Title: What is management?
Course: Health Management, Ethics and Research - Ethiopia (Full)

What is management?

You may have wondered what management actually is. Management is quite simply getting things done through people. As a Health Extension Practitioner at community level, your job will involve management because it will help you achieve your intended goals. Using management techniques will help show you how to make changes to improve the health of everyone in your community. When you start your job you may ask yourself, 'What am I supposed to do now?', and you may seek inspiration from people who have written about management. For example Henri Fayol, a French theorist who lived from 1881 to 1925, was one of the first to tackle the question 'What is management?' (Box 2.1).

Box 2.1 What is management?

Management is the process of forecasting and planning, organising, leading, coordinating and controlling the resources of an organisation in the efficient and effective pursuit of a specified organisational goal.

Henri Fayol (1916)

Look at the definition in Box 2.1. Although it was written many years ago do you think that it might still apply today?

Show answer

This definition has stood the test of time. It's as good as any more recent definition.

Healthcare management theory evolves out of more general theories of management that govern the effective use of human and material resources, and applies them in a healthcare setting. Your key goal in community health management is improving the health of your community. Reaching this goal requires an understanding of the concepts of management and leadership.