Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Management is a process of getting things done with the aim of achieving goals effectively and efficiently. It possesses certain specific features that distinguish it from other activities.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
1. Management is a Goal-Oriented Process: An organization has a set of basic goals which are the main reason for its existence. Management unites the efforts of different individuals in the organization towards achieving these goals.
2. Management is All-Pervasive: The activities involved in managing an enterprise are common to all organizations whether economic, social, or political. A petrol pump needs to be managed as much as a hospital or a school.
3. Management is a Continuous Process: The process of management is a series of continuous, composite, but separate functions (planning, organising, directing, staffing, and controlling). These functions are simultaneously performed by all managers all the time.
4. Management is an Intangible Force: Management cannot be seen but its presence can be felt in the way the organization functions. The effect of management is noticeable when targets are met according to plans, employees are happy, and there is orderliness instead of chaos.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The key characteristics are that it is goal-oriented, pervasive, continuous, and intangible.