What are the Functions of Management?

It has been years since I have been in a college classroom. However, I clearly remember an undergraduate Principles of Management course at Southeast Missouri State University, where I was introduced to a management challenge of understanding the functions of management.

I was an impressionable sophomore, energetically and frantically looking for something that described and outlined what I had confidently chosen as a future career. Previously, through a series of mindless, dead-end physical jobs that I had to pay for college, I was highly motivated to create a professional career that didn’t rely solely on the strength of my back. I was galvanized to find a job that leveraged my brain, skills, and evolving neophyte leadership skills. I was putty in the hands of professor Dr. Dan. This was my first chance to learn about the mystical art of MANAGEMENT and I was all-in and ready to learn.

I clearly remember and have memorized the 5 functions of Management…..Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Controlling, and Directing. Forty years later, I can recite and teach those 5 components like I was in that classroom. Call me impressionable, and I was..and still am. After a long career leading business leaders, I now have a very successful business & executive coaching practice where I have the joy and honor of teaching entrepreneurs how to be better leaders, managers, and executives. I still gladly teach what I learned that fall semester at SEMO.

Here is my response to the question: what are the functions of management?

Planning:

Our role as a manager includes objectively defining your group’s strategic and operational vision. This consists of a concise and apparent statement of what your team will become and what you will attain. This is in an inward statement and should not be shared with customers or clients. This is about being selfish and inward-focused. Secondly, your responsibility is to provide a mission statement, which is an outward description of your group’s desired future. It should be about being great and not about just beating the competition. Your vision should emotionally touch the hearts and spirit of your team members and staff. Lastly, I want you to know that you are responsible for planning. It’s your challenge to outline the objectives that need to be achieved and the goals that will get you there. This could be at a strategic level; what is really important is how to execute tactically. Effort means nothing without results, and managers must do more than say the words; we must make it happen.

Organizing:
You and I have an obligation to create an effective organizational structure with a distribution of authority that delivers on the vision, mission, goals, and tactics. Defining the division of labor using an organizational chart is paramount. Delegation is a critical part of the organizing function. Your team needs to know who has the power, influence, and authority to make decisions, whether formal or informal. As required, your job is to departmentalize so your group is efficient and effective.

Staffing:
Recruiting, screening and assessing, hiring, and training are critical functions of our staffing function. This function is frequently delegated and seen as the soft, squishy stuff that human resource administrators do for a living. If you choose to be an effective manager, you will not avoid or entirely delegate this critical function. People make things happen in all businesses. In the end, motivated talent always wins. To defer this to an HR group sub-optimizes your success. Enlightened leaders know that success comes from spending more time here than the incumbent old-guard executives.

Controlling:
Great managers establish standards for jobs and behavior so that all team members are held accountable for their performance and results. To do that effectively, you should install key performance indicators that measure how your team is doing and whether it is in sync with the organizational goals. Part of this is to establish and manage against a financial budget. We never know how we are doing without a comparison to the plan. I highly recommend that your review be done on an exception/variance basis so you don’t get caught in the analysis paralysis that dogs most companies. The control function implies and requires that there is action when the train jumps the rails. Great managers react strongly to problems before they become problems. Your control responsibility never ends. It is an iterative, cyclical process, which means it never ends.

Directing:
This management function was initially thought to be very process-oriented and clinical. Gladly, it has evolved and grown to be called Leadership. Much has been written on leadership, but I want to focus on the building blocks. This includes problem-solving and decision-making. They are closely linked and are mirrored in the efficiency and productivity of your management and staff. Organizations do not succeed while their people are failing. Firm, fair, decisive leadership that displays compassionate use of the five functions of management will ultimately prevail—the key to successful directing lies in effectively communicating directives. Faulty communication always results in poor execution, and your success is about driving execution. Another component of Directing is motivation. The three essential components of positive motivation are needs, rewards, and effort. When you determine an employee’s needs, you can satisfy them and ultimately motivate them. Avoiding pain and discomfort is a powerful method of holding your people accountable. Once your behavioral guidelines have been established, dispassionate discipline must be exercised. I highly recommend that you clearly define your team’s behavioral expectations. You can imprint how you and your team will behave internally and externally when stuff hits the fan.

Leading:

Professor Dr. Dan taught me the 5 functions of management. After all these years, I know he missed one: leading.  I have many thoughts about this, so check out my leadership articles.

I hope I have helped you better understand the question, “What are the functions of management?” If you would like to learn more, please contact me.

Coach Dave