Management means getting work done through people, using resources efficiently to achieve set goals. In Nayab Subba and Section Officer papers, questions on POSDCORB, Fayol’s principles, Taylor’s scientific management and managerial levels and skills are very common. This note explains each idea with the thinker and year you need to know.
1. Meaning and nature of management
- Henri Fayol: to manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate and to control.
- Harold Koontz: management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organised groups.
- Management is a universal, continuous and goal-oriented process.
- It is both an art (personal skill) and a science (systematic knowledge), and is becoming a profession.
- Efficiency means doing things right (best use of resources); effectiveness means doing the right things (achieving goals).
2. Major thinkers of management
| Thinker | Contribution |
|---|---|
| F. W. Taylor | Father of scientific management; The Principles of Scientific Management (1911); time and motion study, differential piece rate |
| Henri Fayol | Father of modern (administrative) management; General and Industrial Management (1916); 14 principles and 5 functions |
| Max Weber | Theory of bureaucracy: hierarchy, written rules, specialisation, impersonality |
| Elton Mayo | Hawthorne experiments; human relations approach: workers are social beings |
| Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick | POSDCORB (1937), in Papers on the Science of Administration |
| Peter Drucker | Management by Objectives (MBO); The Practice of Management (1954) |
| Woodrow Wilson | Father of public administration; essay The Study of Administration (1887) |
3. POSDCORB
Luther Gulick gave the acronym POSDCORB in 1937 to describe the work of a chief executive.
| Letter | Function | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| P | Planning | Deciding in advance what to do, how and when |
| O | Organising | Setting up the structure of authority and tasks |
| S | Staffing | Recruiting, training and keeping suitable people |
| D | Directing | Guiding, instructing and leading staff |
| Co | Coordinating | Linking the work of different units |
| R | Reporting | Keeping superiors and the public informed |
| B | Budgeting | Financial planning, accounting and control |
4. Fayol’s functions and 14 principles
Fayol gave five functions: planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. His 14 principles are:
- Division of work
- Authority and responsibility
- Discipline
- Unity of command: one boss for each employee
- Unity of direction: one plan for one objective
- Subordination of individual interest to general interest
- Remuneration
- Centralisation
- Scalar chain (with the “gang plank” for quick horizontal communication)
- Order
- Equity
- Stability of tenure of personnel
- Initiative
- Esprit de corps: team spirit
5. Levels and skills of management
| Level | Examples in government | Main skill needed |
|---|---|---|
| Top level | Secretary, Chief Secretary | Conceptual skill (seeing the whole picture) |
| Middle level | Under Secretary, Section Officer | Human skill (working with people) |
| Lower (supervisory) level | Nayab Subba, Kharidar supervisors | Technical skill (knowing how to do the job) |
The three managerial skills were described by Robert L. Katz (1955). Human skill is needed at every level.
6. Management thinkers at a glance
| Thinker | Contribution |
|---|---|
| F. W. Taylor | Scientific management; time and motion study |
| Henri Fayol | Five functions and 14 principles of management |
| Max Weber | Bureaucracy: hierarchy, rules, merit |
| Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick | POSDCORB (1937) |
| Elton Mayo | Hawthorne studies; human relations approach |
| Peter Drucker | Management by Objectives (MBO) |
7. Levels of management and skills
| Level | Example in government | Main skill |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Secretary, Chief Secretary | Conceptual |
| Middle | Joint Secretary, Under Secretary | Human (interpersonal) |
| Lower (supervisory) | Section Officer, Nayab Subba | Technical |
8. How this topic is asked in the exam
Objective items ask the full form of POSDCORB, Fayol’s principles (unity of command, scalar chain) and who gave which theory. Subjective questions ask about the functions of management or Fayol’s principles in government offices. Give one office example for each point.
📌 Key points to remember
- Management gets work done through people efficiently and effectively.
- Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.
- Taylor: father of scientific management (1911).
- Fayol: father of modern management; 14 principles; 5 functions (1916).
- POSDCORB by Luther Gulick (1937): Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting.
- Unity of command means one employee has only one boss.
- Weber: bureaucracy; Mayo: Hawthorne and human relations; Drucker: MBO.
- Katz’s skills: conceptual (top), human (all levels), technical (lower level).
Test yourself: Management
50 questions check what you read about Meaning and nature of management, POSDCORB and Levels and skills of management. Each attempt picks 25 at random.