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Management has been described as a
social process involving responsibility for economical and effective planning
& regulation of operation of an enterprise in the fulfillment of given purposes.
It is a dynamic process consisting of various elements and activities. These
activities are different from operative functions like marketing, finance,
purchase etc. Rather these activities are common to each and every manger
irrespective of his level or status.
Different experts have classified
functions of management. According to George & Jerry, “There are
four fundamental functions of management i.e. planning, organizing, actuating
and controlling”. According to Henry Fayol, “To manage is to forecast and
plan, to organize, to command, & to control”. Whereas Luther Gullick has
given a keyword ’POSDCORB’ where P stands for Planning, O for
Organizing, S for Staffing, D for Directing, Co for Co-ordination, R for
reporting & B for Budgeting. But the most widely accepted are functions
of management given by KOONTZ and O’DONNEL i.e. Planning, Organizing,
Staffing, Directing and Controlling.
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For theoretical purposes, it may be
convenient to separate the function of management but practically these functions
are overlapping in nature i.e. they are highly inseparable. Each function
blends into the other & each affects the performance of others.
1. Planning
It is the
basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future course of
action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of actions for
achievement of pre-determined goals. According to KOONTZ, “Planning is deciding
in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap from
where we are & where we want to be”. A plan is a future course of actions.
It is an exercise in problem solving & decision making. Planning is
determination of courses of action to achieve desired goals. Thus, planning is
a systematic thinking about ways & means for accomplishment of
pre-determined goals. Planning is necessary to ensure proper utilization of
human & non-human resources. It is all pervasive, it is an intellectual
activity and it also helps in avoiding confusion, uncertainties, risks,
wastages etc.
2. Organizing
It is the
process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources and
developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of
organizational goals. According to Henry Fayol, “To organize a business is to
provide it with everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools,
capital and personnel’s”. To organize a business involves determining &
providing human and non-human resources to the organizational structure.
Organizing as a process involves:
- Identification of activities.
- Classification of grouping of activities.
- Assignment of duties.
- Delegation of authority and creation of
responsibility.
- Coordinating authority and responsibility
relationships.
3. Staffing
It is the
function of manning the organization structure and keeping it manned. Staffing
has assumed greater importance in the recent years due to advancement of
technology, increase in size of business, complexity of human behavior etc. The
main purpose o staffing is to put right man on right job i.e. square pegs in
square holes and round pegs in round holes. According to Kootz & O’Donell,
“Managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization structure
through proper and effective selection, appraisal & development of
personnel to fill the roles designed un the structure”. Staffing involves:
- Manpower Planning (estimating man power in terms of searching, choose
the person and giving the right place).
- Recruitment, selection & placement.
- Training & development.
- Remuneration.
- Performance appraisal.
- Promotions & transfer.
4. Directing
It is that
part of managerial function which actuates the organizational methods to work
efficiently for achievement of organizational purposes. It is considered
life-spark of the enterprise which sets it in motion the action of people
because planning, organizing and staffing are the mere preparations for doing
the work. Direction is that inert-personnel aspect of management which deals
directly with influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating sub-ordinate for
the achievement of organizational goals. Direction has following elements:
- Supervision
- Motivation
- Leadership
- Communication
Supervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their
superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers.
Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the
sub-ordinates with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary
incentives may be used for this purpose.
Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides and
influences the work of subordinates in desired direction.
Communications- is the process of passing information, experience, opinion
etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.
5. Controlling
It implies
measurement of accomplishment against the standards and correction of deviation
if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals. The purpose of
controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in conformities with the
standards. An efficient system of control helps to predict deviations before
they actually occur. According to Theo Haimann, “Controlling is the
process of checking whether or not proper progress is being made towards the
objectives and goals and acting if necessary, to correct any deviation”.
According to Koontz & O’Donell “Controlling is the measurement &
correction of performance activities of subordinates in order to make sure that
the enterprise objectives and plans desired to obtain them as being
accomplished”. Therefore controlling has following steps:
a.
Establishment of standard
performance.
b.
Measurement of actual performance.
c.
Comparison of actual performance
with the standards and finding out deviation if any.
d.
Corrective action.
My
opinion about the article,
so
management functions is a social process involving responsibility for
economical and effective planning & regulation of operation of an
enterprise in the fulfillment of given purposes.
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