One other major technologically innovation was the introduction of information systems into organisation “which helped managers monitor and control business processes and operations” (Stair and Reynolds, 2001:38). Information systems, like the management information systems, customer relationship management, electronic data interchange, enterprise resource planning systems and transaction processing systems, have been developed to give managers better understanding required of the organisation developments and their goal attainments (Stair and Reynolds, 2001:20-23; Strauss and Frost, 2001:285-287). Managerial process of planning, organizing, leading and controlling can and are greatly enhanced by these information systems.
The introduction of production and information systems in the organization has had many varied affects on the managerial process. The implication that production would improve, labour cost would decline and the financial processes electronically integrated while global markets established through this systems, have also brought about new work enhancement (Casey, 1999:21). Casey (1999:21) points out that with this progression in technologies and restructuring in the organisation, workers will be given “new opportunities for skill development and self-realisation through their work”. Manager would significantly need to be able to plan, lead, organise and control their workers in accordance with this new progression in the organisations. Casey (1999:21) also states that “organisation restructuring that downsizes employee numbers, flattens hierarchies and encourages new approaches to organisational behaviour that are more collaborative and mutually responsible”. Managers plan and organise their organisation in ways that would generate them into teams that would produce more creativity and have a competitive edge. Workers would also become more flexible, skilled and worldly. With this empowerment the borders of the hierarchy between the workers and management would be greatly diminished.
Planning functions of the managerial process would significantly be improved by the usage of these information systems by managers. Managers can utilize these information systems to establish strategies and define goals for the organisations.
Organising functions by the managers would be greatly facilitated, with the usage of these systems, with the speed and efficiency of these communication medias. However, with the great usage of these “interpersonal contacts”, there might not be any direct communication between workers and managers might find it hard to motivate and lead.
Leading functions would be affected in both a positive and negative way. With downsizing evident in the organisation, managers must find new ways to motivate workers. Managers must also learn to “select the most effective communication channel” as a result of more effective and efficient communication medias (Robbins, 2001:11). Traditional leading function associated with motivation are diminishing as workers operates as team which are shaped around more “skilled and knowledgeable employees” whom are less constrained by the traditional conducts of management, where managers have to motivate employees to get their work done (Casey, 1999:21).
Controlling function has also been affected due to the reasons of downsizing in the organisation. Managers would need to monitor and ensure that the downsizing is done properly and that workers employed are skilled enough to manage the systems or not to send them for training. As more workers are getting skilled and knowledgeable, manager’s controlling functions are slowly diminishing.
Economical changes have significantly remodeled the conduct of management in many organisations. With the outburst of technologies in the workforce, numerous organisation are globalising to obtain better profits margins, the conduct of management has changed tremendously mainly in the area of organising, leading and controlling (Saunders, 1995:10). With the “move to the knowledge era has brought about significant changes in organisational structures” and with this motion of values being placed on knowledge in organisation, the conducts of management has tremendously changed from what it was a decade ago to what it is now (Mathews, 1999:49). There has been an “increasing division of labour and specialization of function” in most organisations happening in the past decade. (Casey, 1999:17). Instead of replacing workers due to “being rendered redundant or de-skilled”, organisations are instead training workers to “learn and perform new tasks, take on different roles and be easily redeployed in flexible new workplace” (Casey, 1999:17-18). This move has several impacts on managers and how they would plan, organise and lead their workers to go about acquiring new skills and knowledge in their new workplace. Management practices have changed from “command and control to more participative or collaborative management, often through teams” (Mathews, 1999:49).
The major economical developments of the global market has seen many organisations venturing aboard to globalize their business and better their profit margins. Management would be out to the test to see the organisation has got the “resources, products and services” to meet with the competitive demand of the global market. Several regional alliances have been formed in the last decade, which are designed to help countries and organisation trade better and more freely between themselves. (Robbins, 2001:124-1231). Managerial process of planning, leading, organising and control would have to be comprehensively altered in order to have any substantial placing in these markets.
With globalization, management would be required to pay special attention to the “fluctuating currency, inflation rates and diverse tax polices”. An organisation’s profit and lost can be drastically altered by these variables. Management have as well got to look at the various laws governing the country of globalization and look at “issues such as industrial spying, restraint of trade, working conditions, payment of bribes, the right of privacy and the rights of workers differ between nations” (Robbins, 2001:142-143). Unstable governments and economics in several countries have also got to be looked at my management and management need to plan, organise, lead and control these aspects in the right and best manner in order to survive in these nations.
Planning functions of the managerial process would be greatly researched and managers would need to and have global expertise in order to define goals properly and set the right strategies to develop the appropriate plans to synchronize activities (Robbins, 2001:10). This is high in contrast to management planning of a decade back, when there were hardly much globalization and management did not have to bother learning about other nation’s manner of doing business.
Organising, leading and controlling functions of management have been greatly augmented, as managers would be needed to decide how best to run and operate the organisation. Management organising would be greatly affected by the different attitudes of “ethnocentric”, “polycentric” or “geocentric” approaches taken by managers in managing the organisation (Robbins, 2001:126-127).
The socio-cultural environment of management has undergone several massive changes in the past decade that has remodeled the workforce. These changes have brought about a great deal of “workforce diversity”. As Robbins (2001:60) points out that a great deal of women are now joining the workforce and traditional jobs, like manufacturing and managerial positions, are being equally held by both male and female employees. Management has now new planning, organising, leading and control functions in tasked as female and male are two different gender who perceive things differently and therefore have to be managed in a different perspective from traditional methods of management (Alvesson, 1997:137). Internal organisation policies would have to be adjusted due to the increase in the number of women entering the workforce (Robbins, 2001:110).
The increase in multi-cultural ethnic groups in the workforce has also witnessed managerial process being altered to better suit the new and dynamic organisation. Robbins (2001:60) clearly points of the socio-cultural environment changes of organisations today, which are creating “workforce diversity”, by acknowledging the “heterogeneous in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other characteristics that reflect differences”. Management would need to take into account the different forms ethnic cultures, beliefs and ways of doing things when organising, leading and controlling.
Organising functions by managers would be significantly affected, as managers would be needed to identify the different skills and talents of various ethnic groups and to best exploit these talents in ways beneficial to the organisation (Robbins, 2001:61-62). Management practice must also be altered to suit this changes, as managers must realize that the best practice might not necessarily be the most used practice.
Leading and controlling functions are also impacted. Managers must learn now how to motivate and lead an organisation that is much more diversified then it was around a decade ago. New motivation techniques have to be developed, as both male and female are motivated differently (Alvesson, 1997:137). Managers would need to control and continually monitor the workforce as many issues like gender and racial discriminations may arise as the workforce becomes more diverse (Alvesson, 1997:134). Managers would also need to address the “cultural shock” and subsequently amend the management practices to counter this predicament (Robbins, 2001:149-150).
In conclusion, the impact which these contemporary changes in technologic, economic and socio-cultural environment has had on the conduct of management, as elaborated above, has truly and ultimately changed the prospective manner in which a manager in the twenty first century would manage compared to the past decade. The massive growth of technology in the past decade has brought about massive economic changes that have in turn seen large diversity in workforce. The borders of the hierarchy, in an organisation, between managers and employees are thinning as more employees are becoming better skilled and knowledgeable in their task. Roles are becoming similar and the innovation of teams in the workplace has made employees more independent and has given them more responsibility in their respective division. The managers of today are, without a doubt, better off then managers of the past decade, as more skilled, performance driven and knowledgeable workers exist in the workforce together with technology, which greatly aid managers and the organisation in their daily dealings. Hence the conduct of management has and is rapidly changing to cope with these contemporary changes.
References
Alvesson, M.. and Due Billing, Y., (1997), “Women and management |: a review of research results”, Understanding Gender and Organizations, Sage, London, pp. 134-152
Casey, C., (1999), “The changing contexts of work”, in Boud, D. and Garrick, J. (eds), Understanding Learning at Work, Routledge, London and New York, pp. 15-26
Gary, P., Schneider and James, T., Perry, (2000), “Electronic Commerce”, Thomson Learning, Cambridge
Judy Strauss and Raymond Frost, (2001),“E Marketing Special Edition”, Prentice Hall, New Jersey
Mathews, J. H. and Candy, P., (1999), “New Dimensions in dynamics of learning and knowledge”, in Boud, D. and Garrick, J. (eds), Understanding Learning at Work, Routledge, London and New York, pp. 47-58
Ralph, M. Stair, and George, W. Reynolds, (2001), “Principles of Information Systems 5th Edition”, Course Technology, Thomoson Learning
Robins, Stephen P., Bergman, Rolf, Stagg, Ian, and Coulter, Mary, (2001), “Management 2nd ed. (Wollongong University Special Edition)”, Prentice Hall, Australia, Sydney
Saunders, P., (1995), “The growth machine”, Capitalism: a Social Audit, Open University Press, Buckingham, pp. 1-15
