UNIT
1
OFFICE
MANAGEMENT
OFFICE
INTRODUCTION
Every modern organisation
is required to have an office. Whether it is a Government department, business
firm, school, hospital, or a voluntary organisation, the existence of an office
is a must to enable necessary clerical and administrative tasks to be performed
properly. An office is required for collection, arrangement, retention and
dissemination (communication) of right information at the right time and to the
right person. Its activities such as mail handling, filing, indexing, copying,
telephone handling etc. must be controlled and supervised properly. An office
manager controls all the frequently performed duties in an office. The office manager
performs the managerial functions, namely planning, organising, staffing,
directing, and controlling.
In this lesson you will
learn about the meaning of ‘Office’, functions of a modern office and the need
for and importance of office.
OFFICE - MEANING AND OBJECTIVES
If you visit a firm,
school or hospital you will find that a number of activities are being
performed, such as letters received, dispatched, typing, photocopying, word
processing, filing, handling of office machines etc. The place where all such
activities are performed is known as office.
Thus office is a service
department of an organisation, which is connected with the handling of records
and provision of various services like typing, duplicating, mailing, filing,
handling office machines, keeping records,
drafting, using
information, handling money and other miscellaneous activities.
DEFINITION OF OFFICE
Some of the popular
definitions of office are as follows:
v ‘‘Office is a place where
clerical operations are carried on’’.—Denyer, J.C.
v ‘‘Office is a unit where
relevant records for the purpose of control, planning and efficient management
of the organisationare prepared, handled and preserved. It provides facilities
for internal and external communication and coordinates activities of different
departments of the organisation’’.
v —Littlefield, Rachel and
Caruth.
The above definitions
highlight the following characteristics—
• collecting information
• processing information
• storing information
• coordinating
information
• distributing
information
Therefore, an office may
be defined as a place where all the activities concerned with collecting,
processing, storing and distributing information for efficient and effective
management of an organisationare carried out.
In every modern organization,
be it a business concern or a Government department, there has to be an office.
It is essential for the efficient management of the organization.
OBJECTIVES OF AN OFFICE
|
(1)
Aid to Management:
(2)
Preserving Records
(3)
Providing Information
(4)
Providing Office
Services
(5)
Distribution of work
(6)
Selection and
Appointment
|
The main objectives of an
office are as follows:
(1) Aid to Management:
The office provides aid
to management in performing the following functions:
(a) Direction: Direction
and guidance of management to various sections and departments are issued
through the office.
(b) Communication: The
office serves as a communication channel between different parts of the
organisation. It handles mail.
(c) Planning: The
office helps management in planning for smooth functioning and progress of the organisationby
providing necessary information and data.
(d) Coordination: The
office also facilitates co-ordination by maintaining links among departments.
(2) Preserving Records
The office maintains
necessary books and records of the organisation.
(3) Providing Information
It provides the right
kind of information to management at the right time.
(4) Providing Office
Services
It provides clerical and
secretarial services to different executives.
(5) Distribution of work
The office distributes
the work among various employees and identifies their duties and functions.
(6) Selection and
Appointment
It also handles selection
and appointment of employees.
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