Chapter 1 Introduction to Principles of Management

Thomas Edison once quipped, “There is a way to do it better—find it.” This simple challenge is at the heart of the study and practice of management. Perhaps you’ve already considered ways to do things better in the organizations, teams, schools, clubs, or social groups in your life. Most of us have thought of better ways to manage others at work or perhaps at home. As you’ve visited or worked at restaurants, coffee shops, schools, or other organizations, it’s likely you’ve encountered many instances where different interactions with individuals would have led to a better experience.

Management is the art and science of managing others. Knowledge of management will help you identify and develop the skills to better manage your career, relationships, and the behavior of others in organizations. A manager’s primary challenge is to solve problems creatively, and managementThe art and science of accomplishing individual and organizational goals through the efforts of individuals and groups using planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. often refers to “the art of getting things done through the efforts of other people.” The principles of managementThe concepts managers use in an effort to accomplish management goals., then, are the means by which you actually manage, that is, get things done through others—individually, in groups, or in organizations. Formally defined, the principles of management are the activities that “plan, organize, and control the operations of the basic elements of [people], materials, machines, methods, money and markets, providing direction and coordination, and giving leadership to human efforts, so as to achieve the sought objectives of the enterprise.” For this reason, principles of management are often discussed and learned using a framework called P-O-L-C, which stands for planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. While managers do not necessarily spend all their time managing, the managerial function is required in all aspects of organizations. Everyone employed in an organization is affected by management principles, processes, policies, and practices as one is either a manager or a subordinate to a manager, and usually both. Consequently, finding a “way to do it better” is a challenge that helps all individuals to meet their personal and professional goals.