[Solution] Management Functions
Created at:
Author: Sarah Bennett
To achieve the organization's objectives, managers perform four general types of activities.
Managers and Their Activities
Managers do the following:
Planning and Decision Making
Organizing
Leading
Controlling
- Planning is setting an organization's goals and deciding how to achieve them. Part of planning is decision making, which is choosing a course of action from various alternatives.
- Organizing means deciding how people, their activities, and the organization's resources should be grouped so that they work together in a coordinated way.
- Leading is motivating and managing members of the organization to work together in the interests of the organization.
- Controlling is monitoring and correcting the organization's progress toward its goals.
At a food delivery company, a manager would . . .
- Determine how many drivers are needed to staff a shift (planning and decision making)
- Give those drivers the instructions and supplies they need (organizing)
- Communicate and model the company's customer service ethic (leading)
- Ensure that food deliveries reach customers (controlling)
Match each statement with the management activity it illustrates.
Determining what milestones a project needs to meet so a product launches on time
Meeting one-on-one with subordinates to discuss their strengths and opportunities for improvement
Recommending that the company hire more full-time employees instead of using a temporary agency for extra staff
Inspecting products to make sure they are assembled properly
Creating two departments and placing one manager over each
View Explanation
Planning involves setting goals, whether for the whole organization, part of the organization, or a specific task. Plans help managers know where to invest resources. Goals, milestones, and results are key elements of plans.
To formulate a plan, managers almost always need to decide to take one course of action over another. Decision making is a vital part of the planning function of management.
Once managers have settled on a course of action, it's important that all the necessary people, money, equipment, and information be available to carry out the plan. Managers need to organize these resources so they work together in a coordinated way; otherwise, the plan will probably not be successful. Managers organize work by defining job roles, supervisory structures, and budgets.
Once a plan is in place and there are resources to put it into action, the manager needs to motivate people to carry out the plan successfully. Successful leadership involves giving people the training, environment, performance feedback, and rewards they need to do their best work.
Controlling involves inspecting products to ensure their quality. An organization needs to know whether it is making progress toward its goals. If the organization meets a goal, it should celebrate that achievement. However, if it is going off course, it needs to take corrective action. The controlling function of management, whether formal or informal, tracks how the organization is doing and puts up "guardrails" to protect the organization from harm.
