Articles Management Principles of Management

Various functions of the Management

Management’ denotes executive function of getting things done by others according to some predetermined or pre-arranged policies or plans”. Management is the art of directing human activities and it directs the active operations within the enterprise and combines the work of the employees with the available equipment and materials for the accomplishment of certain common goals or purposes.
A person who holds a management position inside an organization is required to think strategically and conceptually in order to achieve organizational goals. This lesson will describe the four functions of management and how they relate to organizational success.
The Four Functions of Managers
Management involves far more than just telling others what to do. Before any of you decide that you think you can do your boss’s job, let’s take a look into more of what a manager does.

The major functions that a manager completes can be categorized into four different functions known as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. For some of us, we only see the final two – leading and controlling – but for every managerial behavior behind the manager’s closed door, he or she spends a good deal of his or her time planning and organizing, so that he or she can effectively carry out the functions of leading and controlling.

Managers spend a good deal of time planning, leading, controlling .

Whether that be in a manufacturing plant, a home office, a grocery store, a retail store, a restaurant, a hotel, or even an amusement park. Effective managers understand how planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are used to achieve organizational success.

Planning
The first of the managerial functions is planning. In this step, the manager will create a detailed action plan aimed at some organizational goal.

let’s say the marketing manager has a goal of increasing sales during the month of February. Manager needs to first spend time mapping out the necessary steps of sales representatives must take so that they can increase sales numbers. These steps might include things like increasing advertisements in a particular region, placing some items on sale, increasing the amount of required customer-to-sales rep contact, or contacting prior customers to see if they are interested in purchasing additional products. The steps are then organized into a logical pattern so that Manager and team can follow them.

Planning is an ongoing step, and can be highly specialized based on organizational goals, division goals, departmental goals, and team goals. It is up to the manager to recognize which goals need to be planned within his or her individual area.

Organizing
The second of the managerial functions is organizing. This step requires Manager to determine how he will distribute resources and organize her employees according to the plan. Manager will need to identify different roles and ensure that he assigns the right amount of employees to carry out his plan. He will also need to delegate authority, assign work, and provide direction so that his team of sales representatives can work towards higher sales numbers without having barriers in their way.

Leading
The third function of management is leading.
In this step Manager spends time connecting with his/her employees on an interpersonal level. This goes beyond simply managing tasks; rather, it involves communicating, motivating, inspiring, and encouraging employees towards a higher level of productivity. Not all managers are leaders. An employee will follow the directions of a manager because they have to, but an employee will voluntarily follow the directions of a leader because they believe in who he or she is as a person, what he or she stands for, and for the manner in which they are inspired by the leader.

Controlling
Controlling is the final function of management. Once a plan has been carried out, the manager evaluates the results against the goals. If a goal is not being met, the manager must also take any necessary corrective actions to continue to work towards that goal.