Operations in the Military and the Navy Planning in Military and Navy

Leading and Organizing in Military and Navy

Staffing in Military and navy

Controlling

Every organization needs proper planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling are aspects that are critical for the success of any organization. The aspects and principles of management are applicable to every organization. Proper planning is the first step to accomplishing any objective and as the saying goes "a project properly planned is half done." Therefore the aspect of planning is very important. Following the planning, the peripheral activities like organizing, leading, controlling and staffing are done. However these are done with respect to the master plan so that the aims and objectives of the organization for which the plan is made is achieved (Hartmann, 2012).

In this aspect in this paper we would try and understand how the managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading, controlling and staffing are done and are useful to the military and the navy.

Planning in Military and Navy

Planning for any project is a very fundamental part of management -- even if that management is in the military and the navy. It is often referred to as the first of the managerial functions. All other functions such as organizing, leading, controlling and staffing are considered marginal functions and planning is considered to be the most fundamental of the functions. Organizations are made to prepare for tomorrow today through proper planning. Planning is made keeping in mind the goals and objectives that the organization wants to achieve and the means and resources that it has to accomplish the objectives.

In any organization, it is the role of the managers to do the planning for all sorts of things which the organization perceives could happen in the near or even in the distant future. Such happenings can take place within or outside the organization. Such planning can be with the objective of increasing sales or service or simply the efficiency or for any other aspect of the organization. Based on an organization's goals, division goals, departmental goals and team goals, planning can be a continuous, specialized as well as a dynamic process (Hartmann, 2012).

In the military or the navy, planning can be for many scenarios. While in combat situation, leaders can make plans for specific actions and combat situations keeping in mind the resources that are available and the ultimate aim of that plan. In military operations the plan can either be of an aggressive or restrictive nature. Commanders would have to make plans for the aims and objectives that are usually set out by an overall plan that is developed someone in a higher position. The ultimate aims and objectives are formulated by the government and the commanders and captain in the military and the navy have to make plans and for the short-term and for specific and smaller objects, all of which are part of the larger objective that is preset.

For the military and the navy planning means looking ahead and chalking out future course of action that the subordinates would be required to follow. Such planning is done with respect to the resources available at hand and as well as keeping in mind the possibility of addition of new resources in the near future. It is often seen that the plans in military and navy leave scope for changes and alterations in the plan according to situations in a manner similar to that of business organizations.

Planning is a preparatory step and comprises of several smaller parts that come one after the other. These are establishment of objectives, establishment of planning premises or the assumptions about the likely shape of events in future, choice of alternative course of action or flexibility of the plan, formulation of derivative plans or sub-plans or secondary plans which help in the achievement of main plan, securing co-operation from the individuals who are part of the plan and the follow up and appraisal of plans.

Leading and Organizing in Military and Navy

Following the planning stage, the next function of management is organizing. In this stage, organizing is referred to the synchronization and combination of the resources that include human, physical and financial resources. The resources are critical to achieve desired results or objectives. Definition of the role positions, the related jobs and the co-ordination between authority and responsibility in the entire plan forms part of the organization stage (Drucker & Maciariello, 2008).

The steps that are involved in the organizing stage are identification of activities which means the identification of the activities that are to be performed. In the military or navy, it relate to preparing and...

Delegation of duties and responsibilities and the departmentally organizing of the activities where the manager or the commander tries to combine and group similar and related activities into units and departments is the next step. Classifying the authority and the co-ordination between authority and responsibility are the next two steps.
Closely related to the aspect of organizing is the aspect of leadership and leading. After delegation of duties and grouping of similar activities, it is essential that each of the group activities be properly coordinated both within the group as well as with the other groups and departments. To achieve this, every group has to have an efficient leader apart from the manager or the commander in military or navy. Therefore the role of leadership and a leader is critical and essential for achievement of the goals and objectives that were set at the beginning of the planning stage (Drucker & Maciariello, 2008).

Staffing in Military and navy

The manning the organization structure by the way of proper and effective selection, appraisal and development of the personnel is another managerial function that follows the stage of organization and leadership selection. The aim of staffing is to fulfill the gaps and the vacancies that are identified and recognized as a part of the planning process. Every planning process has some objectives to be achieved and certain resources that are required to fulfill the achievement. Therefore in case of shortage of resources, especially human resources, organizations need to conduct staff management. This could mean reorganizing and shifting of personnel from one position or role to another and to bring in new personnel to do a job or to undertake a responsibility. The functions of staffing include recruitment, selection, development and compensation of subordinates (Heneman & Judge, 2006).

Along with planning, organizing, directing and controlling, the staffing function is one of the most important managerial act. This is a function that is carried out in all organization of all natures to achieve the goals and objectives. The process of staffing is a continuous activity as the function is carried out throughout the life of an organization.

Staffing is one of the most important aspects of planning in the military because their aim is concerned with maintenance of peace. Therefore any plan -- whether a plan of aggression or a peace keeping plan, requires adequate manpower which can be achieved through proper and foresight-full staffing. Staffing also requires effective management of human resources and creation of a system that has a proper procedure. Staffing also involves allied activities like placement, training and development, providing remuneration, etc.

Controlling

Controlling the execution of a plan is another important aspect of management where leaders ensure that the actions are undertaken in conformities with the plans adopted, instructions issued and the established principles. The efficient and effective utilization of organizational resources is made possible through controlling which helps in achievement of the goals and targets set in the plan. Controlling also helps to identify and measure any deviation of the actual performance from the actual pan (Robbins & Coulter, 2005).

In the military and navy, controlling is very critical as there are lives at stake. The controlling aspect in the armed forces is very stringent and every personnel is expected to do his/her duty according to the leader's instruction. Deviation from the plan is strictly dealt with. Such control is generally established through periodic reviews and assessment of progress and corrections in the actions are made whenever felt necessary by the leader. The aim of control is to facilitate co-ordination between the various departments and groups involved in the plan and the achievement of the goals and objectives of the plan.

Conclusion

The study above has made it clear that planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling are the major aspects of management that are applicable to every organization. Planning is the most important of the aspects and helps in defining aims and objectives. Efficient leading and organizing of resources available the delegations of adequate distribution of resources is also a critical step in achieving the plan's goals. .staffing fills the gaps in human resources necessary for the fulfillment of the plan. To best utilize the resources at hand, it is critical that proper control over the entire actions being undertaken for the achievement of the plan be done.

All these aspects are also critical and applied for in proper managing in military and navy. In…