Directing Process in Management PDF

Directing Process in Management Dr. Juanito C. Leabres Jr. What Is Directing? A process in which the managers instruct, guide and oversee the performance of the workers to achieve predetermined goals. Directing is said to be the heart of management process. Planning, organizing, staffing...

Directing Process in Management Dr. Juanito C. Leabres Jr. What Is Directing? A process in which the managers instruct, guide and oversee the performance of the workers to achieve predetermined goals. Directing is said to be the heart of management process. Planning, organizing, staffing have got no importance if direction function does not take place. Directing initiates action and it is from here actual work starts. Direction is said to be consisting of human factors. Directing is the function of guiding, inspiring, overseeing and instructing people towards accomplishment of organizational goals. Characteristics of Directing 1.Pervasive Function - Directing is required at all levels of organization. Every manager provides guidance and inspiration to his subordinates. 2.Continuous Activity - Direction is a continuous activity as it continuous throughout the life of organization. 3.Human Factor - Directing function is related to subordinates and therefore it is related to human factor. Since human factor is complex and behaviour is unpredictable, direction function becomes important. 4.Creative Activity - Direction function helps in converting plans into performance. Without this function, people become inactive and physical resources are meaningless. 5.Executive Function - Direction function is carried out by all managers and executives at all levels throughout the working of an enterprise, a subordinate receives instructions from his superior only. 6.Delegate Function - Direction is supposed to be a function dealing with human beings. Human behaviour is unpredictable by nature and conditioning the people’s behaviour towards the goals of the enterprise is what the executive does in this function. Therefore, it is termed as having delicacy in it to tackle human behaviour. Benefits of Directing 1.It Initiates Actions - Directions is the function which is the starting point of the work performance of subordinates. It is from this function the action takes place, subordinates understand their jobs and do according to the instructions laid. Whatever are plans laid, can be implemented only once the actual work starts. It is there that direction becomes beneficial. 2.It Ingrates Efforts - Through direction, the superiors can guide, inspire and instruct the subordinates to work. For this, efforts of every individual towards accomplishment of goals are required. It is through direction the efforts of every department can be related and integrated with others. This can be done through persuasive leadership and effective communication. Integration of efforts bring effectiveness and stability in a concern. 3.Means of Motivation - Direction function helps in achievement of goals. A manager makes use of the element of motivation here to improve the performances of subordinates. This can be done by providing incentives or compensation, whether monetary or non - monetary, which serves as a “Morale booster” to the subordinates Motivation is also helpful for the subordinates to give the best of their abilities which ultimately helps in growth. 4.It Provides Stability - Stability and balance in concern becomes very important for long term sun survival in the market. This can be brought upon by the managers with the help of four tools or elements of direction function - judicious blend of persuasive leadership, effective communication, strict supervision and efficient motivation. Stability is very important since that is an index of growth of an enterprise. Therefore a manager can use of all the four traits in him so that performance standards can be maintained. 5.Coping up with the changes - It is a human behaviour that human beings show resistance to change. Adaptability with changing environment helps in sustaining planned growth and becoming a market leader. It is directing function which is of use to meet with changes in environment, both internal as external. Effective communication helps in coping up with the changes. It is the role of manager here to communicate the nature and contents of changes very clearly to the subordinates. This helps in clarifications, easy adaptions and smooth running of an enterprise. 6.Efficient Utilization of Resources - Direction finance helps in clarifying the role of every subordinate towards his work. The resources can be utilized properly only when less of wastages, duplication of efforts, overlapping of performances, etc. doesn’t take place. Through direction, the role of subordinates become clear as manager makes use of his supervisory, the guidance, the instructions and motivation skill to inspire the subordinates. This helps in maximum possible utilization of resources of men, machine, materials and money which helps in reducing costs and increasing profits. Elements of Direction 1. Issuing Orders and Instructions to Subordinates The first and foremost element of direction is to issue orders and instructions which are considered an essential step in the process of directing subordinates. An order is a fundamental tool for getting things done. Therefore, the orders and instructions reflect managerial decisions and initiate action on the part of subordinates. Orders may be general or specific, formal or informal, written or oral. Thus an order should serve the following characteristics: a. The order should be clear and complete. b. It should be reasonable and attainable. c.The order must be in tune with the various other objectives of the organization and also for the interests of the subordinates. d. All order should follow the chain of command. e. Face-to-face suggestions are preferable to long distance orders. 2. Supervision in an overall manner 3. Motivating Subordinates 4. Providing Leadership 5. Communicating with Subordinates 6. Maintaining discipline and Rewarding Effective People direction organization Supervision Supervisor has got an important role to play in factory management. Supervision means overseeing the subordinates at work at the factory level. The supervisor is a part of the management team and he holds the designation of first line managers. He is a person who has to perform many functions which helps in achieving productivity. Therefore, supervisor can be called as the only manager who has an important role at execution level. There are certain philosophers who call supervisors as workers. There are yet some more philosophers who call them as managers. But actually he should be called as a manager or operative manager. His primary job is to manage the workers at operative level of management. Roles of a Supervisor 1.As a Planner - A supervisor has to plan the daily work schedules in the factory. At the same time he has to divide the work to various workers according to their abilities. 2.As a Manager - It is righty said that a supervisor is a part of the management team of an enterprise. He is, in fact, an operative manager. 3.As a Guide and Leader - A factory supervisor leads the workers by guiding them the way of perform their daily tasks. In fact, he plays a role of an inspirer by telling them. 4. As a Mediator - A Supervisor is called a linking pin between management and workers. He is the spokesperson of management as well as worker. 5.As an Inspector - An important role of supervisor is to enforce discipline in the factory. For this, the work includes checking progress of work against the time schedule, recording the work performances at regular intervals and reporting the deviations if any from those. He can also frame rules and regulations which have to be followed by workers during their work. 6.As a Counselor - A supervisor plays the role of a counselor to the worker’s problem. He has to perform this role in order to build good relations and co- operation from workers. This can be done not only by listening to the grievances but also handling the grievances and satisfying the workers. Functions of a Supervisor 1. Planning and Organizing - Supervisor’s basic role is to plan the daily work schedule of the workers by guiding them the nature of their work and also dividing the work amongst the workers according to their interests, aptitudes, skills and interests. 2. Provision of working conditions - A supervisor plays an important role in the physical setting of the factory and in arranging the physical resources at right place. This involves providing proper sitting place, ventilation, lighting, water facilities etc. to workers. His main responsibility is here to provide healthy and hygienic condition to the workers. 3. Leadership and Guidance - A supervisor is the leader of workers under him. He leads the workers and influences them to work their best. He also guides the workers by fixing production targets and by providing them instruction and guidelines to achieve those targets. 4.Motivation - A supervisor plays an important role by providing different incentives to workers to perform better. There are different monetary and non- monetary incentives which can inspire the workers to work better. 5. Controlling - Controlling is an important function performed by supervisor. This will involve a. Recording the actual performance against the time schedule. b. Checking of progress of work. c. Finding out deviations if any and making solutions d. If not independently solved, reporting it to top management. 6.Linking Pin - A supervisor proves to be a linking pin between management and workers. He communicates the policies of management to workers also passes instructions to them on behalf of management. On the other hand, he has a close contact with the workers and therefore can interact the problems, complaints, suggestions, etc to the management. In this way, he communicates workers problems and brings it to the notice of management. 7.Grievance Handling - The supervisor can handle the grievances of the workers effectively for this he has to do the following things :- 1. He can be in direct touch with workers. 2. By winning the confidence of the workers by solving their problems. 3. By taking worker problems on humanitarian grounds. 4. If he cannot tackle it independently, he can take the help and advice of management to solve it. 8.Reporting - A supervisor has got an important role to report about the cost, quality and any such output which can be responsible for increasing productivity. Factors like cost, output, performance, quality, etc can be reported continually to the management. 9. Introducing new work methods - The supervisor here has to be conscious about the environment of market and competition present. Therefore he can innovate the techniques of production. He can shift the workers into fresh schedules whenever possible. He can also try this best to keep on changing and improving to the physical environment around the workers. This will result in 1. Higher productivity, 2. High Morale of Workers, 3. Satisfying working condition, 4. Improving human relations, 5. Higher Profits, and 6. High Stability 10. Enforcing Discipline - A supervisor can undertake many steps to maintain discipline in the concern by regulating checks and measures, strictness in orders and instructions, keeping an account of general discipline of factory, implementing penalties and punishments for the indiscipline workers. All these above steps help in improving the overall