Management is a universal activity. It is very important in everyone’s lives whether it be in their personal life or their job role, it will impact each individual in some form. This essay will look at the nature of management and various perspectives as to what exactly management may be.
It can be very difficult to define management as it is such a broad area that is continually being developed. One definition of management is “The process of reaching organizational goals by working with and through people and other organizational resources.” (Anon. 2008). However there are many theorists who define management in other ways.
There are various management approaches to the nature of managerial work that differentiate each manager. These include: the classical/ functional approach, the observation approaches, management agendas and the integrated approach. Also there are four basic functions of management as discussed by Certo, S. C. and Certo, S. T. (2014, p.33). They are; planning, organising, influencing and controlling. Planning is the prime function of management as it enables the right things to get done. It is deciding when and how certain tasks are going to get done. Organising is taking these tasks and allocating them to individuals within the organisation to put the plan into action. Influencing involves activities such as motivating, leading, directing and actuating. Then finally controlling which is where managers continually gather