The Four Functions of Management

There are many different techniques when it comes to management. Some managers want to be everyone’s buddy, and others are viewed as jerks. Some let their employees make decisions for themselves, and then you have the ones who have to have their hands in everything. According to (Bateman-Snell, 2007)“Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals.” Management plays a very important role in a company’s day-to-day business, and is vital to the completion of projects at all levels. No matter how many different styles there are in management in order to be a good, productive manager they must follow the same four functions of management. These functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. This paper will go over these four functions and explain what each of them means.

Planning

“Planning is specifying the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance the appropriate actions needed to achieve those goals.” (Bateman-Snell, 2007)Planning is not only the first step of a project for a good manager, but may also be the most important step. Planning builds the foundation for a project, and just like any structure, without a good foundation the structure will fall. If the plan is built properly and there is a bump in the road the manager and employees should always be able to go right back to the plan to get back on track. In the sales field planning is a never-ending process. A sales person is consistently planning on how he/she will conqueror the next problem based on what they have learned about the prospective buyer. Without a plan there is uncertainty in which will generally result in no sale.

Organizing

“Organizing is assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals.” (Bateman-Snell, 2007)Organizing is yet another vital part of the managing process. All the planning in the world can be laid out on the table, but without organization nothing will be accomplished. Many different things must be organized in this function in order for tasks to be completed. The planning must be organized in order from start to finish. The people must be organized in reference to whom does what, and how each individual’s skills will have an affect on their specific task. “Now and in the future, effective managers will be using new forms of organizing and viewing their people as perhaps their most valuable resources.” (Bateman-Snell, 2007)

Leading

“Leading is stimulating people to be high performers. It includes motivating and communicating with employees, individually and in groups.” (Bateman, Snell, 2007) This may be one of the most overlooked functions of managing is leading. According to Gemmy Allen (1998) “A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader.” Leading does not simply mean telling people what to do, and expecting them to get it done. In order to be a good leader they must be able to motivate their team to accomplish their goals. This is a key ability when it comes to managing in the sales field.