The four functions of management are essential to building strong teams and stronger organizations. Common to all managers, the four functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The aforementioned functions of the manager are the activities, which all managers must perform regardless of the industry, the level, the title, or the activity in which engaged.
In this paper we will be examining all four of these ingredients and then we will apply them to real world examples. These four things are used any time when initiating a new project or dealing with any change, which we all know is constant. A lot of us may be all ready using or have seen others, but just never noticed it or didn't know how to identify the methods. Let us start by looking at the definitions and examples of each.
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Planning.
Planning is the function of "doing." It's the first management function both because it lays the groundwork for all other functions. It is a technique of projecting the future, anticipating problems and selecting procedures for circumventing them. It is a general principle of management that a group effort can be attained more efficiently if everyone concerned has been informed of the ultimate goal and how, when, and where it shall be done, and who shall do which parts. Planning is the management function that involves identifying goals and alternative ways of achieving them. It maps out courses of action that will commit individuals, departments, and the entire organization.
In my organization, all managers, from chief executive to line supervisor, must plan. Plans are now made for all aspects and departments of my organization; and long-term planning that extends further into the future than ever before. Planning is based less on random hunch and intuition and more on conscious determination and purposeful decisions after careful weighing of available information on relevant knowledge.
