Functions Of Management

Functions of Management

GEN 330

Mr. David Catoe

Kerry Lynn Mack

February 18, 2005

The Definition

man*age*ment: Corporate power elites distinguished primarily by their distance from actual productive work and their chronic failure to manage. Spoken derisively, as in

"*Management* decided that ...." www.dictionary.com

The Four Functions of Management

Management by definition is generic in scope and can have varying meaning to a small company infrastructure versus a large company's. Management structures can be in-depth in a large company and superficial in a smaller organization yet; both can be equally successful. What connects management on every level is the need for creative problem-solving. This function is essential to the overall success of any size company. The use of management assets defines the company mission and carries out objectives. Creative problem-solving is consummated in the course of four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning

No organization operates perfectly. If all business environments were perfect, organizational management would have little or no relevance. To have a productive working environment there are critical success factors that must be adhered to for optimal results. The initial stage is to identify the task at hand. This will help determine how resources (employees) will be used for their strengths and commissioned to contribute for the betterment of the organization. A managing director will emerge and identify the key deliverables, provide a vision, manage workflow, and delegate accordingly. The next step is to set up a schedule for completing tasks. A schedule provides a structured framework within which progress can be measured. Planning is more like contingency planning because it is a series of interventions that look to improve overall effectiveness and employee well-being.

Organizing

The ability to organize and execute a strategy is the ultimate challenge in today's business environment. Above and beyond organizing a sound plan of action, management is responsible for motivating jobholders to the direction of the final purpose at an achievable timeline. Being in charge of the directives, management must delegate a chore and a well-organized way to arrive at completion. The focus is on supply, skill, and control of responsibilities as well as the delivery of information within the organization. Upon organizing an execution strategy, management must be ready to build the structure with resources that align a company's capabilities with its plan.

Leading

Being in charge of directives, a leader must delegate a chore and a well-organized way to arrive at completion. Once a formal strategy has been put into effect, management will lead with dependable facts and influence employees through motivation, communication, leadership and discipline. The purpose of leading is to guide the behavior of all personnel to perform the organization's mission and objectives.

Control

Management control is similar to the general perception of Quality Control. No product or service or product would be worth buying into without internal quality or control. Management must look at the contents of the work and scrutinize the details to ensure that the product is indeed one of high quality. Without this discovery process, a project could appear unorganized, unprofessional or just plain wrong. It is imperative to analyze all resources for accuracy and to check for consistency and integrity in the data. The data used to support the key deliverables should correlate with the final goal.

Management