FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT

NATURE AND SCOPE

Features of Management Process

Management process is characterized by the
following features:

Social Process
Continuous Process
Universal
Interrelated
Composite

Social Process
The entire management process is
regarded as a social process as the
success of all organizational efforts
depends upon the willing co-operation
of people

Continuous Process
The process of management is on going and
continuous. Managers continuously take up one or
the other function. Management cycle is repeated
over and over again.

Universal
Management functions are universal in the sense
that a manager has to perform them irrespective of
the size and nature of the organization. Each
manger performs the same functions regardless of
his rank or position in the organization.

Interrelated
Managerial functions are contained
within each other. The performance
of the next function does not start
only when the earlier function is
finished. Various functions are
taken together.

Composite
All Managerial functions are
composite and integrated. There
cannot be any sequence which can
be strictly followed for performing
various functions. The sequential
concept may be true in a newly
started business where functions
may follow a particular sequence
but the same will not apply to a
going concern.

CLASSIFICATION OF MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

Henry Fayol, the pioneer of management

process approach gave
Planning
Organizing
Commanding
Co-coordinating and
Controlling as functions of
management.

Luther Gullick used the word POSDCORB to

describe functions such as Planning (P) Organizing
(O), Staffing (S), directing (D) , controlling (CO),
reporting and budgeting (B), Koontz and
O Donnel adopted managerial functions as
planning, organizing, staffing, directing and
controlling.
Earnest dale has included innovation and
representation to the earlier mentioned functions

1. Planning
3. Staffing
(a) Leadership
(C) Motivation
5. Co-coordinating

2. Organizing
4. Directing
(b) Communication
(d) Supervision
6. Controlling

PLANNING

Planning is a basic managerial

function,. Planning helps in defining
the course of action to be followed
for achieving various organizational
objectives. It is a decision in
advance, what to do, when to do,
how to do and who will do a
particular task. Planning is a process
which involves thinking before doing.

According to Terry, Planning is the

selecting and relating of facts and the
making and using assumptions regarding
the future in the visualization and
formulation of proposed activities
believed necessary to achieve desired
results.

Planning is a process of looking ahead.

The primary object of planning is to
achieve better results. It involves the
selection of organizational objectives and
developing polices procedures,
programmes, budgets and strategies.
Planning is a continuous process that
takes place at all levels of management.

The process of planning involves

Gathering Information
Laying down objectives
Developing Planning premises
Examining alternative courses of action
Evaluation of action patterns
Reviewing limitations
Implementation of planning

ORGANISZING
Every business enterprises needs the
services of a number of persons to look
after its different aspects. The
management sets up the objectives or
goals to be achieved by its personnel. The
energy of every individual is channelized to
achieve the enterprise objectives. The
function of organizing is to arrange, guide
coordinating, direct and control the
activities of other factors of production, Viz,
men, material, money and machines so as
to accomplish the objectives of the
enterprise,.

Louis A. Allen describes organization as the

process of identifying and grouping work to be
performed, defining and delegating
responsibility and authority and establishing
relationships for the purpose of enabling
people to work most effectively together in
accomplishing objectives

PROCESS OF ORGANISATION INVOLVES

To identifying the work to be performed

To classify or group the work
To assign these groups of activities or
work to individuals
To delegate authority and fix responsibility
To Co-ordinate these authorityresponsibility relationships of various
activities.

Though they are many types of organizations but

generally three types of organizations are in
vogue:

1.Line Organization
2.Functional Organization and
3.Line and staff organization.

STAFFING
The function involves manning the positions
created by organization process. It is concerned
with human resources of an organization.

In the words of Koontz and O Donnel, Staffing is

filling, keeping filled positions in the organization
structure through defining work-force
requirements, appraising, selecting
compensating training

STAFFING CONSISTING OF:

Manpower planning i.e.., assessing

manpower requirements in terms of

quantity and quality
Recruitment, selection and training
Placement of man power
Development, promotion, transfer and
appraisal
Determination of employee
remuneration.

DIRECTING
Directing is concerned with carrying out the
desired plans. It initiates organized and
planned action and ensures effective
performance by subordinates towards the
accomplishment of group activities.
Direction is called management in action. In
other words of George R. Terry, Direction is
moving to action and supplying simulative
power to the group after planning.

MAIN ACTIVITES INVOLVED IN

DIRECTING:

Leadership
Communication
Motivation and
Supervision

LEADERSHIP
A manager has to issue orders and instructions
and guide and counsel his subordinated in their
work with a view to improve their perform mace
and achieve enterprise objectives.
Leadership is the ability to build up confidence
and zeal among people and to create an urge in
them, to be led. To be successful leader, a
manager must possess the qualities of foresight,
drive initiative, self confidence and personal
integrity.

COMMUNICATION
Communication constitutes a very important
function of management. It is said to be the
number one problem of management today. It is
an established fact that managers spend 75 to 90
per cent of their working time in communicating
with others

Thus, communicating means sharing of ideas in

common. The essence of communicating is
getting the receiver and they sender turned
together for a particular message. It refers to the
exchange of ideas feelings, emotions and
knowledge and information between two or more
persons. Nothing happens in management till
communication takes place.

MOTIVATION
The term motivation is derived from the word
motive which means a need, or an emotion
that prompts an individual into action
motivation is the psychological process of
creating urge on the subordinates to do
certain things or behave in the desire manner.
It is a very important function of management.
The importance of motivation can be realized
from the fact that performance of a worker
depends upon his ability and the motivation.

SUPERVISION
Supervision is another element of directing
function of management. After issuing
instructions, the manager or the supervisor
of management has to see that all given
instructions are carried out. This is the aim
of supervision. Supervision refers to the job
of overseeing subordinates at work to
ensure maximum utilization of resources to
get the required and directed work done and
to correct the subordinates whenever they
go wrong.

CO-ORDINATION
Coordination is one of the most
important functions of management.
It is essential to channelise the
activities of various individuals in the
organization for the achievement of
common goals. Every department or
section is given a target to be
achieved and they should
concentrate only on their work and
should not bother about the work of

Coordination creates a team spirit

and helps in achieving goals through
collective efforts. It is the orderly
arrangement of group effort to
provide unity of action in the pursuit
of common objectives.

CO-ORDIANTION AND CO-OPEARATION

Co-ordination is much wider term then cooperation. Co-operation indicates the
willingness of individuals to help each
other. It is and attitude of a group of
people and is largely the result of
voluntary action. Co-ordination, on the
other hand is a conscious managerial
effort which is the result of a deliberate
action.

CONTROLLING

Controlling can be defined as determining

what is being accomplished that is evaluating
the performance, if necessary, applying
corrective measures so that the performances
take place according to plans.
Control is essential for achieving objectives of
an enterprise. The planning of various activities
does not ensure automatic implementation of
policies. Control is the process which enables
management to get its policies implemented
and take corrective actions if performance is
not according to the pre-determined standards.