Four Functions of Management

Four Functions of Effective Management

"Times may change, but managerial practices will always separate effective from ineffective organizations." (Bateman, 2004) There are four main functions that make up a complete circle and create an effective manager. Without all four, there would be a missing link to the circle, and without each one depending on one another, the circle will not complete itself. The four functions I speak of are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Each one serves an important part of a successful organization. The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines manage as follows: to handle or direct with a degree of skill, to work upon or try to alter for a purpose, to succeed in accomplishing, and to direct the professional career of (Marriam, 2005). Managers are responsible for helping not only the company grow and reach its goals, but also to help the individual grow and reach his or her goals as they are related to the company's success. The four functions of management help the manager to break down his or her role, and focus on the smaller parts that make up the whole.

Planning is selecting priorities and results (goals, objectives, etc.) and how those results will be achieved. "It is concerned with the future impact of today's decisions." (Erven, 1994) In the planning stage, the desired end result is looked at objectively to see the necessary resources needed to accomplish the job. The company's vision, mission, objective, and goals are taken into consideration in the planning stage and each one is worked through separately (Erven, 1994). A vision includes motivational guidance for the entire company. It is the highest level of planning when someone decides what they want to happen and then leave it up to the company to collectively make it happen. The next level is mission. Why is the organization an organization. Why is it different, and how do we need to tackle this project with those differences in mind (Erven, 1994)? Objectives and goals are what most people think of in the planning stage. This is where one looks at the requirements of the project and where he or she needs to end up when the project is completed.

The second function of management is the organizing stage. Organizing is basically allocating and configuring resources to accomplish the preferred goals and objectives established during the planning process. The organizational structure becomes very apparent in this stage. Managers decide division of labor, Delegation of authority, departmentation, span of control, and coordination (Erven, 1994). Each one of these categories can be broken down even further into sub categories. Perhaps one of the most important aspects of organizing is the decentralization. This is where the decisions are pushed down to the lowest levels possible and working managers are created rather than managed workers (Erven, 1994).

Leading is a very important concept for managers to grasp. It is important that leaders are leading rather than directing. Leading is establishing a direction and then influencing people and motivating them to follow that direction rather than just forcing them down a chosen path. Leading involves close day-to-day contact with people, helping to guide and inspire them toward team and organizational goals. Leading takes place in teams, departments, and divisions, as well as at the tops of large organizations (Bateman, 2004). Managers must be on the same page with workers and give them a reason to want to work toward the same collective goal.

The final function of management is controlling. When first said, controlling sounds like a bad thing. It should, perhaps, be referred to as observing and changing to fit needs. That would take too long to say though. The controlling factor basically monitors progress and ensures everyone is still on the same track. Occasionally during a project, even if a plan is being followed exactly, the plan could still have flaws. It is the controlling stage that is here to catch those flaws and make changes during the process to ensure the goal is