PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT FOR EVERY ONE

Managing Process For Everyone

2010-08-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is the name of a book on practical management in the final stage of editing prior to its planned publication.

The author would like to share his ideas with bloggers so that interesting comments will be included in the book's comments on back-cover of the book.

The overview of this book is given below to reduce your time for reading it.

Title of Book: As above-stated (It may be amended)

Chapter One

Introduction of Process Management
Text: (A summary)
Overview of existing principles, systems and practices.

Classical schools of management are reviewed and their principles extracted e.g. Henry Fayol, Lyndall Urwick, Frederick Taylor, Max Weber, Peter Drucker's extracted for comparatimve studies.

Recent years' management results evidenced by successes/failures of corporate management reviewed.

Famous management conceppts compared with practical processes already demonstrated in successful implementations.

Process Management outlined in 4 administrative steps and 10 functional deppartments with work examples based on author's varied experiences in managing companies in various fields covering property/facility management, civil engineering contract/operations, marine/civil/logistics projects etc.

Chapter Two

Review of major management teachings as published in various textbooks.

Extracts of good principles, translation of such good principles to practical implementation through process management.

Chapter Three

Work examples : Forms (Administration) and Work Forms (Operations)

How to use Action Processes as set up in Forms and Work Forms.

How to oversee at macroscopic levels diverse decision makings, and implementation processes set up in 10 departments.

How to control, measure, correct and confirm performances with simple checklists and communicate with all employees at all levels via task-lines charted on simple yet practical Management Report (Feedback task-lines)

Chapter Four

Work examples for practical process management for 10 departments e.g. Human Resource, Accounts, Production, Marketing, Facility, Enforcement, Services,..

Chapter Five

Plans, programe, Strategies, Policies to re-position enterprises to overcome human problems, conflicts, and excel through en mass application of knowledge at all levels based on the wisdom that "one Talent is enough if allowed or motivated by top management" via process management where everyone wins.

Chapter Six

Recommendations to International Business Associations, Chambers of Commerce, United Nation Agencies, Governments, Peace Missions, Relief Agencies, to sit down and work together on process management principles to settle human conflicts, due to self-centeredness of human beings and solve problems in a lasting and enduring manner as recommended.

Appendices: References to practical examples, I have used in my fields property/facility management, civil engineering/contract administration, salvage/marine/logistics operations.

(Potential: In the aftermath of Asian Financial Crisis 1997, US Sub-prime crisis 2007, and all the malpractices and scandals as unveiled in management of enterprises, why wait for another crisis. Time is of the essence and if the world fails to work, it will no doubt regret why it never comes across a book with practical process management like this to save the lives and works of billions)

I look forward to your comments so that I could forward the final text to your recommended publishers (I will acknowledge your contributions ; hopefully including translations to non-English publishers) as soon as possible.

"Be part of this book which I intend to send to publishers by end of 2010, as you would no doubt bebefit from it in your diverse ventures. Post me your comments, publisher contacts etc as soon as possible"

Robert K H Teh

CHAPTER ONE - AN INTRODUCTION - PROCESS MANAGEMENT

2006-08-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

CHAPTER ONE

AN INTRODUCTION – PROCESS MANAGEMENT

BACKGROUND

Given the abundance of books written about leadership, motivation, effective habits of successful people, responsiveness to change and transformational cultural widespread knowledge application etc, it is paradoxical that management today remains complex, perplexing and as elusive as ever.

My main objective in writing this book is not to dwell on another concept or theory about management but rather it is to share my own practical experiences in translating useful management fundamentals into practice.

I have recognized through working in diverse management environment encompassing property and facility management, civil engineering contract administration, heavy crane and equipment rentals, and heavy-lift logistic marine and salvage operations that tasks are basically divisible in their component functions and cause-and-effect processes.

By analysing and dividing tasks into their constituent components we unveil internal task relationship enabling workers to perform them in a user-friendly manner very much like assembling of the lego blocks.

It is common sense that business success is largely about how we come up with goals, objectives, plans and strategies and implementing strategies on resource applications for seizing of opportunities.

Hence at a macro level we can divide administrative tasks in 4 basic steps namely: Step (1) study of ideas, Step (2) :enquiring on resources, Step (3) : securing contracts and Step (4) : administering diverse business deals of contracts in departments.

Study of ideas includes collecting of facts, decision making, and formulation of actions and strategic plans for implementation.

After acceptance of an idea it is only logical we follow through the idea with strategic enquiry on use or allocation of resources for seizing of business opportunities.

After strategic enquiry on use of resource it is only logical to secure deals or contracts.

After securing contracts it is only logical to follow through contracts with contract administration aimed at leveraging on human and other resources through specialization and knowledge application.

The diverse operations of any business are actually no more than good and efficient project management set with relevant quality-time-cost controls for easy consistent and focused performance with objective supervision and delegation with minimum of supervision.

MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS – AN OVERVIEW

Whereas Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol have imparted the logics of job designing and planning such management processes are generic and lacking the logical self-directed implementation processes.

Hawthorne’s investigation and McGregor theory “Y” exposition have clearly established human motivational factors like need for appreciation and recognition as significant to efficiency and productivity.

Quantitative, or Operational Research have provided us with management tools like the Gantt Chart, Linear Programming or Computer Programming for diverse operational purposes but such tools may be specious and limited in applications and should not be mistaken as fundamental processes of management.

It is not enough plan and organize tasks for leveraging on human talents and other resources. There are other prerequisites that need attention such as training, building up discipline and morale and integrating and internalize tasks in attainable work processes as part of personal competencies of workers and delegate them for decentralized motivational multi-disciplinary functional user-friendly implementation processes to ensure final results.

It is essential to coordinate between functional departments namely general administration, human resource, marketing, facility and external services guided by internal task relationship and interrelated work routines and process all tasks holistically.

The diverse objectives, mission statements, plans and strategies need not remain conceptual decorations but become unifying commitment and as an integral part of actual works and services performed by workers with self-directed actualization to meet needs and demands of customers.

Mintzberg’s studies had revealed that managers are often not involved in planning or organizing but are rather merely playing short-duration roles of figurehead, liaison, negotiating or disseminating information, spending little time for reflective thinking because of constant interruptions.

As Mark Twain has paraphrased it in his famous recipe of success: “The secret of success is to get started. To get started one has to divide complex and overwhelming tasks into smaller attainable tasks and starting on the first one.”

Hence this book is all about translating goals and objectives, policies of all kinds to their original or natural constituent elements to make tasks attainable in a user-friendly manner. For an in-depth understanding of process management, let us first review the fundamentals of management as follows:-

SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
(Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management 1911)

1. Tasks can be analyzed with gathering of information such as sales, production capacity required, type of machinery, foreign exchange requirements, organization structure in order to formulate an integrated plan for efficient execution.
2. Operation can be formulated with selecting men, finding out the “one best way” method of doing each job designing appropriate tools and implements, training and motivating the personnel.

Henri Fayol
(1841-1925)

1. Basic functional activities of organization are planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.
2. Emphasis on unity of command
3. Clear definition of roles.
4. Disciplining is what the manager makes it.
5. Structuring of functions of organization into technical, commercial, financial, security, accounts, and administrative.
6. Division of tasks into functional departments e.g. accounting, production, and marketing etc facilitates identification of activities and promotion of specialization and corporate strategizing and planning.

MOTION STUDY
(Frank , 1868-1924 and Lilian Gilbreth, 1878-1972)

1. Further develop Taylor’s scientific methodology with use of flow charts analyzing tasks e.g. 5 basic elements : Operation, Transportation, Inspection, Storage and Delivery or basic work cycle of Lifting, moving, resting. Through such analysis tasks in brick laying were reduced from 18 to 5 steps eliminating unnecessary or wasteful movement thereby increasing productivity and efficiency.
2. Simplification and standardization of tasks to increase efficiency and productivity.

THE HAWTHORNE INVESTIGATION
(Elton Mayo, 1880-1949)

1. Studies undertaken at Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois begun in early 1924 but extended through the early 1930s on behavior of workers towards changing conditions in work place. Firstly control and experimental groups were established with experimental group presented to varying illumination, while control group under constant intensity. Engineers had expected individual output to be directly related to the intensity of light. To their surprise, they found that as the light level was increased in the experimental group output for both groups rose. To their surprise when light level was dropped, in the experimental group productivity continued to increase in both group.
2. A group of 5 girls assembling small telephone part were subjected to changing conditions e.g. reduction in working hours from 48 to 40 per week, pauses in work period, given free lunches and at the end all the benefits were withdrawn but surprisingly the productivity increased from 2,400 pieces per week to 3,000 pieces per week.
3. It established that productivity is not just a technical phenomenon but a social phenomenon and that workers respond to recognition and appreciation.

Karl Weick and James March both attacked the rationalist approach of Mayo by their findings that people usually stayed fixed to certain past assumptions or forecast instead of improvisation, seizing opportunities rather than dwelling on constraints.

TASKS OF EXECUTIVES
(Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick - Science of Administration, 1937)

1. Tasks of executives are planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting.
2. General principles include fitting people to structure, one top executive, unity of command, staff special and general, necessity to subdivide tasks so that people can specialize in different operations, delegation, responsibility and authority, span of control, management not to be dictated by technical experts.

SECRETS OF SUCCESS

Besides the rational and scientific methodologies, there exist many intuitive or judgmental attributes responsible for successes as summarized below:-

1. Focus and Consistency.
2. Positive Work Attitude.
3. Foresight & Insight
4. Supportive Environment.
5. Passion & Determination.
6. Coordination, Teamwork and Bottom-up Approach.
7. Adaptation to Changing Environments.
8. Creativity and Entrepreneurship
9. Leverage on strengths and avoid weaknesses (Sun Sze Art
of War)

Max Weber challenged the charismatic leadership concept and proposed rule-driven bureaucracy as a more sustainable long-term solution to problem.

Steven R. Covey has proposed seven competencies as responsible for success in many individuals or ventures.

HUMAN RELATION, FELLOWSHIP AND SELF-RESPECT

Douglas McGregor formulated two sets of assumptions about human nature - Theory “X” and Theory “Y”. The former presents an essentially negative view of people like having little ambition, disliking work, shunning responsibility or requiring constant guidance. Theory “Y” regards people as self-directed, accepting responsibility.

MANAGEMENT ROLES
(Henry Mintzberg, study of managers’ roles, 1960s)

Mintzberg’s studies revealed that far from spending time performing management functions like planning, organizing, leading and controlling, managers were engaged in a large number of varied and short-duration activities like playing figurehead, spokesman, liaison and information and decisional role spending little time for reflective thinking because of constant interruptions.

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

K. G.Lockyer, a factory production specialist used simplification, standardization and specialization and adding of values to products to serve customers’ needs to increase efficiency in production and avoid wastage.

SOCIAL SYSTEM SCHOOL

Chester Barnard suggested management as satisfying the diverse needs of various groups e.g. shareholders, creditors, customers, workers and supervisors whose definition of organization is: “A system of consciously coordinated personal activities of two or more persons”

PROCESS MANAGEMENT

In Strategy and Structure, Alfred Chandler took the structure versus strategy approach emphasizing that once a business arrives at a strategy it will take care of its structure with the famous slogan "structure follows strategy"

In an article published by Professor Harold Koonz in 1961, Koonz described the diversity of management approaches as “management theory jungle” but conceded that each approach or process like planning, organizing, controlling has something to offer. He regarded (1) human resource and quantitative approaches as not equivalent to field of management but only as tools used by management. (2) A process approach could encompass and synthesize the diversity of the day.
Peter Drucker regarded Decentralization and simplification as the essentials to change. He discounted the command and control model and asserted that companies work best when they are decentralized. According to Drucker, corporations tend to produce too many products, hire employees they don't need (when a better solution would be outsourcing), and expand into economic sectors that they should avoid.
NEEDS AND ECONOMIC APPROACH

Maslow viewed management as existing to cater to five needs - (a) Physiological (b) Safety (c) Social (d) Esteem and (e) Self-actualization.

Management has been equated to "business activity to produce goods and services to meet people's elementary wants of food, water, clothing, shelter and medical care. Business grew out of specialization for only when people specialize can they produce a surplus."

OPERATION RESEARCH/QUANTITATIVE METHOD

Quantitative approach, operations research or scientific management according to Stephen P. Robbins evolved out of world war II when the British attempted to maximize their aircraft capability against the more powerful ones of the Germans turning to mathematics to devise an optimum allocation model; and similarly the U.S. anti-submarine warfare teams used operations research techniques to improve the odds of survival for allied convoys crossing the North Atlantic and for selecting the optimal depth-charge for aircraft and surface vessel attacks on German U-boats.

Scientific management techniques include the following:-
(1) Statistical Methods
(2) Mathematical i.e. Linear and Integer Linear Programming
(3) Simulation
(4) Network Models (including PERT/CPM)
(5) Decision Analysis
(6) Waiting Line Models
(7) Inventory Models
(8) Dynamic Programming

TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

A smaller group of quality experts notably represented by W. Edwards Deming in 1950 went to Japan and advised many top Japanese managers on how to improve production effectiveness. According to Deming a well-managed company was one in which statistical control reduced variability and resulted in uniform quality and predictability of quantity with intensive emphasis on attaining customer’s needs and continual improvements.

CONSTANT CHANGE AND INNOVATION

Dr. Edward De Bono propounded a whole new concept of creative lateral thinking whereby new solutions are encouraged from seeking other alternative paths than those based on convention probability assumptions.

Andrew Pettigrew suggested that people often held on to fragrantly faulty assumption about their world for long period of time up to a decade or so even though circumstances have long changed.

In the mid 1960s, management was increasingly regarded as driven by needs arising from social and environmental environments competing for limited oil and mineral, political stability global warming and competitions for limited talent pools etc.

Environmentally friendly products are new trends of unprecedented impact on productions attributable to increasing evidences of global warming caused by increased mass energy-guzzling and pollutive manufacturing activities. MNCs are taking into account such new environment and resource availability factors in choosing productions, future business expansion and locations for manufacturing or production.

There is an increasing view that the many concepts and practices as stated in the foregoing review may be applicable in a more stable world of the past ages but not in today’s fast changing environments due to mergers, acquisitions and new competitors appearing and old ones disappearing.

To stay responsive to such changes, necessary changes include (1) Content - innovative technologies and (2) process - unity of purpose, commitment, motivation of workers in tandem with organizational change.

PRACTICAL SOLUTION - SIMPLIFY TASKS AND GO BACK TO BASICS.

From the foregoing review of fundamentals and assumptions about management it will be clear that concepts will remain complex and generic not easily related or translated to actual task performance to meet the diverse needs of customers.

There still exist great differences in views and opinions over cause-effect relationship about efficiency and productivity or methods in motivating workers in widespread knowledge and skill application, and creating an innovative and competitive culture in the actual work scene.

In the face of such dilemma, the obvious solution is going back to basics as recommended by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick “to subdivide tasks so that people can specialize in different operations, delegation, responsibility and authority, span of control, management not to be dictated by technical experts.”

After all management is all about effective delegation leveraging on human and other resources or getting things done through people - a major factor of success.

Karl Weick and James Marsh were right, Taylor’s, Fayol’s rationalist task-oriented approaches failed to take into account other factors like seizing of opportunities due to changes of conditions etc. Scientific Management tools like Gantt Chart, CPM, Linear Programming, Simulations or computer applications or spreadsheets are only useful production and engineering tools of limited applications and management is not technical but multi-disciplinary and humanistic in nature.

Leadership, insight and foresight, personal and all the personal and cultural competencies should first be translated into attainable processes before managers could lead or control otherwise such look-good attributes would remain conceptual, rhetorical and ineffectual.

OSP divides tasks in their natural constituent elements; unveils task relationship, formulates internal task interrelationship and set hands-on practical quality-time-cost controls alongside cause-effect measurable performance generating databases for continuous monitoring and self-corrections. Such constituent process management provides a practical platform for integrating diverse multi-disciplinary factors and assimilating processes as an integral part of human competencies to facilitate self-actualization as advocated in Maslow’s structure of human needs.

For example, administrative work processes are easily internalized as 4 manageable steps to facilitate management as shown in Appendices F-GF, F-GC avoiding procrastination, double-handling, duplications and waste.

In operations, departmentalized core tasks set up in Work Forms (Service –security) reinforce quality-time-cost controls as easy-to-remember acronyms like “M.I.S.T.A.K.E” for “misuse of facility”, “intruder” “stealing” “traffic”, “alteration”, “contractor” and “escape – fire” internalizing such hands-on as result-oriented security controls as security personnel’s own innate self-directed competencies to make security tasks attainable.

Harold Koonz has regarded the diversity of concepts and principles as “management theory jungle” and suggested synthesizing tasks in processes as the way forward.

After a stint of working in diverse management environments, I have concluded that tasks are universally founded in their basic constituent component elements e.g. administration consists of carrying out tasks in 4-step and 10-department processes. From 1985, upon resuming my original property management as building manager of a major shopping complex in downtown of Republic of Singapore, I began putting such process management designated as “Objective-Step Processing Management” or “OSP” to practice.

Administratively, I was able to efficiently follow through administrative tasks in 4 natural constituent component steps namely Step (1) – studying of ideas, Step (2) enquiring on resources, Step (3) securing contracts and Step (4) administering business contracts and scopes of works.

Operationally, I departmentalize tasks in ten functional departments to better coordinate multi-disciplinary tasks namely: human resource, enforcement, facility, marketing, production, revenue and services, revenue and compliance. The key to efficiency and productivity in operations lies in consistency and focus.

Core tasks set with quality-time-cost performance criteria or controls are sustained by self-generated measurable databases e.g. “1” for failure, “2” for “attainment” and “3” for excellence cutting down much workload due to ad hoc look-good judgmental window-dressing reporting or annual creative accounting.

Over time such process management has benefited many service providers performing services like security, cleaning, car park operations and a host of building and M&E maintenance and operations becoming highly efficient and effective due to workers’ internalizing of processes as an integral part of their own innate competencies.

Many supervisors have willingly abandoned their past ad hoc or judgmental fire-fighting approaches as unsatisfactory workers were effectively trained to become “best security guards or best cleaners” under motivational self-directed process management.

These service workers as mentioned in the foregoing were constantly motivated by objective supervision, appreciation and recognition, respect of worker’s individuality, fellowship with workers, fitting people to structure as tasks became attainable and manageable.

In his book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” Daniel Coleman described how a skilled welder Joe excelled at his best through creating a state of mind called flow, and concluded that flow blossoms when our skills are fully engaged by a work project that stretches us in new and challenging ways and in this state of mind we seem to handle everything effortlessly, nimbly adjusting to shifting demands. Flow itself is a pleasure.”

OSP creates a natural work flow while interacting with workers’ own inherent competencies as follows:-

(1) 4-STEP ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENTALIZATION
(2) INTERNALIZE USER-FRIENDLY CONTROLS
(3) TRANSLATING TASKS INTO ATTAINABLE WORK PROCESSES SUSTAINED BY SELF-CORRECTIVE DATABASES

Daniel Coleman’s finding of self-directed work flow or synergy with workers’ own competencies is internalized as an integral two-way top-down-and-bottom-up processes.

Quality-time-cost controls generate databases for self-corrections to realize effective delegation, enabling and empowering of workers’ own personal competencies, to attain results through teamwork, transparency and accountability.

No extra paper works or work loads are created by process management as reliable, transparent and accountable databases sustain efficiency and productivity with self-corrections to meet quality-time-cost controls set up.

Only existing forms and work forms used for performance of works and services are adapted as processing Forms and Work Forms as shown in Appendices F-IG, F-GL, F-QI, WF-SS, WF-SM etc to facilitate processing performance.

The ten operation departments communicate with the general department in two-way top-down-and-bottom-up processes through weekly inputting and processing and closing of tasks in 4-part task-line of the following format:-

[NAME]–[SUB_NAME]–[REF_NO.] – [DIVISION/DETAILS/QUANTITY]

Whatever the nature of your business or industry you are in any Managers could easily adapt existing procedures in performing diverse works and services as processing Forms and Work Forms as listed in Appendix F-GF to start process management. He may communicate customer’s feedbacks or task variances in 4-part task-lines to a database server through a mobile phone or other wireless device to make process management a breeze.

Hence as Mark Twain has advised, the secret of success is to get started and to get started one has to divide complex and overwhelming tasks in smaller attainable tasks and get started on the first one. Now with process management it is possible as Nike says “Just do it”

(ABOVE-STATED MANUSCRIPT IS THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF ROBERT TEH KOK HUA
FOR RIGHT TO PUBLICATION PLEASE OBTAIN PERMISSION FROM author through email : roberttehkh@yahoo.com)

STRAITS TIMES ARTICLE - PRACTICAL PRODUCTIVITY "OBJECTIVE-STEPS PROCESSING MGT SYSTEM- PUBLISHED IN STRAITS TIMES ON 27.12.2004

2006-01-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

PRACTICAL PRODUCTIVITY - OBJECTIVE-STEPS PROCESSING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (As published in STRAITS TIMES "RECRUIT" on 27.12.2004)

As the year winds down and a new one looms, it is time to relook your organisational processes to be more efficient and productive

From the early days of human history, success has been equated to a certain ability to simplify complex tasks into smaller and easily accomplished components to facilitate performance.

According to Mark Twain, "the secret of getting ahead is to get started. The secret of getting started is breaking down your complex and overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks and then starting on the first one."[/b]

However, most people manage tasks in an ad hoc manner, relying on impulse or intuition. This is evident from slogans that are commonly bandied about, such as:

(a) Focus and consistency
(b) Positive work attitude
(c) Foresight and insight
(d) Supportive environment
(e) Passion and determination
(f) Proactive hands-on approach
(g) Coordination
(h) Teamwork and bottom-up approach
(i) Adapting to changing environments
(j) Creativity and entrepreneurship
(k) Leveraging on strengths and avoidance of weakness.

Notwithstanding the obvious wisdom of such advice, these are nevetheless abstact attributes. Operational manuals, standard operating procedures, policies and decisions are often adopted because they look good rather than because they are effective.

The prevalence of an intuitive management approach may be attributable to the common habit of equating success to individual efficiency.

But, if you look around, you will come across many objectively-defined work processes that are taking over tradtional tasks with increased efficiency and productivity, such as online banking,, real-time ticketing, automations, telecommunications, computerized management and accounting applications and so on.

Enterprise activities may similarly be carried out in established small steps such as study of ideas, enquiry, securing contracts and contract administration (operations).

Studying of ideas may be carried out through forms for every staff member to submit his problem-solving ideas. This method also encourages mass participation.

Making enquiries can be performed using a quotation or tender form. This can facilitate the process of identifying and seeking after opportunities.

The third step, securing contracts, will result in proper evaluation and acting on opportunities by calculated risk.

Finally, contracts can be laid out in parameter-defined functional departments such as human resource, revenue, accounts, marketing, services (for all outsourced activities), facility, enforcement, production, compliance and a general category. This is to facilitate consistent and focused performance.

A typical department report may be set up to oversee operational tasks as follows:-

Identify three or four core activities for consistent and focused performance

Assign two to three quality-time-cost parameters to make each core activity easy

Perform core activities according to time-schedules and parameters set up

Inspect or oversee performance in time-schedule and parameters.

Assess and provide quantified feedback on performance. You may want to rank them in percentages, with scales representing non-attainment, attainment and excellent attainment of parameters.

Submit all non-attainment performance areas in department reports with corrective actions.

With these measures, a business can oversee overall tasks without hassles and regulate quality and standards in sequential work processes which are laid out in work forms and integrated to departmental parameters.

Having work processes defined and logged in a report enables personnel to engage in two-way interaction. It will also encourage mass participation and knowledge application.

This allows the company to have more control of its overall activities. It can practise total management and attain organizational efficiency as all requests, complaints and problems are input properly and processed holistically in self-regulated processes.

It is much more efficient and productive to process input tasks in department reports, application forms, work orders, quotations, salary, contracts, budget control and so on.

Inter-departmental activities are coordinated through a one-stop standard clearance form, thus saving on manpower.

Such a total management style enables management to forge consensus with a sense of fair-play. It also offers a practical means to ameliorate or resolve disputes, differences in opinion and hidden agenda.

The breakdown and malfunctioning of essential services can be avoided or minimised with hands-on time-scheduled corrective actions.

Inaction or tolerance of intuitive management habits exact a heavy toll on human captial in the form of wasted resources, office politics, fire-fighting or fault-finding.

Start managing your tasks with processes laid out in objective steps. Be an asset to your organization and make a difference to your workplace.

Article contributed by Robert Teh Kok Hua, who is author of Objective-Steps Processing Management System. E-mail robertkhteh@hotmail.com.

Management Courses taught in Universities ?

2005-12-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT COURSES TAUGHT AT UNIVERSITIES

(1) COMPLEXITIES AND UNCERTAINTIES

The following are topics are currently being taught by various universities as published by the American Management Association:-

Administrative Professionals
Communication
Customer Service
Finance and Accounting
Finance for Managers
Human Resources
Leadership
Managerial Skills
Manufacturing/
Operations Management
Personal Development
Planning
Project Management
Purchasing
Quality
Sales and Marketing
Supervision
Team Building
Time Management

Just browse through any textbooks, it will be found that most if not all topics and subjects are taught in concepts, hypothesis and assumptions/

Planning, Management by Objectives, Operation Research, are grounded in concepts which are not easily implemented by staff in enterprises/

(2) QUANTITATIVE APPROACH

In "Introduction to Management Science 8th edition by Anderson, Sweeney and Williams", many issues and problems relating to transportation and production are supposedly solvable by mathematical computations such as the following:-

Linear Programming: Graphical method
(a) Manufacturer - develop production schedule and inventory policy
(b) Financial analysis - develop a mix of investment portfolio.
(c) Marketing - develop a mix of advertising media
(d) Warehousing - delivering from different locations.

Waiting Line programming : Poisson Equation
(a) Arrivals within time
(b) Probability of Arrival within time.

Simple Linear Regression (Gauss)
(a) Formula: Y= a + bY
(b) Y (Dependent variable) e.g. Expenditure
(c) X (Independent variable) e.g. Income
(d) b = {N(E.XY)} -{(E.X)(E.Y)}/{{NE.X2 - (E.X)2}

Yet, in practice, not many managers or bosses are able to solve their transportation or production problems by such quantitative mathematical computations precisely because of uncertainties with assumptions and widely differing and constantly changing conditions affecting organizational performance.

There is a critical need to attain organizational efficiency with a total control and coordination of overall activities in marketing, accounting, human resource control, revenue control, facility, enforcement, compliance beside technical and technological factors in production.

There is a need for coordinations and knowledge applications in all departments.

An enterprise has to develop the total coordination and knowledge application within every department to overcome diverse constraints and conditions.

It is such complexities and uncertainties which call for processing of tasks set in form- and work-form simple 4-step 10-department component work processes. With such standardized work processes, all staff are enabled to attain their own knowledge application and multi-functional coordination.

Constraints in marketing and production will steadfastly be translated into logical form- and work-form processes enabling staff to follow through all tasks with control, comparison measurements, processes, based on OSP Process organization structure.

The OSP Process Management Organization Structure as listed in OSP Process File List communicates all variances taking place in two-way corrective task-lines.

Whatever the approaches taken by any enterprises, whether by macro- or micro-level or human resource or financial methodology, all tasks can be efficiently and effectively followed through by staff with minimal instructions or policies if tasks are sequentially and logically laid out in lego-like component processes.

All the diverse psychological and organizational theories which are highly logical unfortunately are not easily translated into doable and attainable work processes performed by the staff as part of their daily works.

Hence, the first step towards upgrading and improving efficiency and effectiveness is to lay bare the internal process relationship, motivation, empowerments, forecasting method, budgeting and financial control, level of corporate governance etc. to be easily understood and performed with hands-on controls to reach results.

The objective function as assumed in quantitative method will need to be integrated to daily works in order to bring about efficiency and good corporate governance, while attaining organizational efficiency from knowledge application, system design, engineering solutions, technology, consistent and focused control, comparison and correction, effective organizational structures, supervisions, assessments, quality-time-cost knowledge applications etc.

Any management solution will have to take into account technology obsolescence, engineering, marketing, production, research and development, budget and financial control, factory design, technology level and knowledge application which are often non-mathematical.

Linear Programming and accounting or financial control should always be viewed in perspective.

(3) PROJECT MANAGEMENT APPROACH

Critical Path Analysis :

Start {Design {Routing > Cost Estimate } }
{Prototype > Testing } } Report ] Finish
{Market Brochure > Survey } Pricing }
{Market Research .....]

The real challenge is how to achieve real tangible hands-on control, comparison (measurements and data) processing, corrections in regard to overall system designs, marketing, production and implementation in integrated process management.

(4) DIVERSE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS

A Manager’s Guide to Human Behavior
The Complete Training Course for Managers
Communication Skills for Managers
Corporate Governance: What it Means for Managers
New! Delegating for Business Success
Updated! Fair, Square, and Legal
How to Be an Effective Facilitator
How to Manage Conflict in the Organization
Leadership Skills for Managers
Managing and Achieving Organizational Goals
Managing Conflict (audio)
Performance Appraisals: How to Achieve Top Results
Performance Management
What Managers Do

Detailed technical skills cannot be implemented without supportive integrated work processes in coordination with other functional activities.

(5) DIVERSE TECHNICAL OR SPECIALIST SKILLS

Management Skills for New Managers
Successfully Managing People
One-Day Delegation Bootcamp
What Every Manager Needs to Know
Improving Your Managerial Effectiveness

Skills may be useful and relevant but unless they are translated into integrated work processes easily performed by all, they will remain conceptual and complex.

(6) DIVERSE OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

(a) OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

Organizational Systems and Process
Work Flow Management
Project Management
Quality Assurance
Documentation and Records
IT in Operations and Management

Normally, procedures may be useful for quality-time-cost controls. But there exist diverse constraints to be overcome other than the immediate performance of a task. In order to be efficient in production, it has to produce in sync with schedules and economic lot zize and comply with revenue and budget controls to reach real organizational efficiency.

b) FINANCIAL CONTROL METHODOLOGY

The Profit and Loss Statement
The Balance Sheet
Financial Ratios and their Applications
Cash Flow and Management of Working Capital
Costing
Budgets

Financial year-end performance data and disclosures are often unrelated to hands-on quality-time-cost controls, coordination, knowledge applications or objective supervision and put up as look-good after-the-event or post-mortem analysis. So to that extent it is unable to impact management efficiency and productivity.

7) DIVERSE MARKETING MANAGEMENT APPROACHES

Overview of Marketing
Understanding Consumer Behavior
Market Research
Market Segmentation
Product Portfolio
Developing Marketing Strategies
The Marketing Process
The Selling Process

Cool HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

Organization Structure
Employment Procedures and Conditions
Deployment and Supervision
Performance Appraisal and Counseling
Training and Development
Organization Development

Organization theorists regard organization as extremely complex consisting of formal and informal grouping, rules and regulations, standard operating procedurs, authority, departments and activities.

Workers are regarded as being influenced by personal behaviours of perception as well as the environments.

Human Behaviourists regard workers as either negative and lazy on the one hand or positive responsive to motivations and rewards on the other.

What is lacking however is that Human Resource management practices are too diverse, conceptual and self-centred hardly capable of being measured objectively or practically.

Further, as enterprises grow in size they become more and more complex and demanding of controls, communications, processes and corrections.

The challenge is to translate all the complex tasks into simple processes capable of control, measurements, corrections to meet diverse constraints and challenges.

(9) SUN SZU ART OF WAR

Sun Szu Art of War regards soldiers (modern day's version: workers) as responsive to 5 elements: (a) Morality (EQ of leaders) (b) External forces (Heavens) (c) Circumstances (Terrains) (d) Commands (e) Doctrines.

The issues of Morality (EQ) Environments (Constraints) and circumstances and Command and Doctrine (Communication, Data, Controls) are part of the integrated quality-time-cost work processes which can be consistently practised to obtain results in OSP.

Without integrating Sun Sze Art of War methodology to actual works and performances, all will be discussing war strategy on papers one of the common causes of failures in business according to another Chinese common saying.

SOPs and ISOs may be formalization or extrapolation of existing work procedures put together for public relation and advertising purposes. Often they are intuitive rather than cause-effect in logic. To be effective, such SOPs should be integrated as part of daily works to be performed naturally and logically.

NOTE: A simple call centre will take care of translating concepts, ideals, goals and policies into part of daily works to be pursued consistently with regular inspections and objective corrections to reach results.

Contact:robertkhteh@hotmail.com