Functions Of Management Paper

Functions of Management

Management is more than the sum of all individuals’ efforts. Management is an important aspect that will promote better communication between management and employees. Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish goals. Goals cannot be set without regard to resources available to facilitate their attainment. The management process consists if two criteria: managers being effective and managers being efficient. To be efficient a manager needs to make the best possible use of time, money and their resources (employees). To be effective a manager should achieve organizational goals. In other words, a manager must maintain a clear focus on both effectiveness and efficiency.

There are four functions of management: Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. These four functions constantly cross-link, they do not exist separately. “Without people that are motivated to reach new and higher goals, they will not happen” (Stanley, 1999) Planning-a management function that systematically makes decisions about groups, goals and activities they will pursue. Organizing- a management functions of assembling and coordinating human, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals. Leading- a management functions that involves the manager’s effort to stimulate high performance by employees. Controlling- a management function of monitoring performance and making necessary changes.

In the business world today, good managers adapt to changing conditions but also apply fanatically, consistently, and with discipline new approaches. While fresh thinking is required more now that ever, successful management practices are revenant to the 21st century business environment. Theoretically, a managers role is ”to make perfectly clear that today and for the future, the key roles of managerial challenges are far more dynamic than in the past, they involve continually learning and changing”(Bateman-Snell,2007). As a manager, daily duties require doing many things simultaneously. Managers however, have to make sure that they organize themselves enough to devote adequate attention to all four functions. Looking at the “bigger picture” (Gunn, 2004)