The Functions of Management

Essay by pennladyUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, January 2009

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The Four Functions by DefinitionThe four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. As it relates to management planning is determining what goals need to be achieved and putting actions in place that will address how those goals will be met. Organizing is pulling together all the resources needed to achieve those same goals, whether they are people, money, material items or just gathering information. In management, leading involves motivating, challenging, guiding and inspiring your workforce, individually and in groups. The fourth function of management is controlling. In today’s workforce, monitoring is critical to control. This will ensure that the goals are being met and allow for changes if necessary to get back on track (Bateman, Snell, 2004).

PlanningThe process of planning provides the entity with a vision. Today’s managers must learn to develop a mission that states the organization’s reason for existing. Once a mission is developed, successful managers will objectives that will address key issues within the company.

With these things in place the next step is setting goals. To be effective, goals should be “SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Rewarding and Timed”(Erven, 1999). Quality planning will then proceed to develop a plan for putting the goals into action. Every part of this planning process will be improved and more dynamic if management realizes the value of obtaining input from every level of their workforce. The organization where I am employed has a strategic planning meeting each year where every level of the company is represented. Questionnaires are distributed to everyone within the company, which allows contributions to the planning process from all employees. Many ideas have been implemented as a result of this process so the employees feel empowered and invested in the company’s goals.

OrganizingCreating a structure for the organization falls into the organizational aspect...