Goals and management process

Every organization has a long-term goal – for example, where it wants to be in the next 3 or 5 years – which requires development of a strategy that sets the pace and serves as a guide towards achievement of that goal. A long-term goal is broken down into annual goals, which can be further broken down into quarterly, monthly, weekly or even daily goals. Managers in an organization play a very important role in ensuring that these goals are achieved.

What does this management process look like? As per standard definition, a manager is involved in performing five basic functions:

Planning – “What are the goals for my department?”
Organizing – “Who should be doing what?”
Staffing – “How many people are needed? What skills are required? Whom should I hire?”
Leading – “How do I motivate people to get the job done?”
Controlling – “How do I manage costs, quality, time, and risks?”

It is important to note that without competent and motivated employees, a manager cannot succeed in his daily job. Thus an effective HR management system is required to enable every manager to meet his unit’s objectives, which in turn enables meeting the overall organizational goals.

From ‘Managing Human Capital’ module, MBA program at Alfred Ford School of Management