c) Organizing
Similar to control, the organizing function is addressed through the gradual completion of four distinct processes: identification of activities, departmentally organizing the activities, classifying the authority and coordinating authority and responsibility. In the case of organizing the resources for instance, it would be necessary to identify the overall and departmental requirements. Then, the responsible people would be assigned and their tasks would be outlined.
Each of these actions requires several special skills. For instance, at the level of activities identification, the manager has to possess the ability to identify necessary activities and prioritize them. At the level of departmental organization of activities, there is the need for the ability to combine similar activities and form groups with them, but also the ability to divide groups and assign them to special departments.
Third, in terms of classifying the authority, the skills requirements refer to the ability to establish the levels of delegation and responsibility and assigning them the adequate power and authority. Finally, at the level of coordination of authority and responsibility, the required skill is that of the ability to balance authority and responsibility.
d) Planning
Finally, the planning function of management refers to the need of understanding the repercussions of the current actions and decisions. It often happens that the need for planning is only understood when damage is incurred. Planning is crucial for a manager and it also impacts the other functions. "The organizing, staffing, leading and controlling functions stem from the planning function. The manager is ready to organize and staff only after goals and plans to reach the goals are in place. Likewise, the leading function, influencing the behavior of people in the organization, depends on the goals to be achieved. Finally, in the controlling function, the determination of whether or not goals are being accomplished and standards met is based on the planning function. The planning function provides the goals and standards that drive the controlling function" (Erven, 1999).
In order for a managers to be able to complete these complex roles, they need to posses at least the ability to foresee the future based on past trends, as well as a wide array of strategic skills, such as the ability to comprehend various complexities, create and implement...
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