The Four Functions of Management

The four functions of management include planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Bateman & Snell (2009). It takes incorporating all four management functions into a manager's strategy to be an effective manager. Business is constantly changing as is the specifics of management. "There are still plenty of timeless principles that make great managers, and great companies, great." Bateman & Snell (2009).

Planning

"Planning is specifying the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance the appropriate actions needed to achieve these goals." Bateman & Snell (2009). Many long hours are spent by executive management coming up with a business plan that is workable and profitable to the organization. The process starts when executive management meets with stockholders and the board of directors. Department heads of each department go in for their own meeting with the executives. They form a plan for the fiscal year for the direction of the company. Each department manager then meets with his own staff to give direction and what the focus of the department should be for the business year. Effective communication between the employees and the department managers play a huge role in the overall success of the planning strategy. Employees should be invited to present their ideas and thoughts in an open meeting format and contribute to the decision making process.

Organizing

"Organizing is assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals." Bateman & Snell (2009). An effective manager knows that he must have capable people aboard in his/her organization to get the job done effectively. No manager can complete the role of the department in the organization's overall success alone. "One of the definitions of effective management is to get top performance from others, but managers who fail to delegate properly can never get maximum results from themselves or their subordinates." Wiggins, D. (1998). The organizational chart reflects how tasks are organized. The process starts at the top with executives, then down to the next branch of management, and on to specialists and other employees in each department who play an important role in performing the actions necessary to build a profitable organization.

Leading

"Leading is stimulating people to be high performers. It includes motivating and communicating with employees, individually and in groups." Bateman & Snell (2009). Employees are motivated by an effective leadership style of a manager. A manager who lacks communication skills and does not seek the input of his employees in the decision making process will find his employees unmotivated and unwilling to go the extra mile that is sometimes needed to be successful with the efforts of an important project. Good communication skills are essential for a manager to be successful. "Understanding the importance of voice, posture, poise, and tactfulness when dealing with employees, vendors, and clients or customers is the key to a manager's success." CMA Management, 74(8), 14.(2009). A manager must have a firm grasp on the importance of communication skills.

Controlling

"The fourth function, controlling, monitors performance and implements necessary changes." Bateman & Snell (2009). In a perfect world, employees would always do their jobs to the best of their ability and perform at a top level. The reality is that all employees need to be monitored by their managers, critiqued for areas that need improvement, and rewarded for tasks performed commendably. "Leading involves close day-to-day contact with people, helping to guide and inspire them toward achieving team and organizational goals." Bateman & Snell (2009). By motivating employees to achieve top performance and reward hard work by commendations and raising, the manager is ensuring his staff will be a highly dependable and motivated work force.

Sources:

Bateman, Thomas S., & Snell, Scott A. (2009). Management: Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World (8th ed.). : McGraw-Hill, a business unit of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..

Frappaolo, Carl. "Four basic functions." Computerworld 32.n8 (Feb 23, 1998): 80(1). General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library-Univ of Phoenix. 26 Oct. 2009

How to be an Effective Manager. CMA Management, 74(8), 14.

Wiggins, D. (1998). Stop doing it all yourself!. Journal of Environmental Health, 60(9), 29.