Discuss the Management Functions You Consider Crucial to Your Organisation and Show the Role Each Play in Attainment of Organisational Goals
Discuss the management functions you consider crucial to your organisation and show the role each play in attainment of organisational goals
1. Introduction
Management can be defined as the act of coordinating the efforts of people to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources. Management is a matching process (IPMZ, 1996). It involves the alignment of resources to meet organisational goals and objectives. Traditionally the process involves planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling as illustrated in Figure 1. The process in Figure 1 does not occur in a tidy step-by-step order. Managers do not plan on Monday, organise on Tuesday, lead on Wednesday, control on Thursday, and take corrective action on Friday (Musingafi, 2013). The model in Figure 1 is designed to simplify the complex management process. These functions may be done simultaneously, in a different order, with or without some variations, depending on the situation at hand. Management is thus contextual.
This paper looks at management functions at a school, Mavhiringidze Secondary School, where the writer once taught as a history teacher. The paper starts by exploring the theoretical framework of classical management theory before discussing and illustrating its application to Mavhiringidze Secondary School management context.
2. Classical management
Henri Fayol is credited for systematically coining management functions (planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling). “To manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate and to control" (Fayol, 1949). Gulick and Urwick (1937) expanded Fayol 's list to seven executive management activities summarised by the acronym POSDCORB:
* planning: determine objectives in advance and the methods to achieve them; * organising: establish a structure of authority for all work; * staffing: recruit, hire and train workers; maintain favourable working conditions; *
1. Introduction
Management can be defined as the act of coordinating the efforts of people to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources. Management is a matching process (IPMZ, 1996). It involves the alignment of resources to meet organisational goals and objectives. Traditionally the process involves planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling as illustrated in Figure 1. The process in Figure 1 does not occur in a tidy step-by-step order. Managers do not plan on Monday, organise on Tuesday, lead on Wednesday, control on Thursday, and take corrective action on Friday (Musingafi, 2013). The model in Figure 1 is designed to simplify the complex management process. These functions may be done simultaneously, in a different order, with or without some variations, depending on the situation at hand. Management is thus contextual.
This paper looks at management functions at a school, Mavhiringidze Secondary School, where the writer once taught as a history teacher. The paper starts by exploring the theoretical framework of classical management theory before discussing and illustrating its application to Mavhiringidze Secondary School management context.
2. Classical management
Henri Fayol is credited for systematically coining management functions (planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling). “To manage is to forecast and plan, to organise, to command, to co-ordinate and to control" (Fayol, 1949). Gulick and Urwick (1937) expanded Fayol 's list to seven executive management activities summarised by the acronym POSDCORB:
* planning: determine objectives in advance and the methods to achieve them; * organising: establish a structure of authority for all work; * staffing: recruit, hire and train workers; maintain favourable working conditions; *
References: Fayol, H. (1949). General and industrial management. Pitman. United Kingdom. Gabriel, V. (2003). Management. Longman. London. Gulick, L.H. (1937). Notes on the theory of organisation. Institute of Public Administration. United States. http://dilipchandra12.hubpages.com/hub/The-Five-Functions-of-Management, (accessed 10 May 2013) IPMZ. (1996). Management. Harare. IPMZ. Kreitner, R. (1995). Management. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. Lucey, T. (1992). Management information systems. London. DP Publications Musingafi, M.C.C. (2013). Integrated resource management of potable water in Zimbabwe and South Africa: A comparative study in four local authorities. PhD thesis. Vanderbijlpark. North-West University. Sheldrake, J. (1996). Management theory. Thompson. United Kingdom.