The Four Functions of Management

Four basic functions of management

Planning: Manager shall hammer out the forecast development plan for organization. In order to ensure growing of organization, the said plan shall be designed to suit organization short term and long term interest.

Organizing: As the plan has been document down, the manager shall distribute the task and resources to the right personnel and at the right time. In addition, manager shall monitor the progressive of each functional group on the delegated task.

Leading: The ideal manager shall be able to hook up all future teams to work towards to the same goal, also be able to monitor and guide all functional team in execution on the work.

Controlling: Manager shall give track all functional teams, to ensure the tasks have been executed with accordance to the organizational goals.

To be achieving effectiveness and efficiency, managers should apply four basic managerial functions into management in human resources, financial resources, physical resources and information technology. For organizational planning, top managers should have conceptual skills and diagnostic skills to think the organization as a whole.

With the conceptual skills, managers would come out strategies and Ў°big pictureЎ± for organization more creatively. For instance, Micheal Dell, founder of Dell computer, came out an innovative idea to sell computer online and make it a personalized computer based on customerЎЇs own specifications. Michael DellЎЇs foresight has made Dell Computer become the largest online commercial computer seller in the world.

Diagnostic skills will help managers consider Ў°cause-and-effectЎ± relationship and to figure out the optimal solution to problem-solving. For example, Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor Co., defies Japanese Business etiquette and decided to shut domestic plant and lay off many Japanese employees. Japanese traditionalists criticized his radical moves, but Ghosn was successfully turning around Nissan to be profitable from almost bankruptcy.

For first-line managers and middle managers, they are more emphasized in their technical skills and interpersonal skills for doing their jobs. Technical skills are essential to project