The Four Functions of Management
Every company and organization, regardless of size implements its own management
concepts in an effort to run smoothly while attaining the vision, goals and objectives that it
has set forth. There is a lot that goes into effective management, as management is all
about working together with people and other recourses to achieve organizational goals.
Keeping up with the organizational goals can be a challenge, which is why managers of
organizations and companies use the four functions of management: planning, organizing,
leading, and controlling.
Planning
The foundation function of management is planning. Planning sets the framework for the
other functions as it includes identifying goals, determining objectives, establishes
methods, pinpointing resources, and verifies strategies. There are more to that list
depending upon the company, but that is the basis of planning. Planning is an ongoing
process because there will be uncontrollable external factors that will have a positive or
negative effect on the organization or company which in turn will lead the company to
adjust their plans, course of actions and possible goals.
Organizing
The second function of management is organizing. Organizing is allocating and
configuring resources to accomplish the preferred goals and objectives established during
the planning processes. This process includes organizing activities and staff, attracting
people to the company, allocating job responsibilities and grouping jobs if needed,
allocating resources and improving work conditions if needed so things can work together
fluently to achieve success.
Leading
The third aspect of management function is leading. Leading is establishing direction and
influencing people to follow the direction thatwas established. There are several ways in
