Managerial Functions. For more than half a century, the functional view has been the most

For more than half a century, the functional view has been the most

popular approach to describing what managers do. It has been popular

because it characterizes the management process as a sequence of ra-

tional steps. Henry Fayol, a French industrialist turned writer, became

the father of the functional approach in 1916 when he identified five

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managerial functions: planning, organizing, command, coordination,

and control. Fayol claimed that these five functions were the common

denominators of all managerial jobs, whatever was the purpose of the

organization. Over the years Fayol’s original list of managerial functions

has been updated and expanded by management scholars. Here is a brief

overview of eight managerial functions which describe what managers do.

· Planning. Commonly referred to as the primary management func-

tion, planning is the formulation of future courses of action. Plans and

the objectives on which they are based give purpose and direction to the

organization, its subunits, and contributing individuals.

· Decision making. Managers choose among alternative courses of ac-

tion when they make decisions. Making the correct decision in today’s

complex world is a major management challenge.

· Organizing. Structural considerations such as the chain of com-

mand, division of labor, and assignment of responsibility are part of the

organizing function. Careful organizing helps ensure the efficient use of

human resources.

· Staffing. Organizations are only as good as the people in them.

Staffing is recruiting, training, and developing people who can contrib-

ute to the organized effort.

· Communicating. Today’s managers are responsible for communicat-

ing to their employees the technical knowledge, instructions, rules and

information required to get the job done. Recognizing that communica-

tion is a two-way process, managers should be responsive to feedback

and upward communication.

· Motivating. An important aspect of management today is motivat-

ing individuals to pursue collective objectives by satisfying needs and

meeting expectations with meaningful work and valued rewards.

· Leading. Managers become inspiring leaders by serving as role models

and adapting their management style to the demands of the situation.

· Controlling. When managers compare desired results and take the

necessary corrective action, they are keeping things on track through the

control function. Deviations from past plans should be considered when

formulating new plans.

Text 3

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow it.