Management's Five Basic Functions
It would be no exaggeration to say that society cannot function without organizations. And, equally important, organizations cannot function without those individuals, known as managers, whose job it is to direct the activity of others. In broad ter...
Matrix Structure
One type of organizational structure, known as matrix structure, involves an overlay of two different forms of structure. It temporarily groups together specialists from different functional departments or divisions to work on special project or pro...
Managerial Skills and Functions
While there is a wide range of general skills required of nearly all managers, there are some differences in emphasis from one level of management to another, from supervisory or operating level managers up through senior, top level managers.
Managerial Challenges
Regardless of their level within an organization, managers virtually without exception find their jobs to be a uniquely challenging mix of the frustrating and the rewarding. Unlike the popular image of the manager as someone who spends his or her ti...
Managing a Small Business
This clip introduces the five major management functions: planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. It notes that the challenge for small business owners is to avoid what is sometimes called "entrepreneur's disease": the inability to...
Organizational Structure Case Study: Patagonia
At Patagonia, which produces high quality, outdoor clothing, the organizational structure originally was based on a steep hierarchy, with up to eight levels between the individual working in production and the CEO. In time, however, that structure w...