S/M/189. Some more critical accounts of management argue that what managers are supposed to do (in the form of leadership, planning and strategy) is often quite different from what they actually do. Comment on these differences between management theory and reality.

Before looking at the theory and reality of management one question should be asked, what is management? (Needle 2004:253) defines management as “the balancing of external and internal influences, the coordination of activities and of people to achieve the goals of the organisation.” Others see it as “organising: pulling things together and along in a general direction to bring about long-term organisational survival.” (Watson 1986:41). The role of managers changes within different organisations as different skills are required. However there have been many accounts of people saying that managers don’t always do what they are supposed to do. This essay will consider what managers actually do and their different roles within an organisation.