Motivational theorist Henri Fayol ( 1841-1925) put forward the argument that management (in their daily routine) carry out five functions. These functions are
Planning,
Organising,
Commanding,
Co-ordinating and
Controlling.
Furthermore Fayol asserted that management can use fourteen Principles of Management to help them carry out their five functions. Let us look at each of the Functions and Principles of Management.
The diagram above illustrates Henri Fayol's Five Functions of Management
Fayol's Functions Of Management
Planning
Planning is a key management function; Managers should set team objectives and write action plans detailing how the team's objectives will be met. Read more about what is an action plan, the content of action plans and how to write Action Plans
Organising
After planning the next step is to organise the team and resources so that action plans can be implemented. Organising is focusing on the "how" to achieve objectives. Organising examples include:
Implement new training programme
Buy new uniforms
Order company vans
Commanding
Commanding is about instructing your team and ensuring that your team are motivated to complete the tasks that you (their manager) have set them. Fayol said that the following will enable managers to command their teams;
Knowing all about each member of their team
Dealing with incompetent team members
Being fully aware of the agreements between employees and the organisation for example employee contracts and Human Resources (HR) policies.
Carry out audits of the organisation and take remedial action to deal with unsatisfactory areas
Lead by example
Work together with other managers to achieve corporate and common goals
Co-ordinating
Put simply co-ordinating is about ensuring everything works well together, by having the right resources in the right place at the right time. Managers should co-ordinate team procedures and actions so that the objectives are achieved in an effective and efficient manner.
Controlling
Controlling as the name suggests is about controlling the team and resources so that the plan is implemented as planned and in accordance with the organisation's rules and procedures. Managers have to ensure that the organisation is on course to achieve targets. Controlling involves checking progress against management plans and taking remedial action to deal with under performance. However as circumstances can change controlling also involves amending plans when necessary and implementing Contingency Plans should a crisis occur.
Now that we've finished looking at Fayol's Functions of Management it's time to look at the Fourteen Principles of Management that will help managers complete the five functions.
