Management

• Functions of Management

Antony Andrew,
Senior Lecturer in Management
 Introduction
Management of a modern business organization is a complex process.

The term process refers to an identifiable flow of information through

interrelated stages of analysis directed for the accomplishment of objectives.

Thus management as a process may involve several activities or elements.

These activities are called the functions of management. Many management

experts have mentioned functions of management by studying different
organizations from different angles.
Regardless of level or area, management involves the four basic
functions of:

1. planning and decision making,

2. organizing,

3. leading, and

4. controlling.
• Planning and Decision Making In its simplest form, planning means
setting an organization’s goals and deciding how best to achieve
them.

• Decision making, a part of the planning process, involves selecting a

course of action from a set of alternatives.

• Planning and decision making help maintain managerial effectiveness

by serving as guides for future activities.
• Organizing Once a manager has set goals and developed a workable
plan, the next management function is to organize people and the
other resources necessary to carry out the plan.

• Specifically, organizing involves determining how activities and

resources are to be grouped.
• Leading

Leading is the set of processes used to get members of the organization

to work together to further the interests of the organization.

• Controlling

The final phase of the management process is controlling, or

monitoring the organization’s progress toward its goals.