4 Functions Of Management M. Annel Cuevas-Contreras Mgt 330 July 15, 2010 Dr. Charles Parker To operate a successful business organization or company one needs to have the basic principles of management. To plan, organize, lead and control an organization or company offers a solid foundation of whatever goals or objectives the executives may have. Today, companies are evolving and innovating everything that they have to become competitive in the world market. Any new technology will work better if there is a plan and leaders to control and direct it.
The success of companies today cannot be attributed just to technology itself but to the core fundamentals that make technology and their strategies happen. It is important within an organization that any of process of ideas, objective or goals be thoroughly structured to accomplish effectively their ideals. My husband and myself own a small business called Momentum Arts Academy. Momentum is an academy where children explore and develop their talents to build character, self-esteem and excellence.
We strive to give the children the latest in techniques without forgetting fundamental lessons but in order to deliver these things it is necessary for my husband and I to sit several days in meeting and plan ahead schedules, different resources for the children, flyers, brochures for parents. It is imperative for us to prevent a misunderstanding and anticipate possible situations defining clearly our objectives and processes involved for us to reach those objectives. As an administrator one has to have good knowledge of what customers expect from the organization. Planning allows one to provide customers with traight answers with a backup in writing. This gives certainty to the customers that they have made a good decision in pursuing ones business. Presenting a defined structured program and organization allows a wider and clear panorama of what is expected from customers and as an administrator one can organize better and more effectively following that traced path of plans as a guide. According to Thomas S. Bateman and Scott A. Snell To coordinate the plans requires teamwork, delegating responsibilities, allocating resources and creating conditions so people and things work together (pg. 2). Momentum works three main areas at the time: Administration, parents and students. Being a small business at the time allows the administration to pick up on mistakes fast. The parents are a vital part of that for they make suggestions or have questions that really make us think situations that have not been address that really need to. It is an important task to listen carefully and adapt our thoughts because they come from a perspective that as administrators sometimes cannot be seen.
The students are our main focus of attention due to that they are the ones soliciting and living the experience of learning through our methods. Having constant smiles in their faces during their classes is our thermometer of their learning experience. As the company grows we have made adjustments by asking volunteers to help with daily responsibilities allowing us to keep up with the workload that seemed to grow unexpectedly and maintain a happy environment throughout our workday.
The happy environment not only allows us to perform the jobs better but to lead the people around us in excellence in everything that implies running the business. Leading others to ones goals requires good communication skills and motivation. “ Leading involves close day to day contact with people, helping to guide and inspire them toward achieving team and organizational goals” (Bateman and Snell, 2009). It has not been hard to motivate the people around us.
Music and dance is the passion in the r hearts of my husband and I. It is easy for us to inspire others because we truly love what we do for kids, for our church and for the community. My husband has a God given gift to be grateful to those around him. Expressing our gratitude to those who support what we do is part of our lifestyle and that carries in to our work. The volunteers that help our organizational should feel appreciated and a vital part of our success.
The company is not at the point to have the Human Resources department but as soon it is possible it shall be done so that everybody feels taken care of, wanted, respected and heard. Planning and controlling don’t guarantee a successful business. In fact, one can have these factors in place and have trouble. Control is needed to compliment the first three areas of management. Some companies have had the basic three functions but because of a lack of control management BP confronted the explosion that killed 15 people due to lack of safety control.
It doesn’t matter how small or big an organization is control needs to be in place to prevent severe emergencies like the previous mentioned above. Momentum has only two operating rooms. We carry insurance through the renter’s coverage. We carry safety control before initiating classes inspecting possible hazards for children during class time. It may not be a lot at the time but is something that needs to be taken seriously in every business to rule out possible outcomes.
It may seem old fashion to think everyday situations and write them down in a notebook to prevent accidents, but it does not seem a bad idea when companies are being sued for basic things mentioned in the basic functions of management. To have the proper knowledge of the four functions of management should give everyone the strong foundation to every organization to operate in peace and success. Bibliography Bateman, Thomas S. and Snell, Scott A. (2009). Management: Leading and Collaborating in a Competitive World, Eighth edition; (1:12).
