Management and Leadership
The difference between management and leadership has been reviewed and debated for
many years. Although similar the two have very distinct purposes and several types of
approaches. Managers may lack leadership qualities and some leaders may not be able to
manage correctly.
The Webster definition of management states: the act or art of managing : the conducting
or supervising of something (as a business) (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?
book=Dictionary&va=management&x=11&y=17). This statement is very broad and lacks
a real sense of what managers actually do. To accurately describe management I believe
the scope would have to be narrowed down to a specific type of business. For example a
manager of a logging company may have completely different duties and responsibilities
from a manger of a sales department.
In general terms the management is responsible for the decision making process from
within the company. Managers are good decision makers capable of reviewing the
information at hand and deciding which areas are priority. Another responsibility of the
managers is to acquire the right resources for completing the task at hand. The distinction
from manager to supervisor is one that can create some controversy among co-workers if
not fully understood. A manager should not get directly involved with the work at hand but
stay neutral and observe the actions that are taking place. Some co-workers may think that
this is type of behavior is lazy or that the manager is not a team player but it is exactly
what the manager should be doing. In fact, if the work load is so great that the manager has
to get involved then the resources available may not be adequate. The ability and
responsibility then relies on the manager to get the resources. Some companies encourage
the managers to spend their time visiting and observing the business at hand without
getting directly involved. “Early in the companys history the two founders endorsed formal
management procedures, being one of the first corporations to use the “management by
objective” approach. They also created an informal workplace, encouraging the use of first
names among employees, even for themselves. Packard and Hewlettwere also known for
“management by walking around and visiting”
(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-92974)
Leadership can also be defined several ways. The Webster definition is vague and very
broad once again: “the office or position of a leader: capacity to lead: the act or an instance
of leading.” (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?
book=Dictionary&va=leadership&x=13&y=10)
Leadership traits can be intangible and hard to validate because of their nature and because
