Make good use of the four elements of management
[M generation self-study management] [Learn management easily]
Some people talk about "management", just like some people see an accountant's financial statements, or some people see an inexplicable fear in their hearts when they see a musical score. In fact, management not only exists in various organizations - businesses, churches, civil institutions, and even government agencies. Management also exists in the details of our lives. Therefore, if we can understand "management" with a relaxed mood and let the elements of management If implemented, we will also be able to enjoy the benefits brought by "management", and the world will definitely become different.
I think this may be the reason why "Kingdom of God" magazine dared to find me, who is not a management student, to share about "management"! What this incident wants to highlight is that "anyone can learn management." If we can adhere to the principles taught by the Bible in everything, implement effective management, and firmly believe that God is in control, all we have to do is "do our best and obey the orders of heaven (God)", God will bless us, Far more than we could ever imagine or ask for.
The style of management will vary depending on the manager's life and personality. There are many management theories, but management and doing things are the same. Teaching by words is not as good as teaching by example. That is, as managers, if we can first cultivate our moral character (as the author said in issue 38 of this journal) The "honesty" of sharing, and the "humility" of sharing in issue 39), for Christian managers, means that our lives can bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and temperance (refer to Galatians 5:22-23), coupled with mastering the basic elements of management and implementing these elements in various organizations, can make those who follow us feel like spring breeze and have a more relaxed spirit. Enjoying the fun of management will definitely benefit us in various organizations.
This article will talk about the four major elements of management - planning, organization, leadership, and assessment. Effective management of a company certainly requires consideration of these four factors, as does government management. Therefore, I take the hot topic in Taiwan in 2015 - "The Taipei City Government hopes to surpass Singapore in governance in the next eight years" as an example, hoping to make it easier for everyone to understand the basic elements of effective management.(Editor's note: This magazine and the author do not hold a specific political stance, but we are happy to see the author linking current events to share his management philosophy).
1. Plan
The so-called plan simply means: "Pre-planning the goals, strategies and processes of actions (standard operating procedures, which are now the hot topic SOP)". When making plans, we also predict the problems we may face and take precautions in advance. In addition to routine work plans, a good plan should also plan short, medium and long-term goals at the same time, and set clear strategies and processes to achieve specific goals.
Let’s take the example of Taipei City’s new mayor, Mr. Ko Wenzhe, who proposed Taipei City’s goal of “surpassing Singapore in eight years” during an exclusive interview with the media to illustrate the importance of the plan.
First of all, the Taipei City Government must do routine work to eliminate disadvantages and create advantages to ensure that the progress of Taipei Municipal Government can be felt by Taipei citizens. Secondly, for the goal of "how to surpass Singapore in eight years", strategies and SOP plans to achieve the goal must be set. Before planning, the mayor's staff team must first understand the key gaps between Taipei and Singapore at this stage, formulate catch-up action strategies, process plans and assessment plans, and communicate with city government colleagues at all levels. After reaching a consensus, all bureaus and offices of the city government must include these goals, strategies and SOPs in their respective plans, outline assessment plans, and then announce them to all citizens, and make implementation reports to the citizens at least every six months.
If this is done, Mayor Ko can confidently tell citizens "what kind of city Taipei City will become in four/eight years." If the plan had not been achieved through such a process, "Taipei City will surpass Singapore in eight years" would just be Mayor Ke's wish or slogan.
2. Organization
Organization is about assigning people to appropriate positions so that their abilities and gifts can be maximized to achieve goals. The organization should be as streamlined, disciplined, and effective as possible.
Taking "Taipei City to surpass Singapore in eight years" as an example, in addition to reviewing whether the Taipei City Government's organization has achieved effectiveness, in order to achieve the goal of surpassing Singapore in eight years, a task force to streamline and improve efficiency must also be established to promote and regularly Assess this goal and report to Mayor Ke regularly so that the mayor can understand the situation and control it in a timely manner. Organizations also include proper coordination between various departments, so that they can become a cohesive work team and effectively achieve goals (therefore, some people also add "coordination" to become the so-called five elements of management).
3. Leadership
Leadership is about prompting others to take effective action. A good leader must have a clear vision, mission and objective, know where to go, and be able to inspire and persuade others to follow suit. Good leaders must also prioritize, delegate appropriately, not be afraid that their subordinates are better than themselves, not ask for credit, not exploit subordinates, and set an example. Therefore, an excellent leader is a person who can train talents and establish an excellent organization. He can enable the organization to continue to develop more excellently after the leader retires.
Taking Mayor Ke of Taipei City as an example, I really hope that the Christians around him can pray sincerely for him so that he can know the true God, so that he can gain success while working hard and leading his subordinates towards the goal of "surpassing Singapore in eight years". Rest in peace. As the Bible says:"Rest, and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10)We must avoid continuing to run a marathon with the spirit of running a hundred meters after the Hundred Days New Deal, because bees only work seriously during the day and go home to rest at night and enjoy family life and love in order to regain their strength. Only in this way can we build a truly healthy city, implement the spirit of the so-called "One city, one family" (Mayor Ke's campaign slogan), and establish a brand-new Taipei City Government so that no matter who takes over as mayor in the future, Taipei City can be better than Ke If the mayor does a better job in office, this will be a blessing to the citizens of Taipei and a blessing to Taiwan.
4. Assessment
Assessment is also called evaluation or control. Assessment is an action taken to determine whether the plan is implemented; therefore, assessment is a necessary condition for achieving the plan. Assessments must also have SOPs; if there are differences in the execution of the plan, the revised plan must be re-drawn and implemented to ensure that the goal is achieved.
Taking the plan of "Taipei City to surpass Singapore in eight years" as an example, it is best to conduct target management assessments every three months (at least half a year) and make timely revisions to the plan to ensure that "Taipei City will surpass Singapore in eight years". Goals can be achieved on time. This will ensure that Mayor Ke’s political views will not delay votes.
Although Singaporean scholars have stated on their website that "it is difficult for Taipei to defeat Singapore within eight years" and even bluntly stated that it is "basically impossible." If Mayor Ke and his team can truly implement the spirit of the above four elements of management, it will not be so difficult to surpass Singapore in eight years.
As mentioned above, I hope that every reader can get rid of the fear of "management", use the "relaxed mood", make good use of the four elements of management with a serious and rigorous attitude, and fully integrate them into daily life, which will surely make the long-term goals more effective. effectively achieved. The four elements of management are a very classical but time-honored principle in management, and are also suitable for reference and application by the younger generation. I have promoted this kind of work in many churches in the past. If the young people in the youth fellowship also follow it seriously, these children will Before entering society, they have more management abilities than ordinary people that cannot be ignored; if every parent and teacher can help their children receive such training from an early age, when they develop habits, the children will definitely be different when they grow up.
Stewardship of the world is a stewardship entrusted to us humans by God because God says:“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock of the earth, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis) 1:26)Therefore, we should follow God’s will (biblical principles) so that management can be implemented in ourselves, families, churches, workplaces, societies and countries. We hope that every Christian can become a faithful, kind and knowledgeable steward of God. , so that the world can be more in line with God’s will because of us. We can pray for our supervisors and the organizations to which we belong. Especially when we encounter difficult-to-solve problems, we must keep praying and hand over the sovereignty to God. Often, when two or three people (fellowship) pray in one accord, Heavenly Father will accomplish everything. (Refer to Matthew 18:19-20).
Author profile Lin Yuansheng is a church elder and one of the founders of Lite-on Group. He once served as general manager and vice chairman of the group. After retiring from the corporate world, he devoted himself to assisting churches and Christian organizations in improving their management capabilities and reforming their systems. He once served as the chairman of the Taiwan Christian Mustard Seed Association; he experienced the Holy Spirit and spiritual renewal at the age of fifty, and is now committed to helping promote the ministry of spiritual renewal.