Functions of Management
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Functions of Management
MGT/330
June 21, 2010
Functions of Management
The functions of management were first discussed in 1916, when Henri Fayol published his book titled Administration Industrielle et Generale. In Fayol’s book he broke the functions down into five categories: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling. Planning consisted of predicting future conditions, setting objectives, and working out a way to obtain the goals of the company. Organizing consisted of constructing the activities of the company, which included the recruiting, evaluation, and training of personnel. Commanding consisted of the personal supervision of subordinates. Fayol pointed out that it was important to know the people working for the company. Coordinating consisted of harmonizing all of the functions of the company while controlling consisted of overseeing the events of the plan to see that they fell within the parameters of the objective. This would allow the manager to adjust plans if the plans didn’t meet the parameters of the objective (Barnett, 2010).
It wasn’t until 1949 that Fayol’s work became know in the United States. This lead to the publications of pioneer managers such as George Terry, Harold Koontz, Cyril O’Donnell, and Ralph Davis in the 1950s, which didn’t see the coordination function as an important part of the functions of management. These writer defined management as a process consisting of a set interdependent functions with the most commonly cited functions being planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Barnett, 2010).
Planning is the function in which objectives are set and the course of action is determined. It involves examining the current situations, predicted the future, determining the intent, deciding what activities the company will employ, choosing the correct strategies, and determining the resources needed to achieve the goals of the company (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Managers must also be good...
MGT/330
June 21, 2010
Functions of Management
The functions of management were first discussed in 1916, when Henri Fayol published his book titled Administration Industrielle et Generale. In Fayol’s book he broke the functions down into five categories: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling. Planning consisted of predicting future conditions, setting objectives, and working out a way to obtain the goals of the company. Organizing consisted of constructing the activities of the company, which included the recruiting, evaluation, and training of personnel. Commanding consisted of the personal supervision of subordinates. Fayol pointed out that it was important to know the people working for the company. Coordinating consisted of harmonizing all of the functions of the company while controlling consisted of overseeing the events of the plan to see that they fell within the parameters of the objective. This would allow the manager to adjust plans if the plans didn’t meet the parameters of the objective (Barnett, 2010).
It wasn’t until 1949 that Fayol’s work became know in the United States. This lead to the publications of pioneer managers such as George Terry, Harold Koontz, Cyril O’Donnell, and Ralph Davis in the 1950s, which didn’t see the coordination function as an important part of the functions of management. These writer defined management as a process consisting of a set interdependent functions with the most commonly cited functions being planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Barnett, 2010).
Planning is the function in which objectives are set and the course of action is determined. It involves examining the current situations, predicted the future, determining the intent, deciding what activities the company will employ, choosing the correct strategies, and determining the resources needed to achieve the goals of the company (Bateman & Snell, 2009). Managers must also be good...