MODULE WEEK NO.

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Gingoog City Colleges, Inc.
Brgy. 24-A Paz Village, Gingoog City 9014
(088) 861 1432 Ext. 7385

Office Administration Department

OA CORE 2: Administrative Office Procedures and Management
1st Semester of A.Y. 2020-2021

Introduction

In common parlance, an office is understood to be a place where clerical work is performed and where all
kind of paper works are dealt with. This week, we will be able to learn the ideas underlying the principles
of the modern office and office management. We will also be able to learn how modern offices operate
and value the involvement of office administration professionals in its operations.

Rationale
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According to the old concept, office work is mostly concerned with the records of an enterprise and making,
preserving the records for the further usage, so from this we can call office work a clerical work. However,
office work not only deals with record but as well as communication, mechanical data processing, planning,
scheduling and etc.

Intended Learning Outcomes

A. Students will improve knowledge on office management, modern office, and its functions.
B. Students will be able to assess the demand for administrative professionals and describe their work
setting.
C. Students will be able to describe the skills, knowledge, attitudes and traits employees expect of an
administrative professional.
Activity

You are the company’s human resources personnel. Post a job vacancy ad on any media platform for the
position of an office manager. Include in the job vacancy advertisement the following details:

a. Applicant Qualification
b. Job Description
c. Application Requirement/s
d. Company contact information

Send in the link of your job vacancy ad to your instructor.

Discussion

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Module 1- Principles and Functions of Office Management

1.1 Principles of Management

A principle may be defined as a fundamental statement or general truth providing a guide to thought or action.
The principles of management are the guidelines and ground rules for the efficient management of any undertaking.
The following are the principles of management outlined by Henri Fayol:

a. Division of Work. Henri believed that segregating work in the workforce amongst the worker will
enhance the quality of the product. Similarly, he also concluded that the division of work improves the
productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and speed of the workers. This principle is appropriate for both the
managerial as well as a technical work level.
b. Authority and Responsibility. Responsibility is the corollary of authority and arises from it. The key
difference between Authority and Responsibility lies in the fact that authority means when a person is
designated to a post, he has the right to order others and make decisions of his own. Responsibility means
a person is obligated to do his duty forcefully or by his commitment.
c. Discipline. Without discipline, nothing can be accomplished. It is the core value for any project or any
management. Good performance and sensible interrelation make the management job easy and
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comprehensive. Employees’ good behavior also helps them smoothly build and progress in their
professional careers.
d. Unity of Command. This means an employee should have only one boss and follow his command. If an
employee has to follow more than one boss, there begins a conflict of interest and can create confusion.
e. Unity of Direction. Whoever is engaged in the same activity should have a unified goal. This means all
the person working in a company should have one goal and motive which will make the work easier and
achieve the set goal easily.
f. Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest. Whoever is engaged in the same activity
should have a unified goal. This means all the person working in a company should have one goal and
motive which will make the work easier and achieve the set goal easily.
g. Remuneration. This plays an important role in motivating the workers of a company. Remuneration can
be monetary or non-monetary, however, it should be according to an individual’s efforts they have made.
h. Centralization. In any company, the management or any authority responsible for the decision-making
process should be neutral. However, this depends on the size of an organization. Henri Fayol stressed on
the point that there should be a balance between the hierarchy and division of power.
i. Scalar Chain. One the principles highlights that the hierarchy steps should be from top to the lowest.
This is necessary so that every employee knows there immediate senior also they should be able to
contact any if needed.
j. Order. A company should maintain a well-defined work order to have a favorable work culture. The
positive atmosphere in the workplace will boost more positive productivity.
k. Equity. All the employees should be treated equally and respectfully. It’s the responsibility of a manager
that no employees face discrimination.
l. Stability. An employee delivers the best if they feel secure in their job. It is the duty of the management
to offer job security to their employees.
m. Initiative. The management should support and encourage the employees to take initiatives in an
organization. It will help them to increase their interest and make then worth.
n. Esprit de Corps. It is the responsibility of the management to regularly motivate their employees and be
supportive of each other. Developing trust and mutual understanding will lead to a positive outcome and
work environment.

These 14 principles of management are used to manage an organization and are beneficial for prediction,
planning, decision-making, organization and process management, control, and coordination.

1.2 Functions of Office Management

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Since office management is similar to the general or administrative management, it performs the same functions
as are performed by the management. The functions of office management are:

a. Planning. Planning is concerned with dealing in advance what is to be done. According to Terry
Planning, planning is the first and fundamental function of management. It provides, prior to an activity,
guides and courses of action required by managers in order to achieve goals.
b. Organizing. According to Oliver Sheldon, organizing is the process of combining the works done by an
individual or a group to perform with facilities necessary for its execution, that the duties so performed
provide the best channel for the efficient, systematic, positive and coordinated application of available
efforts.
c. Staffing. Staffing and organization refers to the selection of men for various jobs. It refers to choosing
and preparing men so that the selection, recruitment, training, development, promotion and remuneration
of employees.
d. Directing. The process of direction refers to the way an executive issue instructions to his subordinates.
This includes leadership, communication and supervision:
i. Leadership- the quality of leadership is the ability to influence people to strive willingly
for the realization of mutual objectives.
ii. Communication- is the process of passing information from one person to another. It
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involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding.

iii. Supervision- attempts to bring about conformity between planned and actual results.
e. Motivating. Motivation is the process of stimulating an individual to take action which will bring about
the satisfaction of a need and the accomplishment of a desired goal. Motivation moves a person to
action. It is achieved by (1) the use of power or force, (2) providing inducements and incentives, and (3)
by satisfying the needs of the employees.

f. Coordinating. It means monitoring, balancing and keeping the team together by ensuring a suitable
allocation of tasks to the various members, and by seeing to it that these tasks are performed with an
opinion among the members themselves.

1.3 Meaning of Modern Office

In simpler terms, we can say an office is the place where business is carried on. In common parlance, an office is
understood to be place where clerical work is performed and where all kinds of paper work (letters,
correspondence, files, records, etc) are dealt with. It is the “central place where all sorts of clerical work is done
to coordinate and control the affairs of the whole organization”.

Some other common and popular definition of the office are as follows:

a. Mills and Standingford: The office is the administrative center of a business. The purpose of an office
has been defined as the provision of a service of communication and recording.
b. Random Hours Dictionary: An office is a place where business is transacted or professional service is
available.

1.4 Office Work

According to the old concept, office work is mostly concerned with the records of an enterprise and making,
preserving the records for the further usage, so from this we can call office work a clerical work. However,
office work not only deals with record but as well as communication, mechanical data processing, planning,
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scheduling and etc.

According to Leffingwell and Robinson, office work is concerned with records and statistics, with
communication, with computing, planning and scheduling. Every office task comes within the scope of one or
the other of these activities.

1.5 Office Functions

The function of an office may be classified into two categories:

a. Basic or Routing Functions

i. Receive and collect information about the activities of the organization the source of which
maybe internal (company department, sections, etc) or external (government agencies, financial
institutions, universities, general public, etc)
ii. Recording of collected information in a suitable form since this information is needed in
preparing future policies and making and taking decisions.
iii. Arranging or processing of Information. Information collected and recorded may not be used
in the same form with which they came. The office has to convert it in the form of notes, reports,
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diagrams and graphs and showing different aspects of a business.

iv. Communication of recorded and arranged information promptly. The office has to supply
the information to different departments and outside bodies who are related in some ways or the
other.

b. Administrative Management Functions

i. Management Functions. For efficient functioning of an office, the management function
includes planning, organizing, staffing, directing, communicating, controlling, coordinating and
motivating.
ii. Public Relations Function. An office has to not only maintain relations with other departments,
it also needs to maintain good relations with the outside world. Maintaining good relations with
the public increases the reputation and goodwill of the company.
iii. Retention of Records. Office records include correspondence, letters, invoices, orders, financial
and cost records, minutes, etc. These records have to be retained for future reference.
iv. Safeguarding Assets. It is the function of the office to safeguard the assets of the organization,
which may be fixed assets like buildings, plants, machineries, office equipment, lighting, and air
conditioning equipment, movable assets like furniture, cash, title deeds, records, documents, etc.
v. Controlling Office Costs. With the adoption of scientific methods for office management, a
modern office is further supposed to discharge the function of controlling office costs. This may
be done by:
- Mechanization of the office
- Adopting time and labor saving devices
- Using better forms
- Analyzing the existing office routines and adopting the improved ones

Review Questions:
1. Differentiate responsibility from authority.
2. Briefly explain the functions of management.
3. In your opinion, rank the functions of an office from most important to least important. Defend your
answer.

Assessment
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I. MODIFIED IDENTIFICATION OF TERMS. Do the following tasks for each of the following
items below:
a. Supply the terms described in each item;
b. Provide two to three relevant sentences discussing each term described in each item.

1. This term is defined as the process of combining the works done by individuals or groups of
individuals.
2. This term is defined as the choosing and preparation of men suitable for a specific line or
supervisory function.
3. This term refers to the way an executive issues instructions to his subordinates.

4. This term refers to the process of passing information from one person to another.
5. This term is defined as the place where business is transacted or professional services are available.
6. This term is defined as the process of stimulating an individual to take action which will bring about
the satisfaction of a need or the accomplishment of a goal.
7. This term refers to a group of people who are co-operating under the direction of a leader.
8. This term is defined as the central place where all sorts of clerical works are done to co-ordinate and
control the affairs of the whole organization.
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9. This term is defined as the arrangement of functions necessary for the attainment of an objective.

II. MODIFIED TRUE OR FALSE. Determine whether each of the following items are true or false. If
the item is false, determine the word/s which make the statement false and provide the word/s to
make the statement true.

1. A plan is not considered a guide and is not considered a vital part in forming an organization.
2. A plan is devised using the assumptions regarding the future, but is founded on historical data
collected in the past.
3. Supervisors must attempt to bring about conformity between planned and actual results.
4. Motivation moves a person to action.
5. The functions of a modern office may be classified into two- the Basic Function and the Routine
Function.
6. An office has to maintain good relations not only with other department but as well as with the
public in the outside world.
7. It is not a function of the office to safeguard its assets against theft and misuse.
8. The records management function of an administrative office manager includes not only retention
but also destruction of company records.

Reflection

Often, the functions of administrative professionals are undervalued to just clerical functions. After this module,
prospective administrative professionals should be able to get, at least, a wider and more specific view of the
functions and activities required in their field.

Resources and Additional Resources

 Units 1-6, Office Assistantship, http://bieap.gov.in/Pdf/OAPaperIIIYR2.pdf

Additional Resources:

 https://byjus.com/commerce/henri-fayol-14-principles-of-management/

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