Management Functions and Work of Managers - Example

Management Functions and Work of Managers Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Executive summary The purpose of this report was to take a critical view of what is the work of the manager with regard to planning, organizing, leading and controlling. This study has established that operating environment has continued to evolve and becoming very complex to the managers making it almost inevitable to survive without working on these four management functions. The four management functions are founded on Henry Fayol’s management theory. The management functions are tackled in P-O-L-C framework. Planning entails the process of defining organizational mission and vision statements, strategizing goals and objectives. Organizing on the other hand, entail organizational designing, determining organizational culture and establishing appropriate social networks. On the same line, leading entails such elements as leadership, decision making, communications, groups and teams as well as motivation. Because of the ever changing operating environment, it is therefore recommended that for the organization to stand a better position into the future its must employ the integrative approach of management which incorporates all the four functions. This is to ensure that no single management function is practiced in isolation. Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Table of Contents 3 1.0 Background 4 1.1 Purpose 5 1.2 Scope 5 2.0 Findings 6 2.1 Planning 6 2.2 Organizing 7 2.3 Leading 9 2.4 Controlling 10 3.0 Analysis 11 3.1 Planning 11 3.2 Organizing 12 3.3 Leading 13 3.4 Controlling 14 4.0 Conclusion 14 5.0 Recommendation 15 References 15 1.0 Background The primary challenge for many of the managers today is to deal with and solve complex problems in their respective organizations. While building on variety of academic sources, and trying to help respond accordingly to the prevailing challenges, creativity in problem solving is being embraced by making reference to the four management principles which include planning, organizing, leading and controlling and also referred as the P-O-L-C framework. The four functions of management are highly integrated as shown in the diagram shown below while performing day-to-day activities of the organization. This is especially important in helping in the process of analyzing, understanding a complete and clear rationale for grouping different skills and those practices that are entailed in the P-L-O-C framework (Van Knippenberg et al 2011). However, it is important to realize that this framework has not gone without any criticism. For instance much of the criticism about this framework is that it might be an ideal approach to management and that cannot clearly depict what actually should be entailed in the list of day-to-day activities of the managers. This is the reason as to why managers today have different ways to approach their management functions in relation to the four principles of management. The actual role of the manager today can be very fragmented and hectic irrespective of the level as there is always a threat of being dictated by the law to take priorities first (Gilboa et al 2008). However, the bottom-line is that the P-L-O-C framework provides a very useful ground for identifying the various activities managers commit as they seek to realize organizational goals and objectives. Figure 1: The P-O-L-C framework Planning Organizing Leading Controlling 1. Vision and mission 2. Strategizing 3. Goals and objectives 1. Organization design 2. Culture 3. Social networks 1. Leadership 2. Decision making 3. Communications 4. Groups/ teams 5. Motivation 1. Systems and processes 2. Strategic human resources 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this report is to take a critical view of the ways in which managers are working towards planning, organizing, controlling and leading. The objective of doing this is to establish if their approaches to management are relevant and suitable in solving the contemporary problems and thereafter develop the recommendation on how managers can work towards these four management functions. This will be done after a detailed analysis of various management theories in relation to management approaches of various managers. 1.2 Scope This report will discuss the four management functions of management namely planning, organizing, leading and controlling as a P-O-L-C framework and ways in which the managers are working on these functions. Consideration of various management theories will be given priority in analysis different managers’ ways to planning, organizing, leading and controlling. This report will be taken from the management perspective on how they respond to the four management functions. 2.0 Findings 2.1 Planning Planning is one of the four functions of management which is recognized for its role in setting various organizational goals and objectives, and also by determining the direction for achieving them. In the current business environment, managers are forced to be aware of the prevailing environmental conditions that the organization is subjected to and that are likely to have an impact on the organization’s future. By doing this, the managers are able to forecast the future of the business. To do adequate planning, managers are taking several steps. The first and most important step to planning that is being used by the managers is environmental scanning. Under environmental scanning, the managers are becoming very much aware of the existing contingencies that the organization faces and which might include economic instabilities, existence of competitors and availability of customers. The role of the managers is to forecast and determine the future of the organization and therefore mapping all these forces in the environment is very critical in planning (Van Knippenberg et al 2011). While managers are trying to establish what kind of objectives that have to be achieved, attention is being paid to the existing statements of what need to be achieved and by when. With this regard, managers are on the verge of identifying different alternative ways to achieving these company objectives. After taking a detailed evaluation of the various alternatives, the managers are expected to appraise the best course of action to achieving its objectives. The process of selecting the best course of action is followed by defining of various steps that should be followed in ensuring successful implementation of the organization plan. Evaluation of the decided plan, is one such important aspect of management in determining its success and if there are corrections that can be recommended (Mullins 2002). Different types of planning do exist and they include strategic planning, tactical planning and operational planning. 1. Strategic planning: Strategic planning entails the process of analyzing different competitive opportunities and threats as well as strengths and weaknesses the organization is facing currently and which are important in determining its position to effectively compete in the business environment. Strategic planning is done especially where organizational goals are very critical and have to be achieved given the available resources, opportunities, weaknesses and threats in a period of more than three years (Mullins 2002). 2. Tactical planning: This refers to the immediate planning by an organization which normally ranging between one to three years and is designed in such away that builds a firm foundation for implementing the strategic plan. This type of planning is more common in the middle level management (Mullins 2002). 3. Operational planning: This kind of planning normally involves organization-wide and also functions goals and objectives and how they should be achieved. This kind of planning as used by most managers is short-range normally less than one year and is such one plan that is developed to facilitate the process of implementing strategic and tactical plans of the organization (Van Knippenberg et al 2011). 2.2 Organizing Organizing is also one of the four functions of management which entails the process of developing and designing an organizational structure and also allocating human resources to various positions to easy accomplishment of objectives. The development of an organizational according to managers is to develop a framework through which an effort can be coordinated. The organizational structure is presented in a graphical form, in a chart so as to show the chain of command in an organization. Organizational design is being followed by the managers in trying to determine the most appropriate structure for any organization. Organization in the management world is used to incorporate the process of designing various works for different individuals within an organization. Decisions in particular are important in determining what duties and responsibilities are to be done and in which way (Gilboa et al 2008). The nature of jobs and how to be done is determined by the process of “job designing.” Organizing at in the organization entails the process of deciding the best ways that the organization can be departmentalized, the cluster of jobs to exist and the process of coordination so as to ensure that the effort is effectively combined. Departmentalization is being using different approaches which include function, geography and product as well as customer (Thompson 2001). Multiple methods of departmentalization are also a common feature in large organizations. At job level, organizing entails deciding the best design of one’s individual job to ensure that human resource is effectively used. Previous job designed was being based on the principles of division of labor and specialization which is informed by the argument that the narrow the job is the easier and more effectively it’s likely to be performed by the individual in charge given the increased proficiency. However, the most challenging issue in organizing today is the process of trying to strike a balance between the desire to have employee specialization and have jobs that give individuals some variety and autonomy. When designing for jobs, many managers are using the concept of job enrichment and teamwork. This can be illustrated with the case of Hui Manufacturing which is a custom sheet metal fabricator which now has done away with traditional “departments” in order to create a structure that listens and responds to the customer needs (Mullins 2002). 2.3 Leading Leading as one of the management functions, entails the process of using both social and informal sources to create influence and inspiration required by others to do a given task. Effectiveness in leadership is the key element among the managers in this case as this is considered a very fundamental requirement to make the staff more enthusiastic in what they are doing and show their willingness to put in more effort to attain the stated organizational objectives. Different behavioral sciences have made major contributions in helping the managers understand this function of management. For instance the personality research and job attitudes are providing very valuable information which managers are using to effectively lead their subordinates. For instance research is showing that for one to be effective in leading, as a manager, one must be in a position to understand the personalities of his subordinates, values and attitudes as well as emotions is very fundamental (Gilboa et al 2008). This is so because it makes it easier for the managers to respond accordingly to the needs of the subordinates and also make relevant decisions that can influence their behaviors positively. Studies on theories of motivation are also being applied by the managers to determine on various ways that the managers can be energized so as to put in a productive effort in their duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, in leading, communication is being recognized as a very important to leading people. Effective communication is actually considered in the situation where the manager wants to pass a message and persuasively influence the subordinates towards a particular direction. Various studies on leadership and the different leadership styles, has raised a question on what can make a manager an effective leader. It is from this sense that managers are made to understand that high quality in controlling to ensure that the organization delivers on its goals is very critical (Mullins 2002). 2.4 Controlling Controlling as one of the management functions, is aimed at ensuring that the performance of the organization does not deviate from the required standards. As a management functions, controlling is characterized by three key features which include setting performance standards, comparing the actual performance standards against those anticipated and lastly taking corrective measures where necessary. In most cases, performance standards are expressed in monetary terms like revenues generated, costs incurred in delivering certain product or service and profits realized from a certain activity. Performance standards can also be determined in terms of number of units produced, the defectives and the level of quality in customer service (Mintzberg1973). On the other hand, managers are doing measurement of performance using different ways which are always depended on the performance standards and which include the organizational financial statements, reports from sales, production levels, level of customer satisfaction and the formal performance related appraisals. All managers irrespective of their levels in the management function do engage in control at some point. Unlike the control of behaviors, controlling as a managerial function is concerned with the manager’s responsibility in taking the necessary steps to ensuring that work related activities of the staff are always kept consisted and are contributing positively to the realization of the organizational objectives (Mullins 2002). According to Miroshnik (2002), effective controlling requires that plans be put in place. This is because planning identifies the necessary performance standards and objectives. Management at this point is expected to have a clear understanding of where some responsibilities are likely to deviate from the required standards. The commonly applied controlling techniques are the budget audits and performance audits. The budget audit is used in determining the position of the organization in respect to what had planned for earlier on whereas the performance audit is ascertain if the reported figures is clear indication of the actual performance and if there is deviation from what was to be achieved. Even though controlling is thought of in terms of the financial criteria, managers are working on controlling production activities and processes of operations, approach to delivering on services, the process of complying with the company policy and all other activities taking place in an organization. 3.0 Analysis 3.1 Planning As outlined earlier in this presentation, planning is one of the management functions in an organization. To be more particular, planning is very fundamental in the modern life. This is because it’s practiced in different extents in people’s lives. At work environment where management is required, planning adopts a systematic and disciplined on how various actions are to be taken to deliver on organizational goals and objectives. In essence plans are normal routine maps that are expected to help the organization move to the next point in the near future. Plans are also what is referred today as the ‘strategic planning’ an idea that has been there since the 1960s during the Henry Fayol’s theory on management. According to Henry Fayol, planning is considered as the process of examining about the future of the organization and stating what ought to be done and developing the plan of action that will be followed (Gilboa et al 2008). This is there reason as to why managers even upto today are paying significant attention to the process of environment that the organization is operating in and that is likely to affect its process of delivering on its future promises or objectives. With this kind of approach, the managers are to map what the operating environment is like in terms of economic status, competition and market base so as to develop appropriate contingency activities for the goals to be achieved. Other great management theorists like Henry Mintzberg and Michael Porter has added on the importance of planning in an organization. For instance Mintzberg is also referred as ‘the great management iconoclast’ asserts that common sense is very important in planning especially when to move away from past practices and concepts. On the other hand, Porter provides for five forces model that can be used by the organization to analyzing the environment before drawing a comprehensive business plan. This is important in ensuring that the business is taking into account all those factors that are likely to affect its operations and performance (Mintzberg 1973). 3.2 Organizing Organizing as one of the management functions, is being paid attention to, in the process of developing an organization structure which shows how various resources within the organization will be allocated for maximum production and performance. The use of the organizational structure as a framework showing how different efforts are to be coordinated to achieve the stated goals and objectives is usually put down in a chart form. According Miroshnik (2002), an organizational chart shows the existing relationships between different functions and how appropriated they can be established and maintained in the workforce and also facilitated effective allocation of various resources. With organizing as a management function, the management is able to look into various divisions and departments that do exist, coordinate staff and at the same time develop the most suitable way to handle and manage different tasks and also facilitate the information within the organization. The concept of specialization as presented in Henry Fayol’s theory is the one that informs the process of departmentalization within an organization so as to create various management functions that are specialized in dealing with different areas of the business like finance, human resource, procurement and research and development as well as marketing and operations. The purpose of doing specialization to create an environment where people assigned duties and responsibilities which they are more suited at and the ultimate objective being to increase their proficiency that is important in enhancing productivity and performance (Mintzberg 1973). 3.3 Leading Leading as a management function is very fundamental influencing people and inspiring them to work towards realizing the intended goals and objectives. According to Lamond (2004), leading is important as it’s provides an opportunity for identifying ways through which the individuals can be assisted to attain their career goals. Motivation as established from the role of managers is the key tool here. Motivation should come up in many different ways which include rewarding performance and use of incentives to encourage individuals take up more challenging roles. Leading is more especially informed with the findings of various studies on various on personalities and attitudes of individuals. With the inclusion of various research findings to the process of leading people, it is now becoming even easier to lead large groups of people at work without much problem. This is because the managers are likely to understand the behaviors of their subordinates since they know how their personalities and attitudes as well emotions are likely to influence their actions. In simple terms, the motivation theory is being used in leading people as it is always easy to persuade energized staff (Miroshnik 2002). 3.4 Controlling Various studies have raised questions on how a manager can be an effective leader. According to Lamond (2004), an effective manager is the one who is able to put in place all the necessary quality control measures that will help the organization attain its goals. This is because control touches on various aspects of the organization and which are paramount for its sustainability into the future. The aspects control tackles include performance targets, measuring actual performance against the intended one and making appropriate corrections to available actions whenever necessary to deliver on its objectives. In general, controlling is required in ensuring that every activity is kept on course without any deviation from the required position (Miroshnik 2002). 4.0 Conclusion The four functions of management which include planning, organizing, leading and controlling are best placed to explaining what the work of the manager should be. This is because they seek to show how management within an organization should look like starting from determining the vision and mission statements through to the systems and processes that are required to achieve them. In general, despite the tremendous changes that have continued to take place in the operating environment, managers still find these functions of management to be essential. 5.0 Recommendation Despite the role of the importance of the four management functions, it is emerging that the big issue lies on the process of ensuring that there is a connection among all these functions starting with planning, through to organizing, leading and controlling. To realize the full benefits of these functions, then it is recommended that an integrative approach be used. This is because it allows for linking of company mission and vision under planning, with organizational design, culture and social networks under organizing and communication and decision making in leading and finally, Systems and processes and Strategic human resources in controlling. This is important in ensuring that each management function is supported by the other. References Gilboa, S, Shirom, A., Fried, Y and Cooper, C 2008, A meta‐analysis of work demand stressors and job performance: Examining main andmoderating effects, Personnel Psychology, vol. 61, p. 227‐ 271. Lamond, D 2004, “A Matter of Style: Reconciling Henri and Henry,” Management Decision, vol. 42, no. 2, p. 330–56. Mintzberg, H 1973, The Nature of Managerial Work, New York: Harper & Row. Miroshnik, V 2002, Culture and international management: A review, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 21, No. 7, p521-544. Mullins, L 2002, Management and Organizational Behaviour, 6th Edition, New York, Prentice Hall. Thompson, J 2001, Strategic Management, 4th Edition, London, Thomson Learning. Van Knippenberg, D., Dawson, F., West, M  & Homans, A 2011, Diversity faultlines, shared objectives, and top management team performance, Human Relations, 64(3), p. 307-331. Read More