Management Functions Quiz

The Functions of Management

• The four basic functions of management are planning, organising, leading/directing, and controlling.
• Planning is the central function of management, involving choosing tasks to attain organisational goals, outlining how tasks must be performed, and indicating when they should be performed.
• The outcome of planning is strategy, a course of action specifying the resources required to achieve specific objectives.
• Planning involves deciding what to do, when to do it, and how to do it, and decision making is part of the planning process.
• Organising is the process of establishing orderly uses for all resources within the management system, ensuring that the necessary human and physical resources are available to carry out a plan and achieve organisational goals.
• The outcome of organising is the organisation structure, which establishes authority and reporting relationships, divides work, designs jobs, and establishes methods of performing a job.
• Leading/directing involves influencing others to achieve organisational goals, energising, directing, persuading others, and creating a vision.
• Controlling involves comparing actual performance to a predetermined standard, establishing standards of performance, measuring current performance, comparing it against the established standards, and taking measures to correct performance that does not meet those standards.

Management Roles

• Henry Mintzberg identifies three main roles managers perform: interpersonal, informational, and decisional roles.
• Interpersonal role arises directly from a manager's formal authority, involving interpersonal relationships.
• Figurehead role involves representing the organisation at ceremonial and symbolic functions.
• Leadership role involves directing and coordinating the activities of subordinates to accomplish organisational goals.
• Liaison role involves dealing with members of a board of directors and people outside the organisation, seeking support from people who can affect the organisation's success.
• Informational roles include monitor, disseminator, and spokesman.
• Monitor role involves looking out for information, receiving, and screening information.
• Disseminator role involves sharing information with subordinates and other members of the organisation.
• Spokesman role involves transmitting information to others, especially those outside the organisation, as the official position of the company.
• Decisional roles include entrepreneurial, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator.
• Entrepreneurial role involves designing and initiating planned change in order to improve the organisation's position.
• Disturbance handler role involves handling unexpected events or disturbances that affect the organisation.
• Resource allocator role involves allocating resources to achieve organisational goals.
• Negotiator role involves negotiating with other parties to achieve organisational goals.