at the unavailability of a manager.
● The manager cannot provide regular feedback to let employees know how well they are
doing.
● Managers are unable to thank employees for their good work.
● The manager doesn’t understand his or her responsibilities and is hoping the employees
can cover for him or her.
LEADERSHIP THEORIES
The various leadership theories are
Description
Early research on leadership was based on the study of people who were already great leaders.
These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower classes had the opportunity to
lead. This contributed to the notion that leadership had something to do with breeding.
The idea of the Great Man also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in times of
need, a Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to verify, by pointing to people
such as Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those further back along the timeline, even to
Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddah.
Discussion
Gender issues were not on the table when the 'Great Man' theory was proposed. Most leaders
were male and the thought of a Great Woman was generally in areas other than leadership.
Most researchers were also male, and concerns about androcentric bias were a long way from
being realized.
b) Trait Theory:
Assumptions
People are born with inherited traits.
Some traits are particularly suited to leadership.
People who make good leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits.
Description
Early research on leadership was based on the psychological focus of the day, which was of
people having inherited characteristics or traits. Attention was thus put on discovering these
traits, often by studying successful leaders, but with the underlying assumption that if other
people could also be found with these traits, then they, too, could also become great leaders.
McCall and Lombardo (1983) researched both success and failure identified four primary traits
by which leaders could succeed or 'derail':
Emotional stability and composure: Calm, confident and predictable, particularly when under
stress.
Admitting error: Owning up to mistakes, rather than putting energy into covering up.
Good interpersonal skills: able to communicate and persuade others without resort to negative
or coercive tactics.
Intellectual breadth: Able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow (and
narrow-minded) area of expertise.
c) Behavioral Theory:
Assumptions
Leaders can be made, rather than are born.
Successful leadership is based in definable, learnable behavior.
Description
Behavioral theories of leadership do not seek inborn traits or capabilities. Rather, they look at
what leaders actually do.
If success can be defined in terms of describable actions, then it should be relatively easy for
other people to act in the same way. This is easier to teach and learn then to adopt the more
ephemeral 'traits' or 'capabilities'.
d) Participative Leadership:
Assumptions
Involvement in decision-making improves the understanding of the issues involved by
those who must carry out the decisions.
People are more committed to actions where they have involved in the relevant decision-
making.
People are less competitive and more collaborative when they are working on joint
goals.
When people make decisions together, the social commitment to one another is greater
and thus increases their commitment to the decision.
Several people deciding together make better decisions than one person alone.
Description
A Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in
the process, possibly including subordinates, peers, superiors and other stakeholders. Often,
however, as it is within the managers' whim to give or deny control to his or her subordinates,
most participative activity is within the immediate team. The question of how much influence
others are given thus may vary on the manager's preferences and beliefs, and a whole
spectrum of participation is possible
e) Situational Leadership:
Assumptions
The best action of the leader depends on a range of situational factors.
Description
When a decision is needed, an effective leader does not just fall into a single preferred style. In
practice, as they say, things are not that simple.
Factors that affect situational decisions include motivation and capability of followers. This, in
turn, is affected by factors within the particular situation. The relationship between followers and
the leader may be another factor that affects leader behavior as much as it does follower
behavior.
The leaders' perception of the follower and the situation will affect what they do rather than the
truth of the situation. The leader's perception of themselves and other factors such as stress
and mood will also modify the leaders' behavior.
f) Contingency Theory:
Assumptions
The leader's ability to lead is contingent upon various situational factors, including the
leader's preferred style, the capabilities and behaviors of followers and also various
other situational factors.
Description
Contingency theories are a class of behavioral theory that contend that there is no one best way
of leading and that a leadership style that is effective in some situations may not be successful
in others.
An effect of this is that leaders who are very effective at one place and time may become
unsuccessful either when transplanted to another situation or when the factors around them
change.
Contingency theory is similar to situational theory in that there is an assumption of no simple
one right way. The main difference is that situational theory tends to focus more on the
behaviors that the leader should adopt, given situational factors (often about follower behavior),
whereas contingency theory takes a broader view that includes contingent factors about leader
capability and other variables within the situation.
g) Transactional Leadership:
Assumptions
People are motivated by reward and punishment.
Social systems work best with a clear chain of command.
When people have agreed to do a job, a part of the deal is that they cede all authority to
their manager.
The prime purpose of a subordinate is to do what their manager tells them to do.
Description
The transactional leader works through creating clear structures whereby it is clear what is
required of their subordinates, and the rewards that they get for following orders. Punishments
are not always mentioned, but they are also well-understood and formal systems of discipline
are usually in place.
The early stage of Transactional Leadership is in negotiating the contract whereby the
subordinate is given a salary and other benefits, and the company (and by implication the
subordinate's manager) gets authority over the subordinate.
When the Transactional Leader allocates work to a subordinate, they are considered to be fully
responsible for it, whether or not they have the resources or capability to carry it out. When
things go wrong, then the subordinate is considered to be personally at fault, and is punished for
their failure (just as they are rewarded for succeeding).
h)Transformational Leadership:
Assumptions
People will follow a person who inspires them.
A person with vision and passion can achieve great things.
The way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy.
Description
Working for a Transformational Leader can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. They put
passion and energy into everything. They care about you and want you to succeed.
Transformational Leaders are often charismatic, but are not as narcissistic as pure Charismatic
Leaders, who succeed through a belief in themselves rather than a belief in others.
One of the traps of Transformational Leadership is that passion and confidence can easily be
mistaken for truth and reality.
Transformational Leaders, by definition, seek to transform. When the organization does not
need transforming and people are happy as they are, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like
wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be
personally responsible for saving entire companies.
UNIT V
CONTROLLING
DEFINITION
Control is the process through which managers assure that actual activities conform to
planned activities.
In the words of Koontz and O'Donnell - "Managerial control implies measurement of
accomplishment against the standard and the correction of deviations to assure attainment of
objectives according to plans."
CONTROL PROCESS
The basic control process involves mainly these steps as shown in Figure
b) Measurement of Performance:
When managers have taken a measure of organizational performance, their next step in
controlling is to compare this measure against some standard. A standard is the level of activity
established to serve as a model for evaluating organizational performance. The performance
evaluated can be for the organization as a whole or for some individuals working within the
organization. In essence, standards are the yardsticks that determine whether organizational
performance is adequate or inadequate.
d) Taking Corrective Actions:
After actual performance has been measured compared with established performance
standards, the next step in the controlling process is to take corrective action, if
necessary. Corrective action is managerial activity aimed at bringing organizational performance
up to the level of performance standards. In other words, corrective action focuses on correcting
organizational mistakes that hinder organizational performance. Before taking any corrective
action, however, managers should make sure that the standards they are using were properly
established and that their measurements of organizational performance are valid and reliable.
At first glance, it seems a fairly simple proposition that managers should take corrective action
to eliminate problems - the factors within an organization that are barriers to organizational goal
attainment. In practice, however, it is often difficult to pinpoint the problem causing some
undesirable organizational effect.
BUDGETARY CONTROL
Salient features:
a. Objectives: Determining the objectives to be achieved, over the budget period, and the
policy(ies) that might be adopted for the achievement of these ends.
b. Activities: Determining the variety of activities that should be undertaken for achievement of
the objectives.
c. Plans: Drawing up a plan or a scheme of operation in respect of each class of activity, in
physical a well as monetary terms for the full budget period and its parts.
d. Performance Evaluation: Laying out a system of comparison of actual performance by each
person section or department with the relevant budget and determination of causes for the
discrepancies, if any.
e. Control Action: Ensuring that when the plans are not achieved, corrective actions are taken;
and when corrective actions are not possible, ensuring that the plans are revised and objective
achieved
CLASSIFICATION OF BUDGETS
Budgets may be classified on the following bases –
c) BASED ON CAPACITY:
(i) Fixed Budget
It is a Budget designed to remain unchanged irrespective of the level of activity
actually attained. It operates on one level of activity and less than one set of
conditions. It assumes that there will be no change in the prevailing conditions, which
is unrealistic.
(ii) Flexible Budget
It is a Budget, which by recognizing the difference between fixed, semi variable and
variable costs is designed to change in relation to level of activity attained. It consists
of various budgets for different levels of activity
d) BASED ON COVERAGE:
(i) Functional Budget
Budgets, which relate to the individual functions in an organization, are known as
Functional Budgets, e.g. purchase Budget, Sales Budget, Production Budget, plant
Utilization Budget and Cash Budget.
(ii) Master Budget
It is a consolidated summary of the various functional budgets. It serves as the basis
upon which budgeted Profit & Loss Account and forecasted Balance Sheet are built
up.
v) Variable Budget:
The variable budget is based on an analysis of expense items to determine how
individual costs should vary with volume of output.
Some costs do not vary with volume, particularly in so short a period as 1 month, 6
months, or a year. Among these are depreciation, property taxes and insurance, maintenance of
plant and equipment, and costs of keeping a minimum staff of supervisory and other key
personnel. Costs that vary with volume of output range from those that are completely variable
to those that are only slightly variable.
The task of variable budgeting involves selecting some unit of measure that reflects
volume; inspecting the various categories of costs (usually by reference to the chart of
accounts); and, by statistical studies, methods of engineering analyses, and other means,
determining how these costs should vary with volume of output.
Advantages
There are a number of advantages of budgetary control:
Compels management to think about the future, which is probably the most important
feature of a budgetary planning and control system. Forces management to look ahead,
to set out detailed plans for achieving the targets for each department, operation and
(ideally) each manager, to anticipate and give the organization purpose and direction.
Promotes coordination and communication.
Clearly defines areas of responsibility. Requires managers of budget centre’s to be
made responsible for the achievement of budget targets for the operations under their
personal control.
Provides a basis for performance appraisal (variance analysis). A budget is basically a
yardstick against which actual performance is measured and assessed. Control is
provided by comparisons of actual results against budget plan. Departures from budget
can then be investigated and the reasons for the differences can be divided into
controllable and non-controllable factors.
Enables remedial action to be taken as variances emerge.
Motivates employees by participating in the setting of budgets.
Improves the allocation of scarce resources.
Economises management time by using the management by exception principle.
Problems in budgeting
Whilst budgets may be an essential part of any marketing activity they do have a number
of disadvantages, particularly in perception terms.
Budgets can be seen as pressure devices imposed by management, thus resulting in:
a) bad labour relations
b) inaccurate record-keeping.
Departmental conflict arises due to:
a) disputes over resource allocation
b) departments blaming each other if targets are not attained.
It is difficult to reconcile personal/individual and corporate goals.
Waste may arise as managers adopt the view, "we had better spend it or we will lose it".
This is often coupled with "empire building" in order to enhance the prestige of a
department.
Responsibility versus controlling, i.e. some costs are under the influence of more than
one person, e.g. power costs.
Managers may overestimate costs so that they will not be blamed in the future should
they overspend.
i) Statistical data:
Statistical analyses of innumerable aspects of a business operation and the clear presentation
of statistical data, whether of a historical or forecast nature are, of course, important to control.
Some managers can readily interpret tabular statistical data, but most managers prefer
presentation of the data on charts.
v) PERT:
The Program (or Project) Evaluation and Review Technique, commonly abbreviated PERT, is a
is a method to analyze the involved tasks in completing a given project, especially the time
needed to complete each task, and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total
project.
PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity refers to the ratio between the output from production processes to its input.
Productivity may be conceived of as a measure of the technical or engineering efficiency of
production. As such quantitative measures of input, and sometimes output, are emphasized.
This is a ratio of the amount of product to the resources consumed (usually effort). Product may
be measured in lines of code, classes, screens, or any other unit of product. Typically, effort is
measured in terms of staff hours, days, or months. The physical size also may be used to
estimate software performance factors (e.g., memory utilization as a function of lines of code).
b) Functional Productivity
This is a ratio of the amount of the functionality delivered to the resources consumed
(usually effort). Functionality may be measured in terms of use cases, requirements, features, or
function points (as appropriate to the nature of the software and the development method).
Typically, effort is measured in terms of staff hours, days, or months. Traditional measures of
Function Points work best with information processing systems. The effort involved in
embedded and scientific software is likely to be underestimated with these measures, although
several variations of Function Points have been developed that attempt to deal with this issue.
c) Economic Productivity
This is a ratio of the value of the product produced to the cost of the resources used to
produce it. Economic productivity helps to evaluate the economic efficiency of an organization.
Economic productivity usually is not used to predict project cost because the outcome can be
affected by many factors outside the control of the project, such as sales volume, inflation,
interest rates, and substitutions in resources or materials, as well as all the other factors that
affect physical and functional measures of productivity. However, understanding economic
productivity is essential to making good decisions about outsourcing and subcontracting. The
basic calculation of economic productivity is as follows:
COST CONTROL
Cost control is the measure taken by management to assure that the cost objectives set
down in the planning stage are attained and to assure that all segments of the organization
function in a manner consistent with its policies.
PURCHASE CONTROL
Purchase control is an element of material control. Material procurement is known as the
purchase function. The functional responsibility of purchasing is that of the purchase manager
or the purchaser. Purchasing is an important function of materials management because in
purchase of materials, a substantial portion of the company's finance is committed which affects
cash flow position of the company. Success of a business is to a large extent influenced by the
efficiency of its purchase organization. The advantages derived from a good and adequate
system of the purchase control are as follows:
In short, the basic objective of the effective purchase control is to ensure continuity of supply of
requisite quantity of material, to avoid held up of production and loss in production and at the
same time reduces the ultimate cost of the finished products.
MAINTENANCE CONTROL
Maintenance department has to excercise effective cost control, to carry out the
maintenance functions in a pre-specified budget, which is possible only through the following
measures:
First line supervisors must be apprised of the cost information of the various materials so that
the objective of the management can be met without extra expenditure on maintenance
functions
A monthly review of the budget provisions and expenditures actually incurred in respect of each
center/shop will provide guidlines to the departmental head to exercise better cost control.
The total expenditure to be incurred can be uniformly spread over the year for better budgetary
control. however, the same may not be true in all cases particularly where overhauling of
equipment has to be carried out due to unforseen breakdowns. some budgetary provisions must
be set aside, to meet out unforeseen exigencies.
The controllable elements of cost such as manpower cost and material cost can be discussed
with the concerned personnel, which may help in reducing the total cost of maintenance.
Emphasis should be given to reduce the overhead expenditures, as other expenditures cannot
be compromised.
It is observed through studies that the manpower cost is normally fixed, but the same way
increase due to overtime cost. however, the material cost, which is the prime factor in
maintenance cost, can be reduced by timely inspections designed, to detect failures. If the
inspection is carried out as per schedule, the total failure of parts may be avoided, which
otherwise would increase the maintenance cost. the proper handling of the equipment by the
operators also reduces the frequency of repair and material requirements. Operators, who
check their equipment regularly and use it within the operating limits, can help avoid many
unwanted repairs. In the same way a good record of equipment failures/ maintenance would
indicate the nature of failures, which can then be corrected even permanently.
QUALITY CONTROL
Quality control refers to the technical process that gathers, examines, analyze & report
the progress of the project & conformance with the performance requirements
(ii) In organising coordination is required between different resources of an organization and also
between authority responsibility and accountability.
(iii) In staffing coordination is required between skill of a person and job assigned to him, between
efficiency and compensation etc.
(iv) In directing function coordination is required between superior and subordinates, between
orders, instructions, guidelines and suggestions etc.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(v) In controlling function coordination is required between standards and actual performance.
(ii) Coordination is required at middle level to balance the activities of different departments so that
these can work as a part of one organisation only.
(iii) Lower level requires coordination to integrate the activities of workers towards achievement of
organisational objectives.
3. Coordination is the most important function of an organization:
Any company which fails to coordinate its activities cannot survive and run successfully for a long
period of time.
For example, Allwyn Company, established in 1942, was the first company to produce a double-
decker bus. It was running successfully as a leading electronic industry, especially in refrigeration
industry. By the end of 1980 the company faced the problem of coordination. There was lack of
balance and integration of different activities; as a result the company started facing huge losses and
by 1993 company had an accumulated loss of Rs. 168 crore. Company failed to balance its
departmental activities and product folios.
In this situation, classes cannot be arranged for. Here, the effort made by the teacher is
meaningless, in the absence of coordination. On the other hand, in the absence of
cooperation, coordination dissatisfies the employees. Thus, both are required at a given
point of time.