Paul A. Piazza
Management 330
Dr. Trakas
November 14, 2010
Managing For Success Managing in today’s fast paced world of business is no easy task. Managers at all levels have to adapt as the world around them changes. They have to utilize all tools to manage effectively. The first topic of this essay is to explain what management is. It will cover the four functions of managing which are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Different control functions will be identified. Control system development and evaluation criteria will also be covered. Quality management and the techniques associated with it will be analyzed. To conclude I’ll discuss the anticipated impact on my personal and professional life from this course. What is management? Jones and George define management as the act of planning, organizing, leading and controlling of human and other resources to achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively (Jones & George, 2007, p. 5). This definition provides four distinct functions one must perform to manage. The first is planning. Planning is a process used by managers to recognize and decide the correct goals and courses of action to take in a situation (Jones & George, 2007, p. 8). There are three steps to planning. The first is to decide what goals the organization will pursue. The second is to decide how the organization will achieve those goals. And the third is to decide how to best utilize your resources to accomplish your goals. When the planning process is accomplished you end up with a strategy. A strategy is basically how you’ll implement your plan to obtain your end goal. Planning can be extremely tricky. It’s tricky because the desired outcome is known, but the actual outcome is not which adds the element of risk. When a plan is implemented the possibility of failure exists. The desired outcome is obviously success. Organizing is the
References: Berquist, C. (2009, September 28). The Official Website of the US Air Force. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123169888 Jones, G. R., & George, J. M. (2007). Essentials of Contemporary Management. Boston: The McGraw-Hill Comapies. Rinehart, G. W. (2006). Find Articles. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from BNet: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NXL/is_4_20/ai_n17216540/pg_2/?tag=content;col1 Unknown. (2010, November 13). Business Dictionary. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from Business Dictionary.com: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organizing.html Unknown. (1996-2010). Leadership Now. Retrieved November 13, 2010, from Leading Thoughts Building A Community of Leaders: http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadershipquotes.html Wynne, M. W. (2008, May 13). The Free Library by Farlex. The Air Force Commitment to Lean Initiatives .