Management's Four Functions

Management’s Four Functions: Effective When Used Properly

It takes training, many skills, and much knowledge to be effective as a manager in today’s business environment. Both women and men in upper level positions are finding that it takes much more than the ability to delegate responsibility to keep a small department or large company running correctly. They must be able to come up with new ideas and develop the way to achieve them before going to their superiors with any proposition. They must know how to inspire their employee’s creativity as well as monitor their progress. An effective manager must even know how to relate to people in order to keep their subordinates happy. According to Sawyer (1998), “almost every deviation or deficiency an internal auditor encounters results from the violation of some principle of management or good administration in these four areas” (Ð'¶ 3). Therefore, directly linked to the success or failure of a supervisor in any organization is her ability to implement successfully the four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.

Planning

Planning is important when it comes to success in the remaining supervisory functions. Bateman and Snell (2007) state planning is the function of management in which decisions are made about the actions and aims that one or all parts of an organization will follow (Chap. 1 p. 16). Without diligent and knowledgeable planning, any strengths a manager exhibits in the other areas necessary to be effective in her role as the other three functions of management, organizing, leading and controlling, rely on efficient planning. A department currently evolving and making large expansions will have gone through extensive planning in its early phases. The manager will have thoroughly analyzed her vision and come up with a detailed course of action to achieve it; knowing that she must have every aspect of the expansion outlined before she asks for approval and that her presentation to the University administration will need to show the proposed path as well as the benefits of this expansion. No matter how much or how efficient planning may be, obstacles exist that a supervisor does not expect and may not be able make contingencies for. One thing the departmental director cannot plan for is the manner in which a bureaucracy drags its feet in providing the necessary staffing to implement the proposed departments.

Organizing

The ability to organize follows planning in importance. Upon being able to plan a goal and course of action efficiently, the supervisor must make this idea come to life through organization. Effective organization generally involves many elements including division of labor and task assignment (McNeely (1994) p. 470). A manager also shows her skills in delegation while performing this function, allowing the manager to give authority and responsibility for pieces of the overall product to subordinates. During expansion of the business mentioned above, the director must effectively organize in order to keep business flowing in the existing department while allowing time for all her to work on building up the new division. Bateman and Snell (2007) state “organizing is assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals” (Chap. 1, p. 17).When working for a University, organization during an expansion such as this is crucial. Time and resources must be managed effectively in order for each employee to be able to handle and complete several tasks at a time, thus allowing the director to attend meetings and take classes to make the whole office compliant with government regulations surrounding the proposed expansion.

Leading

A manager’s ability to lead shines through when steps to accomplish a goal are organized effectively. Sawyer (1998) asserts that successful leading, “is the process of moving resources toward objectives and goals. It includes elements of leadership, motivation, communication, and training” (Ð'¶ 29).

Leadership

The ability to lead is a manager’s power to encourage and receive the best from their subordinates while not seeming above any assignment she would delegate to an employee. The manager of the small department in the University has commanding skill in leading her employees, giving each tasks she knows they are capable of completing, always giving necessary authority and freedom of creativity while working just as hard on her own projects as they work on theirs.

Motivation

Encouraging creativity on their projects also gives the employees motivation to do well on the tasks and projects they perform and complete. Sawyer (1998) claims, “Successful directing hinges on the motivation of those directed” (Ð'¶ 30). The manager being discussed motivates her employees with praise and kinds words; always helping them to keep their eyes on the finished product to which they are all contributing. These actions are effective with the employees, helping them feel good about themselves and the jobs they are doing.

Communication

Communication as an element of being an effective leader is extremely important, allowing them to keep