Manager’s Function, Skills and Role Essay

This page investigates the skills, roles and functions of watchfulness.For every organisation to achieve the goals it has established and be successful it needs publicagers to correctly implement and understand the functions, skills and roles knotted in the theatre directorial process.How these be applied result vary depending on what level of heed a particular manager is involved in (high, middle, low) and the organisation.Regardless of these two factors all management decisions focus on the efficient and effective give of resources for the benefit of the organisation, in the direction of its desired goals and/or objectives.The Functions of ManagementThe 4 functions of management are planning, organising, leash and unconditional (Davidson et al, 2009. p.13).Planning involves reviewing the current situation and generating a plan that will allow the organisation to meet its established goals and objectives (Selley, 2009). This could entail generating a plan to increase prof it and level how this will be achieved (focus on capturing a larger market share or perhaps woful into a new market). Correct planning ensures there is a degree of focus, charm also providing a structured timeline that relevant stakeholders can adhere too.The second stage is organising, this is where management prepares for the task ahead by delegating resources and responsibilities, as efficiently and efficaciously as possible (Pakhare, 2011). During this stage management would consider the contrary departments and divisions inwardly its organisation and provide authority and tasks as necessary.An organisation that compulsions to increase its profit might use the organising stage to come out of the closetline the roles of marketing (investigate and promote new marketshare) and signalise these from the accounting department (assess the viability by calculating projected sales and expenses) while also ensuring they all have the necessary resources to complete the race. Davi dson et al. defines leading as the process of getting members to work together for a common interest (2009. p.14).Leading requires a manager to have a optimistic influence on wad while also excite them to complete their jobs (making this vital in low-middle management), this in turn improves their job writ of execution through a positive work environment (Expert Manage, 2011).It is important to establish this positive environment to ensure that deadlines set in the sign planning stage can be met and resources are not existence wasted.The final stage in the function of management is controlling, this stage is important in the establishment of performance standards and ensuring these standards are adhered too while also taking corrective actions against deviation. If for example deadlines are not being met the manager should investigate, if they this was due to haywire original estimates relating to the workload required, the manager could increase staffing for the particular p roject.Management has been described as a societal process involving responsibility for economical and effective planning & regulation of operation of an effort in the fulfilment of given purposes. It is a dynamic process consisting of various elements and activities. These activities are different from operative functions like marketing, finance, grease is palms etc. Rather these activities are common to each and every manger irrespective of his level or status.Different experts have classified functions of management. According toGeorge & Jerry, There are four fundamental functions of management i.e. planning, organizing, actuating and controlling.According to Henry Fayol, To manage is to forecast and plan, to bone up, to command, & to control. Whereas Luther Gullick has given a keyword POSDCORB where P stands for Planning, O for Organizing, S for Staffing, D for Directing, Co for Co-ordination, R for reporting & B for Budgeting. But the most widely accepted are functions of management given by KOONTZ and ODONNEL i.e.Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and Controlling. For theoretical purposes, it may be convenient to separate the function of management but practically these functions are overlapping in nature i.e. they are passing inseparable. Each function blends into the other & each affects the performance of others.1. PlanningIt is the basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future course of action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of actions for skill of pre-determined goals. According to KOONTZ, Planning is deciding in advance what to do, when to do & how to do. It bridges the gap from where we are & where we want to be. A plan is a future course of actions. It is an exercise in problem lick & decision making. Planning is determination of courses of action to achieve desired goals. Thus, planning is a systematic intellection about ways & means for accomplishment of pre-determined goals. Planning is ne cessary to ensure priggish utilization of human race & non-human resources. It is all pervasive, it is an intellectual activity and it also helps in avoiding confusion, uncertainties, risks, wastages etc.2. OrganizingIt is the process of bringing together physical, monetary and human resources and developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of governingal goals. According to Henry Fayol, To organize a business is to provide it with everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools, capital and personnels. To organize a business involves determining & providing human and non-human resources to the organisational structure. Organizing as a process involves* Identification of activities.* compartmentalisation of grouping of activities.* Assignment of duties.* Delegation of authority and creation of responsibility. *Coordinating authority and responsibility relationships.3. StaffingIt is the function of manning the organization structure and keeping it manned. Staffing has assumed greater importance in the recent years due to advancement of technology, increase in size of business, complexity of human behavior etc. The main purpose o staffing is to put right man on right job i.e. square pegs in square holes and orbitual pegs in round holes. According to Kootz & ODonell, Managerial function of staffing involves manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection, appraisal & development of personnel to fill the roles designed un the structure. Staffing involves * Manpower Planning (estimating man power in terms of searching, choose the person and giving the right place).* Recruitment, selection & placement.* Training & development.* Remuneration.* functioning appraisal.* Promotions & transfer.4. DirectingIt is that part of managerial function which actuates the organizational methods to work efficiently for achievement of organizational purposes. It is considered life-spark of the enterprise which sets i t in motion the action of people because planning, organizing and staffing are the mere preparations for doing the work. Direction is that inert-personnel aspect of management which deals outright with influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating sub-ordinate for the achievement of organizational goals. Direction has following elements* Supervision* Motivation* Leadership* CommunicationSupervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers. Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-ordinates with passion to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary incentives may be employ for this purpose. Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides and influences the work of subordinates in desired direction. Communications- is the process of passing information, pose, opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.5. ControllingIt implies measur ement of accomplishment against the standards and correction of deviation if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals. The purpose of controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in conformities with the standards. An efficient system of control helps to predict deviations before they very occur. According to Theo Haimann, Controlling is the process of checking whether or not proper progress is being made towards the objectives and goals and playing if necessary, to correct any deviation. According to Koontz & ODonell Controlling is the measurement & correction of performance activities of subordinates in order to make sure that the enterprise objectives and plans desired to obtain them as being accomplished. thence controlling has following steps* Establishment of standard performance.* Measurement of actual performance.* Comparison of actual performance with the standards and finding out deviation if any.* Corrective action.Management SkillsWhile a solid grasp of ma nagement functions is important management should also have a sound skill base, a report by Hays Group shows this is a weak area for most individuals in management and is one of the biggest threats to business success (Financial Advisor, 2007).These skills include but are not limited to technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills. technical skills are those necessary to accomplish or understand the specific work being done in an organisation, (Davidson et al, 2009. p.19).These technical skills are used mostly at the lower levels of management and are obtained through experience and training. An example of technical skills could be introducing and teaching a new accountant the accounting system used by the firm. Interpersonal skills focus on the ability to work with, motivate and communicate with other people (Hahn, 2007).This skill is very important for managers to create a strong relationship between two individuals and groups within the organisation (Dale, 2008, p.121) this will ensure that there is trust and respect between these parties, allowing tasks to be completed effectively and efficiently.The final core skill of management is conceptual thinking, this is the ability to consider a situation both abstractly and logically in order to come to the correct decision based on internal and external environments (Griffin, 2011. p.179). Globalisation has made this skill extremely important for managers (especially those in high-level positions), as they mustiness be able to break-down and analyse information to make immense decisions that potentially have a planetary impact.Management RolesThrough numerous managerial roles the skills discussed above are put into practice.Mitzbergs observations and research suggest that a mangers role can be split into ten roles and three categories interpersonal (management through people), informational (management through information) and decisional (management through action) (Daft and Marcic, 2010. p.17). Interper sonal roles naturally form an important part of being a manager and relate to activities involving other people. Some interpersonal tasks could involve being a figurehead and disquisition at important organisation ceremonies, motivating employees through leadership or serving as a liaison between different departments (Davidson et al, 2009. p.18).Informational roles are focused on the processing of information, this could include seeking out information while also analysing and monitoring for relevant changes that apply to the organisation, communicating information to your co-workers or being a spokesperson on behalf of the organisation (MindTools, 2011). Informational roles require quick and thorough processing of information and resilience to information overload.The final category is decisional which requires decisions to be made using the information provided. This could require developing precede ideas, serving as a mediator to resolve conflict, allocating resources within t he organisation and negotiating on the organisations behalf. A manager involved in a decisional role must have strong problem solving abilities, be able to prioritise and have good negotiation skills.Reference ListDaft, R. Marcic, D. Woods, 2010, Understanding Management, 7nd edition, Cengage Learning.Davidson, P. Simon, A. Woods, P & Griffin, R.W. 2009, Management Core concepts and applications, 2nd edition, Wiley, Brisbane.Expert Manage 2010, Four Functions of Management, viewed 23 fantastic 2011,http//www.expertmanage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view= name&id=122&Itemid=166Financial Adviser 2007, Middle managers are lacking skills, 22 February, p.1Griffin, R.W. 2011, Fundamentals of Management, Cengage Learning.Hahn, M. 2005, Management Skills, viewed 24 August 2011, http//en.articlesgratuits.com/management-skills-id1586.phpMind Tools 2009, Mintzbergs Management Roles, viewed 23 August 2011,http//www.mindtools.com/pages/article/management-roles.htmPakhare, J 2010, Managemen t Concepts The Four Functions of Management, Buzzle, viewed 22 August 2011,http//www.buzzle.com/articles/management-concepts-the-four-functions-of-management.htmlSelly, N 2009, How the four functions of management leads to business success, Helium, viewed 22 August 2011,http//www.helium.com/items/1586308-why-fayols-functions-of-management-can-avoid-failure-in-business-and-lead-to-business-success