The Four Functions Of Management

Management is the process of accomplishing the goals of the organization using the resources of people, money, time and materials. The best managers are able to be both efficient and effective, or, in other words, to best utilize all resources with a minimum of waste while achieving the stated goals of the organization. Sometimes even good managers lose sight of the timeless fundamentals of management, including the four traditional functions of management: planning, organizing, leading and controlling.

Planning is best described as "systematically making decisions about the goals and activities that an individual, a group, a work unit, or the overall organization will pursue." (T.S. Bateman and S.A. Snell, 2007, p. 16). Planning may include analyzing current and past situations, anticipating future business and corporate strategies, and deciding what resources will be required to accomplish the company's goals. Planning is typically done on 3 distinctive timelines: short-term (less than 1 year), mid-term (1-3 years) and long-term (3+ years). Analysis of current and recent performance is done on a continuing basis every year from December through April. Our busiest time of the year usually starts with a new product available in November or December, followed by the typical 3 Ð'Ð...-month tax season for tax return preparation. Within the tax season there is a "first peak" of business activity (late January through early February) and a "second peak" (the first two weeks of April). A complete analysis and future recommendations of each segment are completed before the next segment arrives.

Organizing can be best described as "assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources" (T.S. Bateman and S.A. Snell, 2007, p. 16) that will be needed to accomplish the company's goals. Organizing is an ongoing activity as all associates analyze past performance and plan for future improvements. Senior leadership annually tweaks the structure of our field operations by May 1st each year. The human resources department is responsible for year round recruitment to fill vacancies as they occur in both the field and at headquarters. Prior to May 15th each year, senior executives allocate financial resources to both ongoing operations and new initiatives, as well as ensure that the field team is fully staffed and trained to go forward on all top priority objectives.

Leading can be defined as communicating with associates and motivating them to perform at a high level. The leading occurs vertically, both upward and downward. The better we listen to our clients, the more we can be led by them to create client-centric products and services that increase our success and profits. In this situation, the client leads the Franchisee, who leads the District Manager, who in turn leads the Regional Director, followed by the Managing Director, and finally the Senior Vice-President and President of Tax Operations. Of course, some company directives, such as policies and