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MODULE 1.1MODULE 1.1

Management in Context

Introduction:

Organisations, by de�nition, have been present since the beginning of

human civilisation.  A collection of people with various skills and assets,

working together to achieve an outcome for society.

Fast-forward through history and the modern organisation as we know it

has its roots in the industrial revolution.  With an emphasis on productivity

and e�ciency, organisations continually strove to produce goods faster, of

better quality and with less wastage.  This desire for increased productivity

gave birth to a variety of schools of thought around production,

management and organisational behaviour.

In the 21st century we are in the midst of a new revolution, variously

referred to as the technological revolution, the computer age, the

information age or the digital revolution.  Whilst the goal may still be

productivity and e�ciency, with such progress there has been a change in

expectations from all organisational stakeholders including customers and

employees.  Additionally, there is a shift in power and competitiveness.

Many of the well-respected principles of management were developed over

the last 100 years, so do they still hold true in today’s organisation? 

That’s for you to research and discover!

As you progress through this module, it is important that you understand

the areas brie�y outlined below.

The Nature of Organisations and EnvironmentThe Nature of Organisations and Environment

The purpose of an organisation is to garner resources and e�ectively ustilise

these through e�cient processes to achieve a speci�c goal.  Managers

within an organisation must communicate these goals and ensure people

are performing and following processes to achieve the required outcomes.

We must keep in mind, however that organisations don’t exist in a vacuum.

They are impacted by, interact with and connect to a variety of other bodies

and stakeholders.  It is therefore critical that managers understand both the

internal and external environments which impact the organisation.  As you

progress with your reading and research, be mindful to explore di�erent

elements in both the internal and external environments which include but

are not limited to:

Internal

Owners / shareholders

Board of directors

Management

Employees

Organisational culture

Processes and systems

External

Customers

Suppliers

Regulators

Strategic partners

Competitors

Society

Economy

Technology

Political and legal

Environment

The Role of ManagementThe Role of Management

As mentioned previously, there are some management principles and

theories which have been around for many years and yet still have

relevance today.  One of these is Henri Fayol’s Functions of Management

which cover:

Planning – setting direction, goals, strategies and actions

Organising – acquiring and arranging needed resources (people, materials, equipment, money, etc)

Commanding – leading and guiding

Coordinating – allocating and managing work�ow, sharing information and communicating

Controlling – monitoring and taking corrective action

In the early 1990’s, Henry Mintzberg (n.d.) felt that Fayol’s description was

inadequate and set out to describe what managers actually do.  He

categorised these roles into three groups:

Interpersonal Roles – Figurehead, Leader, Liaison

Informational Roles – Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson

Decisional Roles - Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, Negotiator

Read carefully the resources provided and research further to determine

how these principles apply today.

The Challenges Managers FaceThe Challenges Managers Face

Managers operate in an ever-changing workplace.  Expectations from

stakeholders, including employees and customers have changed as has

society’s expectations of organisations.  Awareness of these potential

challenges, allows managers to better prepare themselves and their

organisations for success.

Challenges can present themselves in a variety of forms:

Managing change

Workplace and social diversity

National culture

Ethical behaviour

Corporate Social Responsibility

Technological advances

Workplace �exibility and mobility

Competition

Organisational culture

Many of these will be discussed further in this and other modules

Understanding Organisational BehaviourUnderstanding Organisational Behaviour

Organisational behaviour considers the relationships and dynamics of

human behaviour at three levels: individual, team and across the

organisation.  Understanding behaviour at these di�erent levels allows

managers to better motivate and engage individuals, create higher

performing teams, manage change and design organisations and structures

to facilitate value adding activities.

Success in any management positions requires an understanding of people

and the complexity of behaviour.  People don’t come with a user manual

and every individual is unique, however there are many frameworks and

models which will provide some insight as to how managers can increase

performance at all levels and create an engaged workplace.

Some of these will be discussed in the resources provided and you must

supplement these with broader research.

Naturally Occurring Data & Qualitative AnalysisNaturally Occurring Data & Qualitative Analysis

Managers must continually scan their environment for naturally occurring

data.  This is data which has not been gained through a speci�cally design

research experiment or activity.  Such data may provide insight into

workplace issues and inform decision making.  Examples may include

reports, presentations, feedback from employees and customers including

non-verbals and observations of behaviours and activities.

E�ective managers will synthesise this data and analyse it to draw

conclusions and make decision.

This introductory module sets the context for the modules that follow, so be

sure you read broadly and critically consider the management actions and

behaviours that take place in your own organisation (past or present).  View

them through the lens of management theory and consider if and how

things could be done di�erently.

References:References:

Minzberg, H. (2012).  The manager’s job: folklore and fact. In Vecchio, P,

(Ed.), Leadership: understanding the dynamics of power and in�uence in

organizations.  (2nd ed).  USA: University of Notre Dame Press

Essential Resources:

University of Minnesota. (2015). Principles of

management[e-book]. Retrieved from

http://open.lib.umn.edu/principlesmanagement/ Chapter 1,

Chapter 3 Pp 116-135

There is no set text for this subject, however this open source text

provides a good introduction to management, its functions and

challenges faced.

Hurd, J. L. (2010). The pro�le of a successful midlevel

manager at AstraZeneca proves that great leaders aren't

only in the c-suite. Global Business & Organizational

Excellence, 29(5), 52-63. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bsu&AN=51378575&site=ehost-live

This analysis makes practical observations of the skills, experience and

actions of successful leaders in the workplace.

Protect INTERNET (2011, Aug 18) Gary Hamel on the future

of management [Video �le]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYaYwCA-FaM

Gary Hamel is an in�uential management thinker and writer. This

short video provides his thoughts on the future workplace and role

managers play.

AIEMCA. 2010. David Silverman on Qualitative Research

Methods & Natural Data Part 1. [video �le] retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVnIO4vzXg8

This video provides a description of naturally occurring data, its

importance and how it is used in research.

Pre-Class Learning Acitivties:

Learning activities are not part of summative/graded assessment; however,

they are designed to prepare you for incremental graded assessment and

expand your learning. These activities encourage a community learning

experience between peers, and provide opportunities for facilitators to o�er

formative feedback, throughout a module, to the student cohort.

Collaborative Learning Activity:Collaborative Learning Activity:

Activity 1.1: Activity 1.1: Your Management Role ModelYour Management Role Model

Module 1 - Discussion Forum: Please share your answers to Module 1

discussion forum questions found via link in the main navigation

menu or click here to scroll to the bottom of this page then click on

the "Module 1 - Discussion ForumModule 1 - Discussion Forum" link.

Self-check Learning Activity: Management Skills BlogSelf-check Learning Activity: Management Skills Blog

How good are your management skills?

Complete the following checklist from MindTools on your management skills.

Submit your answers in a class blog thread by writing a brief paragraph on why you agree/disagree with the results.

A blog link has been created for this for this activity in the main navigation menu.

Open the blog link and create a new thread to insert your thoughts.

Comment on 1 – 2 peer blog contributions.

Checklist Resource

Mind Tools Content Team. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_28.htm

Management skills blog instruction sheet

Class Learning for Topic Module 1.1:

A synchronous class time will cover key points below:A synchronous class time will cover key points below:

The Nature of Organisations and Environment

Roles and functions of management

Internal and external environments

The Challenges Managers Face

Understanding Organisational Behaviour

Naturally Occurring Data & Qualitative Analysis

The future of management