Management Function
Definition: -
Management- Different professionals have defined the term ‘’Management’’
1. “To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to co-ordinate and to control.”- Henry
Fayol
2. Management is a distinct process consisting of planning, organizing, activating and
controlling to determine and accomplish the objectives by the use of people and
resources.”- G.R. Terry
3. Management is simply the process of decision making and control over the action of
human beings for the express purpose of attaining pre-determined goals.”- Stanley
Vance
4. “Management is the art of getting things done through and with the people in formally
organized groups.”- Harold Koontz
In the process of managing, a manager performs various functions for the achievement of pre-
determined objectives. Many authorities and scholars on management have discussed the
functions of management. A function is a grouping of similar activities. However, what
functions are undertaken by managers in organizations, there is a divergence of views because
each management thinker, practitioner as well as researcher, has defined a particular
management function in his own way. As the result, there is a long list of management functions.
We may classify management functions as- Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and
Controlling are the five basic processes or functions of management that constitute the entire
work of management. They are all essential parts of management.
These functions are interdependent and interrelated. There is also overlapping of the functions,
as for example, planning and control, organizing and staffing, staffing and directing, and control
and so on. An overview of the nature and scope of these functions is given below:
1. What is planning: - planning is the most fundamental. All other functions stem from
planning. Planning is deciding in advance what to do and how to do it. It is one of the
basic managerial functions. Planning means setting objectives and targets and
formulating an action plan to achieve them. Planning seeks to bridge the gap between
where we are and where we want to go. Planning is a primary function of management.
That is, a manager organizes, directs and controls to ensure the accomplishment of goals
and objectives according to plans. All managers would like to be successful, increase
sales and earn high profits. All managers dream of these and strive to achieve their goals.
But to turn these dreams into reality, managers need to work hard in thinking about the
future, in making business predictions and achieving targets. Dreams can be turned into
reality if a business thinks in advance about what to do and how to do it. This is the
essence of planning. Planning is deliberate and conscious activity to formulate the design
and orderly sequence of actions through which it is expected to reach the objectives.
Thus, we can say that planning is a systematic attempt to decide a particular course of
action for the future. It leads to a determination of the objectives of the group activity and
the steps necessary to achieve them.
A plan is a blueprint for goal achievement that specifies the necessary resource
allocations, schedules, tasks, and other actions. Planning is 'thinking in advance' and
means setting up a blue print for the future and deciding what do you went to do and who
will do a particular task.
