Management Practices Inventory

The purpose of the Management Practices Inventory is to obtain information about the strengths and development needs of managers, supervisors, and other leaders with respect to essential management and leadership behaviors and practices.

This is a 360 developmental assessment and feedback program designed to evaluate the behaviors and skills key employees need to lead the work force. The program is based on current management and leadership research findings and other literature that identify which work related practices and behaviors must be exercised in the modern work place in order to influence today's employees to achieve their full performance potential. Some of these behaviors and practices are in sharp contrast with the earlier concept that people, like activities or things, can be "managed" in certain rather narrowly prescribed ways in order to achieve optimum efficiency. This latter concept focused on four rather narrowly prescribed functions: planning, organizing, directing and controlling which are also known as the "management cycle." Implicit with that approach was the notion that each of those functions must be managed according to positive human relations precepts.

The "management cycle" functions must still be performed by all managers in essentially any type of organization. Objectives and goals must be established. Strategies that will accomplish goals and objectives must be planned. People, material, technical, financial and other resources must still be gathered and organized and the plan must be implemented. Plan implementation involves staffing, training, coordinating, problem solving and ensuring that the plan is proceeding according to its design and intent and so on. These functions are an integral and essential part of the entire management process.