Fundamentals of Management

UC Irvine introduces the functions of management and the distinction between managing and leading. Planning, styles and professional networks provide practical contexts. It suits learners moving toward supervisory responsibilities who want a vocabulary for examining how work is organized before choosing a management technique.

What you will learn

• Understand core management functions.
• Compare management and leadership responsibilities.
• Explore planning and goal-setting approaches.

Who this suits

Learners seeking a broad introduction to management responsibilities and workplace planning.

Before you enroll

Apply examples to a fictional or anonymized team. Employment rules, compensation practices and organizational policies vary by location and employer. Check the course context before applying a technique, and seek feedback from people affected by a proposed change.

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Put it into practice

Write a plan for a fictional team task with an owner, deadline and observable result, then identify which management function supports each part.

Source and review

This overview is based on the provider's published information, checked on 12 October 2026. It is an editorial assessment, not a claim that we completed the resource. Time filters are approximate study ranges; projects and exercises can take longer.

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