Authority and Power Authority may be defined as the right to guide and direct the actions of others and to secure from them responses which are appropriate to the attainment of the goals of the organization. According to Barnard, ”Authority is the character of communication(order) in a formal organization by virtue of which it is accepted by a contributor to, or member of the organization as generating the action he contributes, that is, as governing or determining what he does or is not to do so far as the organization is concerned.” Power refers to the ability or capacity to influence the behavior or attitudes of other individuals. A manager’s power may be considered as his ability to cause subordinates to do what the manager wishes them to do. Power is an important means to enforce obedience to the rules, regulations and decisions of the organization. Power may be Continue reading
Management Basics
Theories of Learning
Learning is an important psychological process that-determines human behavior. Learning can be defined as “relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience or reinforced practice”. Important theories of learning are: 1. Classical Conditioning The work of the famous Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov demonstrated the classical conditioning process. When Pavlov presented a piece of meat to the dog in the experiment, Pavlov noticed a great deal of salivation. He termed the food an unconditioned stimulus and the salivation an unconditioned response. When the dog saw the meat, it salivated. On the other hand, when Pavlov merely rang a bell, the dog did not salivate. Pavlov subsequently introduced the sound of a bell each time the meat was given to the dog. The dog eventually learned to salivate in response to the ringing of the-bell-even when there was no meat. Pavlov had conditioned the dog to respond to Continue reading
The Impact of Organizational Culture on Business Strategy
Organizational culture is an essential aspect to a company that can influence the strategy of the organization. Organizational culture can define as one organization share their own traditions, values, policies and attitudes during their daily operation. Organizational culture is a basement of company strategy. Company can achieve their business goal very easily if they put organizational culture into their business vision and mission; make sure the culture can match with company strategy, in this way company culture can push their business keep going. Each of organization has their unique culture which the company can benefit from it. The culture can give a large effect to employees, even the company’s customers. As long as staffs know about the culture of company, they know the core business of the organizational hence the strategies they make will surround the organizational culture and that will not deviate their organizational goal. On the other hand, Continue reading
Managerial Ethics and Social Responsibilities
Managerial Ethics The term ‘ethics’ refers to value-oriented decisions and behaviour. The word ethics comes from the Greek root, ethros, meaning character, giving beliefs, standards, or deals that pervade a group, a community or an individual. Today ethics is the study of moral behaviour–the study of how the standards of moral conduct among the individuals are established and expressed behaviourally. Terms such as business ethics, corporate ethics, medical ethics, or legal ethics are used to indicate the particular area of application. But to have meaning, the ethics involved in each area must still refer to the value-oriented decisions and behaviour of individuals. Ethics refer to a set of moral principles, which should pay a very significant role in guiding the conduct of managers and employees in the operation of any enterprise. Ethics is concerned with what is right and what is wrong is human behaviour. It is normative and prescriptive, Continue reading
Factors that Contribute to Successful Organizations
An organization is said to be effective when it achieves the expected output as by the management. An effective organization earns profit for investors, offers satisfactory service to clients and has a potential for growth and development. Organizations are able to survive chaotic times due to their adaptability to change. The management which provides good leadership experiences employee retention and the workers are more productive than one with a demoralized workforce. An organization has to facilitate training and continuous learning for employees, the organization has contingency methods of operation that is different situations are handled by the different appropriate ways. An organization has to engage the input of its employees in the decision making. The employees being a valuable asset should be motivated for maximum input. Many studies observe that managers should take cognizance of the different values and beliefs held by employees. There should be no discrimination on gender, Continue reading
Nature and Importance of Managerial Principles by Henri Fayol
Henri Fayol was one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management. Fayol has been described as the father of modern operational management theory. Like Socrates, Fayol suggested that management is a universal human activity that applies equally well to the family as it does to the corporation. Fayol’s career began as a mining engineer. He then moved into research geology and in 1888 joined, Comambault as Director. Comambault was in difficulty but Fayol turned the operation round. On retirement he published his work – a comprehensive theory of administration – described and classified administrative management roles and processes then became recognized and referenced by others in the growing discourse about management. He is frequently seen as a key, early contributor to a classical or administrative management school of thought. His theorizing about administration was built on personal observation and experience of what worked well in terms of Continue reading