| Managers perform certain activities or duties as they | | | | accomplish the organization's goals. We call this |
| effectively and efficiently coordinate the work of | | | | function organizing. When managers organize, they |
| others. In the early part of the twentieth century, a | | | | determine what tasks are to be done, who is to do |
| French industrialist named Henri Fayol first proposed | | | | them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who |
| that all managers perform five functions: planning, | | | | reports to whom, and where decisions are to be |
| organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling. | | | | made. |
| In the mid-1950s, a management text book first | | | | Every organization includes people, and a manager's |
| used the functions of planning, organizing, staffing, | | | | job is to work with and through people to accomplish |
| directing and controlling as a framework. Today, most | | | | organizational goals. This is the leading function. When |
| management text books still continue to be organized | | | | managers motivate subordinates, influence individuals |
| around the management functions, although they | | | | or teams as they work, select the most effective |
| have been condensed to four basic and very | | | | communication channel or deal in any way with |
| important ones: planning, organizing, leading, and | | | | employee behavior issues, they are leading. |
| controlling. Let us briefly define what each of these | | | | The final management function is controlling. After |
| management functions encompasses. | | | | the goals are set (planning), the plans formulated |
| If you have no particular destination in mind, then you | | | | (planning), the structural arrangements determined |
| can take any road. However, if you have some place | | | | (organizing), and the people hired, and motivated |
| in particular you want to go, you have got to plan | | | | (leading) there has to be some evaluation of whether |
| the best way to get there. Because organizations | | | | things are going as planned. To ensure that work is |
| exist to achieve some particular purpose, someone | | | | going as it should, managers must monitor and |
| must clearly define that purpose and the means for | | | | evaluate performance. Actual performance must be |
| its achievement. Management is that someone. | | | | compared with the previously set goals. If there are |
| Managers perform the planning function, define goals, | | | | any significant deviations, it is management's job to |
| establish strategies for achieving those goals, and | | | | get work performance back on track. This process |
| develop plans to integrate and coordinate activities. | | | | of monitoring, comparing, and correcting is what we |
| Managers are also responsible for arranging work to | | | | mean by the controlling function. |