Ismael Hassan Djama Preston University

THE FOUR FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT

Management is more than the sum of all individuals’ efforts. Management is an important aspect
that will promote better communication between management and employees. Management is
the process of working with people and resources to accomplish goals. Goals cannot be set
without regard to resources available to facilitate their attainment. The management process
consists of two criteria: managers being effective and managers being efficient. To be efficient a
manager needs to make the best possible use of time, money and their resources (employees). To
be effective a manager should achieve organizational goals. In other words, a manager must
maintain a clear focus on both effectiveness and efficiency.

Managers are charged with the responsibility of taking actions that will make it possible for
individuals to make their best contributions to group objectives. Management thus applies to
small and large organizations, to profit and not-for-profit enterprises, to manufacturing as well as
service industries. It is getting work done through others (Williams, 2007).

Henri Fayol`s1 classic management functions are known today as planning, organizing, leading
and controlling (Williams, 2007). Carrying out a successful business requires understanding and
practice of these four functions of management. In every management system, with different
roles and functions, makes every managerial role uniquely different. The continuously changing
world that we exist in today requires managers to concentrate on the business running at its peak
level. Running on the four functions of management will enable a business to run efficiently
(Bateman and Snell, 2004). The four functions of management are a great method to stand by
for everyday life, not only the business world. Integrating the functions of management should
become a subconscious routine followed out everyday that every employee is aware of.

The first management function is planning. Planning is determining organizational goals and a
means for achieving them (Williams, 2007). Planning consists of establishing tasks that need to
be completed as well as awareness of what sources are required to achieve a successful day.
Each manager in every business completes projects, whether small or large. Accordingly, the
common ending result and goal are successful completion of the project (Bateman and Snell,
2004). Planning is easily understood as setting the course for the completion of a task or project.

1
Fayol was one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management
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In many situations, the serving purpose for planning is not fully understood until the end of the
project, speaking from experience. Planning is possibly the most important function in
management and tracks out a course from beginning to end for a task or project. In a computer
business of repairs, for example, selling systems and continuously running service calls, planning
becomes a very important step in the day that must be conducted very first. Setting goals in-
house to achieve come after deciding who is going to run which mobile call. Planning helps
each and every one of us decide what needs to be accomplished during the workday (Bateman
and Snell, 2004). Williams explains that planning led Google to be successful through
concentrating on one purpose for their product, which is search. Setting goals and expectations
for the day helps eliminate tasks that are not important to complete the one's that are most
important. Planning allows an individual the chance to gather his or her thoughts. In the planning
process management makes decisions towards the goal that he or she wants achieved and
organizes the ideas being careful that the best decisions are made. An individual must take one
step at time to make sure none of his or her ideas are left out and to make sure that he or she
covers all information needed. The plan should be clear and concise. The plan should state the
purpose, task assigned, how the goals will be reached, and when the goal should be completed.
Management should put themselves in the team shoes when planning they should think of all
possible questions that could be raised and answer them in the notes. When thinking of all the
possible questions that could be raised it is important to think about problems that may arise and
solutions to those problems. If this is done management will be a step ahead if something goes
wrong. Once the plan is set it is important to organize, being sure everyone understands the goal
and that they are able to carry out the plan.

In completing the planning for the day we move on to the next phase.

Organizing is the second function that includes the assignment of tasks to individuals.
Organizing is deciding where decisions will be made, who will do what jobs and tasks, and who
will work for whom in the company (Williams, 2007). Each type of business manager for each
type of business undoubtedly have different tasks to carry out, however, the basic process of
organizing is the same (Bateman and Snell, 2004). Time management, prioritizing and analyzing
situations clearly is a very important task for managers to be able to carry out. In the computer
business, for example, delegating who is going to stay in-house and do repairs for the day and
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build computers is very important to distinguish from those that are going to go out for the day
and run a certain route of mobile calls. An example given by Williams is regarding Palm, which
split their company into separate parts and helped the company optimize their expertise.
Organizing the plans for the day is a critical step that is about communication in an effort to
assure the same task does not get completed twice. Not being completely organized for the day
is starting the day off on the wrong foot and wasting precious time. Organization allows
individuals to stay in sync. Organization is important because it gives individuals the opportunity
to communicate, coordinate, and interact. When organizing the plan, roles are assigned based on
each individual's skill. When organizing an individual will read over the plan and ask each
member of the team if he or she understand the assignment. After each member has a clear
understanding of the plan roles will be assigned. When assigning roles it is important to keep in
mind that no individual is the same and that no is perfect, everyone has strengths and
weaknesses. Each individual should be assigned a billet that he or she can handle. No one should
be set up for failure. When assigning the billets each individual should be assigned a due date
and dates should be set to check up on individuals to see their progress. A team meeting can be
made as well. Management should designate one day of the week that the team will meet. On
that designated day members should come prepared to tell what they have done and what they
plan to do over time. When management has organization it allows them to have better
leadership skills.

Leadership is a strong character quality that is necessary for a manager to have. It involves
inspiring and motivating workers to work hard to achieve organizational goals (Williams, 2007).
All good managers, as is with all good leaders carry out their job well and efficiently. Managers
must be able to communicate the purpose of and goals of the day (Bateman and Snell, 2004).
Motivation and positive character qualities keep employees on the move. An unplanned,
unorganized, weak natured manager is not going to enable his/ her staff to get the job done. In
the computer business, for example, this correlates well with completing repairs. In-house
repairs can get repetitive, especially if they are all in for the same reason, which is rare. A
positive, motivating manager makes the situation of boredom easy to deal with. Positive, strong
leaders are central to a business and successfully enable their team to complete the day
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successfully. Managers are the driving force for their employees that keeps them operating. A
true leader should inspire each employee to stretch his or her limits to want to do more. Williams
gives us the example of Anne Mulcahy, the CEO of Xerox who returned the company back to its
feet. Management must have exceptional leadership skills if they want the goal to be a success.
Leaders should always be willing and ready to step in when needed. During team meetings
management should observe the assignments and make changes where needed. When making
changes management should be able to explain to the team why those corrections are being made
and how those corrections will get the team closer to achieving goals. If management tells the
team to make corrections and does not have a reason for the change, team members may start
doubting his or her leadership skills. If management leadership skills are doubted the team may
not ask any questions because they may believe that management does not know any
information. When management has exceptional leadership skills they are easy to talk to and the
team believes that the knowledge gained is important. Great leaders are able to motivate the team
and the team stays happy knowing that they have a leader that they can depend on and ask
questions when in doubt. When management has good leadership their team is happy to achieve
goals. If the leadership is bad the team is less motivated and management will have to use
authority to get the goal completed.

The final function of management is control. Control is the final stage to ensure achievement of
an objective has been realized. It is the monitoring of progress toward goal achievement and then
taking corrective action when progress isn`t made (Williams, 2007). A manager manager's duty
is to evaluate the progress made for the day, or at the end of a project, and assist employees in
correcting problems, if there may be any, in a positive light. The control factor allows room for
adjustments and assures the achievement and completion of tasks (Bateman and Snell, 2004). In
the business of computers, control keeps one on task and focused to start and finish a task.
Control is also an important function of management. Williams exemplifies control through
Continental Airlines who wanted to cut costs. They started giving passengers small cups of their
soft drinks instead of an entire can, which is one of the corrective actions, among many.When
management has control they can easily figure out if the team is on the right track to
accomplishing goals. If management sees that the tasks are not going as planned they can make
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changes and continue monitoring the progress of the team. When management monitors the team
they should take notes to ensure that the changes made are positive ones. If management sees
that those changes made are still not the best they will make changes and learn from their
mistakes. Good managers who have control do not give up they keep pressing forward until they
see positive changes.

Managers make learning fun when they come across in a positive, leadership-motivating
manner.

Managers practicing the four functions of management will have a strong, focused and efficient
business. Following of these four functions for all employees makes the job easier for
everybody, including the manager. "To be effective is to achieve organizational goals. To be
efficient is to achieve goals with minimal waste of resources, that is, to make the best possible
use of money, time, materials, and people" (Bateman and Snell, 2004). The functions of
management are important to all systems of organizations whether they are small, corporate or
even in another nation. The functions have proven themselves effective through many
successful, efficient businesses.

DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING MANAGEMENT. LIST AT LEAST

FIVE(5) REWARDS AND FIVE(5) CHALLENGES OF BEING A MANAGER.

According to Wikipedia, management comprises directing and controlling a group of one or

more people or entities for the purpose of coordinating and harmonizing that group towards
accomplishing a goal. Why is it important to study management?

As quoted above, the need for management in an organization, whether it be a large enterprise,
governmental entity, school or community, is extremely and essentially important to achieve an
organization's ultimate desired goals. With good management, an organization is able to operate
efficiently and effectively, at all times.
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To be equipped with good management knowledge and skills to manage an organization, in the
case of a business, is a manager's utmost priority for studying management. Let us look at the
importance of studying management, by looking into details the 4 major function of management
as explained above.

By studying management, a manager is able to perform the Planning function effectively– i.e. to
realize a company's potential, recognize the power of competitive advantage, set goals and
design the best methods of improving these advantages, so to achieve these goals. Besides, one is
capable to plan for an effective capital allocation — namely, how the company's money should
be spent so that organizational goals are achieved effectively and efficiently. Therefore, this
management knowledge is essential for a business organization as the dollar "$" sign is
concerned. In his/her managerial role as a decision maker, money is involved in almost every
decision a manager makes. For example, studying management enables a manager to plan how a
large pool of capital should be divided optimally according to an organization's set of priorities
and goals A brilliant planning would result in millions, or even billions worth of profit, whilst, a
bad one would result in substantial losses or even bankruptcy. Hence, studying management
prepares the managers the essential skills to plan effectively as a decision-maker, so that the risks
of business failure are minimized.

In the Organizing part of management function, managers are responsible for allocating and
arranging resources, e.g. human resources, raw materials, monetary resources etc. It involves
establishing the internal organizational structure of the organization. Because of scarce
resources, studying management is important for managers to attain an adequate amount of
management skill as a resource allocater, so that a manager is capable for the division,
coordination, and control of tasks and the flow of information within an organization, by means
of arranging both human and non-human resources effectively and efficiently. Effective
allocation of resources indicates arranging resources in the correct quantities to their optimum
uses. For instance, an effective manager determines how a main plan is divided into smaller tasks
and who is the right employee to do each of the tasks. Efficient allocation of resources means
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getting the most output from the least amount of inputs. For example, the Just In Time inventory
system is a good management tool used by managers to order just the amount of stocks needed.
Hence, costs are minimized and profit margins are broadened, by reducing wastage or
duplication of resources on unnecessary usage. This can only be achieved when a manager is
equipped with the appropriate management skills and knowledge through studying management.

Studying management also helps to equip managers the appropriate human skills, so he is able to
perform the Leading function of management effectively. Studying management offers a
thorough grounding in the theory of management studies and the intellectual skills of the social
sciences. Managers get to learn about how managers from different times manage their workers
and the intellectual skills needed in motivating subordinates to have the appropriate behaviour
towards accomplishing organizational goal. For instance, the scientific management theory
utilizes wage increase as a motivation tool to encourage workers to produce more whilst the
behavioural management theory believes that workers' productivity can only be improved by
providing a better working environment. With a variety of knowledge on different kinds of
management thought, a manager is able to analyze and select the appropriate theory and skills to
use for different situations, i.e. a common theory today – the contingency approach. Therefore,
as an effective leader, a manager is able to create a working environment in which employees are
able to perform effectively, provide positive feedbacks, contribute creative ideas, willing to
accept changes and reduce conflicts.

Controlling denotes monitoring and comparing the performance of a plan with expected results
as well as correcting any deviations from the standards. A manager, through studying
management, will then be able to utilize the appropriate measuring tools for comparison, e.g. the
use of sales budget, profit and loss account, balance sheet etc. As these mostly involve algebraic
figures and complex mathematical calculations, managers without the adequate knowledge of
financial accounting will find it difficult to interpret these financial reports. For example, an
organizational short-term goal is to increase production sales by 10%. An effective monitor is
able to produce a set of logical benchmarks to which sales performance is compared. If the sales
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only increased by 5%, he/she should then be able to analyze the cause and take corrective
actions. Therefore, studying management is important to equip managers the appropriate
knowledge to effectively perform the controlling management function.

The most obvious and basic reward of being a manager is that he/she gets awarded financially
for his/her managerial position. Their incomes are raised with the increased amount of jobs and
responsibilities given to them. Instead of doing just one specific job like a non-managerial
employee, they are obliged to do more than just that, e.g. determining what to be done
(Planning), dividing the tasks into smaller sections to which the right employees are selected and
appointed (Organizing), motivating and guiding the employees to work efficiently and
effectively (Leading), as well as monitoring the progress of plans and taking corrective actions
when problems occur to ensure they work according to expected standards (Controlling). With
more workload and brainwork that come naturally with their position, it is understandable that
they should get a pay rise, which will in turn improve their standard of living.

Secondly, managers attain the power in the decision-making process which comes naturally with
their managerial positions. Some people who are power-driven and unable to work under others
command would seek for the power a manager possesses to order others to get the jobs done
without having to do the tedious work themselves. Although not all managers behave this way,
but it is undeniable that managerial position grants managers the power and authority a normal
non-managerial employee will not have. Besides that, managers are given the power in decision-
making and authorizing transactions, which are mostly important and significant in nature that
will affect an organization's performance. Being granted such significant power and
responsibilities, their managerial positions give them the sense of pride and self-esteem, which a
non-managerial employee might not have the possibility to enjoy. With the power and authority
they are given, managers feel needed and this serves as a motivation tool that encourages them to
work harder, which in turn is beneficial to them, in terms of self confidence and one's own value.
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Having his/her own network of customers is also another reward of being a manager. A
manager's area of responsibility also includes seeking, contacting and maintaining positive
relationship with customers. This helps to build a network of people for them, so that they have
the opportunity to know more people and might even develop their own circle of friends from
frequent business interactions. As a result, a manager's social skills can be polished and
improved, even he/she is poor at communicating at first. Furthermore, a healthy relationship with
customers might offer more business sales to the company and improve a business's
performance. With more profit cashing into the business, this, in turn, earns the managers more
credits from their bosses which may then result in a promotion or a pay rise.

In addition, being a manager offers them a broader experience as well as the excitement and fun
which cannot be enjoyed by non-managerial employees. As we can see, leading is one of the
major functions of management. A manager's responsibility includes motivating, training, and
leading his/her subordinates in accomplishing the organizational goals in an effective and
efficient way. Thus, the leadership role of a manager gives him/her the opportunity to improve
his/her leading skills. Besides, this also sharpens a manager's teamwork skill through team
buildings. One also benefits from being a manager by having the opportunity to expose
themselves to greater challenges and gain a broader experience. A manager's role as a
disturbance handler trains them to react immediately to urgent situations and to take corrective
actions while racing against time. Therefore, through on-the-job training, a manager gains
different experiences from different situations they encounter across time. Amidst the challenges
they have to counter in every second, one can find a manager's jobs exciting and fun when a
certain challenge is successfully conquered.

Being a manager offers a person a better career path in the future. With more trainings and
experiences managers can gain from their positions, these prepare them the adequate and
appropriate skills and knowledge to take up a higher managerial position in the future. For
example, a division manager, equipped with the managerial skills and knowledge in decision
making gained from his position, is more likely to get promoted to a higher position, e.g. Branch
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Manager, than a non-managerial employee. Thus, with a higher position, a manager has a future
opportunity of increased income and improved living standard, gaining higher status and self-
value associated to his/her higher position.

However, the rewards mentioned above are only attainable when a manager has the well-
informed knowledge and capability to overcome the existing and future challenges revealed
below :

First and foremost, a manager faces the challenge of having to handle a wide variety of tasks
which differs from a non-managerial employee who only performs a specific task. A manager's
tasks include designing future plans, both short-term and long-term, in a more holistic and
broader view, which is quite challenging as future business environment is unpredictable.
Another task of allocating resources optimally, so that wastage and cost can be reduced, is also
challenging because of scarce resources. Other tasks e.g. monitoring employees' work
performance and monitoring the progress of plans are also considered challenging as these
require frequent supervision and monitoring. All in all, managers find it challenging to develop
the numerous technical, human and conceptual competencies to be an effective manager.
Therefore, it is extremely stressful for a manager to handle such great amount of workloads and
responsibilities. As a solution, managers should learn to cope with stress by means of
discovering new measures to measure one's own success and developing more positive attitude
towards challenges.

Secondly, a manager must face the challenge of accountability that comes naturally with his/her
managerial position. Prior to managerial promotion, non-managerial employees mostly work as a
"doers" or "specialists", i.e. their main responsibility is to perform specific task. They are only
responsible for what they do personally whilst managers, on the other hand, must see themselves
as responsible for the whole group of people which he is in charge of, e.g. a department, division,
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branch etc. No longer responsible only for his own doings, a manager is held responsible and
accountable for himself as well as his subordinates. For instance, a department head naturally
has to bear the consequences of the decisions he made as each and every actions he took will
directly affect the image of his department. However, when an employee from his department
made a mistake, he as the representative of his department, is also held responsible for his
subordinate's action. As a solution, a manager should constantly monitor employee's work
progress to ensure that they do their jobs properly. Whilst managers should also constantly
evaluate their own performances and be willing to learn from mistakes, in order to produce
greater results and minimize the occurrence of mistakes in the future.

Another challenge a manager normally encounters is people, especially his workers. Employees
can sometimes be "friends" when they give full cooperation and are willing to work together
with managers towards the company's aims. However, sometimes they can be "enemies" when
they feel unsatisfied with a company's action and are reluctant to change, especially at times of
restructuring, merging or a change of management. Angry workers might then resort to strikes,
work bans etc. which may affect a company's production and its reputation. The solution to these
"threats" greatly depends on a manager's skill as a negotiator. Hence in order to prevent these
threats to occur, a manager should work as an effective change agent to be able to deliver the
pros and cons of a new vision of a company to the workers and ensure that they completely
understand the need for change through good communication skills. When the real threats
unexpectedly happen, a manager should then work as an effective negotiator to minimize the
problem by listening patiently to the workers' needs and making appropriate adjustments as he
sees fit. Thus, a manager should himself be able to accept change and create a business culture,
which values diversity and changes, in the organization.

Fourthly, a challenge managers frequently face today is the changing business environment,
either externally or internally or both. With increasing globalization and changing variables in
the business environment, a manager must have the ability to anticipate changes, adapt, and
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transform the possible threats into opportunities to gain competitive advantage. For example,
with increasing internet usage, banks started to transform themselves into "virtual bank",
transacting banking and financial services thru net. It is considered challenging as managers had
to have good analytical and judgment skills to anticipate and compete against the unknown
threats in the unpredictable environment. Unable to do so might result in business failures and
closedowns. Therefore, managers today must have the capability to be innovative and
diversified. Not only do they need to develop personal capacity to manage, they must also be
able to create an innovative working environment in which workers are willing to learn and
change, so their organizations can continually revitalize and transform themselves to compete in
the ever-changing and unpredictable business environment.

Lastly, a manager may face challenges e.g. competition from people within and outside the
organization, who are waiting to take over his/her managerial position. In this cruel and realistic
world, there is always someone after your job. They are those who "wait behind the bushes"
only to capture a chance to take over when a manager make mistakes because of the
attractiveness of the personal and financial benefits one can gain by being a manager. They may
not agree with the decisions you made or felt they could have made better decisions. Once a
wrong decision is made, they will use that as leverage to try and push you aside. The higher a
manager's position is, the fewer positions there are at that level and the greater the competition
makes it harder for him/her to retain the position. Thus, as a solution, managers must always be
aware and cautious in performing their tasks, making the right decisions and taking prompt
actions in order to avoid mistakes. They must also continually learn and gain knowledge by
pursuing a higher level of education.

In conclusion, studying management is extremely important to equip managers with the

sufficient amount of quality knowledge and skills to be an effective manager. Through
management studies, managers learn a lot about how to manage tasks and people effectively and
efficiently to accomplish a wider range of organizational goal. Although, in my opinion, I think
that experience is also another important factor in sculpting an effective manager, however, it is
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undeniable that a proper education in management is still needed. In today's fast-paced

environment, managers face a lot of challenges and because of that, they are rewarded as much
as well. Therefore, managers today should engage in each of the three fundamental types of
learning, i.e. learning something new, changing one's mind, and changing oneself. They should
always be willing to learn, change their own perceptions, and even change their own attitude
towards achieving greater results. Furthermore, they should also be able to maintain the balance
between being production-oriented and employee-oriented. In short, managers should constantly
pursue higher level of education in management so to be more well-informed and skillful to
establish greater achievements.

References:

Bateman, T.S. & Snell, S. (2004). Management: The New Competitive Landscape. New York,

New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Williams, C (2007). Management,4th Edition. Mason, USA: Thomson Higher Education

www.wikipedia.com
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www.answers.com

Management, Plunkett, Attner & Allen, South Western, Thomson

Becoming A Manager, Linda A. Hill, Harvard Business School Press