Directing – Function of

Management
LESSON 6
Nature of Directing
Directing involves guiding, inspiring and leading people so that they
accomplish predetermined objectives.
The function of directing influences the subordinates and motivates
them into meeting the organization’s goals.
Directing ensures that subordinates carry out duties as required.
The poor directing function can lead to spoiling an otherwise good
planning, organizing and staffing process which would make the meeting
of goals and objectives of the organization difficult. This is because
nothing actually can happen until there is the function of directing.
Nature of Directing
The direction is a continuous function, and therefore, management must supervise and
guide his subordinates at all times for work to go as planned.
He should not stop at giving orders and instructions but should follow these through.
After the management has completed the processes of planning, organizing and staffing
supervision is required to ensure that things are accomplished.
It links these processes to the controlling function.
Direction converts plan into actual action.
 Since nothing in an organization can happen without direction.
All levels of management perform some levels of supervision although the supervisor
being close to the worker performs much of the function of monitoring.
Leading versus Managing
Leading Managing
 Vision & strategy  Policies & procedures
 Creating value  Counting value
 Influence & inspiration 
 Accomplish a Power & control
 Have followers goal  Have subordinates
 Leading people  Explain vision  Managing work
 People focused  Organization

figureheads Work focused
 Charismatic style 
 Motivate Authoritarian style
 Risk & change seekers others  Risk averse & stability
 Appeal to the heart  Mobilize

resources Appeal to the head
 Sets direction  Plans detail
 Raising expectations  Maintain status quo
 Ask questions  Give directions
Leading versus Managing
1. Leadership inspires change; management manages
transformation.
2. Leadership requires vision; management requires tenacity.
3. Leadership requires imagination; management requires specifics.
4. Leadership requires abstract thinking; management requires
concrete data.
5. Leadership requires ability to articulate; management requires
ability to interpret.
Leading versus Managing
6. Leadership requires an aptitude to sell; management requires an aptitude to
teach.
7. Leadership requires an understanding of the external environment;
management requires an understanding of how work gets done inside the
organization.
8. Leadership requires risk-taking; management requires self-discipline.
9. Leadership requires confidence in the face of uncertainty; management
requires a blind commitment to completing the task at hand.
10.Leadership is accountable to the entire organization; management is
accountable to the team.
Leadership Theories
 “Leaders are made, they are not born.” –
Vince Lombardi
 Anybody can be a leader, however not all
can be an effective leader.
Trait Theories – What type of person
makes a good leader?
Trait theories argue that effective leaders share some common personality characteristics, or
"features."
Early trait theories said that leadership is an innate, instinctive quality that you do or don't have.
Thankfully, we've moved on from this idea, and we're learning more about what we can do to
develop leadership qualities within ourselves and others.
Trait theories help us identify traits and qualities (for example, integrity, empathy, assertiveness,
good decision-making skills, and likability) that are helpful when leading others.
However, none of these traits, nor any particular combination of them, will guarantee success as
a leader.
Traits are external behaviors that emerge from the things going on in our minds - and it's these
internal beliefs and processes that are necessary for effective leadership.
Behavioral Theories – What does a good
leader do?
Behavioral theories focus on how leaders behave.
For instance, do leaders dictate what needs to be done and expect cooperation? Or do they involve
their teams in decision-making to encourage acceptance and support?
In the 1930s, Kurt Lewin developed a framework based on a leader's behavior. He argued that there
are three types of leaders:
1. Autocratic Leaders – make decisions without consulting their team. This style of leadership is considered
appropriate when decisions need to be made quickly when there's no need for input, and when team
agreement isn't necessary for a successful outcome.
2. Democratic Leaders - allow the team to provide input before making a decision, although the degree of input
can vary from leader to leader. This style is important when team agreement matters, but it can be difficult to
manage when there are lots of different perspectives and ideas.
3. Laissez-faire leaders - they don't interfere; they allow people within the team to make many of the decisions.
This works well when the team is highly capable, is motivated, and doesn't need close supervision. However,
this behavior can arise because the leader is lazy or distracted; and this is where this style of leadership can fail.
Contingency Theories – How does the
situation influence good leadership?
The realization that there is no one correct type of leader led to
theories that the best leadership style depends on the situation.
These theories try to predict which style is best in which
circumstance.
For instance, when you need to make quick decisions, which style is
best? When you need the full support of your team, is there a more
effective way to lead? Should a leader be more people-oriented or
task-oriented? These are all questions that contingency leadership
theories try to address.
Power and Influence Theories – What is
the source of the leader’s power?
Authority and influence theories of leadership take an entirely different approach
these are based on the different ways that leaders use power and influence to get
things done, and they look at the leadership styles that emerge as a result.
Perhaps the best- known of these theories is French and Raven's Five Forms of Power.
This model highlights three types of positional power - legitimate, reward, and
coercive - and two sources of personal power - expert and referent.
The model suggests that using personal power is the better alternative and that you
should work on building expert power (the power that comes with being a real expert
in the job) because this is the most legitimate source of personal power.
Role of Communication in the
Organization
Communication can be a complicated concept to master within an
organization, particularly one with complex levels and multiple issues.
When all parts of your organization communicate smoothly, it can
improve workflow and overall productivity.
By making an effort to improve your communication processes, you can
build a stronger company that will have to stay power in the market.
Employee Trust
Clarity
Collaboration
 Barriers to Communication
1. Filtering – the shaping of information communicated in order to make it look good or advantageous to
the receiver.
2. Emotions – the interpretation of communications which may be influenced by extreme emotions felt by
the receiver.
3. Information overload – another barrier to good communication since there are too many pieces of
information received by an individual may have a negative effect on person’s processing capacity.
4. Defensiveness - the act of self-protection when people are threatened by something or
someone.
5. Language – could also hamper good communications because words used may have different
meanings to different people belonging to different age, educational background or cultural group.
6. National Culture – just like language, the prevailing national culture may also cause problems in
communication among members of an organization, especially if it is multinational company.
 Overcoming Communication Barrier
1. Using feedback - this is usually done by asking questions about a memo sent to subordinates or by
asking them to give their comments or suggestions. In doing so, they are able to determine
whether the communication they sent out was understood the way they originally intended.
2. Using simple language - this is done by avoiding uncommon terms and flowery words that may
just cause misinterpretation. Language used must fit the level of understanding of the intended
recipients of the communication.
3. Active listening – this means listening well in order to grasp the full meaning of the communication.
4. Controlling emotions - this is another method of overcoming communication misinterpretation.
When the receiver is affected by extreme anger, his interpretation of a message received may not be
accurate.
5. Observing body language – this also influences how communication is interpreted. Actions of the
message receiver, like throwing away a letter delivered to him, betrays its negative feelings regarding
its message, even if he says yes or okay to what is requested.
Activity:
1. Describe the three types of leader discussed in this lesson using a scenario.
2. Enumerate and define the different barriers to communication. As a student, have you ever
encountered any of these barriers? Explain your answer.