Approach to Management

Overview

In this paper, I will start with a simple “Functions of Management” model, expand it to examine the approaches to Management by defining what are the functions of Management. Then, describe the inter-relationship between each function and demonstrate my understanding of them.

As French Industrialist Henri Fayol stated “the functions of Management are planning, organising, commanding, co-ordinating and controlling”.

Planning involves the setting up of long-term goals, short-term objectives, and the strategy to meet both goals and objectives. It teaches you to look into the future and to set attainable objectives that the organization wishes to achieve and to find the best way to adopt them, for instance by putting plans, policies and procedures in place. This sets the organizational process in motion, to get the ball rolling so to speak. For example, you have an advertising agency and you market two (2) brands of products. In the next financial year, you will have to plan which one you will be focusing mainly on. Obviously, it will be the one that will bring in more Revenue after all analysis have been conducted.

If we combine human and physical resources, we get the Organizing function. It deals with hiring and firing of staff, workspace, equipment, hardware, relationship between co-workers and supervisory relationships. Individual people who make the organization work are then given tasks to complete. All of this must be done within a formal structure of authority and communications because Managers can impact this stage onto the right path. Organising includes what is to be done, time limit, and who is responsible for what tasks. For example, in my organization we change work schedules to reduce idle time. We have employees who come in early and leave early due to family commitments and others who come in late but go far into the night, sometime midnight.

Fayol clearly states that Commanding is “maintaining activity among the...