Management Functions

Management is defined as the process of getting things done, effectively and efficiently, through and with other people to achieve specific goals and purposes. Henri Fayol, a French geologist and engineer who was one of the proponents of the Administrative Theory believed that management, regardless of the specialized area, was comprised of fourteen universal principles. These are Division of Labour or Work, Authority, Discipline, Unity of Command, Unity of Direction, Subordination of the individual interest to the general interest, Remuneration, Centralization, Scalar chain or Line of Authority, Order, Equity, Stability of tenure to personnel, Initiative and Esprit de Corps.

The functions of management describe the managers' jobs. The four main functions of management are planning, organising, leading, and controlling, although some identify additional functions. The functions of management define the process of management as distinct from accounting, finance, marketing, and other business functions.

Planning is the core function of management that involves setting objectives and determining a course of action for achieving these objectives. Planning is a process consisting of several steps. The process begins with environmental scanning, which simply means that planners must be aware of the critical contingencies facing their organization in terms of economic conditions, their competitors, and their customers.

They are three types of planning: strategic, tactical and operational. Planners must establish objectives, which are statements of what needs to be achieved and when, then identify alternative courses of action for achieving objectives. After evaluating the various alternatives, they must then make decisions about the best courses of action for achieving objectives.

Organising is the function of management that involves developing an organisational structure and allocating human resources to ensure the accomplishment of objectives. It determines what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made.

Leading involves influencing others toward the attainment of organisational objectives. Effective leading requires the manager to motivate subordinates, communicate effectively, and efficiently use power. If managers are effective leaders, their subordinates will be enthusiastic about exerting effort toward the attainment of organizational objectives. To become effective at leading, managers must first understand their subordinates' personalities, values, attitudes, and emotions.

The final management function is controlling. Controlling involves ensuring that performance does not deviate from standards. Controlling consists of three steps, which include establishing performance standards, comparing actual performance against standards, and taking corrective action when necessary. The managerial function of controlling should not be confused with control in the behavioral or manipulative sense. Effective controlling requires the existence of plans, since planning provides the necessary performance standards or objectives.

Henry Fayol first proposed five functions: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling, that managers perform, and while they continue to form the core of management functions, they have now been condensed to four functions as defined above. These functions are so termed as they represent the basic functions that management perform in an effort to achieve the defined purpose of the organization. They are called mission functions because they are the tasks of the manager. They highlight the job the manager needs to. They help to carry out the mission of the organization. These are the steps needed to achieve goals.

Each function has its own distinct and significant purpose. Although each has its separate contribution to the management process, one must admit that one function contributes to the other. The mission functions are also referred to as the core functions. Planning, organising, leading and controlling are a manager’s main guideline needed to accomplish the organisation’s goal.

The planning function is the foundation of the management process. Before any operations are put into place, before workers can be delegated, before goals can be accomplished, a plan needs to be established. When plans are created managers can easily detect what is to be organised, they know who is to be led and what controls are necessary to ensure goals are met. For example, a shoe making company received an order for ten special shoes. A plan needs to be put in place to ensure that the workers with the skill necessary are allocated to this order; what goes in first, the sole of the shoe or the laces; who does what and when should each area of the manufacturing process be completed. These are all linked and carried out under the organising function. The planning function sets the guidelines for what and how materials, machinery, workers and resources are to be organised to accomplish specified goals. Under the organising function the plan is followed and the resources are gathered and put together as