Principles of Manag semen eee f sul erior-subordinate telationshj cst oes nk, Tas chin i made wr gh the vertical chain. This chan®® authority 19 ggers are finked with one another WTA sitions called ‘levels of Various oo ement consists of a series ots "he authority and status of manages hierarchy of Mine level of management determin 2 line of demarcation between variou. management sjevel of management’ refers t0 no fixed number of management levee a aoa positions in an organisation. ere wize and complexity of the organisatio, The number of managerial levels depends ar there is a natural tendency for the chair “As a company becomes larger and Ee or a makes no effort to limit span of contro} of command to lengthen. Even though tht Sorta there comes a time when command - ven number, if there is an extensive growth there Pole a viions loves have to be split up and another layer of uP sry into’ specif levels bec, In practice, it is often difficult to slice management Be the’ “different ee various layers of authority constitute an integrated pyramid. Sr of management may be classified into four categories as shown i 2 Top Management Departmental Divisional Heads Plant Superintendent Middle Branch Managers ‘Management Foremen Supervisors Operating Management Fig. 1.3. Levels of Management Upper Middle Management @® Top Management; (i) Intermediate or upper middle management; ii) Middle management; and Gv) Supervisory or operating management, 1. Top Management: Top chief executives, Chief different names, environmental forces: 1 Emest Dale, Organisation, p.142, forces,Nature and Process of Management Le «ayo establish overall long-term goals strajegy and policit ‘ncludi the master budget to allocate roe areas con a oc aa (ii) to create an organisational framework consisting of authori — relationships; 1 of authority responsibility (jv) to appoint departmental and other key executives; (v) to provide overall leadership to the company; (vi) to represent the company to the outside world, eg. trade associations, government, trade unions, etc.; ° (ii) to exercise overall review and control on the company’s operations; and (vii) to coordinate the activities and efforts of different departments. ‘Thus, top management of a company is the policy-making group responsible for the overall direction and success of all company activifies’ It stands at the head of the organisation. It gives purpose and direction to the activities of an organisation. Intermediate Management: Intermediate or upper middle management comprises of departmental or divisional heads, e.g., works manager, marketing manager, personnel manager, finance manager, etc. Each one of these functional managers is responsible for the efficient functioning of his own department or functional area in accordance with the basic objectives and policies laid down by the top management. Intermediate management is largely concemed with the day-to-day administration of respective departments. Its job is to implement plans and execute policies in a coordinated manner so that enterprise objectives may be achieved. Intermediate managers are concerned with priorities and specific results. At upper middle management, departmental operational plans are established and targets of achievement are laid down. Departmental heads exercise the usual functions of management in respect of their own departments. They plan operations, issue instructions, assemble the required resources, design operating policies and operating routines, evaluate results of their respective departments, programme efforts and control the work of people in the departments. They interpret the policies framed by top management, prépare departmental organisational setup, select suitable *~ supervising personnel, motivate the personnel and collect informatio). They are responsible for the efficient utilisation of resources placed at their disposal) They translate the objectives and strategies of the organisation into specific decisions and actions. They are more concemed with the internal management rather than the extemal environment of the enterprise. Thus, this group is responsible for departmental performance. Middle Management: This level of management consists of deputy heads of departments and sectional officers such as plant manager, area sales manager or branch manager, office manager, chief accountant, purchase officer, etc. These executives serve as a means of coordination between top management and operating managementpAccording to Marry C. Niles, “they often share in the difficulties of their superiors in arriving at decisions and they necessarily take part in the efforts of their subordinates to carry out policigs- They transmit orders, decisions and guidance downwards; they also take problems, difficutjes, and suggestions upward) The lines of mr wr meet in them”. They are invoived less in physical activity and more in paper work)and meetings than the operating managers. While topPrinciples of Managemen, ” sth conceptual thinking middle management deals iq, I management is concerned with ; ing functions: eer ly performs the following func ; Seaton nagement. mr Penal and explain the policies framed by top mai e ne i i i ‘ions. ea aie and issue detailed instructions regarding opera see a a aa close contacts with operating results so as‘to evaluate p rm, 3. To maini ici in ting decisions. p . To participate in operating : ; ? ci be aes among themselves so as to integrate or coordinate various parts of a . To division or a department. , asi 5 6. To motivate supervisory personnel to work for organisational goals) 7. To develop and train supervisory and operative personnel.) Supervisory or Operating Management: Supervisory management is the eee of management. It consists of plant superintendent, senior foremen an pt line supervisors, sales officer, accounts officer, etc. They are concerned with technical routine and day-to-day problems. They maintain personal contacts with operatives. It involves management of rank and file and is directly concerned with the mechanics of 7 jobs. Operating managers are expected to get work done from the staff under their, control. ‘They lead an active, hectic, often interrupted work life, spending most of thei? _ time communicating and caring for problems of the momer\ They are the only managets who do not manage other managers. They are caught between labour and management. According to Davis, supervisory management “refers to grades of executive leadership who work has to do largely with personal oversight and direction of operative employees”.! The operating managers plan, implement policy, organise, instruct and guide’ personnel and control Performance. They serve as the link between management and workers. Their authority and responsibility is limited but the quality of workmanship and the quantity of output depends on their efficiency and effectiveness, They are/responsible for” irectly managing operatives and resources. / ‘The functions of supervisory management are as follows: + To plan day-to-day production within the goals laid down by higher Sree 2. To assign jobs to workers and t i soe lo make arrangements for their training at 4 o 2 3S 2. 2 8 a 2 8 3 z s & a s 8 Es s 3 8. s 5. 5 3 3 3 g g & 8 eS 5 & 2 e E 8 z & yp Is and to maintain = ng work procedures, solving their Problems, 2 . To maintain discipline, - To report feedback i the supervisory level » morale and good human relations a : mong workers, information and workers? problems whi ich cannot be solved at x RC. Davis: The Fundamentals of Top Management, p.145