Management and Managerial Styles

Management and managerial styles
Managers get things done by and delegating to other

people.
Traditional manager functions
It has become accepted over time that the main functions of managers – the ‘traditional
functions’ – are:
Planning – giving the business a direction for the future

Organising – the people and other resources needed
Directing – leading and motivating people in the organisation
Controlling – ensuring that the original plan is being followed.
These functions are explained in detail in the next section.
Different managers will approach problems and decisions in very different ways, but the key
functions or roles of management are common to all. These are effectively explained by
reference to two of the best-known management writers, Fayol and Mintzberg.
Fayol: the functions of management

Henri Fayol (1841–1925) was one of the first management theorists. He defined five
functions of management and these are still seen as relevant to businesses and other
organisations today.
These five functions are necessary to facilitate the management process. They focus on the
relationship between employees and managers.
1 Planning
All managers need to think ahead. Senior management will establish overall objectives and
these will be translated into tactical objectives for less senior managers. The planning needed
to put these objectives into effect is also important. For example, new production or
marketing objectives will require the planning and preparation of sufficient resources.
2 Organising resources to meet objectives
Employees need to be recruited carefully and encouraged, via delegation, to take some
authority and accept some accountability. Senior managers should ensure that the structure of
the business allows for a clear division of tasks. Each functional department, such as
marketing, is organised to allow employees to work towards the common objectives.
3 Commanding, directing and motivating employees
This means guiding, leading and overseeing employees to ensure that business objectives are
being met. Employee development will help motivate employees to use all of their abilities at
work. Managers should be capable of motivating a team and encouraging employees to show
initiative.
4 Coordinating activities
As businesses grow there is a greater need to ensure consistency and coordination between
different parts of the business. The goals of each branch, division, region and employee must
be welded together to achieve a common sense of purpose. At a practical level, this avoids
the situation where, for example, two divisions of the same company both spend money on
researching into the same new product, resulting in wasteful duplication of effort.
5 Controlling and measuring performance against targets
Establishing clear objectives for the business, and for each section within it, establishes
targets for all groups, divisions and individuals. It is management’s responsibility to appraise
performance against targets and to take action if underperformance occurs. It is just as
important to provide positive feedback when things go right.
ACTIVITY 12.1
Authority and responsibility
It is important to understand the relationship between authority and responsibility. Delegation

gives subordinates the authority to perform certain tasks. This means that they have the
power to undertake jobs and make decisions necessary for these jobs to be completed.
However, the overall responsibility for the work of each employee or department remains
with the manager. The manager delegates authority, but not responsibility. The manager must
take the ultimate blame for underperformance or mistakes within the department.
The thinking behind this important principle is that it is the manager who:
• selects the employee (or delegatee) to undertake the task
• allocates resources
• arranges training.
If any of these were the reasons for poor performance, then the manager should ultimately
take responsibility.
Accountability still exists with the employee, however. A worker cannot perform a delegated
task without believing that they will be held accountable for their actions. This ultimate
control over their work is achieved by:
• setting and agreeing targets
• regular appraisal
• monitoring of performance against targets.
Control and trust
Delegation involves a manager showing trust in a subordinate because less control will be
exercised over the employee’s work. Many managers do not like giving up control. Some
managers feel less important if they reduce control over workers. They may not want to take
any risks by giving up control. These managers do not make good delegators. There is a
conflict between showing trust in a worker and controlling the worker’s efforts. Effective
delegation means slowly releasing management control in order to show more trust. This trust
allows the worker to gain a greater sense of achievement when the work is done well.
A modern development of delegation is called empowerment. This approach not only

delegates tasks and authority to individuals and groups but also allows them to decide on the
best method to complete the job.
This gives even more chance for employees to show initiative and creativity (Herzberg’s
motivators).
However, it requires an even greater level of trust from managers as there is even less direct
control over the work being carried out.

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Management and managerial styles

Managers get things done by and delegating to other

Traditional manager functions

Planning – giving the business a direction for the future

These functions are explained in detail in the next section.

Fayol: the functions of management

2 Organising resources to meet objectives

3 Commanding, directing and motivating employees

5 Controlling and measuring performance against targets

Authority and responsibility

It is important to understand the relationship between authority and responsibility. Delegation

Control and trust

A modern development of delegation is called empowerment. This approach not only

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