Managing Professional Roles

Over the last few decades, factors such as the growth of business units, the separation of management and ownership, and increased competition have all contributed to an increase in demand for professionally qualified managers. The manager’s position has always required a high level of expertise. As a result of these shifts, management has reached a stage where everything should be done with professionalism.

A profession is a regulated occupation that needs substantial academic preparation and specialised knowledge and is governed by a group of people.

Management as a profession 

To be more specific, any occupation that meets the following criteria is referred to as a profession.

• It must be a well-organized and systematised collection of information. Consider vocations such as engineering or chartered accounting. These necessitate a high level of expertise.

• There is always a procedure for acquiring such information that is formal. To put it another way, individuals must obtain specialised knowledge through formal institutions in order to follow a given job.

• There is an organisation that is working to create a code of conduct for professionals. This code of conduct establishes guidelines for professionals to follow while performing their duties. Violations of the prescribed code may result in the derecognizing of the profession to practice.

The key essentials of the management profession are as follows: –

• Formal Education and Training -Professional education and training are available at a variety of institutes and colleges. Anyone who want to practise a profession must first complete a specified course. To provide education and training, a number of management institutes have been developed.

•  Specialized knowledge – A profession should have a systematic body of information that may be used for professional development. Every professional should make a concerted effort to learn principles and procedures.

• Code of conduct: -A code of conduct must be followed by members of a profession, which contains specific laws and regulations as well as norms of  integrity, honesty, and distinctive ethics. To guarantee self-discipline among its members, a representative association enforces the code of conduct.

• Social Obligations – While a job is a source of income, professionals are primarily driven by a desire to help the others. Social values and norms have an impact on their behaviour.

Principles of management 

The 14 management concepts devised by Henri Fayol are drawn below.

1. Work Division –

Henri believed that sorting out tasks in the workplace among workers would improve the product’s quality. Likewise, he came to the inference that work division promotes worker productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and speed.

2. Accountability and Authority-

These are the two most vital aspects of leadership. The management specialist makes it easier for them to work proficiently, and their duty makes them responsible for the work done under their supervision or direction.

3. Self-control-

Nothing can be proficient without discipline. It is the most significant aspect of any project or management. The management work is made at ease and more comprehensive by good performance and appropriate interrelationships. Employees’ good behaviour also benefits in the smooth development and encroachment of their professional careers.

4. Command Cohesion-

This means that an employee should bang to only one manager and obey his orders. When an employee is mandated to report to many bosses, an encounter of interest arises, which can lead to confusion.

5. Directional Consistency-

Everyone who is involved in the same activity should share a communal purpose. This means that everyone in a firm has the identical aim and motivation as it makes work easier and achieves the stated goal more quickly.

6. Subordination of individual interest- This means that a firm should work together to serve the company’s interests rather than personal interests. To be obedient to an organization’s goals refers to a company’s complete chain of command.

7. Remuneration- This is a key factor in encouraging a company’s employees. There are two types of remuneration namely monetary and non-monetary. 

8. Centralization- The management or any authority in charge of the decision-making process in any organisation should be unbiased. Henri Fayol emphasised the prominence of maintaining a balance between hierarchy and power division.

9. Scalar Chain- Fayol emphasises that the hierarchical stages should be from the top to the bottom in this principle. This is compulsory so that every employee knows who their abrupt supervisor is and can contact them if necessary.

10. Order- In order to create a positive work culture, a corporation should have a well-defined work order.

11. Equity- All employees should be treated with admiration and on an equal foothold. 

12. Stability- If an employee feels confident in their position they will give their best performance.

13. Initiative- Management should encourage and support people who take initiative in the workplace.

14. Esprit de Corps- It is the obligation of management to motivate and assist their staff on a daily basis. 

Conclusion 

The preceding explanation demonstrates that management qualifies as a profession in some ways, yet it lacks some characteristics that define a recognised profession. The old adage that “managers are born, not made” no longer holds true in today’s world. Although Peter F. Drucker, the most prominent proponent of management theory and practise, believes that “no greater harm to our economy or society could be done than an attempt to professionalise management by licencing managers or restricting access to management to people with a special academic degree.”