Describe Functions of Management Essay Example

goals. For example, if the organization's goal is to increase company sales, the manager must identify steps such as improving advertising efforts, managing inventory levels, and expanding the sales team. These steps are then transformed into a comprehensive plan.

When the plan is in place, the manager can follow it to accomplish the goal of improving company sales. Planning, whether short term or long term, ensures proper utilization of human and non-human resources, minimizing confusion, risks, wastages, and uncertainties. Planning is crucial for forecasting and preparing for unforeseen adverse events by implementing contingency measures. For instance, hospital managers may establish an emergency plan to handle disease outbreaks or accidents. According to Henri Fayol, organizing a business means providing it with all necessary resources for full functionality. Organizing involves bringing together physical, financial, and human resources to achieve organizational goals.

Once a plan is established, it is crucial for a manager to gather a team and necessary resources in accordance with the plan. The essential aspects of organizing include distributing tasks and authorizing individuals. This process entails identifying the required actions, categorizing activities, assigning obligations, and delegating responsibility and authority. For instance, let's consider the case of a farm manager who confronts a planting season with a workforce and multiple fields and crops to be cultivated.

The manager must determine the amount of work to be done within a specific timeframe and arrange his staff into smaller groups, each led by a foreman responsible for various tasks such as tillage, planting, and irrigation. The manager should also establish a schedule for these tasks and ensure that all necessary resources, including seed and fertilizers, are available to complete them on

time. Staffing involves maintaining appropriate levels of personnel to effectively run the organization, ensuring that each individual is suited for their respective role. This may involve selecting qualified individuals, providing on-the-job training, or retraining staff to meet changing demands. If necessary, the manager may decide to recruit, select, train, and develop additional employees to enhance staffing in their area.

A manager in a large organization often collaborates with the company's human resources department to achieve this objective. The organization may acquire new machinery and recognize the necessity for additional staff to operate it, or they may realize that their enterprise is expanding and requires more personnel for its new branches. Directing primarily entails activating individuals in an organization and encompasses overseeing, motivating, leading, and communicating the organization's goals to the employees. Directing entails overseeing work processes and ensuring that staff members are sufficiently motivated to achieve the organizational objectives by providing incentives to foster their enthusiasm for work.

Managers may realize that they need to work extended hours to complete a task on time. They may also decide to provide food on-site and offer incentives to employees willing to work overtime. However, a manager's responsibilities do not end after implementing these measures. They must continuously evaluate progress towards goals and take corrective actions if necessary to ensure their department's plans stay on track. Directing involves issuing instructions and executing operations in order to achieve original goals.

Controlling is the act of aligning everything with established standards in order to achieve organizational goals. This involves evaluating performance against these standards. According to Koontz and O'Donnell, controlling includes measuring and correcting the performance of subordinates to ensure that enterprise objectives

and plans are accomplished. The process consists of establishing standard performance, measuring actual performance, comparing it to the standards, identifying deviations, and implementing corrective measures. The success of any organization depends on the competence of its managers regardless of its size. Businesses led by inadequately skilled managers with limited knowledge tend to underperform and eventually fail, while those led by knowledgeable managers thrive and achieve prosperity.

References

1. Harold Koontz and Cyril O’Donnel, Essentials of Management (1976)
2. Henri Fayol, (1841-1925), Principles of Management
3. Luther Gullick (1937), Science of Administration
4. Mary Parker Follet (1900-20) Classic School of Management
5. Peter Drucker (1909-2005), The Principles of Management
6. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) Oregon State University