The five functions of management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The five functions of management - Essay Example The five functions of management This function enables the managers to distribute authority to individual job holders or other employees (Martin and Fellenz 1-75). Controlling can be seen as a four step process of establishing performance standards based on the company’s mission and objectives, measuring and reporting of actual performance, comparing the two and taking of other corrective or preventive actions that may be deemed necessary to solve a particular problem. The main purpose of controlling is to identify deviations from the objectives and taking corrective action (French, Rayner and Rees 12-25). Directing refers to the ability to influence people’s behavior through the motivation, communication, group dynamics, leadership and discipline. The aim of directing is to channel the behavior of all the personnel to accomplish the organization’s mission and objectives while at the same time helping them accomplish their own career objectives (French, Rayner and Rees 12-25). Staffing is fillin g and keeping filled with qualified people all the positions in the business. Some of the specific activities included in this function include recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating and compensating employees. In order to carry out this function properly a manger will liaise with the human resource department. The use of incentives has been seen as advantageous because they encourage and promote appropriate safe behavior among employees at the work place. It is a way that companies are able to demonstrate that they care for their employees and recognizes those who work safely. Secondly long term behavior can be changed through awareness and the provision of financial rewards for proper behavior and this will result in improved morale and reduced worker compensation costs. Third safety incentive programs reduce accidents at the work place as they encourage employees to work in safe conditions (Princhard). The disadvantages of safety incentive programs are that, first they do not o bligate any changes in the existing processes or procedures. Accidents are generally as a combination of some unsafe conditions and therefore by giving employees rewards they try to minimize accidents but the sane processes are still in existence. Incentives also ignore reasons such that they deflect attention from real issues and can disguise genuine deficiencies, flaws or safety management process within the organization. Third incentives are based on a wrong assumption that is unsafe acts. They assume that accidents are intentional acts and that these incentives will cause employees to stop behaving improperly which is wrong (Princhard). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is a theory of motivation that is used to explain the spectrum of human behavior. He proposed that motivation is a function of five basic needs – physiological, safety, love, esteem and self-actualization. He said that these categories are arranged in a hierarchy- that human needs emerge in a predictable stair-step fashion. When one need is satisfied another need up in the ladder emerges or is activated. The process continues until the need for self-actualization is activated (Harold Koontz 290-98). Physiological needs include the following: food, water, warmth, rest and shelter. Safety needs include the