Classification of management functions: definition of the concept, essence and functions

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Management is a complex and multifaceted process. Why is it needed and what is its essence? Let's talk about the concept and classification of management functions, consider approaches to this problem and characterize the main functions.

The concept of management

In general terms, the constant and purposeful process of the subject's influence on the object is called control. Objects can be people, groups, organizations, production and other processes, mechanisms, devices. Synonyms for this term are the words "lead", "guide".

In management, management is understood as a goal-setting, thoughtful, regulating and organizing impact on the social life of people. It can be carried out directly or through specially organized structures, bodies. These intermediaries include the state, political parties, organizational structures of enterprises.

The main tasks of management are the rational organization of work, ensuring the consistency and unity of actions of all subjects of the production process, organizing a uniform distribution of the load betweenemployees. Managers of different levels take part in management, they are subjects, and performers are the objects.

From the middle of the 20th century, along with the term "management", the English-language name of the designated activity - management - began to be used. The same word is also called the science that studies the features of management in the sphere of production. It substantiates the basic principles and features of management, and develops various classifications of management functions. Scientific understanding of the specifics of management as a process in the sphere of production has led to the emergence of several main management schools, and in each of them the purpose, goals and objectives of management were understood differently.

Control functions

Classification of management types and their functions is created in order to characterize the essence of this process in the most voluminous way. The set of allocated functions determines different types of management activities. Experts say that there is control over technology, processes in living systems, social processes, people, organizations. In the case of the latter, four main functions are traditionally distinguished: activity planning, organization of the enterprise’s work process, personnel motivation and monitoring of personnel performance. However, in the management of such a complex system as the state, a different set of functions is allocated.

Governance

This viewmanagement has a distinct identity. These include:

• powerful, executive-administrative nature of this activity;
• management is carried out on the basis of laws, therefore it has a subordinate character;
• in public administration, horizontal and vertical links are distinguished, which makes it similar to enterprise management;
• this type of management is provided by a system of guarantees;
• there are legal and non-legal forms of this type of management.

In accordance with these features, a classification of public administration functions is built, it distinguishes the following types:

• Socio-economic. Their implementation is associated with ensuring the economic stability of well-being, building a system of economic relations that ensure the stability of the state system.
• Political. These functions are connected with the regulation of the political situation in the country, with the formation of interaction between various political forces, public organizations, and the public.
• Securities. The performance of these functions is associated with guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of all political forces in the state, improving the work of state structures.
• Organizational and legal. These functions are aimed at the formation of an effective legal system in the state, to control the implementation of laws and the observance of the rights of all residents of the country, public organizations.

Controlorganization

Unlike the management of the state system, the management of an organization is built on other grounds. He is a professional management of production processes, whose tasks include formulating a development strategy, setting goals in the field of economic success of the enterprise. The main methods of organization management are economic instruments.

The head of the organization tries to build the activities of the enterprise in such a way that it receives maximum profit. To do this, he strives to increase productivity and improve product quality. Also, the manager must constantly take care of the competitiveness of his organization, the formation of advantages in the market. All this leads to the constant performance by the manager of the specific functions of managing the organization. The classification of management functions in the sphere of production differs significantly from those that are distinguished in the sphere of public administration.

A. Fayol's approach

The most convincing classification of management functions in management was developed by a specialist in management theory, the author of the concept of the administrative school of management, Henri Fayol. He identifies five main management functions:

• Forecasting or planning. As part of this function, the manager sets goals, develops strategies for the development of the organization, draws up long-term plans for various periods of the life of the enterprise, predicts economic indicators based on an analysis of the marketsituation.
• Organization of the enterprise. This function involves providing production with the necessary resources.
• Administrative. This function instructs the manager to give instructions to his subordinates, to delegate part of the authority to subordinate employees. This function is related to the manager's power, which he is vested with within his powers.
• Coordination. The manager must ensure the coordinated activities of various structural divisions of the enterprise, establish relationships within the organization and with third-party companies.
• Control. An important, final function, within which the manager must monitor the implementation of plans, the correctness of spending resources.

Fayol's approach appeared 100 years ago, and therefore later management theorists tried to rethink it, resulting in other classifications of management functions.

Special and general control functions

Many classifications of management functions divide them into several groups, in some ways agreeing with Fayol, in some ways continuing it. In the traditional approach, general and special (or they are also called specific) management functions are distinguished. The first are characteristic of any organization: commercial, public, state. Within any system, they can be found. The classification of general management functions goes back to the ideas of A. Fayol and includes: planning, organization, motivation and control. These functions always exist in a complex, and failure to perform any of them leads todecrease in the efficiency of the organization.

And special functions include supplying the organization with material and technical resources, providing personnel, transport, marketing activities, innovation, social development. These functions are not inherent in every organization and are performed as needed.

Author's classifications

Management functions are often tried to be divided into types and for other reasons. Thus, the American researcher L. Gyulik discovers 7 varieties of management functions, some of which echo Fayol's point of view: planning, organization, coordination and control, while others do not: work with personnel, operational management, reporting.

The classification of information according to the management function used in management and economics follows from these representations, it is divided into planned, forecast, regulatory, design and technological, reporting, accounting and financial accounting. These types of information are reflected in documents, the creation of which is one of the manager's functions.

There are also classifications by K. Killen, G. Kunz and S. Donnell, M. Fauel, there is also a Russian classification. But all the main classifications of management functions use the Fayol approach as a basis, with minor modifications. This can be explained by the fact that he was able to identify the most essential functions. There is also a classification of management functions, in which the main and auxiliary functions are distinguished. The first are those that help achieve the goals of the organization: planning, organization, current management.and control. And the auxiliary ones are designed to facilitate the path to the goal - this is forecasting and motivation.

Planning

The very first function of management - planning, is associated with the development of an organization's development strategy, with setting goals and developing tactical action plans. It is necessary to ensure that resources are spent rationally. Planning and goal setting are based on research and situation analysis. Organization plans can vary in time: long-term and short-term, as well as in areas: economic, logistical, marketing.

Organization

Any classification of management functions in one wording or another calls the organization among the most important. It is associated with building the organizational structure of the enterprise, optimizing and rationalizing the production process, and providing the company with the necessary resources. This function is necessary in order to create favorable conditions for the implementation of plans.

Motivation

Researchers, considering the essence and classification of management functions, often leave motivation aside. Meanwhile, today it is one of the most important and most difficult tasks facing the manager. It must create special conditions for performers to work with high productivity and take care of the quality of products. The manager must build a system of stimulation and motivation that would encourage employeeswork better, develop, improve your competence and professionalism.

Performing this function requires the manager to have knowledge of human psychology and the ability to use the tools of material and non-material incentives for employees.

Control

The final among the main functions of management is to control the progress of the production process. This function is one of the most important, since its implementation allows you to avoid or correct deviations of the results from the goals outlined in the plans in time. Control is carried out in the form of various checks, reports and accounting. The results of control are closely related to the incentive system for employees. Often the concept and classification of management functions are synonymous with control. This function is a kind of feedback form with managed objects. The execution of control is associated with the powers vested in the leader, so it does not cause a negative reaction from the performers.