Functions Of Management

Functions of Management

University of Phoenix

Functions of Management

Management is categorized in four different functions, which are planning, organizing, leading and control. These functions are crucial to the success of all managers. Managers are in all types of businesses. Weather a person manages a retail store or a large corporation, the task are all the same. The four functions of management all serve an important role in order for a manager to achieve the goals set for him. All four functions are vital because one can not function without the other.

Planning

All managers have goals that they have set for themselves to achieve or the company has directly asked of them to do. Some of these goals are set forth within the mission statement set by the company. A manager must set objectives for the mission statement and follow up on the execution of these goals. Setting objectives and following up are two critical components of the planning function. The planning function is an ongoing process; however, strategic planning is one of the most common types of planning. Setting strategies sets major plans into action, strategies also commit the managers valuable time into resources used to propose actions, that him or her has designed as a manager to achieve major objective and goals. Where are we now, where do we want to be, and how do we get there; are three questions set for managers in strategic planning. "Planning is a mental predisposition to do things in orderly way, to think before acting and to act in the light of facts rather than guesses." (Management Study Guide, Pave Your Way to Success, 1998-2009)

Organizing

Organizing is the function used to delegate responsibilities throughout the department. Managers are responsible for the organization of resources used throughout the company and the organization of other employees. Management must organize all resources in order to execute the course of action that was determined in the planning process. In the course of getting organized, management must determine the internal structure of their department; establish a balanced relationship with peers as well as allocating proper resources. A manger must know what it takes in order for a department to succeed, for example, they must know how many employees it will take in order to full fill that goal, a manager must have the proper resources for that department, without these, the manager has failed at utilizing the function of organization. If a manager has a disorganized department, they can be seen as unqualified and incapable of performing specified goals within that department.

Leading

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Peter F. Drucker Being a managing leader is a crucial part of the function of management. Leadership is having the ability to mold subordinates and teach them to achieve certain goals. There are differences between being a manager and being a leader, some would say that a manager is a career, being a leader is having a passion. Being a leader doesn't mean that there are certain characteristic that must be met, a manager must have clear convictions, and you must have the courage of conviction to be able to follow through with your leadership skills. Company's today are looking for managers that they can put there trust in, it doesn't matter if you oversee a group of people, associates or even team mate, the company needs to see the manager that was hired is looking out for the greater good in people and the best success for the company. When a manager has achieved this goal, it is then that the manager has become a leader. I quoted earlier on Peter F Drunker, Peter is one of my favorite writers, though