Before considering the basic functions of management, it is worth revealing the very concept of a management function. First of all, it is worth noting that the organization’s management is a rather complicated process, which includes various types of management activities. All the main functions of management are closely interconnected, forming an integrated system aimed at achieving certain goals. All the main management functions are distinguished by specific techniques and methods. Consider what types of management activities make up the general concept of the main functions of management:
The basic, starting function of management is planning. The activities of a company or firm necessarily begin with a plan. For the sake of completeness, it’s not enough just to list the management functions, their characteristics will help to more deeply reveal the issue under study. Thanks to planning, the goals and priority directions of the company’s development are determined, and a program of necessary actions aimed at achieving them is drawn up.
It is customary to divide planning by type: long-term, covering a period of time of at least 3 and up to 5 years; medium-term - at least a year; short-term - within a calendar year.
Experienced managers apply all types of planning. The manager’s professionalism lies in perspective thinking combined with practical actions, as well as in the ability to set goals. Result-oriented management is nothing more than goal- oriented management, combining planning and control.
Thus, while analyzing such a concept of a management function as planning, we closely came into contact with the control function, which is an observation of how efficiently the organization achieves its goals, as well as, if necessary, correcting deviations. Monitoring allows you to timely identify and correct emerging problems before they become irreversible. Moreover, control serves as a kind of link connecting all the management functions, their characteristics will be presented below.
No less significant is such a management function as an organization. It includes both organizational design and the organization of the work process.
In the process of organizational design, the whole company is divided into blocks in the most important areas allocated to achieve the organization's goals. Here, the powers of various posts and their relations are established.
The organization of the process is designed to ensure the normal functioning and interaction of various departments of the company in achieving its goals.
The organizational structure is formed in the process of organizational design, so this is nothing more than the rules that are developed by managers for the effective distribution of responsibilities and division of labor. Organizational structure allows for the transition from plans to actions.
Another management function is motivation, which is a process of stimulating company employees to activities strictly aimed at achieving its goals. Motivation, as a managerial activity uses the following levers of influence on the team: moral and economic stimulation.
Stimulation refers to the use of various stimuli to motivate people. In this case, the theory of motivation used by the manager can be broken down as follows:
Theories of the motivation process, revealing the dynamics of the interaction of different motives;
Theories of the content of motivation, revealing and analyzing factors of motivation.