Objectives of Management Principles
Stephen Robbins and Mary Coulter put forward four management objectives, including:
To provide direction for both managers and non-managerial employees. With a plan, employees can find out what they have to achieve, who they need to work with, and what needs to be done to achieve organizational goals. Without a plan, departments and individuals might work individually independently, so that the work of the organization is less efficient.
To reduce uncertainty. When a manager makes a plan, he is forced to look far ahead, predict changes, predict the effects of those changes, and plan to deal with them.
To minimize waste. With work that is directed and planned, employees can work more efficiently and reduce waste. In addition, with a plan, a manager can also identify and delete things that can cause inefficiency in the company.
To set goals and standards used in subsequent functions, namely the process of controlling and evaluating. The process of evaluating or evaluating is the process of comparing plans with existing realities. Without a plan, managers will not be able to assess company performance.
Element of Management Principles
There are two important elements of the principle, namely the goal (goals) and the plan itself (plan).
Target
Targets are things that individuals, groups, or entire organizations want to achieve. Goals are often called goals. Goals guide management to make decisions and make criteria to measure a job.
Targets can be divided into two groups, namely stated goals and real goals. Stated goals are goals stated by the organization to the wider community. Targets such as this can be seen in company charter, annual reports, public relations announcements, or public statements made by management.
Often these stated goals contradict existing realities and are made only to meet the demands of corporate stakeholders. While the real target is the target that is really desired by the company. Real goals can only be known from the actions of the organization and its members.
There are two main approaches that organizations can use to achieve their goals. The first approach is called the traditional approach. In this approach, top managers provide general targets, which are then reduced by subordinates to more detailed subgoals. His subordinates then lower it again to his men, and continue until it reaches the lowest level.
This approach assumes that top managers are people who know everything because they have seen the big picture of the company. The main difficulty occurs in the process of translating targets by superiors. Often, superiors provide goals that are too broad in scope such as "improve performance," "increase profits," or "develop the company," so that subordinates have difficulty translating these goals and ultimately misinterpret the purpose of the goals.
The second approach is called management by objective or MBO. In this approach, the goals and objectives of the organization are not only determined by top managers, but also by employees. Managers and employees together make goals that they want to achieve. In this way, employees will feel valued so that their productivity will increase. But there are some weaknesses in the MBO approach.
First, negotiation and decision making in the MBO approach require a lot of time, so it is less suitable when applied to a very dynamic business environment. Second, there is a tendency for employees to work to meet their goals regardless of their colleagues, so that teamwork is reduced. Some also say that MBO is just a mere formality, in the end it is only the top management that sets targets.
Plan
Plan or plan is a document that is used as a scheme to achieve goals. Plans usually include the allocation of resources, schedules and other important actions. Plans are divided according to scope, time period, specificity, and frequency of use. Based on its scope, plans can be divided into strategic plans and operational plans. The strategic plan is a general plan that applies at all levels of the organization while the operational plan is a plan that regulates the daily activities of members of the organization.
Based on the time period, plans can be divided into long-term plans and short-term plans. Long-term plans are generally defined as plans with a period of three years, short-term plans are plans that have a period of one year. While the plan that is in between the two is said to have an intermediate time frame.
According to its specificity, plans are divided into directional plans and specific plans. Directional plans are plans that only provide general guidelines, not detail. For example, a manager tells his employees to "increase profit by 15%." The manager does not tell him what to do to achieve that 15%.
Plans like this are very flexible, but the level of ambiguity is high. While specific plans are plans that in detail determine the ways that must be done to achieve goals. In addition to asking employees to "increase profits by 15%," he also gave detailed orders, for example by expanding the market, reducing costs, and others.
Steps in Developing Planning Principles Management
Planning itself means planning or planning, consisting of several steps, namely:
Determine and formulate goals to be achieved
Determine who will do and what influences the implementation of the action
Determine what to do, when and how to do it.
Limiting targets and establishing work practices to achieve maximum effectiveness through the process of determining targets.
Gather and analyze information
Develop alternatives
Prepare and communicate plans and decisions.
Factors to Look For
In planning there are several factors that must be considered, among others.
Smart, meaning planning must be smart.
Specific, meaning that planning must be clear about its purpose and scope. Not too wide and idealistic.
Measurable, meaning that the work program or plan must be able to measure its success rate.
Achievable, the meaning can be achieved. So it's not wishful thinking.
Realistic, meaning that it is in accordance with the capabilities and available resources. Not too easy and not too difficult. But there are still challenges.
Time, meaning there is a clear time limit. Weekly, monthly, quarterly, semester, or yearly so that it is easily assessed and evaluated.