Management and Manager's Job

1. BACKGROUND 1.1. Definition and Significance of Management As there is no universally accepted definition for management, it is difficult to define it. Father of scientific management, Frederick W. Taylor gave the following definition: “Management is an art of knowing what is to be done and seeing that it is done in the best possible manner.” A more elaborate definition was given by Henri Fayol (18411925), one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management. He considers a management as a process that comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization or initiative to accomplish a goal (1, 2). The verb ‘manage’ comes from the Italian maneggiare (to handle, especially tools), which derives from the Latin word manus (hand). The French word mesnagement (later ménagement) influenced the development in meaning of the English word management, that literally means to conduct, control and direct the affairs of a business, institution, etc. (1). The size of management can range from one person in a small organization to hundreds or thousands of managers in multinational companies. The success of any business depends heavily on the effectiveness of its managers. The significance of management is huge to that point that some people agree that in order to evaluate a company’s current and future worth, the most important factors are the quality and experience of the managers. 1.2. The Difference between Efficiency and Effectiveness Efficiency and effectiveness are both commonly used management terms. These words, while they sound similar and start with the same letters, are often considered synonyms. Yet they both mean different things. Efficiency refers to doing things in a right manner. Scientifically, it is defined as the output to input ratio and focuses on getting the maximum output with minimum resources (1). Effectiveness, on the other hand, refers to doing Professional paper, Received: Apr 05, 2021, Accepted: Jun 23, 2021, doi: 10.5455/ijbh.2021.9.97-104, Int J Biomed Healthc. 2021; 9(2): 97-104