Management Process and Corporate Culture

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm Jeff. And in this lesson, we'll learn about the role of managers in business and how the management process is used. We'll also discuss corporate culture and how it impacts managers and their process.

So let's get started. First of all, what is a manager? A manager is a person who is responsible for controlling or administering part of an organization. Managers serve as the representatives of the company. And they provide guidance with their decisions by allocating resources and coordinating efforts for those employees who work under them.

All managers, whether they are in financial, production, human resources, IT, or any other department, all need the same skills to manage well. They also need similar processes to their management effort. The management process is the practice that managers have of planning and supervising the actions of an organization.

There are four parts to an effective management process, which are planning-- every manager must determine the approach that they and their employees will take. There are three components to planning. Determining goals, creating the strategy, and developing the tactical and operational plans.

The second part is organizing. Resources and activities must be grouped in an efficient way. This may involve spreading or shifting tasks so that each employee has a balanced load.

Leading and influencing the employees to work together toward a common goal. Communication is the key component of this process. And managers should be clear and consistent when discussing the goals.

And controlling, evaluating, and regulating ongoing activities in order to ensure that goals are met and the proper deliverables are created. Details are important at this stage, so it is critical for a manager to track the work and be able to report on his or her findings.

The management process is universal to all managers. But it can be influenced by corporate culture, which is specific to an organization. Corporate culture is the commonly understood and accepted history, ethics, ideals, and attitudes within an organization. Managers serve as the conduit for culture. And each manager should be a reflection of the corporate culture to their employees, or the corporate culture will not be as effective.

Corporate culture, for example, can be used to improve employee morale through a manager's direct efforts and through the activities assigned to employees. An ineffective application of corporate culture though can be limiting or problematic.

For example, a positive use of corporate culture can be seen at Google. Part of their culture is the acceptance and use of employee suggestions for product development. To strengthen this culture, they developed a program called the Google-o-meter, which is used to gauge all employees interest in employees' suggestions. By letting employees vote on suggestions, Google communicates that their voices are important.

On the other hand, there are many companies who communicate about a corporate culture where employees are empowered to make decisions in order to benefit the company. However, whenever a decision is made that results in a failure, that employee is punished. Mistakes are common in business and most businesses must make many before they succeed. By punishing an employee as soon as they make a mistake, this corporate culture stifles creativity and decision-making.

One company that is very well known for its corporate culture is Zappos, an online seller of shoes and clothing. Each employee receives a culture book, which has been partially written by other employees, defining what it means to work at Zappos. Employees can contribute new ideas each year. Training is provided for happiness and wellness. And each Zappos employee has a wide span of control when it comes to making customers happy.

And because Zappos corporate culture is so strong, they received thousands of applications for each open position. This is an added benefit of a consistent and admired corporate culture. The business will attract the employees who fit well into such a culture. So this makes hiring much easier.

OK. Excellent work. In this lesson, we learned what a manager is. We talked about the management process that all managers use. And we discussed corporate culture and the positive and negative effects it can have on an organization.

Thanks for your time, and have a great day.