Directing and Leadership in Management

Directing and Leadership

• Directing and leadership are interconnected functions that guide and motivate employees to achieve organizational goals.

Directing (or Leading)

• Directing involves providing guidance, direction, and supervision to employees to ensure they work towards organizational goals.
• Key responsibilities of directing:
  • Communicating goals and expectations clearly
  • Setting priorities and allocating resources
  • Providing feedback and coaching
  • Monitoring progress and performance
  • Making decisions and taking actions
• The director sets the tone, establishes priorities, and defines the overall strategy for the team or organization.

Leadership

• Leadership is a broader concept that encompasses directing, as well as inspiring, motivating, and influencing others to achieve a common goal.
• Key responsibilities of leadership:
  • Building trust and credibility with employees
  • Developing a vision and strategy for the organization
  • Inspiring and motivating employees to work towards the vision
  • Encouraging teamwork and collaboration
  • Building a positive organizational culture
  • Fostering a sense of accountability and ownership

Key Differences between Directing and Leadership

• Directing focuses on the task at hand, while leadership focuses on the people involved.
• Directing is more about control and supervision, while leadership is about empowerment and influence.
• Directing is typically short-term focused, while leadership is long-term focused.

Controlling in Management

• Controlling is the process of assessing and modifying performance to ensure that the company's objectives and plans are met.
• It is the final role of management and becomes obsolete if other management functions are properly carried out.
• Controlling ensures that the proper actions are taken at the appropriate times.

The Control Process

• The control process involves careful collection of information about a system, process, person, or group of people.
• Managers set up control systems which consist of four key steps.
• The steps in the control process can be followed for almost any application, including improving product quality, reducing wastage, and increasing sales.

Measuring Performance

• Measuring performance against standards should be done on a forward-looking basis to discover and avoid deviations before they happen.
• Appraising actual or predicted performance is relatively simple if criteria are properly drawn and methods for determining what subordinates are doing are available.
• The actual performance of the employee is then measured against the set standards.

Determining Performance

• Determining if performance meets the standard is a simple but crucial step in the control process.
• It involves comparing the measured results to previously established norms.
• Managers may assume that "all is under control" if performance meets the benchmark.

Corrective Action Plan

• Developing and implementing a corrective action plan is essential if performance falls short of expectations.
• The plan may include a change in one or more of the organization's functions.

Types of Control

• There are five different types of control: Feedback Control, Concurrent Control, Predictive/Feedforward Control, Behavioral Control, and Financial and Non-Financial Controls.
• Feedback Control involves collecting information on a task and improvising it in the future.
• Concurrent Control investigates and corrects problems before losses arise.
• Predictive Control assists in early detection of problems and proactive efforts to avoid them.
• Behavioral Control is a direct assessment of managerial and staff decision-making.
• Financial and Non-Financial Controls refer to how a firm manages its costs and spending to stay within budgetary limits.

Features of Controlling

• Controlling helps in achieving organizational goals.
• It facilitates the optimum use of resources.
• Controlling judges the accuracy of the standard.
• It sets discipline and order.
• Controlling motivates employees and boosts their morale.
• It ensures future planning by revising set standards.
• Controlling minimizes the commission of errors.

Advantages of Controlling

• The Controlling Process saves time and energy.
• It allows managers to concentrate on important tasks and utilize managerial resources better.
• It assures timely and corrective action to be taken by the manager.
• However, controlling suffers from the disadvantage that the organization has no control over external factors that affect the organization.
• The controlling process can be a costly affair, especially for small companies.