The Functions of Management

The Functions of Management

By Shirley Brutley

Management/330

Mr. Tony E. Calloway

The Functions of Management

When we here the work management immediately we think of personnel. On the other hand management has been called “creative problem solving.” It is not linked to a specific type of business or organization but it is rather general in a broader spectrum. With any business or organization there is success and there is failure. The success of management is determined on how they accomplished the four functions of management. (Higgins, 1994)

Planning:

The first step in any business, organization or personal agenda is a plan. Planning is defined as the on going process of developing the business mission and objectives and determining how they will be accomplished. (Higgins, 1994) Another definition is specifying the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance the appropriate actions needed to achieve these goals. (Bateman & Snell) Let’s look at one of our local insurance conglomerate. The plan was to assist families in a time of need and the ultimate goal was to try too make insurance affordable for any one who desired to purchase it. Today this plan is still changing and the necessary changes are being made to accommodate everyone involved.

Organizing:

The next function is organizing. The definition for organizing is establishing the internal organization structure of the business. To make it simple organizing is assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals. (Bateman & Snell)

Looking at the structure of the my most recent employer you would say the internal organizational structure is the top level management (executives), middle level management (managers over departments), and low level management (supervisors, human resources, office and file system) organizing to achieve the mission and goals set forth for the business.

Leading:

Leading is defined as being able to stimulate people, helping to guide them toward achieving teams and organizational goals. (Bateman & Snell) Did you know that leading was broken up into two other functions called staffing and directing?

Staffing- recruiting, hiring, filling and keep filled with qualified people of all positions in the business. (Higgins, 1994)

Directing- influencing peoples’ behavior through motivation, communication, group dynamics (learning teams), leadership, and discipline. (Higgins, 1994)

There are those of us that feel receiving incentives is motivation to go to work and become high performers, using our brains, and presenting ideas. Here is another example; management planned an entire week for employee appreciation. During this time employees are given gifts and several activities are implemented to demonstrate to the employees how much their hard work and dedication is not overlooked. Great work is done by great