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Management is the art and science of coordinating and overseeing the activities of an organization to achieve defined objectives. It involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling human, financial, and informational resources to achieve desired goals efficiently and effectively. At its core, management focuses on creating an environment where individuals can work together harmoniously and productively.
The role of management extends across various functions, such as setting strategic goals, developing policies, and making critical decisions that steer the organization towards success. Effective management requires strong leadership skills, the ability to motivate and inspire employees, and the capacity to adapt to changing environments. Managers must also possess analytical skills to assess situations, identify problems, and implement solutions that enhance organizational performance.
In today's dynamic and complex business landscape, management is crucial for fostering innovation, maintaining competitiveness, and ensuring long-term sustainability. It bridges the gap between the organization's mission and operational activities, aligning resources and efforts to meet market demands and stakeholder expectations. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and leveraging technology, effective management drives organizational growth and success.
Management is coordinating and overseeing an organisation's activities to achieve its goals efficiently and effectively. It involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling human, financial, and informational resources. The primary objective of management is to ensure that an organization operates smoothly and productively, maximizing the use of its resources.
Effective management requires strong leadership skills, the ability to motivate and inspire employees, and the capacity to adapt to changing environments. Managers are responsible for setting strategic goals, developing policies, and making decisions that steer the organization toward success. In essence, management is about creating an environment where individuals can work harmoniously to achieve common objectives, fostering innovation, maintaining competitiveness, and ensuring long-term sustainability.
At its core, management is a discipline comprising five essential functions that ensure an organisation's smooth operation and success. Planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling functions form a comprehensive framework that guides managers. Each function is critical in the organizational structure, from top-level executives to front-line managers.
By understanding and effectively implementing these functions, managers can drive their businesses forward, aligning resources and efforts to achieve strategic goals and maintain operational efficiency. This foundational framework fosters growth, innovation, and long-term sustainability within any organization.
Planning is the foundational function of management, involving selecting objectives and determining strategies and actions to achieve them. It requires managers to forecast future conditions, set goals, and decide on the necessary resources and actions to meet these goals.
Effective planning includes defining the organization's direction and establishing a roadmap for achieving its mission and vision. This process involves setting short-term and long-term goals, identifying potential challenges, and devising contingency plans to ensure the organization remains on track towards its objectives.
Organizing involves arranging resources and tasks to achieve the organization’s objectives. This function includes developing a structure for the organization, defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing employee relationships.
Effective organizing ensures that resources are allocated efficiently, work is coordinated, and team members collaborate effectively. By creating clear lines of authority and communication, managers can optimize workflows and ensure everyone understands their role in contributing to the organization's goals.
Leading requires managers to inspire and motivate employees to achieve organizational goals. This function involves setting a vision, communicating it effectively, and encouraging team members to work towards it.
Effective leaders use influence, persuasion, and excellent communication skills to build trust and foster a positive work environment. They guide employees by setting examples, providing feedback, and creating opportunities for professional development. Leadership is crucial for maintaining morale and driving the organization towards success.
Staffing involves recruiting, selecting, training, and developing employees. It ensures the organization has the right people with the necessary skills to achieve its goals. Adequate staffing includes identifying workforce needs, developing job descriptions, conducting interviews, and making hiring decisions.
Additionally, it involves training new hires, providing ongoing professional development, and creating succession plans. Proper staffing aligns the workforce with the organization's strategic objectives and ensures a steady talent pipeline.
Directing guides and supervises employees to ensure their performance aligns with organizational goals. This function involves training, advising, and monitoring employees’ performance. Effective directing ensures that employees understand their tasks and have the necessary support to perform their duties efficiently.
Managers provide clear instructions, offer constructive feedback, and resolve any issues that may arise. Managers can enhance productivity and achieve desired outcomes by effectively directing their teams.
Controlling involves monitoring and evaluating organizational performance to ensure that goals are being met. This function requires establishing performance standards, measuring actual performance, and taking corrective actions when necessary. Effective controlling helps managers identify deviations from plans, assess progress, and make adjustments to improve efficiency.
Managers can maintain organisational stability and ensure continuous improvement by implementing control mechanisms, such as performance appraisals and financial audits.These six management functions provide a comprehensive framework for managers to lead their organizations effectively and achieve their objectives.
Levels of management include top, middle, and lower levels, each with distinct roles and responsibilities. These tiers ensure efficient organizational operation and goal achievement by providing structure and clarity. Top-level management focuses on strategic planning and overall direction, middle management translates these strategies into actionable plans, and lower-level management handles day-to-day operations and supervises employees.
By understanding the roles at each level, organizations can ensure that their goals are aligned across all tiers, facilitating smooth operations and effective decision-making processes. This hierarchical approach helps maintain order, improve communication, and drive organizational success..
The three levels of management are top, middle, and lower, each playing a unique role in organizational success. They ensure smooth operation and goal alignment across all tiers
Top-level management consists of senior executives responsible for the overall direction and success of the organization. This includes positions such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Board of Directors, Managing Director, Chairman, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Vice-President, President, General Manager, and other senior executives.
These individuals are tasked with setting the company's strategic vision and long-term goals, performing complex and high-stress tasks that require dedication and extensive hours.
Middle-level management acts as a bridge between the top-level and lower-level management. This includes departmental heads like Production Managers, Purchase Managers, Finance Managers, Personnel Managers, Marketing Managers, and other executive officers.
These managers are responsible for implementing the plans and policies established by top management and ensuring that day-to-day operations align with the company’s strategic goals.
Lower-level management, also known as supervisory or operational management, includes foremen, supervisors, section officers, and other managers who directly interact with the workforce.
These managers are responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently, and addressing any issues that arise during the execution of work.
Management is characterized by its goal-oriented nature, ensuring efficient resource utilization and decision-making. It involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling to achieve objectives.
Effective management fosters teamwork, innovation, and adaptability in dynamic environments. Managers must balance scientific principles with creative and interpersonal skills to lead their teams successfully.
They focus on optimal resource use, continuous improvement, and aligning activities with organizational goals. Management is a systematic and coordinated effort that distinguishes itself from operational functions by concentrating on strategic decision-making and long-term success. Here are some key characteristics of management:
Management is regarded as both a science and an art. As a science, it involves systematic knowledge, principles, and techniques that can be studied, tested, and applied universally. These scientific principles guide managers in making decisions and solving problems.
As an art, management requires creativity, intuition, and personal skills to lead and motivate people effectively. Managers use their experience, creativity, and interpersonal skills to inspire their teams, make strategic decisions, and navigate complex situations. Combining these elements allows managers to apply scientific principles while adapting their approach based on the unique needs of their organization and team.
Management involves the efficient and effective use of an organization's resources, which include human resources (employees), financial resources (money), physical resources (materials and machines), and informational resources (data and information).
Effective resource management ensures that these resources are used optimally to achieve organizational goals. This involves planning the allocation of resources, organizing them to ensure their efficient use, directing their application towards achieving objectives, and controlling their use to prevent wastage. Proper resource management helps maximise productivity, minimise costs, and achieve the desired outcomes.
Management is an ongoing process encompassing planning, organizing, directing, and controlling activities. It requires continuous effort to adapt to changing circumstances and to ensure that resources are used effectively to meet organizational goals. This dynamic process involves setting objectives, developing plans, implementing actions, monitoring progress, and making necessary adjustments.
Because organizations operate in constantly changing environments, managers must reassess and adjust their strategies to respond to new challenges and opportunities. The continuous nature of management ensures that the organization remains aligned with its goals and can adapt to external and internal changes.
Management is fundamentally focused on achieving specific organizational goals. All managerial activities are directed towards attaining these objectives, established in advance. Managers set goals, develop plans to achieve them, and then organize and direct resources towards them.
The effectiveness of management is measured by how well these goals are achieved. By being goal-oriented, management ensures that all efforts and resources are aligned towards achieving the desired outcomes, providing direction and purpose to the organization.
Management involves a series of organized activities that are structured and coordinated to achieve collective goals. It requires a systematic approach to organizing people, tasks, and resources.
In an organized work environment, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, workflows are streamlined, and activities are coordinated to ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives. Effective management ensures that all activities are planned and executed orderly, which helps minimise confusion, reduce redundancy, and enhance productivity.
Management includes coordinating various factors of production, such as land, labour, capital, and entrepreneurship. Effective management ensures that these factors are utilized efficiently to produce goods and services.
This involves planning production schedules, organizing resources, directing operations, and controlling the process to ensure quality and efficiency. In large organizations, the management team coordinates these activities to achieve the organization’s goals. Effective operations management ensures that resources are used optimally, production processes are efficient, and products meet quality standards.
Management activities are focused on achieving the organization’s goals. This involves planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling resources to accomplish these goals. Managers ensure that every action the organisation takes contributes to the overall objectives.
This purpose-driven approach ensures that all efforts are aligned with the organization’s mission and vision, leading to efficient and effective operations. By serving a clear purpose, management provides direction and motivation to employees, ensuring that everyone works towards the same goals.
Management is distinct from the operational functions of an organization. While operational functions involve performing specific tasks, management focuses on how these tasks are accomplished. Managers are responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling activities to meet organisational goals.
This distinction allows managers to focus on strategic decision-making and overall coordination, rather than being involved in the day-to-day execution of tasks. By separating management from operational functions, organizations can ensure that there is a clear focus on achieving long-term goals and strategic objectives.
One of the primary goals of management is to maximize profit by efficiently utilizing resources and making sound economic decisions. Effective management ensures that resources are used in the most productive way, minimizing costs and maximizing output.
This involves making strategic decisions that enhance the organization’s profitability, such as optimizing production processes, reducing waste, and increasing sales. Profit maximization ensures the organization’s sustainability and growth, benefiting all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and shareholders.
Decision-making is a critical aspect of management. Managers constantly make decisions that impact the organization’s performance. Effective decision-making involves evaluating multiple options, considering the potential outcomes, and choosing the best course of action.
This process requires analytical skills, critical thinking, and the ability to foresee the consequences of different actions. The quality of decisions made by management directly affects the organization’s success. Good decision-making ensures that the organization is moving in the right direction and is able to respond effectively to challenges and opportunities.
Management principles and practices apply to all sectors of the economy, including for-profit, non-profit, and government organizations. The specific application of management may vary depending on the nature of the organization, but the core principles remain relevant.
For example, while a manufacturing company may focus on optimizing production processes, a non-profit organization may focus on resource allocation and volunteer management. The universal applicability of management principles ensures that organizations across different sectors can benefit from effective management practices.
Management involves delegating tasks to others to achieve organizational goals. Managers coordinate and direct employees' efforts to ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and effectively.
This involves setting clear expectations, providing the necessary resources, and monitoring progress to meet objectives. By delegating tasks, managers can leverage the skills and expertise of their team members, ensuring that the organization operates smoothly and achieves its goals.
Management involves coordinating the efforts of a group of people working towards common goals. Effective management requires collaboration, teamwork, and communication among organisation members.
Managers must create an environment where team members can collaborate harmoniously, share ideas, and support each other. This group activity ensures that the organization’s objectives are achieved through collective effort. By fostering a collaborative culture, managers can enhance productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction among employees.
Management is recognized as a professional career with various areas of specialization, such as financial management, marketing management, and personnel management. Professional managers are trained to apply management principles and techniques to achieve organizational objectives.
This involves obtaining relevant education, gaining practical experience, and continuously updating their skills. As a career, management offers opportunities for growth and advancement, allowing individuals to develop their expertise and contribute to the success of their organizations.
Managers have the authority to direct and control the activities of their subordinates. This involves providing guidance, instructions, and supervision to ensure that tasks are performed efficiently and goals are achieved.
Effective direction and control require strong leadership skills, clear communication, and the ability to motivate and inspire employees. By exercising control, managers can ensure that organizational activities are aligned with strategic objectives and that resources are used effectively.
Management is dynamic and evolves with changing business environments. Managers must adapt to new trends, technologies, and market conditions to remain effective.
This requires a proactive approach to identifying and responding to changes and a willingness to innovate and embrace new ideas. The dynamic nature of management ensures that organizations can remain competitive and respond to challenges and opportunities in the marketplace.
Management functions are required at all levels of an organization, from top executives to front-line supervisors. Each level of management has specific responsibilities, but all contribute to achieving the organization’s overall goals.
Top-level managers focus on strategic planning and decision-making, middle-level managers implement policies and coordinate activities, and lower-level managers oversee day-to-day operations and supervise employees. Effective management at all levels ensures cohesive and efficient operations throughout the organization.
Management encompasses three primary types of objectives: organizational objectives, social objectives, and personal objectives. Each type plays a crucial role in ensuring an organization's overall success and sustainability. Organizational objectives focus on achieving the company's goals, such as survival, profitability, and growth.
Social objectives address the company's responsibilities towards society and stakeholders, promoting ethical practices and community engagement. Personal objectives pertain to individual employee goals, fostering career development, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. By integrating these objectives, management creates a cohesive strategy that drives the organization's success while meeting societal responsibilities and supporting employee well-being.
Survival: Survival is the fundamental objective for any organization, ensuring it generates enough revenue to cover operational costs and sustain activities. Achieving survival involves cost control, efficient resource utilization, adapting to market changes, and maintaining customer satisfaction to ensure steady cash flow and market relevance.
Profit: Profit is the financial gain when revenue exceeds expenses, costs, and taxes. It serves as a primary incentive for business owners and investors, providing resources for reinvestment, employee rewards, and future growth. Maximizing profit involves increasing revenues and reducing costs through pricing strategies, market expansion, and improving operational efficiency.
Growth: Growth refers to the expansion of a business in sales volume, workforce, market share, and capital investment. It is crucial for competitiveness, attracting talent, and providing long-term shareholder value. Achieving growth involves innovation, market expansion, strategic partnerships, research and development, and effective marketing to drive sales and expand the customer base.
Social objectives focus on the company’s responsibilities towards society and its stakeholders. These objectives ensure that the organization operates in a socially responsible manner, contributing positively to the community and the environment.
1. Ethical Practices: Implementing fair and ethical business practices builds trust and credibility with stakeholders. This involves transparency, honesty, and integrity in all business operations, ensuring that the company maintains high ethical standards and fosters positive relationships.
2. Environmental Sustainability: Reducing the environmental impact of business operations through sustainable practices. This includes minimizing waste, reducing carbon footprints, and using eco-friendly materials and processes to promote environmental stewardship and long-term sustainability.
3. Community Engagement: Contributing to community development through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This includes philanthropy, volunteering, and supporting local businesses, demonstrating the company’s commitment to improving the well-being of the communities it serves.
Personal objectives pertain to the individual goals of employees within the organization. These objectives ensure that employees are motivated, satisfied, and productive, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the organization.
1. Career Development: Providing opportunities for employees to advance their careers through training, education, and professional growth. This helps employees acquire new skills, enhance their expertise, and achieve their professional aspirations.
2. Job Satisfaction: Creating a positive work environment that fosters job satisfaction, motivation, and employee well-being. This includes recognizing achievements, providing meaningful work, and ensuring a supportive and inclusive workplace culture.
3. Work-Life Balance: Supporting employees in achieving a balance between their work and personal lives to reduce stress and increase productivity. This involves flexible working arrangements, promoting a healthy work environment, and ensuring employees have time for personal and family commitments.
By setting and achieving these objectives, management ensures that the organization not only meets its financial goals but also fulfills its social responsibilities and supports the personal growth and well-being of its employees. Effective management aligns these objectives to create a cohesive strategy that drives overall success and sustainability.
Management can be understood as a science, an art, and a profession, each providing a unique lens to analyze its multifaceted nature. As a science, management involves systematic principles, theories, and methodologies that guide decision-making and problem-solving.
As an art, it requires creativity, intuition, and interpersonal skills to inspire and lead people effectively. As a profession, management encompasses a set of specialized knowledge, ethical standards, and formal education necessary for effective practice. Understanding management through these perspectives highlights its complexity and the diverse skills required to succeed in this field.
Science is characterized by a systematic body of knowledge, empirical evidence, and universally accepted principles. Management shares several characteristics with science:
Art involves creativity, intuition, and personal skills in achieving desired outcomes. Management as an art emphasizes the human element and the creative application of knowledge:
Specialized knowledge, formal education, ethical standards, and a commitment to continuous learning define a profession. Management fits many of these criteria:
Different management styles can significantly impact an organization's culture, productivity, and success. Here are some common management styles explained in detail:
1. Autocratic Management Style: Definition: The manager makes all decisions unilaterally without consulting employees. Characteristics: Centralized decision-making, strict control, and clear expectations. Advantages: Quick decision-making and clear direction. Disadvantages: Low employee morale, lack of creativity and innovation. This style can lead to high employee turnover as workers may feel undervalued and unmotivated due to the lack of input and autonomy.
2. Democratic Management Style: Definition: The manager involves employees in decision-making processes. Characteristics: Participative decision-making, encourages feedback, and fosters collaboration. Advantages: Higher employee satisfaction, increased creativity, and innovation. Disadvantages: Slower decision-making process, potential for conflict. While it promotes a more inclusive work environment, it can be time-consuming and sometimes lead to disagreements among team members.
3. Laissez-Faire Management Style: Definition: The manager provides minimal direction and allows employees to make decisions. Characteristics: High level of autonomy, minimal supervision, and decentralized decision-making. Advantages: Encourages independence and fosters innovation. Disadvantages: Potential for lack of direction, inconsistency in performance. This style can lead to confusion and lack of accountability if employees are not self-motivated or clear about their roles.
4. Transformational Management Style: Definition: The manager inspires and motivates employees to achieve their full potential. Characteristics: Visionary leadership, high levels of communication, and personal development. Advantages: High employee engagement, improved performance, and job satisfaction. Disadvantages: Requires significant time and energy from the manager, may not suit all employees. This style can be challenging to sustain and might overwhelm employees who are less adaptable to change.
5. Transactional Management Style: Definition: The manager relies on rewards and punishments to manage employees. Characteristics: Clear structure, performance-based rewards, and penalties. Advantages: Clear expectations and measurable performance. Disadvantages: Focus on short-term goals can lead to low employee motivation if overused. Employees may become overly reliant on rewards and less intrinsically motivated, potentially reducing overall job satisfaction and creativity.
Managers are essential across almost every type of company and industry, and the demand for management positions is expected to grow. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), management positions are projected to grow faster than average by 2032 due to new company formations and expansions of existing organizations. Here’s a look at various management careers, their roles, salary expectations, and growth prospects:
Management skills are a set of abilities that enable an individual to effectively coordinate and oversee the activities of an organization or team to achieve specific goals. These skills are crucial for managers at all levels and across all industries. Here’s an explanation of key management skills:
Leadership involves guiding and motivating a team towards achieving common goals. Effective leaders inspire trust, encourage collaboration, and foster a positive work environment.
They set a clear vision, communicate it effectively, and empower team members to perform at their best. Leadership also includes the ability to make decisions, solve problems, and manage conflicts within the team.
Communication is essential for conveying information clearly and effectively. Managers need strong verbal and written communication skills to share goals, expectations, feedback, and updates with their team and stakeholders. Good communication ensures everyone is on the same page and helps prevent misunderstandings and errors.
Problem-solving skills enable managers to identify issues, analyze potential causes, and develop effective solutions. This involves critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to remain calm under pressure. Effective problem-solving helps maintain smooth operations and addresses challenges before they escalate.
Decision-making involves evaluating options and choosing the best course of action. Managers must be able to assess situations, consider potential outcomes, and make informed choices that align with organizational goals. Good decision-making skills help managers navigate complex situations and take actions that benefit the organization.
Time management is prioritising tasks, setting deadlines, and using time efficiently. Managers must organize their workload and ensure tasks are completed on time. Effective time management enhances productivity and helps managers handle multiple responsibilities without becoming overwhelmed.
Delegation involves assigning tasks to team members based on their skills and strengths. Effective delegation empowers employees, fosters professional growth, and allows managers to focus on higher-level strategic tasks. It also helps ensure that work is distributed evenly and completed efficiently.
While traditional management skills like technical, human, and conceptual skills are fundamental, several emerging and specialized skills are becoming increasingly important in today's dynamic and technology-driven environment. Here are some new and different management skills:
Digital literacy involves understanding and effectively using digital tools and platforms. As technology evolves, managers must stay current with digital trends and tools to lead their teams efficiently.
Change management skills involve guiding an organization through transitions and transformations, whether they are technological, structural, or cultural.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of others. It is crucial for building strong interpersonal relationships and leading teams effectively.
Innovation and creativity involve thinking outside the box and developing new ideas to drive the organization forward.
With the rise of remote work, managers need skills to lead and manage teams that are not physically present effectively.
Cultural competence is understanding, appreciating, and working effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
There are numerous hard and soft skills beneficial for top managers to embrace. To add the most value, these can be categorized into four distinct groups: Leadership Skills, Analytical Skills, Interpersonal Skills, and Technical Skills.
Leadership skills are essential for guiding and motivating teams, making strategic decisions, and fostering a positive work environment. These skills ensure managers can inspire and influence their teams to achieve organizational goals.
Analytical skills involve assessing situations, interpreting data, and making data-driven decisions. These skills are critical for solving complex problems and optimizing organizational performance.
Interpersonal skills, also known as people skills, are crucial for building strong relationships, communicating effectively, and fostering teamwork. These skills help managers connect with their teams and stakeholders on a personal level.
Technical skills involve the knowledge and abilities required to perform tasks related to a particular field or profession. While these skills are more relevant at lower management levels, they remain essential for top managers to understand the technical aspects of their operations.
Management is essential in every type of company and industry. It involves planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals. Good management ensures businesses run smoothly, meet targets, and adapt to changes. There are many management roles, from marketing and finance to healthcare and construction, each requiring different skills and education.
Effective managers are crucial for the success of any organization, as they help coordinate efforts, solve problems, and improve efficiency. With the increasing demand for skilled managers, pursuing a career in management offers many opportunities for growth and impact. Whether you're leading a small team or an entire company, good management practices are key to achieving success and making a positive difference in the workplace.
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Management is the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals efficiently and effectively. It involves coordinating efforts and resources to meet an organization's objectives. This process requires a combination of strategic thinking, detailed planning, effective leadership, and vigilant oversight to ensure that the organization's goals are achieved promptly and cost-effectively.
Management is crucial because it ensures that resources are used efficiently, activities are coordinated, problems are solved promptly, and the organization can adapt to changes. Effective management improves productivity, enhances employee morale, and contributes to the overall success of the organization by aligning all efforts towards common goals and ensuring that these goals are achieved.
The main functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning involves setting goals and determining the best way to achieve them. Organizing entails arranging resources and tasks to implement the plan. Leading involves motivating and directing people to work towards the organization's goals. Controlling is monitoring progress and making necessary adjustments to stay on track. Together, these functions ensure an organization operates smoothly and achieves its objectives.
Essential skills for managers include leadership, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and time management. Leadership skills are essential for inspiring and guiding teams. Communication skills ensure a clear and compelling exchange of information. Problem-solving skills help managers identify and resolve issues efficiently. Decision-making skills enable managers to make sound choices that benefit the organization. Time management skills allow managers to prioritize tasks and use their time effectively to meet deadlines and achieve goals.
Common management roles include general manager, project manager, human resources (HR) manager, operations manager, and financial manager. General managers oversee overall operations and strategy of a company or division. Project managers handle specific projects from inception to completion, ensuring they meet objectives and deadlines. HR managers manage employee relations, recruitment, and compliance with labor laws. Operations managers ensure efficient production and business operations. Financial managers oversee the financial health of an organization, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning.
Management levels include top-level, middle-level, and lower-level management. Top-level management consists of executives like CEOs and presidents who set strategic goals and make high-level decisions. Middle-level management includes department heads and division managers who implement the strategies and policies set by top management and oversee lower-level managers. Lower-level management, such as supervisors and team leaders, manage the day-to-day operations and directly oversee employees.
