Definitions of Management and Leadership

Definitions of Management

Management is defined as the process of working with and through others to achieve organisational objectives in a changing environment.
Closely related to this idea is the process view of management, which argues that management involves various tasks such as planning, organising, directing, and controlling resources.
In terms of management roles, Henry Mintzberg’s managerial roles like interpersonal roles, informational roles, and decisional roles are vital to understand.
In modern definitions, management also includes administering the digital workspace, which involves handling technology and virtual teams.

Although they are often used interchangeably, management and leadership are two separate concepts.
Management is primarily about coping with complexity and bringing about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans, designing rigid organisational structures, and monitoring results against the plans.
Leadership, on the other hand, is about coping with change. It often involves setting a direction or vision for a group that is followed, and encouraging people to follow them.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. It represents the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of its visions or set of goals.
An effective leader combines a personal set of skills and behaviours, such as the ability to use different styles and adapt the style to situations, leading change, and being able to develop others.
There are different leadership styles, such as transactional leadership where leaders motivate their team through rewards and punishment; transformational leadership where leaders inspire their team with a shared vision of the future; and participative leadership where leaders seek input from their team members for decision-making. Each style can be effective in different situations.
Leadership also involves fostering a healthy culture and building a team that collaboratively furthers the organisation’s aims.

In a business context, both management and leadership are crucial. The two must go hand in hand. They are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary to each other.
While leadership is more about inspiring and motivating employees towards a common goal, management is more about overseeing and ensuring the day-to-day operations of the business are running smoothly.
Thus, a successful business needs effective management to ensure efficiency and organisational functionality, and effective leadership to inspire and direct employees towards the achievement of the strategic objectives.
Furthermore, a good leader must also possess management skills such as planning, organising, controlling, and commanding. Similarly, an effective manager must also possess leadership skills such as inspiring, influencing, and motivating.