There are many different conceptualizations of management, and the managerial process. Some identify managers with leadership, while others distinguish between management and leadership. The intent in the following pages is to identify some of the essential elements of management and compare three different perspectives on the elements of management.
Gortner et al. (1989) are among those who believe that leadership is essential to an understanding of management and that managers are essentially leaders from the middle. According to them, managers need to respond both to the needs of subordinates and to the requirements of higher officials, while maintaining the effective operation of the unit of organization for which they are responsible.
Gortner et al. (1989) discuss the historical development of the concepts of management and leadership, noting that different kinds of theories have been central at different periods of time. Probably the earliest theory of management and leadership was the "Great Man" theory in which the specific traits of the individual were viewed as determining his leadership and management abilities. However, over time, more complex models were developed that saw management as contingent upon many factors, including the manager's traits, attitudes, and values, the organization's environment, the situation, the employee's characteristics and motivations, and the manager's power and influence. They note that many theorists focus on one or the other of these areas, generally divided into categories of traits, motivation, and values, but that all of them are relevant to an understanding of management and management practice.
The fundamental elements of management, according to them, involved the use of three basic categories of skills. These skills are conceptual skills, or the skills involved with planning and creating the vision for the organization; technical skills, or involvement with establis...