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Although it may seem like a scary time to start a new business, the beginning of 2012 offers many advantages for budding entrepreneurs: reduced land and labor costs, low interest rates for loans and an economy that is experiencing gross domestic product growth.
A manager occupies a position of authority over people and other resources in all sizes of organizations. We can define management without reference to managers, however. It is the process of getting things done in a way that makes best use of all resources.
Effective managers are good at managing people. This means having the skills to get the best out of people. It doesn't mean narrowly controlling them. Skilled managers are good at inspiring, coaching, empowering, developing and motivating people.
Empowerment means letting go of the authority to make certain decisions. This is good management practice but also about facing reality - that modern employees won't accept jobs where they have no say in their day to day decisions.
Is your organization a machine? An organism? A person? A group? A community? A family? A dynasty? Or something else?
What is management? Management is like investment: its goal is to get the most out of resources, add the most value or get the best return. Management can be defined as: achieving goals in a way that makes the best use of all resources.
How effectively can YOU manage in the shark-invested waters of hyper-competition? Organizations have two tasks: to achieve today’s targets and to create the future. Many business commentators claim that organizations need to be more agile, innovative, responsive and entrepreneurial but the reality is more complex.
How do effective managers make decisions? We like to see ourselves as rational, as able to weigh hard facts objectively in order to make sound decisions. The reality is that our decisions are highly influenced by subjective preferences, biases and unconscious drives.
Organizational culture endures like personality while climate is more like a brief mood. A culture is made up of NORMS governing the actions of members. Norms are a bit like rules, just less explicit. A typical norm is the expectation to work long hours.
Talent management is an essential strategic HR practice aimed at improving business performance. People who perform at higher levels generate greater profitabiity for businesses, much needed in highly competitive environments where it is increasingly challenging to gain a competitive edge.