Elise Poole
November 19, 2013
Article Analysis
Consistency of Management
The article “Management” written by noted Lieutenant General Brehon
Somervell, clearly lays out five factors he believes lead to effective management,
especially in the Army Service Forces. Somervell claims that for any management to
be worthy, there first has to be a “precise understanding of the job to be done”
(257). All stakeholders (the customers, employees and managers) have to know
what is going on within the firm. Next, there is a need for “qualified and capable men
in key positions.” Somervell’s third factor for successful management “is a workable
organization properly adapted to the job to be done.” Following, is “a simple, direct
system for carrying on the activities involved in the job.” The fifth, and final
requirement “is a positive method of checking on results”(ibid). Ideally, a firm
would have all five at the same time, but many times that is not realistic. It is still
considered acceptable management if there are at least three of the five factors.
Somervell makes a clear point that he believes that no matter what the management
is needed for, whether it be an executive, private business, civil administration, or
military service, these five factors will make the management successful. All of these
five general factors should indeed be incorporated and duly considered into all
management strategies, in all situations, no matter size, location, or kind of firm.
The first factor is almost always found when researching management, no
matter what. Without a clear understanding of what is needed to be done, the task at
hand has no chance of being completed to it’s full potential. In order to make a plan
of action in any business, an understanding of the actual situation is needed (Lee
75). Knowledge about the current situation is important no matter what kind, size,
or location of business or organization.
Clearly, there should be qualified and capable men for the job (Somervell
257). Without them, there would be wasted time and money making them proficient
for the job. The employees need to be able to do the job, to be professional and there
when delegation is needed for the firm (Jennings 73). It would not make sense if the
employees were not motivated, committed and did not have organizational
citizenship (Armstrong 56). The higher the moral and motivation is throughout the
employees, a higher performance will show. Which in return will “lead to lower
absenteeism and turnover rates, increased productivity and higher levels of quality”
(Armstrong 65). Teamwork and employee moral is one of the most important parts
of a business (Ouchi 2). Without the employees, there would be no company that
would need any of other factors.
Organization is necessary within any organization, function, anything, but
especially for management organization is essential. An unorganized firm will fall
apart. It is also important to have an organizational strategy that also fits for the job
at hand which relates back to the importance of understanding the task (Somervell
558).
Similar to organization, a direct system of management needs to be chosen
and communicated to all employees. Without a clear system, employees will be
disorderly which in return will waste time and money. In business, there are
infinitely many ways to structure management styles. Ouchi, a business
management professor discusses in his article, “The M-Form Society” many different
forms of management; some styles working better in situations with larger
companies, other styles working better in companies working with the government
(2).
The final factor that Somervell discusses is the positive method for checking
results (257). Even though this point is important in a sense, checking the results is
not as a crucial part as the first four are. Yes, looking back to see what was done well
and what was done poor is important to move forward, however if the first four
factors are carried out completely and with precision, there would be no need for
checking because the results should be desirable.
The five factors that Somervell lays out are broad and can be, and should be
applied to all management strategies. Even though small and large firms in the
business world differ in many ways, they still have a need for these five factors. In
fact, Somervell’s five factors should be even more of a focus in a smaller business.
According to the international Small Business Journal, in order for a small business
to succeed, they need to focus in and achieve the five factors before moving on to
any other task (Jennings 66). Smaller businesses have less room and resources to
make mistakes. All of the successful firms and systems relate back to the five
factors. Somervell had truth in his theory; however, all five factors (with less
importance on checking results) should always be a part of prosperous management
styles in all situations and all firms.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Michael. Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action.
Philadelphia and London: Kogan Page, 2008. EBSCO. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.purdue.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmx
lYmtfXzI2Mjc1MF9fQU41?sid=a5e6e10e-f2f5-4fa7-8c0d38d8efb4c735@sessionmgr10&vid=3&format=EB&ppid=pp_55>. This source
goes into more detail about what management entails. It goes into different types
of management which I intend to use to refute the point made in Somervell's
article. This source is an entire book, so there is a lot of information, a lot in
which I can use. It also has some citations that can help me to do further research
on this topic.
Jennings, Peter, and Graham Beaver. "The Performance and Competitive Advantage of
Small Firms: A Management Perspective." International Small Business Journal.
N.p.: Sage, 1997. 63-75. Sage Journals. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://isb.sagepub.com/content/15/2/63.full.pdf+html>. I plan to use this journal
article in my paper to show how the management strategy in my original article
relates to the management in small businesses. It is interesting to see how the
management strategy for the Army connects and disconnects from that of a small
business. This article will help me in the discussion of the first paragraph of my
original article saying how management for executive, private businesses and
civil administration is all the same.
Lee, S. F., and Andrew Sai On Ko. "Building balanced scorecard with SWOT analysis,
and implementing “Sun Tzu’s The Art of Business Management Strategies” on
QFD methodology." Managerial Auditing Journal. Vol. 15. N.p.: MCB UP Ltd,
2000. 68-76. Emerald. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
<http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=868452&show=abstract>
. This article goes in depth in a business way. It analyses good management with
business tools, such as a SWOT analysis. I can use this article to help support and
refute the contents of the original article. This article has lots of facts that are
clearly laid out that will help to make my paper more valid and help to show the
ethos.
Ouchi, William G. "The M-Form Society." Human Resource Management. Vol. 23.2.
New York: Wiley Periodicals Inc., 1984. 191-214. Pro Quest. Web. 18 Nov.
2013.
<http://search.proquest.com/docview/223836979/141D3DACB6F2442C41E/1?ac
countid=13360>. This article is about the management within government, which
has to do with the army. It will also help me to talk about if one management
method is realistic because it talks about different management styles for different
situations. It discusses how complex management is. Also, it talks about the MForm, which according to the article is the most used.
Somervell, Brehon. "Management." Public Administration Review. Vol. 4. N.p.: Wiley,
1944. 257-59. Print. This is the article that I will be discussing in my review. I
will be entering the conversation that Somervell is discussing about management.
The information throughout this article is what I will use to begin my further
research and discussion. As it should be, "Management" will be the most used
source of my paper.
Figure 1
Hunting
Gathering
Collecting
data
1
2
Sifting data
Seeking
3
4
5
Translating
6