The four functions of management are the foundations of a successful and efficient
manager of people and resources. Theses four functions include planning, organizing,
leading, and controlling. If all four tools are utilized together the chances for an effective
manager are dramatically increased. However, if even one these functions are neglected
from a manager repertoire then difficult times can be expected.
Planning is defined as specifying the goals to be achieved and decided in advance and
determining the appropriate actions needed to achieve those goals. (Bateman, Snell) A
good manager must begin by observing the situation and deciding what the ultimate goal
or what parameters must be met to be considered successful. In most cases the top
executives within an organization collaborate upon this process. This can be described as
the top-down approach as upper-management dictates to their employees what their
required tasks are. But in today business environment more and more companies consider
the input of all employees important and take their suggestions into consideration when
deciding upon a plan of action. This method empowers the everyday worker and gives
them a sense of belonging and importance to the company. Offices now tend to be more
democratic as opposed to more traditional upper management dictatorships.
Organizing is the next step in the management functions process. This is where the ideas
for success are broken down into details to fully explain the plan. The organizing phase is
essentially the how and what it is going to take to complete the task at hand. Deciding
