Principles of office management

An organisation which is eager to achieve efficiency in its offices is bound to allocate a sufficient proportion of time to observing operations in the offices, to looking for ways to improvement, to the stimulation of helpful suggestions. It might be guided by the following principles, although it is unlikely in practice to go as far as formulating a list such as that given here:

Full use is to be made of delegation of authority to ensure that time and effort are being economically spent. Too much centralisation of operation can lead to duplication. It may also weaken the motivation to work of the office staff.

Lines of authority should be made clear, so as to remove uncertainty about responsibility for taking decisions and carrying out operations.

Sub-division of tasks should not be carried so far that there has to be unnecessary controls and paperwork, and futile expenditure of effort. Research into the intense sub-division of office tasks suggests that it leads to monotony and lower standards of performance.

In some circumstances very large general offices can be the cause of reduced efficiency.

A specialised service unit, e.g. for imputing computer data, keying, or filing, or mailing, can be expected to perform more efficiently than a large number of separate service units, one for each division of the office.

Communication channels should be such as to encourage the flow of productive suggestions up the line of authority.

Co-ordination may quickly lapse in vital areas unless constant vigilance is exercised over it.

In selecting managerial staff for the office, leadership and initiative count as well as technical and professional qualifications.

Office training at all levels cannot be safely neglected.

Wherever possible, the techniques of work measurement should be applied to the control of standard of output.

The role of supervisors and section leaders in maintaining morale and productivity should be recognised.

Office management is part of the ACCA Paper F1 syllabus and is covered by the tony.surridge.co.uk ACCA e-books which cover exam text, diagnostic questions and answers, mnemonics and charts in selected subjects.