Managers manage people and processes. Management is the method by which they do so. However, these simple definitions belie the complexity of a manager’s role.

An examination of the management literature reveals a variety of constructs designed to allow an analysis of the functions of management and the roles of managers who perform the management task. These constructs can be broadly categorised into technical processes (with a scientific basis) and social processes (with a human relations basis). This essay examines the technical and social processes of management by firstly defining each of the processes. This is followed by a discussion of the implications for practising managers of the relationships between the two.

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He stated that establishing open communication with staff and stakeholders was a key strategy for him. (Management Magazine, 2004). In less than three years, he turned the company’s fortunes around. In 2004, Air New Zealand received the Air Transport World’s Phoenix Award for achieving ‘a commercial rebirth through life-changing transformation’. Rob Fyfe, the CEO from 2006, has continued the focus on inspiring staff and once a month all 12 of the executive team don a uniform and work on aircraft or at the airport. Every month one staff member also spends a day with Fyfe. The result of this type of management is that Air New Zealand is now reported as the most admired brand in New Zealand. (Australian Aviation, 2007) ‘Our people are our brand’ is how Fyfe describes it. This exemplifies a human relations view of organisational management.

Another example of a social process is the field of study known as organisational behaviour, which focuses on employee behaviour in an organisational context. Although this field has provided insights into group dynamics and effective teams and provided several tools to assist managers to understand behaviours (Davidson et al., 2006, p. 46), human nature is too complex to fully be able to predict behaviour. Many managers find it difficult to deal with the ‘softer side’ of managing which organisational behaviour deals with. Bolman and Deal (2003, p. 162) argue that people often disregard what the organisation wants in order