NATURE OF DIRECTING In an organization, supervisors transmit information to subordinates.

Proper
DIRECTING
The managerial function of directing is like the activities of a teacher in a
classroom. In order to teach, a teacher has to guide his students, maintain
discipline, inspire them and lead them to the desired goal. It is a very
important function in the management of any enterprise. It helps the
managers in ensuring quality performance of jobs by the employees and
achievement of organizational goals. It involves supervision, communication
and providing leadership to the subordinates and motivating them to
contribute to their best of capability.
THE FUNCTIONS OF DIRECTING
• It guides and helps the subordinates to complete the given task properly
and as per schedule.
communication results in clarity and securing the cooperation of subordinates.
Faulty communication may create problems due to misunderstanding between
the superior and subordinates. The subordinates must correctly understand
the message conveyed to them.
• there are two parties, one is known as the sender and the other is known as
receiver;
• there is a message sent by the sender to the receiver; and
• the receiver receives the message and understands it.
Communication does not always flow from supervisor to subordinate. It can
also be from a subordinate to a supervisor. For example, subordinates can pass
information to the supervisor about the faults/problems at the assembly line.
Thus, it is a two-way process.

• It provides the necessary motivation to subordinates to complete the work

satisfactorily and strive to do them best. THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
• It helps in maintaining discipline and rewarding those who do well • Communication helps employees to understand their role clearly and
• Directing involves supervision, which is essential to make sure that work is perform effectively.
performed according to the orders and instructions. • It helps in achieving co-ordination and mutual understanding which in turn,
• Different people perform different activities in the organization. All the leads to industrial harmony and increased productivity.
activities are interrelated. In order to co-ordinate the activities carried out • Communication improves managerial efficiency and ensures cooperation of
in different parts and to ensure that they are performed well, directing is the staff.
important. It thus, helps to integrate the various activities and so also the
individual goals with organizational goals. • Effective communication helps in molding attitudes and building up
employees’ morale.
• Directing involves leadership that essentially helps in creating appropriate
work environment and build up team spirit. • Communication is the means through which delegation and
decentralization of authority is successfully accomplished in an
COMMUNICATION organization.
The purpose of communication in organizations is to convey orders,
instructions, or information so as to bring desired changes in the
performance and or the attitude of employees. FORMAL AND INFORMAL COMMUNICATION
The path through which information flows is called channel of communication.
In every organization we have both formal and informal channels. The paths of
communication which are based on relationship establish formally by
management are the formal channels. For example, the General Manager
communicates a decision to the production manager who may then issue
orders or instructions to the foremen. It may also be like a worker applying to
his supervisor for a loan from the GPF account.
He/she forwards it to the Manager Accounts who finally sends it to the General
Manager (Finance) for approval. Communication, which takes place on the
basis of informal or social relations among staff, is called informal
communication. For example: Any sharing of information between a
production supervisor and an accountant, as they happen to be friends or so.
Mostly informal channels are used due to friendly interaction of members of
an organization. Infect, it may be purely personal or related to organizational
matters.
VERBAL AND NON – VERBAL COMMUNICATION
On the basis of the mode used, communication may be verbal or non-verbal.
While communicating, managers may talk to their subordinates either face to
face or on telephone or they may send letters, issue notices, or memos. These
are all verbal communication. Thus, the verbal modes of communication may
be oral and written. Face to face communication, as in interviews, meetings
and seminars, are examples of oral communication. Issuing orders and
instructions on telephone or through an intercommunication system is also
oral communication. The written modes of communication include letters,
circulars, notices and memos. Sometimes verbal communication is supported
by non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and body gestures.
For example– wave of hand, a smile or a frown etc. This is also termed as the
gestural communication.
SUPERVISION
After the employees have been instructed regarding what they have to do and
how to do, it is the duty of the manager to see that they perform the work as
per instructions. This is known as supervision. Managers play the role of
supervisors and ensure that the work is done as per the instructions and the
plans. Supervisors clarify all instructions and guide employees to work as a
team in co-operation with others. Supervisors solve most of the routine job-
related problems of subordinates.
THE FUNCTIONS OF SUPERVISION
• clarifies orders and instructions issued to subordinates and ensures that
they have understand and follow these fully;
• ensures that subordinates have the required facilities to perform their
jobs;
• keeps a watch and guides the activities of subordinates in performing
their jobs;
• broadens the horizon of his subordinates by making them aware of the
wider aspects of their day-to-day work;
• coordinates the work of different subordinates under him;
• detects errors and omissions and ensures their rectification.
IMPORTANCE OF SUPERVISION
Supervisors are the key people among managers at different levels. They are
the link between the top and middle management and the workers. Take, for
example, the foreman of the factory or the office superintendent in the office.
Both of them are members of the management team, and are in direct contact
with operatives in the workshop and clerical staff in the office. They are the
mouthpiece of management for communicating its ideas, plans and policies to
the workers and employees.
At the same time, they have to play the role of principal spokesmen of their
subordinates to communicate their feelings and grievances to the
management. Thus, it is only the supervisor who, as a member of the
management team, is capable of developing links to workers. Supervisors are
expected to maintain the best and friendly relations with their seniors as well
as with the workers and enjoy the trust and confidence of both management
and operatives.
MOTIVATION
Motivation is one of the important elements of directing. Issuance of proper
instructions or orders does not necessarily ensure that they will be properly
carried out. It requires manager to inspire or induce the employees to act and
get the expected result. This is called motivation. It is a force that inspire a
person at work to intensify his willingness to use the best of his capability for
achievement of specify objectives. It may be in the form of incentives like
financial (such as bonus, commission etc.) or, non-financial (such as
appreciation, growth etc.), or it could be positive or negative. Basically,
motivation is directed towards goals and prompt people to act.
IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION
 • with proper motivation there can be maximum utilization of the factors of
production like men, money, material etc.;
• if employees are motivated it will reduce employee turnover and absenteeism;
• motivation fosters a sense of belongingness among the employees towards the
organization and also improves their morale;
• motivation helps in reducing the number of complaints and grievances. The
wastage and accident rate also come down;
• with proper motivational techniques management can attract competent and
best quality employees.
LEADERSHIP
While motivation is the process through which employees are made to
contribute voluntarily to work, leadership is the ability to persuade and motivate
others to work in a desired way for achieving the goal. Thus, a person who is able
to influence others and make them follow his instructions is called a leader. For
example, in an organization the management decides to install some new
machines to which the workers are resisting.
However, one of the workers takes the initiative, explains the fellow workers the
benefits of working with the new machines and molds them to accept the
management’s decision. Now he is said to be leader as he is able to influence a
group of workers who followed him. In practice, the managers have to guide and
lead their subordinates towards the achievement of goals, and so, to be an
effective, a manager has to be a good leader. Leadership is the process, which
influences the people and inspires them to willingly accomplish the organizational
objectives. The main purpose of managerial leadership is to get willing cooperation
of the workgroup in pursuit of the goals.
IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
• leadership improves the performance of the employees. Leaders can motivate
the followers to work and thereby increase their performance level.
• with continuous support and guidance, leaders are able to build confidence
among the followers, thereby increasing speed and accuracy and decreasing
wastage.
• with friendly and cooperative efforts, the leader is able to build employees’
morale which in turn contribute to higher productivity.

LEADING VS. MANAGING
What is the major difference between leadership and management? While
many of you may think that manager is also a leader so, these two terms mean
the same, but actually not. The terms “management” and “leadership” are
often used interchangeably.
Maybe there is some overlap between the work that managers and leaders do,
but these two terms have different meaning and they shouldn’t be used
interchangeably. Both imply a unique set of skills, characteristics and functions
that share a few similarities.
They also show some strong differences in some circumstances. For example,
some people lead without a managerial role, while some managers do not
practice leadership.
What is LEADERSHIP?
Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of
others towards achieving a goal or a specific target. It is the art of motivating a
group of people.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
1. Vision of a Leader:
Basically, leading means having a clear vision and sharing it with others. Only
when you get to inspire other people, it is possible to share a common goal
towards which to direct the dedication and the efforts of the entire team. You
need to aim high and your vision must be bold and ambitious. Creating a vision
is a little complicated and will need to take your team and define your
company 10 years from now. You should be able to dominate your sector.
2. Motivation:
A leader must know how to motivate better than anyone else. As a people
manager, it is one of their primary functions. A leader channels their
coworkers’ energy and professional potential through motivation. This is a very
important feature of a leader. Leading is not about giving orders. You need to
let your team talk, listen and understand what they need, ask them questions
to create a perfect environment for each one of your team.
For motivating your team, make sure that you have a goal or target to achieve.
Make your data accessible and transparent to everyone. Transparency is a
great key to motivation.
3. Empathy:
Emotional intelligence is one of the best leadership qualities. It is the ability to
put yourself in the place of others, understanding their concerns and solve
their problems. Leaders can empathize with customers and members of their
teams because they know all the secrets of their business. Empathy is the way
to inspire and establish links that will ultimately lead to success.
4. Creativity:
Creativity is directly associated with leadership. If you don’t have any
creativity, then you are not eligible to be a leader. Good leaders are able to
create a positive environment and that will encourage their team members to
develop their imagination and skills so that they can contribute to the common
vision of the company. If you want to be a successful leader, then you have to
be creative and respect the creativity of other people, you have to learn from
your surroundings.
5. Serving as a Leader:
Group members must have support from their leader, so you have to be
present whenever they need you. You should always present at the service of
9. Communication
your team members. The tools they needed for their jobs must be available to
them. Always appreciate those who are paying attention in order to correct A leader is a person who inspires positive, incremental change by empowering
their bad habits. their team members to work toward common objectives, and the most
powerful tool for doing so is communication. Effective communication is very
essential to gain trust and align efforts in the pursuit of goals and stimulate
6: Taking Risks positive changes. When communication is lacking, it causes relationships to
suffer and ultimately creating barriers that can hinder progress.
A leader is the one responsible for taking risks that others are not willing to
take. You should let your team members make the decision, and if they make a
mistake, then you must have the courage to rectify, assume their guilt and take
10. Thoroughness
the right path without blaming it on the team members. Also, risk-taking is an
intrinsically human trait and plays a major part in the life of leaders. A good leader fixes the bar high for their people because they want to reach
the goals and bring the best for their team. The leaders who are demanding in
Basically, people don’t take risks because of fear. They are afraid of failure, of
nature will achieve great results. In addition to this skill, the leader must know
being vulnerable, of errors and mistakes. If you want to be a leader, then you
how to listen, in order to know the necessity of the people, and then provide
have to think beyond their imagination level.
the required time and resources for them to do their job the right way, and
therefore meet what is demanded of them.

7. Team Building

True leadership is all about working together in a team to reach a common

goal. People management is one of the toughest tasks faced by leaders. A
positive attitude is very essential for a good leader. Trusting your team
members always brings the best result. Leaders always take responsibility
when something is wrong and reward the group for success.

8. Trustworthiness
What is MANAGEMENT?
You are not a good leader if your team members are uncomfortable or
unwilling to approach you. It will break the trust between the leader and their Management is the art of work done through people with the satisfaction
teammate. When employees believe in their leader’s honesty, it is beneficial of the public, employer and the employees.
for the sincerity and responsibility of the workplace. A trustworthy leader is far MANAGEMENT SKILLS
better than an effective leader.
1. People management skills: managing people with emotional
intelligence is called people management skills. It is one of the most
important management skills. If you can’t manage people, then you
can’t manage a business.
2. Communication skills: A manager is a person who inspires positive,
incremental change by empowering their team members to work
toward common objectives, and the most powerful tool for doing so is
communication. As a manager, you have to deal with various types of
people, from heads of the business to employees.
3. Technical Skills: Technical skills are the much-required skills of a
manager. These skills are developed through your work experience and
during formal education.
4. Conceptual Skills: One of the most important management skills is the
conceptual skill. It is the ability to analyze complex situations. The
managers, who are answerable for deciding what is good for the
organization, relay on conceptual skills.
5. Leadership Skill: Good managers are basically effective and
inspirational leaders. Great leaders want input from all stakeholders
and appreciate the contribution of their team members. You can
develop your leadership skills by leading some projects during your
educational period.
The other important managerial skills are:
 Problem-solving
 Time management
 Directing skill
 Oversight
 Domain knowledge
 Diagnostic skill
 Analytical skill
 Decision-making skill
COMPARISON BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
In a business, it is important to have both great managers and leaders. The
organization needs a good leader to the organization to achieve its mission and
a good manager to ensure the things are getting done to reach the company’s
vision.
1. Leaders Set the Goal, Managers Follow it.
When it comes to setting and executing a company’s vision and aims, leaders
and managers have different roles. Most leaders have a clear vision of the
position of their organizations in the future. However, they are not the only
ones who are responsible for fulfilling the vision.
Here, managers play a significant role. Leaders transfer the company’s
mission, goal and vision to the entire organization and managers are
responsible for keeping employees aligned with the core company goals and
values.
Leaders are the ones who can build trust in the workplace by speaking openly
about the company’s challenges, goals and opportunities. They can create a
productive work environment where employees feel free to share their own
ideas, concerns and needs.
However, 71% of employees believe that their leaders do not spend enough
time discussing plans and goals. In this situation, managers do this job and
equalize the environment.
2. Leaders Think Ideas, Managers Think of Execution.
 Leaders are looking for improvement in the organization, while managers
emphasize rationality and control. A leader always comes up with new ideas
and delivers that to a person with a forward-thinking mindset.
Basically, leaders look for answers to “why and what” while managers look for
answers to “when and how”. therefore, the managers’ primary responsibility
to complete their tasks and reach their goals based on the leader’s vision.
Managers’ job to make their employees feel free so that they can share their
voice.
Leaders are concerned with ideas, relate in more high level while managers
relate to people according to the role they play in a decision-making process.
Leader’s attention to “what should be done” to achieve the best results and a
manager’s attention to “how thing get done”.
Leaders can play a role in driving change in organizations. A leader always
inspires incremental and positive change by empowering employees to work
toward common aims. When people are not inspired by a leader, there is little
a manager can do to help their employees succeed. By improving a personal
leadership style, leaders can empower their workforce, get their followers’
attention and inspire them to act on important organizational initiatives.
3. Leaders Form the Culture, Managers Support It.
Culture is a system of behaviors, beliefs and values that configure and
determine how a system operates and how the works getting done. When it
comes to the organizational culture, the difference between management and
leadership is that managers lead their employees to live up to the culture
which was shaped by the leaders. Inspiring leaders have the power to
influence employees’ behaviors and communicate the organizational culture
company-wide.
So, driving employees to live by the company’s core value and culture is
impossible without the collaboration between management and leadership.
4. Leaders Inspire People, Managers Push Them to Their success.
Leaders have the great power to inspire people, and managers are
responsible for their success and positive experience. When leaders are
unable to inspire their employees, managers take the responsibility to help
their people succeed.
91% of the surveyed employees think that their leaders are not good
communicators. Employees feel less stressed and under pressure when they
have the opportunity to communicate with the leaders regularly.
If an employee works effectively within his workplace, it is the result of
honesty, open and transparent communication between the leader, manager
and employees.
5. Leaders Peek into the future, Managers Take Action in the Present.
Leaders are basically more future-focused while managers are more focused
on the present moment. Therefore, the manager’s most important target is to
come through organizational goals by utilizing procedures and processes
around budgeting, staffing and organizational structuring while leaders tend
to think ahead and capitalize on future prospects.
Yet, the leadership’s vision of the future means nothing if it can’t be clearly
communicated to both employees and managers. The biggest drivers of
employee engagement are the feeling of intention and the alignment of
employees’ professional and personal values, every leader should attempt
towards creating that sense of purpose among employees.
Leadership Theories
Leadership Theories are schools of thoughts brought forward to
explain how and why certain individuals become leaders. The
theories emphasize the traits and behaviors that individuals can
adopt to boost their own leadership abilities.
5 Leadership Theories
 GREAT MAN THEORY
 TRAIT THEORY
  CONTINGENCY THEORY
 SITUATIONAL THEORY
 BEHAVIORAL THEORY
GREAT MAN THEORY
According to the Great Man Theory (which should perhaps be called the
Great Person Theory), leaders are born with just the right traits and
abilities for leading –
They have charisma, intellect, confidence, communication skills, and
social skills.
The theory suggests that the ability to lead is inherent – that the best
leaders are born, not made. It defines leaders as valiant, mythic, and
ordained to rise to leadership when the situation arises. The term
“Great Man” was adopted at the time because leadership was reserved
for males, particularly in military leaders.
THE TRAIT THEORY
The trait theory is very similar to the Great Man Theory.
It is founded on the characteristics of different leaders – both successful
and unsuccessful ones. The theory is used to predict effective
leadership. Usually, the identified characteristics are compared to those
of potential leaders to determine their likelihood of leading effectively.
Scholars researching the trait theory try to identify leadership
characteristics from different perspectives. They focus on the
physiological attributes, such as appearance, weight, and height;
demographics such as age, education, and familial background; and
intelligence, which encompasses decisiveness, judgement, and
knowledge.
THE CONTINGENCY THEORY
The Contingency Theory emphasizes different variables in a specific
setting that determine the styles of leadership best suited for the said
situation. It is founded on the principle that no one leadership style is
applicable to all situations.
Renowned leadership researchers Hodgson and White believe that the
best form of leadership is one that finds the perfect balance between
behaviors, needs, and context. Good leaders not only possess the right
qualities but they’re also able to evaluate the needs of their followers
and the situation at hand. In summary, the contingency theory suggests
that great leadership is a combination of many key variables.
THE SITUATIONAL THEORY
The Stationary Theory is similar to the Contingency Theory as it also
proposes that no one leadership style supersedes others. As its name
suggests, the theory implies that leadership depends on the situation at
hand. Put simply, leaders should always correspond their leadership to
the respective situation by assessing certain variables such as the type
of task, nature of followers, and more.
THE BEHAVIORAL THEORY
In Behavioral Theory, the focus is on the specific behaviors and actions Process Model of Communication
of leaders rather than their traits or characteristics. The theory suggests
that effective leadership is the result of many learned skills.
A sender, such as a boss, coworker, or customer, originates the message
Individuals need three primary skills to lead their followers – technical,
with a thought. For example, the boss’s thought could be: “Get more
human, and conceptual skills. Technical skills refer to a leader’s
printer toner cartridges!”
knowledge of the process or technique; human skills means that no one
is able to interact with other individuals; while conceptual skills enable
the leader to come up with ideas for running the organization or society
The sender encodes the message, translating the idea into words.
smoothly.

The boss may communicate this thought by saying, “Hey you guys, let’s
THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION IN THE ORGANIZATION
order more printer toner cartridges.”
The Communication Process
Communication fulfills three main functions within an organization,
The medium of this encoded message may be spoken words, written
including coordination, transmission of information, and sharing
words, or signs.
emotions and feelings. All these functions are vital to a successful
organization. The coordination of effort within an organization helps
people work toward the same goals. Transmitting information is a vital
The receiver is the person who receives the message.
part of this process. Sharing emotions and feelings bonds teams and
unites people in times of celebration and crisis. Effective communication
helps people grasp issues, build rapport with coworkers, and achieve
The receiver decodes the message by assigning meaning to the words.
consensus. So, how can we communicate effectively? The first step is to
understand the communication process.

In this example, our receiver, Bill, has a to-do list a mile long. “The boss
must know how much work I already have,” the receiver thinks. Bill’s
We all exchange information with others countless times each day by
mind translates his boss’s message as, “Could you order some printer
phone, e-mail, printed word, and of course, in person. Let us take a
toner cartridges, in addition to everything else I asked you to do this
moment to see how a typical communication works using this as a
week…if you can find the time?”
guide.

The meaning that the receiver assigns may not be the meaning that the
sender intended, because of factors such as noise. Noise is anything that
interferes with or distorts the message being transformed. Noise can be
external in the environment (such as distractions) or it can be within the
receiver. For example, the receiver may be extremely nervous and
unable to pay attention to the message. Noise can even occur within the
sender: The sender may be unwilling to take the time to convey an
accurate message, or the words that are chosen can be ambiguous and
prone to misinterpretation.
Picture the next scene. The place: a staff meeting. The time: a few days
later. Bill’s boss believes the message about printer toner has been
received.
“Are the printer toner cartridges here yet?” Bill’s boss asks.
“You never said it was a rush job!” Bill protests.
“But!”
“But!”
Miscommunications like these happen in the workplace every day.
We’ve seen that miscommunication does occur in the workplace, but
how does a miscommunication happen? It helps to think of the
communication process. The series of arrows pointing the way from the
sender to the receiver and back again can, and often do, fall short of
their target.
___________________________________
Communication is vital to organizations. Poor communication is
prevalent between senders and receivers. Communication fulfills three
functions within organizations, including coordination, the transmission
of information, and sharing emotions and feelings. Noise can disrupt or
distort communication.
MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE AND DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Change is a large part of any business. Employees come and go,
management changes, products become outdated and, before you
know it, the company is not the same as it used to be—this evokes fear
and lack of productivity in many employees. A positive form of change
in the workplace is diversity. Many industries are globalizing their
approach, according to a University of Florida business diversity article
published in June 2002. Coping with the change and diversity in the
workplace--learning how to adapt and understand other cultures--is a
valuable skill and one that will bring you success.
Managing Change in Workplace
1. Communicate with employees. Inform your team of changes in the
company—whether personnel, product or protocol. Keep every single
person in the loop because change is uncomfortable for people who
don’t know what’s going on. Call meetings, send out memos and
maintain a general openness with your staff.
2. Set goals with your team. Promote productivity and establish within
your employees an interest in the company’s future by meeting with
your team, setting goals and brainstorming ways to achieve those goals.
3. Call your team to action. Encourage your team to improve their
performance so they can continue to be part of the changes in the
business. Avoid scaring them, but establish a sense of urgency for them
to perform well.
4. Understand what is expected of you or, if you are a manager, make
others aware of your expectations. Meet with each employee and give
him a list of responsibilities, his job description and what is expected of
him to successfully do his job. Clear-cut parameters increase
productivity.

Managing Diversity in the Workplace

1. Plan an office retreat, whether a camping trip, mountain getaway or
weekend at a local hotel. Facilitate activities that encourage everyone to
get to know each other. Diversity's biggest obstacle is refusal to get to
know someone with a different background, ethnicity or belief system.
2. Research different cultures. Develop a working knowledge about
coworkers of different ethnicities, sexes, religious affiliations and
backgrounds. Pursuing knowledge about someone else displays respect
and will result in a more peaceful work environment, as well as shed
some light on others and improve the way you view others.
3. Appoint a diversity facilitator. Use company money to send this
person to diversity in the workplace training. Put him in charge of
diversity meetings and staff education, as well as serving as an advocate
for the minority groups in the workplace.
4. Open your eyes for injustice and discrimination in the workplace, and
speak up. Neglecting to speak up on a coworker’s behalf reinforces the
words and actions of the instigators, and slows the process of positive
change.