11-05-2020 Thursday 8:30-10:30 HRM04- Administrative Office Management

Intro to A&OM
Administrative Management – process of creating information systems and supervising its flow from and to
others within an organization.
Process - sequence of interdependent and linked procedures which, at every stage consume one or more
resources (employee time, energy, machines, money) to convert inputs (data, materials, parts etc.) into
outputs. (serves as inputs for the next stage until a known goal or end result is resched)
Information – data that is:
- accurate and timely
- specific and organized for a purpose
- presented within a context that gives meaning and relevance
- can lead to an increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty
- is valuable because it also affects behavior, a decision, or an outcome. Valueless if, after receiving it,
things remain unchanged.
Supervising – monitoring and regulating of processes, or delegated activities, responsibilities, or tasks.

OFFICE MANAGEMENT DEFINITION

Office management (OM)- process of planning, organizing, guiding, communicating, directing, coordinating
and controlling.
- art of guiding, directing, coordinating and controlling the salaried people of an organization to achieve
specified objective within a time schedule.
- essential to non-business organization.
- function of OM is to organize, guide and control the activities of such group of persons to achieve business
objective.

Elements of Office management

1.PERSONNEL – office personnel are actually performing the office work.
2.MEANS – tools used to perform the office work.
3.ENVIRONMENT – the nature of business determines the environment of an office.
4.PURPOSE – the office personnel must be aware of the purpose for which a particular work is carried on and
the impact of such work on others’ performance.

Main Skills needed in Business

1. TEAMWORK – crucial part of a business, as it is often necessary for colleagues to work well together, trying
their best in any circumstance.
- people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite any
personal conflict between individuals.
Importance in the workplace, fostering teamwork is creating a work culture which values collaboration.
Teamwork environment, people understand and believe that thinking, planning, deciding and actions are better
when done cooperatively. Belief that none of us is as good as all of us.
To make it happen:
1. Trust – you can’t be a team or a leader without trust, and where does trust stem from? Genuine
character. character makes trust possible. Genuine character is the beginning of accountability because its basis
is trust.
2. Competence – it is your duty to accomplish tasks assigned to you promptly and punctually.
3. Commitment – teams succeed or fail based on teammates commitment to one another.
4. Consistency – if you want your teammates to have confidence in you, where they know they know yo
will be there no matter what, then you must be consistent.
5. Cohesion – is the ability to stay strong together no matter how challenging the circumstances are.
Cohesion means that each individual takes prides\ in the ability of the group to function at a higher level than
possible for the sake of each person on the team.
2. FLEXIBILITY – is about an employee and an employer making changes to when, where and how a person
will work to better meet individual and business needs.
- in workplace allows employers and employees to make arrangements about working conditions that
suit them. This helps employees maintain a work / life balance and can help employers improve the productivity
and efficiency of their business.

TYPES OF FLEXIBILITY
Formal Flexibility – the policies are officially approved by the human resources, policies as well as any official
policies that give supervisors discretion to provide flexibility.

Informal Flexibility – refers to the policies that are not official and not written down, but are still available to
some employees, even on a discretionary basis.

ADVANTAGES OF WORK FLEXIBILITY

1. It reduces absenteeism, overtime, sick leave and tardiness.
2. It reduces stress.
3. It improves performance, quality, productivity and job satisfaction.
4. Increases commitment and job engagement.
5. Curbs turnover.

DISADVANTAGES OF WORK FLEXIBILITY / SEEN AS A JOB ACCOMMODATION or an

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE
Managers may fear of the following:
1. If I let one person have a flexible schedule, everyone will want one.
2. Someone not working on a traditional schedule is not as productive.
3. You cannot have an effective team if employees are not working in the same place at the same time.
4. If I allow flexible work hours for one employee, it won’t be fair to the others.

3. COMMUNICATION – to commune means to make conversation. This is an ordinary function in our daily
life. This is necessary to make contacts, to explain things, to exchange ideas, to convey information, to give
instruction, and to remove misunderstandings.

Administrative Office Management (AOM)

- a profession involving the design, implementation, evaluation and maintenance of the process of work within
an office or organization, in order to maintain and improve efficiency and productivity.
- practices different virtues and accomplishment of different chores and works in the office within a given time.

The most significant thrust in AOM

Information Management (IM) – refers to organizing, retrieving, acquiring and maintaining information
closely related to data management.

Knowledge Management (KM) – pertains to managing organization’s intellectual capital, human resources and
strategic relationship. (components: People, Process, Technology and Structure)

Objectives of AOM
- Ensure that relevant organizational activities are designed to minimize individual and unit productivity
- Provide effective management of the organization’s information
- Maintain reasonable quantity and quality standards
- Develop effective work process and procedures
- Provide a satisfactory physical and mental working environment for the organization’s employees.
- Help the define duties and responsibilities of employees assigned within the AOM function area.
- Develop satisfactory lines of comm. among the employees within the AOM function area and bet. these
employees in other areas within the organization.
- Help employees maintain a high level of work effectiveness.
- Enhance the effectiveness of supervision of office personnel.
- Ensure the efficient and proper use of specialized office equipment.

Main Function of AOM

* Customer service * Sales and marketing
* Report writing * Records management
* Budget management * Form/template design
* Database management * Website maintenance
* System analysis * Project management
* Process mapping * Management consultancy
* Purchasing * Facilities management
* Book keeping * Space management
* Human resources * Risk management
* Recruitment * Payroll
* Accounting

Personal Competencies useful in the role

* Problem solving skills * Creativity
* Good decision making abilities * Assertiveness
* Integrity * Flexibility and ability to cope with pressure
* Resourcefulness

Administrative organizational structure – is a typically hierarchical arrangement of lines of authority. It

determines how the roles, power and responsibilities are assigned, and how the work process flows among
different management levels. It provides a visual representation of how a business or government is organized.

Responsibilities of AOM
1. PLANNING – first and foremost function of office management. Best described as the first step towards
other functions of the office. Involves the selection of objectives, policies, procedures and programs for
attaining the objectives and goals.
2. ORGANIZING – essential for accomplishing the objectives and goals of an enterprise set by the
administration and planned by the management
3. STAFFING – a function of management, more so it is an executive function of selection, recruitment,
compensation, promotion, training and retirement of subordinate managers. OM also has this process of staffing
because the office has to be manned and managed in a similar fashion.
4. DIRECTING – defined and described as the functioning of command.
5. CONTROLLING – quantity and quality of the work, this is where we take corrective actions whenever
necessary. Also motives employees to be cost conscious.

QUALIFICATION (SOME COMPETENCIES)

* Thorough understanding of various business management fundamentals
* Leadership
* Educational requirements
* Traits such as: integrity, intelligent, energy
* Able to write the formal reports on finance and planning
* Assertiveness
* Flexibility
* Accuracy
* Ability to cope with pressure
Strategies for effective administrative management
* Budget control and cost management – critical for the smooth operation of any organization.
* Change control and management – always a challenge to manage change, not just at the team level but at a
functional level.
* Delegation – basic necessity for the administrative side of any business operation.
* Goal setting – a company-wide strategy but one that requires input from the entire administration.
* Leadership development – promote leaders from within, and this will require developing the abilities of
existing team members and honing their skills. It is closely associated with succession planning, and both are
very important for any organization.
* Performance management – performance reviews play an important role in any organization.
* Problem management – administrative management often takes responsibility for identifying those problems,
investigating the cause of the problems and proposing solutions to fix not just the problem itself, but the
consequences it created.
* Setting standards – an organization typically functions on the principle of providing value to its stakeholders.
There must be a set of standards in place to ensure that the organization’s products and/or services are up to the
mark and meet acceptable standards.
* Team building – implement team building strategies so that your team remains motivated. It is important for
developing team relationships and company loyalty.
* Transparency – all reports should be candid, and there should be no practices in place that would require
hiding anything from the core team members or from your clients.
* Healthy financial situation – to ensure that the company’s finances are managed in an efficient manner so
that expenses remain under control and within budget.
* Maximum productivity – good administrative management always uses the strength of the team.
* Facilitating achievement of goals – a good strategy always supports the primary goals of an organization.
* Maximum employee and customer satisfaction – efficient management will lead to a proper distribution of
work and increased motivation on employees. (will lead to happy clients and increased customer satisfaction)
* Data-based decisions – will never be based on a whim or assumption

Tips for effective Administrative Management

* Plan strategically
* Focus on all processes
* Evaluate company performance
* Prioritize communication

WORKPLACE
- a place (such as a shop or factory) where work is done. [Merriam Webster]
- location at which an employee provides work for an employer.
- place where one is employed or customarily does one’s work, one’s office, laboratory, etc.

FIVE FORCES SHAPING THE FUTURE OF WORKPLACE LANDSCAPE

Place Transport Culture
People Technology

Future of the Workplace

Crafting and managing the workplace of the future requires a strategy, not just reactionary thinking. It may be a
long road, but organizations that fail to start on this journey will quickly left behind as the forces rumble on.

ETHICAL THEORIES AND BEHAVIOR IN THE WORKPLACE

To love within a given society is to conform to the ethical components dictated by its governing culture.
Applies to the organizational environment, whereby workplace ethics is an ever-evolving entity that can be
evaluated from a number of theoretical dichotomies.
Norms (social norms) – are rule or standard behavior shared by members of a social group. More specific that
values or ideals: honesty is a general value, but the rules defining what is hones behavior in a particular
situation are norms. The cultural values dictate workplace ethics and encourage staff to behave in a certain way.

ETHICAL THEORIES
Utilitarianism – are based on one’s ability to predict the consequences of an action. Serves to satisfy needs of
the many over the few, and may even be construed as a form of Darwin’s survival of the fittest.
Deontology – states that people should adhere to their obligations and duties when engaged in decision making
when ethics are in play.
Egoism – gives people permission to consider only what benefits their personal needs. Ethical egoists believe
that no reasoning can overrule what is otherwise the moral and righteous actions all human beings are expected
to uphold.

Compliance level
- Ethical work practice helps the company to stay within the law.
Stakeholder level
- Ethical work practices extend to customers, vendors, stockholders and the communities in which the company
operates.
Employee level
- Ethical work practices build a positive environment founded on trust.

ETHICS POLICIES
- guide employees to do the right thing at each level.
- written policies clarify the company’s expectations and get everyone moving it in the same direction.
- procedures or guidelines are also available to help answer specific questions.

Anger, Stress and Time Management in the Workplace

- Managing stress in the workplace is an essential part of both individuals and corporate responsibility.

HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE CAN LEAD TO:

Poor decision-making
Increase in mistakes
Increased sickness and absence
High staff turnover
Poor employee/workplace relations

6 Key areas of the workplace (assess levels of stress)

1. Demands – issues on workload, work patterns, and work environment
2. Control – how much say the person has in the way they do their work
3. Support – encouragement, sponsorship and resources provided by the organization, line management and
colleagues
4. Relationship – promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behavior
5. Role – whether people understand their role within the organization and whether the organization ensures that
the person does not have conflicting roles.
6. Change – how organizational change is managed and communicated within the organization.

Panic Attack
 Feeling faith  Feeling hot and sweaty
 Trembling  Legs turning to jelly
 Dizziness  Butterflies (a fluttery feeling in the stomach)
 Pounding, fast heart rate  Shortness of breath
  Dry Mouth

11-05-2020 Thursday 1:30-3:30BAC04- Good Governance and Social Responsibility