A lot of people are unsure what management is really about. Most think their role is to direct people and sometimes that is needed, but the main role of a manager is to get people to become self-directed by utilizing the four functions of management. These four basic functions are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Whether a manager is an old-fashioned autocratic manager or a diplomatic kind, the adherence to the functions of management is an essential blueprint for effective managing. Through these functions good managers get their team members to willingly do what they are supposed to as opposed to doing it only because the manager said so.
Planning is the first function and also one of the most common activities in management. Simply put, planning is setting the direction for something and then working to ensure that everything follows that direction. Planning involves inputs, processes, and outputs. Inputs include resources such as raw materials, money, technologies, and people. Inputs go through a process where they are moved along and coordinated and ultimately achieve the goals set for the system. Outputs are the tangible results produced by the processes, such as products or services for consumers(McNamara p.1). Whether the planning is applied to an organization, department, business, or project, it includes planners working backwards through the system. They start from the results (outputs) and work backwards to identify the processes needed to produce the results. Then they identify what inputs are needed to carry out the processes.
Organizing is establishing the internal organizational structure of the business. The focus is o ...