Levels and Functions of Management

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 385.

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Management is the process of reaching a business's goals through the use of its human and material resources. Most businesses have three basic levels of managers:

1. Top-level managers.

2. Middle-level managers.

3. Supervisor.

Managers at all levels perform the same kinds of functions. However, manager's responsibilities differ according to their management level.

People with the greatest responsibility for planning, organizing, directing and controlling a company's resources are the top-level managers. They think far into the company's future and set the goals and objectives of the company. To meet these goals and objectives, top-level managers guide managers on lower levels while allowing them the freedom to do the best job they can.

Those who carry out the decision of top-level management are known as middle-level managers. If you took a job in middle management, you would serve as the link with lower levels of management. That is you would take the long-range goals of top level manager and would draw up the programs for supervisors.

Those who directly assign work duties and oversee workers on the job are supervisors. They carry out the decisions of their managers and teach a new employee the same kind of job he is doing himself. A supervisor has to oversee a small group of workers who do not have much experience.

Management Functions. Managers at all three levels carry out four types of functions. They are planning, organizing, directing, controlling. All these management functions involve making decisions. Managers at every level follow the same decision-making process.

Planning. A business must set objectives and make plans for meeting them. Good planning involves setting a realistic goal. The plan for meeting that goal spells out the basic steps to be followed. At the same time, the plan is flexible and allows for change. The plan indicates long-term and short-term strategies for using company resources to meet the goal.

Suppose a company that produces accessories has decided that it should expand. As a long-term goal, the firm decides to produce clothing as well. The firm will need to study the market to discover the current trends in clothing.

Then the company will have to develop a marketing strategy to introduce the new line of clothing to the people who already buy the company's products. The firms management will ask what resources are needed to accomplish these goals.

Short-term goals of the company include analyzing the market study and hiring new employees.

Organizing involves obtaining and coordinating resources so that a business's objectives can be met. If the resources are not available, the manager finds out where the resources can be obtained.

Directing means influencing and guiding people under one's management to carry out their assigned tasks.

Controlling involves setting standards for work, evaluating performance and solving problems that prevent the completion of a required task.