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Key Concepts of Directing in Management

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18 views8 pages

Key Concepts of Directing in Management

Uploaded by

jatinnamdev363
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHAPTER-7

DIRECTING
Meaning- Directing refers to the process of instructing,guiding, counseling, motivating and leading people in the
organisation to achieve its objectives.
OR
Directing means giving instructions and guiding people in doing work.

Q.1 .FEATURES/CHARACTERISTICS OF DIRECTING


1. Directing is a continuous process as it continues throughout the life of an organisation.
2. It flows from top to bottom because every manager can direct his immediate subordinate.
3. It takes place at every level of management wherever superior-subordinate relations exist.
4. It initiates action by the people in the organisation towards attainment of desired objectives.
Q.2 .IMPORTANCE OF DIRECTING
1. Directing initiates action- Directing initiates action by the people in the organisation towards attainment
of desired objectives.
2. Integrates employees efforts- It integrates employees efforts in the organisation in such a way that
every individual contributes to the organisational performance.
3. Guides employees- It guides employees through motivation and effective leadership so that they can
work up to their full potential.
4. Brings stability- It helps to bring stability and balance in the organisation by proper co-operation and
commitment.
5. Facilitates change- Directing facilitates adjustment in the organisation to cope with changes through
motivation, communication and leadership.
[Link] OF DIRECTING
1. Supervision
2. Motivation
3. Leadership
4. Communication
SUPERVISION - It means overseeing what is being done by subordinates and giving instructions to ensure
optimum utilisation of resources and achieving objectives. It is done at operative level( Lower level)
MOTIVATION- It means the process of stimulating people to action to accomplish desired goals.
OR
It means inducement to act or move.
LEADERSHIP- It is the process of incluencing the behaviour of people so that they can voluntary work
towards achievement of organisational goals.
COMMUNICATION- It is a process of exchange of ideas, views, facts, feelings etc. from one person to
another. It is a bridge of understanding.

Q.4. MOTIVATION
Motivation- It is process of stimulating people to action to accomplish desired goals.
Motive- It is an inner state that directs behaviour towards goals [Link], thirst.
Motivators- These are techniques used to motivate people in the organisation [Link], bonus, promotion etc.
Features of Motivation
1. It is an internal feeling like need, desire etc.
2. It influence people to behave in a particular manner.
3. It produces goal directed behaviour so that they can achieve their goals.
4. Motivation can be either positive or negative.(Positive motivator- increase in pay, promotion
etc.)(Negative motivator- punishment, penalty)
5. It is a complex process because motivation may not be same for individuals with different needs.

MOTIVATION PROCESS
Unsatisfied needs
!
Tension
!
Drives
!
Search behaviour
!
Satisfied need
!
Reduction of tension

Q.5. MASLOW'S NEED HIERARCHY THEORY OF MOTIVATION


Abraham Maslow, a well known Psychologist, published the theory of motivation in a classic paper in 1943.
The hierarchy of five needs are

1. Basic Physiological Needs

2. Safety/Security Needs

3. Affiliation/Belongingness/Social Needs

4. Esteem Needs

5. Self Actualisation Needs

1. Basic Physiological Needs- These are basic and primary needs.


Hunger, thirst, shelter, sleep etc are the examples of these needs.
Salary helps to satisfy these needs.
2. Safety/Security Needs- These needs provide security and protection from physical and emotional
harm.
Job security, stability of income, Pension are the examples of these needs.
3. Social/ Belonging/ Affiliation Need- It refers to affection, sense of belongingness, friendship,
acceptance and cordial relations.
4. Esteem Need- It include self respect,status, recognition, attention, job titles etc. It can be fulfilled by
promotion of the employees.
5. Self Actualization Need- It refers to the drive to become what one is capable of becoming. It includes
growth, self-fulfillment and achievement of goals.
Assumptions of Maslow's Theory
1. People's behavior is based on their needs.
2. People's needs are starting from basic to higher level needs.
3. A satisfied need can no longer motivate a person, only the next higher level need can motivate
him.
4. A person moves to next higher level need only, when the lower need is satisfied.

Q.6. Incentives- All measures which are used to motivate people to improve performance.
Financial/Monetary Incentives- Incentives which can be measured in terms of money.
Non Financial/Non Monetory Incentives- Incentives which cannot be measured in terms of money. It
provides phychological and emotional satisfaction.

Financial Incentives

1. Pay and It includes salary, basic pay, D.A.,increments etc.


allowances

2. Bonus Incentive offered over and above salary or wages

3. Profit sharing Share in profit given to employee

4. Co-partnership/ Company offered shares to employee at a price, which is lower than


Stock option market price

5. Retirement Benefits given to employee after retirement- PF,


benefits Pension, Gratuity

6. Productivity linked Linking payment of wages to increase productivity


wage incentive

7. Perquisites Perquisites and Fringe benefits- car allowance,


medical aid, education to children etc.

Non Financial Incentives

1. Status Status means ranking in positions

2. Organisational climate It indicates the features of an organisation which differentiate one


organisation from the other. Lije freedom, rewards etc.

3. Job enrichment Designing jobs with greater variety of work which require higher
level of knowledge and skills.

4. Job security Stability in job and future income.


Negative aspect- Employee feel satisfied for not loosing job.
5. Employee Recognition It means acknowledgement with a show of appreciation.
programmes Examples- Congratulating an employee, giving rewards, displaying
on notice board or in newsletter, giving mementos,T shirts etc.

6. Employee participation Involving employees in decision making issues related to them such
as making them a part of canteen committee, work committee etc.

7. Employee empowerment It mans giving more freedom and powers to employee

8. Career advancement Providing opportunities to employees to improve their skills.


opportunity(Promotion) Promotion to higher levels.

Q. 7. LEADERSHIP

It is the process of incluencing the behaviour of people so that they can voluntary work towards
achievement of organisational goals
Features
1. It is a continuous process.
2. It tries to bring change in behaviour of others.
3. It is done to achieve organisational goals.
4. It maintains relations between leader and followers.
5. It indicates a person's ability to influence others.

LEADERSHIP STYLES
1. AUTOCRATIC OR AUTHORITARIAN LEADERSHIP-(No freedom to subordinates regarding decision)

-
Under this style the leader gives orders and expects his subordinates to obey these orders.
-
Communication is only one way.
-
This leader is dogmatic(does not wish to change)
-
This style is based on the assumption that reward and punishment both can be given as per the
situation.
- This style is suitable for getting productivity and quick decision making.
- It is called Boss Centred Leadership.
2. DEMOCRATIC/ PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP- (Decisions are taken with subordinates suggestions)
- Under this style the leader takes decisions in consultation/ suggestion/participation with the
subordinates.
- Communication is two way.
- This style is common nowadays as it improves the attitude of employees.
- It is called Group Centred Leadership.

3. LAISSEZ-FAIRE OR FREE-REIN LEADERSHIP- (Freedom to subordinates )

- Under this style a leader gives a higher degree of freedom to his subordinates to formulate their
own objectives.
- Group members work on their own and manager is there to support them or to provide
information.
- The leader does not believe in use of power
- It is called Subordinate-Centred-Leadership.
Q.8 .COMMUNICATION
It is a process of exchange of ideas, views, facts, feelings etc. between two or more persons
to create common understanding.
OR
It is a process of exchange of information between two or more persons to create common
understanding.

Elements of Communication Process


1. Sender: Who conveys his thoughts or ideas.
2. Message: Content of ideas, feelings, suggestions, order etc.
3. Encoding: Converting the message into communication symbols such as words/pictures etc.
4. Media: Path/Channel through which encoded message is transmitted to receiver e.g., face to
face, phone call, internet etc.
5. Decoding: Converting encoded symbols of the sender.
6. Receiver: Who receives communication of the sender.
7. Feedback: All thos `e actions of the receiver which shows that he has received and
understood the message of the sender.
8. Noise: Some obstruction or hindrance to communication like poor telephone connection,
inattentive receiver etc.
(Sender-Message-Encoding-Media-Decoding-Receiver-Feedback)

Types of Communication
Formal Communication Informal Communication

1. It flows through the official channels 1. It takes place without following the
designed in the organisational chart. formal line of communication.
2. It may take place- 2. It is also known as Grapevine
Vertical communication(upwards and because it spreads throughout the
downwards between superior and organisation and its origin and
subordinate ) and Horizontal direction of flow is not easily
(between same level ) understood.
3. It may be verbal or written but
recorded in office.

Difference between Formal and Informal Communication

Basis Formal Communication Informal communication

1. Meaning Flows through the officials Takes place without following the
channels designed in the formal line of communication.
organisation

2. Channel Formal channel/ definite path No formal channel/ No definite path

3. Speed Slow speed Fast speed

4. Nature It is rigid It is flexible

5. Flow of It flows vertical and horizontal It flows in every direction


direction

6. Reliability It is more reliable It is less reliable and create rumours

7. Fixing of Easy to fix responsibility Difficult to fix responsibility


responsibility

8. Record It is recorded for future reference No record is maintained

9. Relation It is based on official relations It is based on interpersonal relations


Q.9. Barriers to Effective Communication

Semantic Barrier Psychological Barrier Organisational Barrier Personal Barrier


(Using wrong words or ( Related to state of (Related to organisational (Personal factor of
languages) mind of both sender and structure, rules or sender and reeceiver)
receiver) regulations)

Semantic Barriers:
1. Badly expressed message: Message may not be conveyed because of using wrong words or omission
of needed words.
2. Symbols/Words with different meanings- Using words with different meanings which confuses the
receiver. Such as -Value
3. Faulty translations- Wrong translations may transfer wrong messages.(Eng-Hindi)
4. Unclarified assumption- Different interpretations may result in confusion.
5. Technical Jargon- Using Technical words which may not be understood by the workers.
6. Body language and gesture decoding- When there is no match between what is said and what is
expressed in body movements.

Psychological/Emotional barriers
1. Premature evaluation- Judgement before listening to the entire message leads to misunderstanding.
2. Lack of attention- Non listening or poor listening of messages by the receiver may disappoint the
employees.
3. Loss by transmission and poor retention: When oral communication passes through various levels then it
may leads to transmission of inaccurate message(loss by transmission) and sometimes when people cannot
retain information for a long time if they are not interested or inattentive(poor retention)
4. Distrust: If the parties do not believe each other. They cannot understand each other’s message in its
original sense.

Organizational Barriers
1. Organisational policy- When the organizational policy does not support free flow of information then it
creates problem.
2. Rules and regulations: Rigid rules and regulations may results in delay of action.
3. Status- Status of superiors may not allow subordinates to express their feelings freely.
4. Complexity in organization structure- Due to number of managerial levels, communication gets delayed
and distorted.
5. Organisational facility- Due to lack of facilities like meetings, complaint box, suggestion box, social and
cultural gathering, timely and free flow of communication is not possible.

Personal Barriers:
1. Fear of challenge to authority- When a superior thinks that a communication may adversely (negatively)
affect his authority then he may retain such communication.
2. Lack of confidence of superior in his subordinates- When a superior does not have faith or confidence on
the efficiency of subordinates.
3. Unwillingness to communicate. -When subordinate do not want to communicate with superior because of
fear of punishment/demotion etc..
4. Lack of proper incentives-When there is no motivation or reward for communication then subordinates
stops to give useful suggestions.

Measures to overcome Communication Effectiveness


1. Clarify the ideas before communication- The message to be communicated must be clear in the mind of
sender.
2. Communicate according to the needs of receiver- Sender should communicate message as per the
education and understanding level of receiver.
3. Consult others before communicating-It is better to involve others in developing a plan for communication.
4. Be aware of language, tone and content of message- The tone or language used for communicating the
message should be easily understandable to the receiver.
5. Ensure proper feedback- The communication process may be improved by the feedback received.
6. Follow up communication- Regular follow up helps to remove hurdles, misunderstanding of information
given by managers to subordination.
7. Be a good listener-The receiver should be attentive and a good listener for effective communication.

Neeta Bala

Common questions

Powered by AI

Barriers to effective communication include semantic barriers like ambiguous words, psychological barriers such as premature evaluation, organizational barriers like rigid policies, and personal barriers such as fear of losing authority. Overcoming these involves clarifying messages beforehand, aligning communication with receiver needs, involving others in communication planning, using comprehensible language, ensuring feedback, maintaining follow-up communications, and being an attentive listener .

Psychological barriers, such as premature evaluation and distrust, hinder effective communication by creating misunderstandings and reluctance to share information. They discourage open dialogues and can lead to significant disruptions in organizational operations. Countermeasures include fostering a culture of trust, encouraging active listening, providing training to enhance empathy, and ensuring clear, transparent communications. Regular feedback mechanisms help mitigate these psychological barriers, facilitating smoother communication flows .

Informal communication, or 'grapevine', while potentially unreliable and prone to rumors, can enhance relational dynamics by creating an engaged workforce that feels more integrated into the organization's culture. It facilitates the rapid spread of information through social interactions, offering insights into employee sentiments and uncovering issues not revealed through formal channels. It can be particularly beneficial in fostering team cohesion, promoting innovation, and providing managers with unfiltered feedback during decision-making processes .

Communication facilitates common understanding and organizational objectives by ensuring the effective exchange of ideas, facts, and sentiments between individuals. The process involves encoding and decoding messages, using appropriate channels to deliver information efficiently, and providing feedback to confirm understanding. Effective communication aligns team efforts with organizational goals, reducing misunderstandings and fostering a collaborative environment that supports goal achievement .

Formal communication channels are more reliable due to their structured, recorded nature, which facilitates accountability and clear directives. However, they might be less efficient, as information flows within hierarchical constraints. In contrast, informal communication is faster and more flexible, allowing for free-flowing discussions across levels but lacks reliability given its unrecorded, spontaneous nature and potential for rumor propagation. Effective organizations leverage both channels, using formal communication for critical actions requiring accuracy and informal communication for quick, relational exchanges .

Different leadership styles exhibit varying levels of effectiveness depending on the context and objectives. Autocratic leadership is effective in scenarios requiring quick decisions and clear directives but may limit employee motivation and creativity. Democratic leadership fosters employee involvement and morale, leading to improved attitudes but may slow decision-making processes. Laissez-faire leadership could encourage innovation but might result in a lack of direction if not managed well. The optimal style depends on organizational goals and the nature of the work environment .

Financial incentives, such as pay and bonuses, directly enhance employee motivation by satisfying basic physiological and safety needs, leading to improved performance. Non-financial incentives, like recognition and empowerment, address higher-level social, esteem, and self-actualization needs, fostering psychological satisfaction and intrinsic motivation. The combination of both types of incentives is crucial as it caters to the complete spectrum of motivational drivers, resulting in holistic employee motivation and enhanced performance across different organizational levels .

The directing process facilitates organizational change by utilizing motivation, communication, and leadership to help individuals within the organization adapt and adjust to new conditions. Its core elements include supervision, which ensures that tasks are performed correctly; motivation, which stimulates individuals to reach desired goals; leadership, which influences behavior towards achieving organizational objectives; and communication, which enables effective exchange of information to foster understanding and alignment .

Maslow's hierarchy of needs provides a structured approach to understanding employee motivations, suggesting that unmet lower-level needs like physiological and safety must be fulfilled before higher-level needs like esteem and self-actualization can motivate effectively. In practice, organizations can apply this theory by ensuring competitive salaries and job security to satisfy basic needs, fostering a sense of belonging through team-building activities to meet social needs, offering recognition and advancement opportunities for esteem needs, and providing personal growth avenues to address self-actualization .

Motivation is pivotal in the directing process as it stimulates action towards organizational goals, integrates efforts, and helps employees reach their potential. Positive motivators like pay increases and promotions drive motivation through reward, whereas negative motivators like penalties may trigger action but risk lowering morale. The complexity of motivation lies in personal differences; as such, a nuanced approach that leverages both positive and individualized strategies typically yields better outcomes. Effective motivation aligns individual goals with organizational objectives, enhancing productivity and job satisfaction .

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