Introduction
At present, the administration has taken a fundamental role within organizations as it is of utmost importance for their development.
The entrepreneurs and managers of the various companies, whatever their line of business, have been adopting various processes and tools to achieve the objectives and goals of the organizations, both in their functional areas and for the fulfillment of the general objective of the same.
But in what way can the fulfillment of the objectives and the optimization of resources be achieved, this is where the administration comes in, since through it and correctly applying the administrative process.
In this chapter two of the most important stages of this process are presented, where the objectives, goals, vision, mission to be fulfilled will be established, as well as setting the course of action to be able to fulfill them.
Once the course to be followed has been established, all activities must be controlled, through various tools, procedures and principles we can ensure that all actions carried out are aimed at meeting the established objectives.
Administration concept
There are various concepts proposed by many authors, so far there is no universal concept of what administration is, however, there are various elements that characterize it, such as that it must be directed to a specific goal, which must meet the established objectives, optimize resources, etc., in this way one of the concepts that encompasses these elements is the following:
"Administration: It is a process that allows us to design, maintain and achieve, through efficient and effective coordination, all the resources that interact and are related in an organization to achieve established objectives." (Grajales Lara & Castillo Arriaga, 2003).
Administration features
The administration has certain characteristics in general but these can be analyzed from two different points of view, from the internal environment, which depends on each organization and those that are of a general nature and that can be presented in all companies, whatever the twist of them.
The following diagram presents the characteristics of the administration, which are described later.
Administration Features
Figure 1. Administration characteristics.
- "Universality: It exists in any social group. Instrumental Value: It is a means to an end. Temporary Unit: It is a dynamic process in which all its parts exist synchronously. Extent of the Exercise: It occurs at all levels of the organization. Specificity: It has its own characteristics that give it its specific character. What distinguishes it from other disciplines. Interdisciplinarity: It has an affinity with all those sciences and techniques related to efficiency at work. Flexibility: It adapts to the needs of the organization where it is applied. " (Munch Galindo & García Martínez, 1989)
Administrative process
From the year 1900, administration began to be studied in a scientific way, its principles were defined and formally there was written documentation about its study as a discipline, many of those dedicated to its study defined or divided it into four functions, planning, organization, direction and control.
The administrative process is a set of interrelated phases by which the administration is carried out, and which form an integral process. It consists of various stages, generally four.
Stages of the administrative process.
Figure 2. Stages of the administrative process.
"When the elements of Planning, Organization, Direction and Control are considered in isolation, they are only administrative functions, when these four elements are considered in a global approach of interaction to achieve objectives, they form the Administrative Process." (Thompson B. & Antezana I., 2006)
Within these stages of the administrative process there are two main ones, planning and control, which broadly comprise the following points:
- "The development and application of general and long-range objectives for the company. The specification of the company's goals. A long-range profit plan developed in general terms. A short-term profit plan detailed by assigned responsibilities. A system of periodic detailed performance reports by assigned responsibilities. Follow-up procedures. " (Welch, 1990).
Planning
Concept
It is the first phase of the administrative process, which implies that it is the first function to be performed within an organization. Within this we must set the course of action and define the objectives to follow.
Let us remember that planning is projecting a future action, it is a decision-making in advance, on which the company must act to fulfill its primary objective. In this way we have that "planning consists in setting the concrete course of action to be followed, establishing the principles that will guide it, the sequence of operations to carry it out and the determination of times and numbers necessary for its realization." (AN I).
Planning is of the utmost importance since the other stages of the process take place after this, it helps us to define the goals and objectives to be achieved, to optimize existing resources, to study the environment, both internal and external to predispose ourselves to the changes that may exist.
Planning principles
All the stages of the administrative process have principles that must be applied to carry out an adequate administration, in this case the administration principles are:
- Feasibility: This implies that what is planned must be achievable, realistic and objective, that is to say that the conditions of the internal and external environment must be taken into account to make fully achievable plans Precision: Consists of using objective data, To avoid risks or reduce them, for this it is necessary to use numerical data, market studies, etc. when planning.Flexibility: It was mentioned before as a characteristic of the administration, in this case it is a principle of this planning stage, certain margins must be established that allow adjusting to any unforeseen situation that may arise.Unit: Specific plans are established, however, each and every one of them must join a general plan, the purpose must be to meet the general objective of the organization.Change of strategies:When planning, dates must be established for the fulfillment of each of the established plans, in the event that any of them does not comply with the time, that is, that it extends beyond the expected time, it must be rethought.
Stages of planning
In order to carry out planning within a company, whatever its line of business, certain stages must be carried out to be able to make plans more efficient and do it correctly.
- Define the mission and vision of the company. The mission is the reason why the company was created, what it currently does, the scope it has, that is, the reason for the company's existence. The vision, for its part, is how the company is envisioned in the future, in a certain number of years. "They are basic qualitative aspirations in the moral order that move to undertake actions of a socioeconomic type and that are established permanently or semi-permanently in a social group." (National Polytechnic Institute) Premises. At this stage of planning, assumptions are made about various factors both internal, which arise within the company, and external, which are outside the company, which may change or affect the course of the plan. Objectives.These are carried out based on the results you want to obtain in a certain period of time. They can be divided into general, specific and by department, the last two are short and medium term, while the first are long term. Strategies. It is the presentation of alternatives, for the fulfillment of the objectives in a way that can be obtained advantage and optimize the resources, time, money, effort, etc. Policies. They are of a general nature, they are established for their fulfillment especially in problems that are repetitive within an organization, they are characterized by being flexible, they help to promote discipline, they can be generic, by department. Another characteristic of these is that they are unique, that is, each company establishes its own policies. Rules. They are strict and rigid mandates,that must be applied and fulfilled within the company, determine the attitude and disposition of the personnel of a company in the development of its activities. Programs. They can be done by means of graphs or diagrams, their purpose is to carry the sequence of activities to be developed within an organization for the fulfillment of the objectives in a certain time, these can be general and by department. Budgets. It is the development of a plan in monetary terms, they can be fixed with established operational goals, flexible carried out at various levels, or by programs. Procedures. When doing them, a chronological and sequential order must be established for carrying out a job.Programs. They can be done by means of graphs or diagrams, their purpose is to carry the sequence of activities to be developed within an organization for the fulfillment of the objectives in a certain time, these can be general and by department. Budgets. It is the development of a plan in monetary terms, they can be fixed with established operational goals, flexible carried out at various levels, or by programs. Procedures. When doing them, a chronological and sequential order must be established for carrying out a job.Programs. They can be done by means of graphs or diagrams, their purpose is to carry the sequence of activities to be developed within an organization for the fulfillment of the objectives in a certain time, these can be general and by department. Budgets. It is the development of a plan in monetary terms, they can be fixed with established operational goals, flexible carried out at various levels, or by programs. Procedures. When doing them, a chronological and sequential order must be established for carrying out a job.It is the development of a plan in monetary terms, they can be fixed with established operational goals, flexible carried out at various levels, or by programs. Procedures. When doing them, a chronological and sequential order must be established for carrying out a job.It is the development of a plan in monetary terms, they can be fixed with established operational goals, flexible carried out at various levels, or by programs. Procedures. When doing them, a chronological and sequential order must be established for carrying out a job.
Types of plans
“The plans present the objectives of the organization and establish the ideal procedures to achieve them. In addition, the plans are the guide for (1) the organization to obtain and commit the resources that are required to achieve its objectives; (2) the members of the organization carry out activities consistent with the objectives and procedures chosen; and (3) progress towards objectives can be controlled and measured in such a way that, when it is not satisfactory, corrective measures can be taken. " (Finch Stoner, Freeman, & Gilbert, 1996).
In this way, when defining the plans, the objectives and goals of the company must be taken into account, as well as all the stages of planning to formulate the course of action based on these elements.
There are different types of plans, these vary according to three important factors:
- The level at which they are carried out, that is, the hierarchy they have. There are the strategic plans which are given at the managerial level, the tactical or functional plans, are designed in the various areas of the company and their purpose is to achieve that the strategic ones are met, and the operational ones that serve for the assignment of specific activities. Depending on their application, there are single-use plans, which are only for a limited time or only to meet a single objective, usually in the short term, and constant use plans also called permanent. be short, medium and long term.
Systems control
To know that the administrative work is being carried out correctly, it needs to be measured, for this it is necessary to assess the plans established during planning against the results obtained. Once the results are obtained, it is possible to know where it is failing which is the area of opportunity where the plans must be redone, or in the case apply corrective measures to solve the problems that are detected.
We define control as “the monitoring activity aimed at correcting any deviations that may occur with respect to the objectives. The control is exercised with reference to the plans, by means of the regular and systematic comparison of the forecasts made with respect to the objectives. " (Contact SME).
Control principles
The importance of the control principles derives from the fact that their objective is to prevent errors and failures, and to correct existing ones so as not to repeat them.
- Balance: The same degree of responsibility corresponds to the degree of authority Objectives: Control is a means to achieve the objectives Opportunity: This must be applied before making mistakes, that is, it must be timely Deviations: It must be known that I originate them and avoid their repetition. Exception: It is about reducing costs using all the means available, statistical methods, etc. to deduce which functions will require control. Controlled function: This principle tells us that the person who performs the control should in no way be involved in the activity to be controlled.
Stages of control
As in planning in the control function, various stages are carried out which are interrelated.
Stages of control.
Figure 3. Stages of control.
- Establishment of standards. It is the design of tools for the measurement of results, quality control, evaluation of errors. Measurement of Results. Results are compared against what was planned Correction. Errors detected are corrected if they exist. Feedback. Once the review is concluded and the corrective measures are adopted, these must be disclosed to the corresponding area for their application and thus prevent future errors, the supervision of the activities must be constant, and the results obtained must be reviewed. get closer and closer to what was planned.
Control types
- Preliminary, this is carried out before the operation starts, that is, it does not wait for the results to be obtained but rather provides the controlling action. Concurrent, this is carried out in the operation of the company. uses previous data and evaluates the results in order not to make the same mistakes again.
Techniques for control
There are various techniques to carry out control within a company, among which the following stand out:
a) Information Systems
- Reports, these are issued by each of the areas of the organization, through these those in charge of these areas can evaluate the fulfillment of the objectives and report it to their superiors. Audits, can be internal with company personnel or external, Hiring companies dedicated to these tasks, through these areas where there are inconsistencies are detected and corrective and even preventive measures are suggested, the results of these are reported to the managers of the organizations for decision making. From this area the financial control of the company is carried out, through the financial statements the decision-making is carried out.There are other types of tools for control within the information systems, no less important, such as are budget control,reports, forms, files and personal observation and by route Information technologies, currently, organizations have evolved, establishing certain software and computer tools that facilitate data control and management of indicators within it, at first it can arrive To think that it is a great expense for the company, however, entrepreneurs have understood that it is a great investment, as it facilitates decision-making, in addition to showing the points where it is failing and the areas of opportunity, where can prevent future failures.Establishing certain software and computer tools that facilitate the control of data and management of indicators within it, at first it may be thought that it is a great expense for the company, however, entrepreneurs have understood that it is a great investment, It facilitates decision-making, in addition to showing the points where it is failing and the areas of opportunity, where future failures can be prevented.Establishing certain software and computer tools that facilitate the control of data and management of indicators within it, at first it may be thought that it is a great expense for the company, however, entrepreneurs have understood that it is a great investment, It facilitates decision-making, in addition to showing the points where it is failing and the areas of opportunity, where future failures can be prevented.
b) Graphics
To carry out the control within the organizations, some graphs can be used to be able to measure the fulfillment of the objectives and measure what was done against the planned, some of the most used are the PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique), graphs Gantt, to mention the most important.
c) Study of Methods
This type of control is carried out through the establishment of certain studies such as Times and Movements and the establishment of standards.
d) Quantitative Methods
Some quantitative methods can be used, which may have a certain degree of complexity, however, they are perfect for decision making as they provide accurate data. Some of the most used methods are the following:
- Mathematical models Operations investigation Probability and statistics Dynamic programming
e) Internal Control
This is established by each organization, depending on the business and the objectives they intend to achieve.
conclusion
The planning and control stages of the company are highly linked and their application within organizations is of the utmost importance since the success or failure of these depends on them, if they are applied correctly, using techniques efficiently, Organizational goals will be met.
They must be applied to all functional areas of companies, as well as at the managerial level, as mentioned above, all plans must be oriented to a comprehensive plan with a common goal that governs the organization as a whole.
Having established these goals and the actions that will be carried out to meet them, it must be controlled that it is being done correctly and that they are actually fulfilled as planned, and if it is not being carried out, corrective measures must be anticipated and applied wherever necessary.
Bibliography
- SME contact. (sf). SME contact. Retrieved on September 13, 2013, de Finch Stoner, JA, Freeman, RE, & Gilbert, DR (1996). Administration. Mexico: Pearson Education, Grajales Lara, HN, & Castillo Arriaga, M. d. (2003). Administration I. Xalapa, Veracruz: SEC. National Polytechnic Institute. (sf). IPN. Retrieved on September 13, 2013, from http://www.cecuc.ipn.mx/v3/pdfs/Fundamentos_Administracion.pdf Munch Galindo, L., & García Martínez, J. (1989). Management fundamentals. Mexico: Trillas. Thompson B., JM, & Antezana I., J. (September 2006). Promonegocios. Retrieved on September 13, 2013, from http://www.promonegocios.net/administracion/proceso-administrativo.htmlUNAL. (sf). AN I. Retrieved on September 13, 2013, from: http://unal.edu.co/Welch, H. &. (1990). Budgets. Mexico:Prentice Hall.
