7 Essential Characteristics of Management to Explore

It is easy to overlook the nature of management. But as an aspiring manager, you will benefit the most when you know the important characteristics of management and apply the day-to-day functions in your job.

In what way do you think a company’s managerial division creates efficiency in processes? You can say the basic functions of management, such as planning, controlling, leading, directing, etc., are responsible. But why should these processes exist at all? What guides the interrelationship between these processes from one organisation to another? You would have to take a step back to know how management works as a discipline. In short, the characteristics of management, which this blog explains in detail. 

Management is Universal

No organisation can function without a management department. It is not an alternative that an organisation can do without, for running a business with different teams of employees. At the entrepreneurship level, too, starting a business alone requires proper management of processes. 

The basic principles of management or Fayolism are always applicable. Every organisation must use them to the fullest. 

Management skills are not only transferable from one manager to another in the same organisation, but also to a different one. That’s why a list of analytical and administrative management skills is developed and practised commonly across companies of all sizes. 

Management is both Science and Art

Management involves learning and applying principles and theories that are universally accepted. 

Universal scientific principles are applied to various situations. And processes such as command, mentorship, delegation, etc., are used based on accepted rules and logic. 

As a science, management is also based on a cause-and-effect analysis. You can take the example of the fishbone diagram in the 7 QC tools. This diagram,commonly used in Six Sigma, looks into finding the root causes and chart out which of the causes are responsible for an effect. 

Related: Six Sigma courses

Just as validity and experimentation are important processes that separate science from other disciplines, management uses them.

As a manager, you can test a situation, and based on evidence-based results, you can make decisions. You will find this as an important aspect to tackle during managerial interview rounds. 

As art, management requires practical knowledge. Using intuition and creativity, a manager can help provide directions to an entire team. 

Management is an Intangible Force

It is intangible in that it cannot be seen but felt. It is a thought-related process. The result of good or bad management can be seen through results. 

Management is better identified as an authority within an organisation. It helps in achieving organisational goals within a well-defined structure that can take actions when objectives are not met. 

When objectives, often defined by KPIs or KRAs, are met by employees, it shows the management of an organisation is efficient. 

Management is a Dynamic Function

It has to be a dynamic function because external factors, such as social, political, environmental, legal, and technological, keep changing. It is important for an organisation’s management to adapt to situations as and when they arise. 

Take, for example, the pandemic and industry 4.0. Companies that did not rely on cloud technologies and remote work before had to adapt to them.  By not adapting to abrupt changes, many companies had lay-offs and eventually had to shut shop. The ones which did adapt, had good management that gave importance to this function. 

Management is a Group Activity

It is a group activity that relies on coordination among leaders, managers, and team members.

It was, in fact, the father of management thinking, Peter Drucker, who proposed that management is a group activity. There are five ways how management can be defined as an activity. 

1. Decision-making – Identifying issues, finding solutions, and implementing them. 
2. Information – Gathering reports to understand the state of the organisation in terms of finance, human resources, etc. 
3. People management – Coordination, delegation, supervision, controlling, etc.
4. Processes and Materials – Everything required to complete goals and produce goods from raw materials
5. Direction – Providing direction as to how the goals should be achieved

Management is Goal-Oriented

In any organisation, there is always a purpose for management. The primary purpose is to meet the defined objectives. It ensures the tasks assigned are completed on time, nobody faces bottlenecks while performing tasks, etc., so that the main objective is achieved. 

Management is always necessary when it comes to meeting goals for any type, size, or structure of organisation. 

Management is Continuous

Management never ends as an activity. It is a continuous process that needs to occur at all times. Functions such as planning to monitor happen simultaneously, and this is one of the most important features of management to consider.

As an ongoing process, management activities continue until the organisation is dissolved. 

Parting Thoughts

These are the most important features of management. Hopefully, you are now more familiar with the nature of management. Check out some management courses too!