Principles of Management

Cards · 50

Management

The coordinated process of using an organization's resources to achieve shared goals.

Organizational resources

Assets used to achieve goals, including people, money, equipment, information, and time.

Effectiveness

Choosing and executing actions that achieve the intended goal.

Efficiency

Using resources carefully with minimal avoidable waste.

Productivity

The relationship between the output produced and the resources used.

Effective management

Achieving worthwhile goals while making responsible use of resources.

Effective but inefficient

Meeting intended deadlines or objectives through excessive waste or extreme overtime.

Efficient but ineffective

Completing tasks quickly and with little waste, but failing to support core organizational goals.

Organizational direction

Clarifying goals so members make consistent choices and evaluate whether efforts produce intended results.

Coordination

Aligning work across employees, departments, and suppliers to prevent task duplication or conflicts.

Performance measure

A specific, measurable indicator used to monitor progress toward an important goal.

Responsible management

Considering how managerial choices impact employees, customers, owners, society, and the environment.

Ethical choices in management

Decisions such as handling data securely and communicating honestly to establish credibility and trust.

Manager's role regarding resources

Connecting available resources directly to desired organizational outcomes through deliberate choices.

Applicability of management

Relevant to businesses, nonprofits, and public agencies wherever people collaborate toward set targets.

Responding to change

Reviewing performance and adapting plans to shifts in demand, technology, or operating costs.

First step linking goals to results

Stating a clear and specific objective for the organization to pursue.

Second step linking goals to results

Identifying and cataloging the available resources, including time, assets, and data.

Third step linking goals to results

Selecting and carrying out specific actions that direct those resources toward the target.

Fourth step linking goals to results

Comparing actual outcomes against targets and making corrective adjustments where needed.

Management impact on people

Shaping staff well-being, motivation, and trust through decisions on workloads, budgets, and rules.

Legal compliance in management

Operating within applicable regional and national regulations, including employment and data privacy laws.

Purpose of clear goals

Enabling consistent decision-making and objective evaluation of whether efforts yield planned outcomes.

Role of accurate information in coordination

Connecting separate business functions smoothly to ensure actions flow logically from start to finish.

Early problem detection in management

Using regular outcome reviews and adjustments to resolve emerging issues before they escalate.

Criterion for a useful performance indicator

Directly tracking progress on an outcome that is genuinely critical to organizational objectives.

Stakeholders in responsible management

Parties affected by decisions, such as employees, customers, owners, local communities, and the environment.

Operational adjustments

Modifying procedures or resource allocations when actual performance deviates from targets.

People resource

Human labor, skills, experience, and knowledge deployed toward business operations.

Information resource

Operational data, customer feedback, and metrics used to inform decisions and maintain coordination.

Time resource

The scheduled hours, deadlines, and working durations budgeted to accomplish tasks.

Material and equipment resource

Physical infrastructure, machinery, delivery vehicles, and supplies used to deliver outputs.

Financial resource

Capital, budgets, and funds allocated to acquire supplies, compensate labor, and support tasks.

Balancing effectiveness and efficiency

Targeting the right outcomes without wasting excessive time, labor, or material capital.

Shared goals

Common, mutually understood targets that guide coordinated efforts across an organization.

External change factors

Dynamic external pressures like technological innovation, rising input costs, and shifting demand.

Public trust

Confidence held by customers and society built through ethical, transparent, and lawful management.

Nonprofit management

Directing collective work and allocating donor or grant resources to deliver social or civic value.

Public service management

Managing government or state resources effectively to serve societal needs within legal frameworks.

Duplication of tasks

Redundant, uncoordinated effort where multiple workers perform overlapping duties unnecessarily.

Working at cross-purposes

A lack of alignment where different departments pursue conflicting goals that hinder overall progress.

Outcome evaluation

The practice of measuring real-world results against pre-defined performance standards.

Target adjustment

Recalibrating objectives or operational approaches in response to performance gaps or changing conditions.

Employee well-being

Physical and mental health of the workforce, deeply affected by managerial workload and workplace policies.

Customer trust

The belief by consumers that an organization will act honestly and keep promises, such as data safety.

Feedback loop in management

Gathering operational data and customer responses to inform adjustments and improve future results.

Resource allocation

Distributing available personnel, funds, and tools across projects based on strategic priorities.

Workplace policies

Formal rules and behavioral standards established by management to govern internal operations.

Data protection compliance

Adhering to legal standards governing how organizations handle and safeguard private consumer information.

Core purpose of management

Enabling groups to accomplish outcomes together that individuals could not achieve alone.