Organizational ManagementThe process in which goals are accomplished through people and with people in a nutshell is defined as management. Organizations manage projects by planning, directing functions, organizing employees as well as employing resources necessary for the fulfillment of this plan. The concept of administration is identified, and found in an overall understanding of management. When plans are created, and daily decisions need to be made it takes specific administrative functions to effectively execute them. The product and its customers will benefit from the cross-functional team as well, because it can inspire ongoing improvements in product quality (“Enabling Cross-Functional Teams: A Leadership Role for Product Managers, n.d.”). These functions are typically carried out by executive officers, and administrators. Who perform administrative duties, as well as fulfilling their organizational management duties? For example, in a health care institution a typical day for an executive or administrator would include a combination of managerial activities, and administrative functions (“Today’s Concept of Organizational Management, n.d.”).
Cross-Functional Focus
Managerial activities include communicating with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), other heads of departments, or the entire hierarch of upper management. The purpose of this communication is to keep all team decision makers informed of operational goals that focus on cost savings, improvement in product quality or development of a variety of products. In this type of cross-functional communication all managers will be informed about strategies and other information related to the competitive market. These activities are influenced by ‘functional deliberation’ and ‘top-level communication (Demeester & Grahovac, 2005).
Within this type of communication, managers learn about other functions they might have in the organization. The cross-functional focus ensures each decisions maker of the team has his own area of responsibility. Product managers find much merit in having cross-functional teams because they make their jobs easier, fun, and exciting (“Enabling Cross-Functional Teams: A Leadership Role for Product Managers, n.d.”). Cross- functional decision making is borne out of a decision process model that mandates each team member to make necessary decisions. Cross-functional negotiations between team members enhance problem solving. It is important that team members are ordered to make decisions because sometimes product life issues are either too complex or time-sensitive, Eppinger & Whitney, 1992).
The nature of organizational management is receptive to cross-functional teams because of the shared responsibilities each member has, the variety of incentives, and full scale understanding of product development. Cross-functional teams promote quality of product, and the success of a firm.
- Demeester, L. & Grahovac, J. (2005). The Role of Operations Executives in the Process of Strategy: A Contingency Theory. Retrieved from https://www.insead.edu
- Oliva, R. & Watson, N.H. (2009). Cross-Functional Alignment in Supply Chain Planning: A Case Study of Sales and Operations Planning. Retrieved from http://www.hbs.edu
- Viswanathan, K., Eppinger, S.D., & Whitney, D.E. (1992).Ordering Cross-Functional Decision Making in Product Development. Retrieved from http://dspace.mit.edu/
- Weber, S. Enabling Cross-Functional Teams: A Leadership Role for Product Managers. Retrieved from http://pragmaticmarketing.com/
