What are the functions of management in business? | Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Controlling, and 5 more

The functions of management are interelated and these maybe performed in any sequence. It is not necessary that a manager has to start functioning from planning only.Thus the process of management may start from any point for the achievement of pre_ determined goals.


1. Planning: Planning is a continuous process of determining the future course of action for receiving desired results. Planning looks to the future. It is a conscious process of decision-making. Planning actually means to anticipate the problems in the way of achieving the objectives of the organizations and find ways means to solve them. Does it involve deciding what to do? when to do? How to do it? who is to do it?


2. Organisation: For putting the plans into action there is a need of organizing the activities of employees the people and allocating them required work to perform. Organizing establishing a harmonious structure of authority responsibility relationship. Organizing decides the framework provides the management with the material resources to do the job smoothly.


3. Staffing: It is the function of manning the position created by the organizational structure and keeping it managed. The main purpose of staffing is to put the right person at the right job for example square pegs in a square hole and round pegs in a round hole.
It is the process of identifying, procuring, developing and evaluating, compensating the individual at work.


4. Directing: It puts the plans into action. It is that part of the managerial function which activates the organizational method to work efficiently for the achievement of organizational goals. Direction is that part of the interpersonal aspect of management that deals directly with influencing guiding, supervising, motivating, instructing for the achievement of goals. Direction has the following four elements of directing.


1. Supervision: Supervision refers to overseeing the work of the subordinates by their superiors. The purpose of supervision is to judge whether the subordinates are performing as per the instructions. It is performed at all levels of the management. It bridges the gap between what the management expects and what the operatives want.


2. Communication: It involves passing information and understanding from one person to another. Involves two or more persons for exchanging any fact feeling and Idea. No organization can coordinate the activities of different departments of an enterprise without a communication system.


3. Motivation: It is the process of creating an urge among the subordinates to work for the achievement of desired objectives. It is a psychological concept. Motivation is concerned with the will to work an important aspect of human behavior. Motivation is closely related to morale. So in simple words, we can say that motivation is a vital element for getting things done.


4. Leadership: It is a process through which a manager guides and influences the work of his subordinates. A manager should consult his subordinates while starting any course of action to ensure their voluntary cooperation.


5. Controlling: Controlling is the measuring and correcting of activities of subordinates to assured that events conform to plans. controlling is forward-looking. A manager cannot control the past but can avoid mistakes in the future by taking action in the light of past experiences. A control system must conform to the nature of activity report deviation promptly, assure corrective action and be economical.


6. Coordination: It is the integration of efforts of the subordinates to provide the proper amount, timing, and quality of execution so that their efforts led to the achievement of a common goal. Coordination is essential in every situation where diverse activities and people are involved to carry out tasks for pursuing the desired objective. Coordination is essential to bring harmony to an organization. The main purpose of coordination is to secure unity of purpose and unified action among all the functions of management.

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