Introduction
The term management is very broad and managers tend to have different natures and different characteristics. What managers opt to do depends on the society in which they operate the organizations. However, every manager is interested in achieving economic goals, such as expanding the business, having more profitability for the organization and for the shareholders, greater productivity and reduced costs (Rosemary, 1999).
There are certainly other social goals as well, these include the well-being of the employees, making the most out of them and empowering them. According to Fayol (Wood, 2002), in order to pursue their objectives, managers do four basic tasks of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. The job starts with what they plan for the future and how they organize the resources to achieve those objectives. Managers have to be an ideal figures (leaders) within the organization who could not only keep the internal system smooth but also can maintain strong tides with the external sources (suppliers, customers and in some ways, competitors). In order to generate the anticipated results, managers need certain level of control on the organizational settings so that things cannot go the other way or if there are any variances then they can be sorted out.
Main text
One of the aspects of the organizational growth is the modernization which has changed everything within the organizations. Things have become easier to manage in a way but more of the responsibility and greater urge for more have developed. Managers are the victims of this change, the new trends (technology, globalization) have caused the managers to plan and organize things differently. No matter, the basics of the management have remained the same but the outlook has changed from simple to more complex and perhaps more challenging. Thanks to globalization, outsourcing has changed the way managers react to various tasks. It has simplified the operations for the businesses but at the same time it has given managers a sense of lack of control as in outsourcing the tasks are given to a third party which takes the responsibility. Managers in this case, however have to be more careful as things are being carried out not under their control and that the degree of risk is greater (Eugene, 2006).
An old concept of management known as scientific management is commonly seen in every other organization. The management requires a systematic approach to do every task and that the employee has to be specialized in doing that task for which he will get reimbursed. The concept basically suggests that,
“If you and your workman have become so skillful that you and he together are making two pairs of shoes in a day, while your competitor and his workman are making only one pair, it is clear that after selling your two pairs of shoes you can pay your workman much higher wages than your competitor” (Taylor, 2003, p. 237).
Summary
The employees, as long as they are the necessary means for the organizations to accomplish their tasks, are considered assets. Modern organizations work in a more complex manner as they have to fulfill many business and non-business-related responsibilities. Due to the growing competition and an urge to pursue both, the social and organizational objectives, organizations require people who could serve them the best possible way. As the organizations become dependent on those important people (who the organizations spend a lot on in terms of time and their development), the organizations cannot afford to lose them as a new person in the organization would again take a lot of time and resources (Armstrong, 2006). The employees are therefore referred to as greatest assets for the organizations.
Reference
Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. London: Philadelphia Kogan.
Eugene, S. (2006). Learning and Development for Managers : Perspectives From Research and Practice. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Rosemary, S. (1999). The reality of Management. Oxford: Boston Butterworth-Heinemann.
Taylor, F.W. (2003). Scientific Management: Early Sociology of Management & Organisations. New York: Routeledge.
Wood, J.C. (1967). Fayol on Administration. London: Lyon.