Concept/Meaning of Management :

Management is the art of getting things done through others. It refers to those people who manage an organization or a series of activities.

for example- Suppose your Mother – when she gets up in the morning, she has in her mind a series of activities to be performed in a day such as house is to be cleaned, clothes are to be washed, young children like you are to be helped in getting ready for the school, breakfast is to be prepared, food is to be cooked & packed & handed over to you while you leave for school and so on. In the family, she may have 3 persons to help her- her servant, her eldest daughter, and her mother-in-law. Her aim is to divide the work in such a way that all the work gets completed in the right way at the appropriate time.

What the mother does in this example taken together to achieve her aim, is called Management.

characteristics of Management :

1. Management is Multi-Dimensional :-

Management involves three dimensions namely:

(A) management of work – all organizations exist for the performance of some work for ex- in a factory a product is manufactured, in hospital a patient is treated, etc. management helps us to translate the work in terms of goals to be achieved and allocate the path to achieve it.

(B) management of people – the major task of management is to make people work towards the achievement of the organizational goals by making their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.

(C)Management of operations – Every organization has to provide some basic product or service in order to survive in the market and management helps us in defining a smooth production process of transforming the input material and the technology into desired output ready for consumption.

2. Management is All-Pervasive:-

Management is a universal phenomenon as it is used in the whole world. In simple words, the usage of management does not change whether it is USA, UK, EUROPE, OR INDIA. It is applicable to all types of organizations (economic, social and political), all sizes of the organization (small, medium, and large), and at all levels of management (top, middle and lower).

For example- a cricket team needs as much as management a club or a hospital needs.

3. Management is an Intangible force:-

It is an intangible force because it cannot be seen but the good quality of management is reflected through various indicators like the achievement of goals, satisfaction among employees, etc.

4. Management is a group activity:-

An organization is a group of different kinds of individuals who work together with team spirit and coordination to achieve the goals of the organization.

5. Management is goal-oriented:-

Management is a purposeful activity as it seeks to combine & coordinate the efforts of different individuals towards the accomplishment of both organizational and individual goals.

Organizational goals example (MI ) – the goal of XIAOMI  is maximum consumer satisfaction by producing quality goods at reasonable prices.

Individual goal example – the person who gives this innovative idea of manufacturing the model of Redmi note 10 series with super AMOLED display and 120hz refresh rate in the mid-range phones which is a big hit in the market in 2021, definitely get praise and appreciation or maybe promotion too.

6. Balancing Effectiveness and Efficiency:-

• Effectiveness means achieving targets & objectives on time.
• Efficiency means optimum (best) utilisation of available resources.

Good management can only be done when there is a balance between both i.e. the work must be done on time and by making the best use of available resources.

For example – suppose if the target of an employee of a factory is to produce 100 units daily then:

Case 1- if achieve the target by wasting resources & mishandling machinery due to which Maintainance cost raises daily, then he is said to be effective but not efficient.

Case 2- if he spends a lot of time handling the machine carefully & managing the resources carefully & fails to complete the target on time, then he is said to be efficient but not effective.

So employee should have a check that the target should be achieved on time and with optimum utilization of resources then only we can say an employee has effectiveness and efficiency in his work.

7. Management is a continuous process:- 

Management is a continuous process as it is a series of continuous, composite, but separate functions i.e. planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling to be performed simultaneously all the time till an organization exists.

8. Management is a Dynamic function:-

Management has to make changes in goals, objectives and other activities according to the changes taking place in the external environment. As changes take place in the external environment same are implemented in organisation to survive in the competitive world.

For example:- In 2020 when GOI banned TikTok which is the no.1 short video making platform at that time, there is a vacuum created in the external environment and Instagram understand the external environment change and instantly launches & integrated its short video making a feature in the name of Instagram reels which proved to be a great hit for Instagram.

Note:- TRICK to remember 6 Characteristics Point – M.A.N.A.G.E

M- Multidimensional – Management is Multi-Dimensional

A-All persavive – Management is all-pervasive

N-iNtangible – Management is an intangible force

A-activity-group Activity – Management is a group activity

G-Goal oriented – Management is goal-oriented

E- Efficiency & Effectiveness – Balancing Efficiency & Effectiveness