What is management and its basic functions?

What is the management concept?

An idea. A concept. An opportunity. A vision.

All the elements needed for a great team. The management concept of J.R. Smith.

It took over 30 minutes to write this, and was inspired by a few of my favourite people and events in sports history. I hope you enjoy! A simple question, but the concept behind it is important. The management concept is what you want your team to be about. It's a blueprint of everything that you, the leader, expect from them.

For some people, it might be playing great defence, scoring goals, and winning games. For others, it could be rebounding, blocking shots, and being physical.

Every team, every group, every organization has a management concept. Whether it's an individual, or a team, or a club, a management concept isn't just about how you win basketball games. It's about why you win basketball games.

This brings me back to the question posed above. What is the management concept? What the management concept is all about is what it is the team is expected to do. A management concept can be either individual, team, or organization. But, if a management concept is not clearly defined, then it's an opportunity for everyone on the team to feel like they're expected to do everything.

For example, LeBron James, who played for the Miami Heat, had a management concept of dominating the game of basketball. He was never going to let anyone else do what he did best on a basketball court. Even when the Heat lost, it was because they didn't have the talent to execute his system as well as he did.

In the Heat's final game of the season, the Indiana Pacers, the eventual NBA champions, were one of the more talented teams in the league. LeBron James was still the best player in the game, and the Pacers were still a top five team. The Pacers, though, couldn't move the ball with a straight face, and LeBron James took them apart. They got beat, and rightfully so, but it was clear they weren't meant to win. That game was proof of what his management concept was all about.

What is your definition of management?

How do you see management, and is it a natural role for some people?

It's probably fair to say that most people believe they are managers. If they are doing a job that is traditionally managerial, and they get paid more money for doing that job than someone else who does a non-managerial job, then that is a sign that they are management. It is possible to study people and come to the conclusion that some of them are managers. However, managers are usually not considered formal studies because it would take too long to learn about all the subtleties. People are quick to agree with management as a broad, unhelpful term, rather than administrator or supervisor.

An example of how people can disagree on whether something is management without having specific training or experience is that some people might say that all education is management because most people in this field were once teachers. But it's also possible for someone to be a teacher in one school and an administrator in another. I am not talking about how management relates to management (I don't know), but how management is defined, and how different people view that definition.

The dictionary definition of management is the practice or art of overseeing and directing the operations of an organization, system, or other group of people. People might be managers if they are: a) Paid more for managing employees than they are paid for their job;. B) Payed to do jobs that are typically done by other people;. C) Charged with making decisions that affect other people's jobs;. D) Held accountable for problems in other people's jobs;. E) Accused of being unqualified to do a job that is typically done by other people; or. F) Charged with making decisions that affect other people's jobs and then held accountable for those decisions. Some people, such as lawyers and architects, may be managers if they work in roles that are typically filled by managers, but are not themselves managers. Lawyers, architects, and doctors are rarely referred to as managers. Management is often viewed as a title for a person who has been trained in administration, accounting, or business management.

What is the management function?

We define the management function in our first post in this series (here) to mean a task performed by management that makes an organization more efficient. So, managers can make it easier for others to perform tasks, like the ones below, which then allow them to get more work done. The management function is, in general, an abstract concept. It's what a manager does that makes a difference. Managers can manage money, time, and other things. They can also manage information systems and processes, like building systems, or they can manage people.

So, let's start with a simple example. Example: A simple manager. Suppose you need a manager. She needs to do the following: Find a good office. Find an appropriate person to manage. Get paid well. To get started, you call your colleague and ask if she can recommend someone to manage you. If so, you ask her to email the name of her recommended manager to you. You then send an email to that person inviting him or her to come and work for you.

And there you have your manager. This kind of process is very easy for a manager. It takes less than ten minutes for your manager to find a suitable person, invite him or her, and pay a decent salary. It would have taken you a lot longer (days at minimum) if you were doing it yourself.

Example: A less-simple manager. Now, let's take things up a level. Suppose your company wants you to manage the IT team of its branch in another city. They want you to manage that team, but only until they start producing results. You're going to hire a manager to help you. Here's how it works:

The manager finds two IT staff members who are experienced. He interviews them and chooses one of them to be his deputy. (In most countries, you can name your managers or executives.) He then tells you who his deputies are. He explains that you will manage the team while his deputies work alongside you. And you can have some fun together with his deputies as well.

The first thing you do after his explanation is to schedule a meeting with both him and his deputies. In the meeting, you share his expectations of you both.