Management Studies

I find it stimulating to provide training because the interaction and debate with learners, at all levels, enriches me with endless nuances and different points of view, opening my vision for new ideas.

Even before I enter the classroom, I enjoy preparing the training course because it is also an opportunity for me to deepen my knowledge and study new topics.

I held classes on Event & Project Management as a lecturer for ‘Fondazione Minoprio’ related to the Higher Technical Project – Food & Beverage Management. At the beginning of the lesson, I spoke about the topic of Management in a broad sense. 

Let us start with the definition of the term Management: it is the set of activities required to achieve the goals of an organisation and of the people responsible for their fulfilment. Management can be found in any type of private or public organisation, profit or non-profit, large or small, operating in any sector.

The first study on management dates back to the beginning of the 20th century with Henri Fayol, a French entrepreneur and engineer, managing director in the mining sector, whose company, under his direction, thanks to a policy of mergers and acquisitions, came to have more than a thousand employees, a huge amount for the time. According to Fayol, the management function is essential and universal, has a specific identity, is pervasive or widespread and is divided into five distinct components: planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling. 

Later, in the mid-20th century, the American manager Chester Barbard shifted the focus to the functions of managers, such as: equipping the organisation with an effective communication system to ensure its proper functioning; presiding over and managing all human resource processes; formulating and defining the organisation’s goals and targets. The managerial structure depends on the characteristics of the organisation in terms of size, strategic orientation, goals and the environment in which it operates. 

At the end of the 20th century, with the advent of new information and communication technologies and the globalisation of the economy, a new scenario opened up for management. Peter Ferdinand Drucker, an Austrian economist naturalised American citizen, identified the characteristics of the manager and sketched an effective profile. The ability to perceive the relationships that are important for solving a specific management problem makes it possible to define a portfolio of actions, within which you then choose those that meet the interests of the company in terms of management and goals. Drawing on the support of external consultants in the decision-making process helps the manager to focus on opportunities rather than on problems, formalise action plans and assign responsibilities. Creating and working with a team of competent employees is an expression of the awareness that one has a definitive responsibility, which one can neither share nor delegate, but which is nourished and renewed only if one enjoys the trust of the entire organisation.

I have reported a few historical passages that I consider significant, but there are numerous studies on the subject that have emerged from my research. It is self-evident that it will be a continuous evolution!