What is management? Why is management necessary? How do you think management has evolved?
Management is the function that organizes the execution of today’s business.
Management is like investment. Managers have resources to invest – their own time and talent as well as human and financial resources. The goal or function of management is to get the best return on those resources by getting things done efficiently. This doesn’t entail being mechanical. With highly skilled and self-motivated knowledge workers, the manager can be very empowering. Where the workforce is less skilled or motivated, the manager may need to monitor output more closely.
The aim of management is to deliver results cost effectively in line with customer expectations and profitably, in the case of commercial organizations. It is not only leaders who can be inspiring. Inspiring leaders move us to change direction while inspiring managers motivate us to work harder.
Today’s management is all about the bottom-line in my opinion. Management in a public company runs with two mantras! First is to increase the EPS (Earning per Share) value and secondly keeping the stockholders happy. If the EPS goes south the lay off happens. If the balance sheet goes red, the board of directors of the respective company changes the management team, starting from CEO.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Team-based, Network-based, and Boundary-less organizations
What are the advantages and disadvantages of team-based, network-based, and boundary-less organizations? Give an example of a function or role in the organization that could be benefited by each of these three organizational structures.
Organizing is the process of creating an organization's structure. Structure is an organization's framework as expressed by its degree of complexity, formalization, and centralization. Organization design is the development or changing of an organization's structure.
Team Based Organization
A Team based organization is one that realizes the benefits of operating in teams. They are actually called Learning Teams. It is the notion that working through teams produces working through synergy. Synergy can be compared to 2 + 2 = 5. In other words, four individuals can accomplish more working as a team than if they were to work independently of each other.
Advantages
Although teams are not appropriate for every organization or project, they do have many advantages. These include increased flexibility, better information flow and higher quality outputs.
Disadvantages
There is a tendency amongst many organizations to distribute work to teams rather than getting it done through the older more traditional methods. Sometimes this tendency is carried too far as some organizations will form teams regardless of the situation. However there are situations where the team approach works extremely well and others where the team simply does not reach it's potential.
Network-Based Organizations
In a network organization, long-term corporate partners supply goods and services to and through a central firm. Together, a network of small companies can present the appearance of a large corporation. Indeed, at the core of such an organization may be nothing more than a single entrepreneur supported by only a few employees.
Advantages
The operating environment of organizations has changed considerably during the last three decades. Organizations face more global competition, deregulated markets, increased customer selectivity on price, quality and service, environment protection issues and rapid technological development. In response to these forces many companies are restructuring their organizations to become more flexible and dynamic.
Disadvantages
Recent technological developments, specifically the integration of information and telecommunication technologies, have made possible an entirely new set of more disaggregated, distributed, and flexible production arrangements, as well as new ways for firms to organize their internal operations and their transactional ties to external firms.
Boundary-less Organizations
An organization has external boundaries that separate it from its suppliers and customers, and internal boundaries that provide demarcation to departments. This rigidity is removed in boundary less organizations, where the goal is to develop greater flexibility and responsiveness to change and to facilitate the free exchange of information and ideas. It is made up of self-managing and cross-functional teams that are organized around core business processes.
The teams include employees from different functional areas as well as customers and suppliers.
Advantages
Boundary less organization is able to achieve greater integration and coordination.
They are able to adapt to environmental changes.
Disadvantages
However, it can be difficult to overcome political and authority boundaries.
It can be time consuming to manage the democratic process to coordinate the efforts of many stakeholders.
Organizing is the process of creating an organization's structure. Structure is an organization's framework as expressed by its degree of complexity, formalization, and centralization. Organization design is the development or changing of an organization's structure.
Team Based Organization
A Team based organization is one that realizes the benefits of operating in teams. They are actually called Learning Teams. It is the notion that working through teams produces working through synergy. Synergy can be compared to 2 + 2 = 5. In other words, four individuals can accomplish more working as a team than if they were to work independently of each other.
Advantages
Although teams are not appropriate for every organization or project, they do have many advantages. These include increased flexibility, better information flow and higher quality outputs.
Disadvantages
There is a tendency amongst many organizations to distribute work to teams rather than getting it done through the older more traditional methods. Sometimes this tendency is carried too far as some organizations will form teams regardless of the situation. However there are situations where the team approach works extremely well and others where the team simply does not reach it's potential.
Network-Based Organizations
In a network organization, long-term corporate partners supply goods and services to and through a central firm. Together, a network of small companies can present the appearance of a large corporation. Indeed, at the core of such an organization may be nothing more than a single entrepreneur supported by only a few employees.
Advantages
The operating environment of organizations has changed considerably during the last three decades. Organizations face more global competition, deregulated markets, increased customer selectivity on price, quality and service, environment protection issues and rapid technological development. In response to these forces many companies are restructuring their organizations to become more flexible and dynamic.
Disadvantages
Recent technological developments, specifically the integration of information and telecommunication technologies, have made possible an entirely new set of more disaggregated, distributed, and flexible production arrangements, as well as new ways for firms to organize their internal operations and their transactional ties to external firms.
Boundary-less Organizations
An organization has external boundaries that separate it from its suppliers and customers, and internal boundaries that provide demarcation to departments. This rigidity is removed in boundary less organizations, where the goal is to develop greater flexibility and responsiveness to change and to facilitate the free exchange of information and ideas. It is made up of self-managing and cross-functional teams that are organized around core business processes.
The teams include employees from different functional areas as well as customers and suppliers.
Advantages
Boundary less organization is able to achieve greater integration and coordination.
They are able to adapt to environmental changes.
Disadvantages
However, it can be difficult to overcome political and authority boundaries.
It can be time consuming to manage the democratic process to coordinate the efforts of many stakeholders.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Land of Opportunity
Once upon a time there was a huge piece of land with rich natural resources. No one really knew about it's existence. One day a genius thought he landed in India and named the natives, "Red Indian." I always wondered why the natives were called Red Indians? Were they really red in color? What do I know, I was probably sitting in Starbucks sipping my coffee and thinking about White Indians. Rolling on 300 years, America, the land of opportunity was created. The sins were washed after abolishing slavery and Industrial Revolution started. Sorry what I meant was, the journey of "dreams", "hopes", and yes, my favorite word "greed" for superiority was taken to a new level. Hitler found himself in a bad shape in WWI and got his rage out in WWII. The Brits, who ruled the world found themselves in bad shape, and freed the colonies. Wow...generosity to the full extent! What happened to USA in between? They won the war with the allied forces, and time for rock-n-roll. We are all equals and let's work hard and make some money and live for today! Why not?
The freedom of press, equal rights and justice for all took the the country into prosperity. We know what happened after that..key words, "overspending" and "over banking." Will we get out of this rut, sure we can and we will! We have our dreams, sure "buddy get up, there is a sheriff outside with an eviction notice!"
Boy and girls and cats and dogs, live in reality and face the facts which boils down to only two lovely words called SUPPLY and DEMAND!
Comments?
The freedom of press, equal rights and justice for all took the the country into prosperity. We know what happened after that..key words, "overspending" and "over banking." Will we get out of this rut, sure we can and we will! We have our dreams, sure "buddy get up, there is a sheriff outside with an eviction notice!"
Boy and girls and cats and dogs, live in reality and face the facts which boils down to only two lovely words called SUPPLY and DEMAND!
Comments?
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