Magnet as a manager

In today's class Prof Dr. Mandi brought couple of magnets. He asked students to discuss about what you can see & learn from them. We started discussing scientific properties but then the professor explained us the hidden principles of management in it. 

Magnet can be viewed as a symbolization of a leader. Leader, like magnet has very string influential & attractive power. This type of manager can get the best out of his/her subordinates. These managers have very good relationship with workers & he/she has great understanding about their strengths & weaknesses.

Like a magnet aligns innate magnetic forces in metallic atoms, a manager aligns human forces to get work done. In effect an organization is a force that is aligned. 

This leads to an important concept in Organizational Management - Management By Objective (MBO). It goes beyond setting annual objectives for organizational units to setting performance goals for individual employees.

Behind the principle of Management by Objectives (MBO) is for employees to have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities expected of them. Then they can understand how their activities relate to the achievement of the organization's goal. It also places importance on fulfilling the personal goals of each employee.

Some of the important features and advantages of MBO are:

1. Motivation – Employees should be involved in the whole process of goal setting and increasing employee empowerment. This increases employee job satisfaction and commitment.

2. Participation: As a general rule, the greater the participation of both managers and employees in the setting of goals, the more likely the goals will be achieved. 

3. Clarity of goals- Goals set for each employee should be SMART way. Clarity of goals ensure that work is done in a particular directions & with a purpose.
Everybody will be having a common goal for whole organization. It implies a directive principle of management.

4. Better communication and coordination – Frequent interactions between superiors and subordinates helps to maintain harmonious relationships within the organization and also to solve many problems.

5. Higher commitment - As subordinates set goal for themselves, they tend to have a higher commitment to objectives they set for themselves than those imposed on them by another person.

6. Autonomy in implementation of plans: Once the objectives have been agreed upon, the individual enjoys a wide discretion in choosing the means for achieving them, without being second-guessed by higher-ranking managers.

7. Performance Review: Managers and employees will periodically meet to review progress towards objectives. During the review, they decide what problems exist and they can each do to resolve them.