Topic: Management

Management is how businesses organize and direct workflow, operations,

and employees to meet company goals. The primary goal of management is
to create an environment that empowers employees to work efficiently and
productively. A solid organizational structure guides employees and
establishes the tone and focus of their work.

Managers are involved in implementing and evaluating these structures. As a

manager, you may be responsible for doing any of the following tasks:
 Create goals and objectives
 Create schedules
 Develop strategies to increase performance, productivity, and
efficiency
 Ensure compliance with company policies and industry regulations
 Mentor employees
 Monitor budgets, productivity levels, and performance
 Resolve customer problems
 Train staff

Functions of Management

No matter the type of company, all managers share four core

responsibilities: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. ?

There are four generally accepted functions of management: planning,

organizing, leading and controlling. These functions work together in the
creation, execution and realization of organizational goals. The four
management functions can be considered a process where each function
builds on the previous function. To be successful, management needs to
follow the four functions of management in the proper order. Managers first

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need to develop a plan, then organize their resources and delegate
responsibilities to employees according to the plan, then lead others to carry
out the plan efficiently, and finally evaluate the plan’s effectiveness as it is
being executed and make any necessary adjustments.

1. Planning

In the planning stage, managers establish organizational goals and create a

course of action to achieve them. During the planning phase, management
makes strategic decisions to set a direction for the organization. Managers
can brainstorm alternatives to achieve the objective before choosing the
best course of action. While planning, managers typically conduct an in-
depth analysis of the organization’s current state of affairs, considering its
vision and mission and evaluating the resources available to meet
organizational objectives.

While planning, managers usually evaluate internal and external factors that
may affect the execution of the plan, such as economic growth, customers
and competitors. They also establish a realistic timeline for achieving the
goal or goals based on the organization’s available finances, personnel and
resources. Managers may take additional steps, such as seeking approval
from other departments, executives or their board of directors before
proceeding with the plan.

There are several approaches to planning:

Strategic planning: This type of planning is often carried out by an

organization’s top management and usually creates goals for the entire
organization. It analyzes threats to the organization, evaluates its strengths
and weaknesses and creates a plan of how the organization can best

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compete in its environment. Strategic planning usually has a long timeframe
of three years or more.

Tactical planning: Tactical planning is the shorter-term planning of an

objective that will take a year or less to achieve. It is usually carried out by
an organization’s middle management. Tactical planning is usually aimed at
a specific area or department of the organization such as its facilities,
production, finance, marketing or personnel.

Operational planning: Operational planning is the process of using tactical

planning to achieve strategic planning and goals. Operational planning
creates a timeframe for putting a portion of the strategic goal into practice
operationally.

2. Organizing

The purpose of organizing is to allocate resources and assign tasks to

personnel to achieve the goals set during the planning stage. Managers often
need to collaborate with other departments, such as finance and human
resources, to effectively manage the budget and staffing. During the
organizing phase, managers aim to create a productive work environment by
aligning employees’ roles with their skills and motivation.

Managers should clearly explain each employee’s responsibilities when

assigning tasks and ensure they understand their roles. To enhance
engagement and productivity, managers should balance the workload and
provide sufficient time for employees to complete their tasks.

Here are some examples of the organizing function:

If the company’s brand manager works part-time and the organization’s goal
is to launch a new advertising campaign for a product, the brand manager

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may not take on the significant responsibility of managing the campaign
besides their regular duties. The company may hire an advertising agency to
help promote the product.

If a company’s sales in a geographic area have grown exponentially,

management may plan to split the territory in two and need to divide the
current team working in the territory and hire additional staff members as
needed.

3. Leading

Leading consists of motivating employees and influencing their behavior to

achieve organizational objectives. Leading focuses on managing people,
such as individual employees, teams and groups rather than tasks. Though
managers may direct team members by giving orders and directing to their
team, managers who are successful leaders usually connect with their
employees by using interpersonal skills to encourage, inspire and motivate
team members to perform to the best of their abilities.

Managers can foster a positive working environment by identifying moments

when employees need encouragement or direction and using positive
reinforcement to praise employees when they have done their jobs well.

Managers usually incorporate different leadership styles and change their

management style to adapt to various situations. Examples of situational
leadership styles include:

Directing: The manager leads by deciding with little input from the
employee. This is an effective leadership style for new employees who need
a lot of initial direction and training.

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Coaching: The manager is more receptive to input from employees. They
may pitch their ideas to employees to work cooperatively and build trust with
team members. This leadership style is effective for individuals who need
managerial support to develop their skills further.

Supporting: The manager decides with team members but focuses more on
building relationships within the team. This leadership style is effective for
employees who have fully developed skills but are sometimes inconsistent in
their performance.

Delegating: The leader provides minimal guidance to employees and is more

concerned with the project’s vision than day-to-day operations. This style of
leadership is effective when employees are able to work and perform tasks
on their own with little guidance. The leader can focus more on high-level
goals than on tasks.

4. Controlling

Controlling is the process of evaluating the execution of the plan and making
adjustments to ensure that the organizational goal is achieved. During the
controlling stage, managers perform tasks such as training employees as
necessary and managing deadlines. Managers monitor employees and
evaluate the quality of their work. They can conduct performance appraisals
and give employees feedback, providing positive remarks on what they are
doing well and suggestions for improvement. They may also offer pay raise
incentives to high-performing employees.

Managers may need to make adjustments such as:

Budget adjustments: Managers oversee the budget and resources to ensure

they are used efficiently and within financial limits. For instance, if a
manager notices that a project is exceeding its budget but is unsure of the
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cause, she must investigate whether the overspending is due to a general
issue or if a specific department is responsible. Once the source of the
overspending is identified, the manager needs to take corrective action to
reduce expenditures and make necessary adjustments to balance the
budget.

Staffing adjustments: Managers may need to make challenging decisions

such as whether to reassign an employee who produces low-quality work to
a different task or dismiss them from a project. They may also need to add
additional team members to meet an organizational goal if they conclude
that the team is understaffed. If this is the case, they may also need to
consult with organization executives to secure more funding.
Management Roles

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What Are Managerial Roles?

Overview of 10 Managerial Roles by Mintzberg

Mintzberg reports that his classification of the ten management roles is only
one possible approach to categorizing the work of a manager. However, he
maintains that these roles are common to the work of all managers.

He sees them as separated into three larger groups:

 Interpersonal: the manager is in charge of a unit in an organization,

giving him a special authority within the business. This results in three
specific roles: the figurehead, who represents the organization
formally; the liaison, who interacts with people outside of the
organization; and the leader, who leads their subordinates.
 Informational: the manager has the necessary information to serve as
a focal point for his company, team, or department. This category is
separated into three roles: the monitor, who receives and collects
information; the disseminator, who shares it internally; and
the spokesman, who shares it externally.
 Decisional: as a result of the first two categories, the manager is also
in the position to make strategic business decisions. These roles
include: the entrepreneur, who initiates change; the disturbance
handler, who resolves risks and challenges; the resource allocator, who
decides how the organization uses its resources; and the negotiator,
who resolves situations that involve external circumstances.

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