1.

Planning

It is the basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future

course of action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of
actions for achievement of pre-determined goals. According to KOONTZ,
Planning is deciding in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It
bridges the gap from where we are & where we want to be. A plan is a
future course of actions. It is an exercise in problem solving & decision
making. Planning is determination of courses of action to achieve desired
goals. Thus, planning is a systematic thinking about ways & means for
accomplishment of pre-determined goals. Planning is necessary to ensure
proper utilization of human & non-human resources. It is all pervasive, it is
an intellectual activity and it also helps in avoiding confusion, uncertainties,
risks, wastages etc.
2. Organizing
It is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human resources
and developing productive relationship amongst them for achievement of
organizational goals. According to Henry Fayol, To organize a business is
to provide it with everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools,
capital and personnels. To organize a business involves determining &
 providing human and non-human resources to the organizational structure.
Organizing as a process involves:

Identification of activities.
Classification of grouping of activities.
Assignment of duties.
Delegation of authority and creation of responsibility.
Coordinating authority and responsibility relationships.
3. Staffing

It is the function of manning the organization structure and keeping it

manned. Staffing has assumed greater importance in the recent years due to
advancement of technology, increase in size of business, complexity of
human behavior etc. The main purpose o staffing is to put right man on right
job i.e. square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes.
According to Kootz & ODonell, Managerial function of staffing involves
manning the organization structure through proper and effective selection,
appraisal & development of personnel to fill the roles designed un the
structure. Staffing involves:

Manpower Planning (estimating man power in terms of searching,

choose the person and giving the right place).
Recruitment, Selection & Placement.
Training & Development.
Remuneration.
Performance Appraisal.
Promotions & Transfer.
4. Directing

It is that part of managerial function which actuates the organizational

methods to work efficiently for achievement of organizational purposes. It is
considered life-spark of the enterprise which sets it in motion the action of
people because planning, organizing and staffing are the mere preparations
for doing the work. Direction is that inert-personnel aspect of management
which deals directly with influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating sub-
ordinate for the achievement of organizational goals. Direction has
following elements:

Supervision
Motivation
Leadership
 Communication

Supervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their superiors.

It is the act of watching & directing work & workers.
Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-ordinates
with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-monetary incentives
may be used for this purpose.
Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides and
influences the work of subordinates in desired direction.
Communications- is the process of passing information, experience,
opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of understanding.
5. Controlling
It implies measurement of accomplishment against the standards and
correction of deviation if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals.
The purpose of controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in
conformities with the standards. An efficient system of control helps to
predict deviations before they actually occur. According to Theo Haimann,
Controlling is the process of checking whether or not proper progress is
being made towards the objectives and goals and acting if necessary, to
correct any deviation. According to Koontz & ODonell Controlling is the
measurement & correction of performance activities of subordinates in order
to make sure that the enterprise objectives and plans desired to obtain them
as being accomplished. Therefore controlling has following steps:

a. Establishment of standard performance.

b. Measurement of actual performance.
c. Comparison of actual performance with the standards and finding out
deviation if any.
d. Corrective action.

Definition: POSDCORB
POSDCORB is an acronym which means Planning, Organizing, Staffing,
Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting which was first coined in a
paper on administrative management that was written for the Brownlow
Committee by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick. POSDCORB can be used as a
systematic framework for efficiently executing business processes in a company or
by an individual.

Steps of POSDCORB
This essentially refers to the various steps or stages involved in a typical
administrative process. POSDCORB can be explained in detail below:
1. Planning: This essentially refers to establishing a broad sketch of the work to be
completed and the procedures incorporated to implement them.
2. Organizing: Organizing involves formally classifying, defining and
synchronizing the various sub-processes or subdivisions of the work to be done.
3. Staffing: This involves recruiting and selecting the right candidates for the job
and facilitating their orientation and training while maintaining a favorable work
environment.
4. Directing: This entails decision making and delegating structured instructions
and orders to execute them.
5. Coordinating: This basically refers to orchestrating(organize) and interlinking
the various components of the work.
6. Reporting: Reporting involves regularly updating the superior about the
progress or the work-related activities. The information dissemination can be
through records or inspection.
7. Budgeting: Budgeting involves all the activities that under Auditing,
Accounting, Fiscal Planning and Control.
The above image shows the various stages of POSDCORB

Importance of POSDCORB
Every business needs to have systematic framework in ensuring there is maximum
output, minimum wastage and higher margins. POSDCORB is one such method in
management where workforce and employees can be managed in a way which
would be beneficial for a company. This concept helps organizations to break
down the work into multiple processes and help in getting maximum value out to
each employee. These steps and stages of POSDCORB help the HR team to
deliver to the needs of a company.

Example of POSDCORB
Consider a multinational starting an exercise involving a good number of
employees in the workforce. As per POSDCORB, the planning stage would be
doing the thorough research about the number of people needed, team size, work
type etc. Organizing and staffing stages would be the HR department making a list
of people i.e. supervisors and subordinates who would could execute this role. One
this is done, as per POSDCORB directing would be giving instructions and
ensuring implementation of the plan as per the requirement. To ensure a better
two-way communication, coordinating plays a pivotal role. Once all this done, the
different ways of reporting are done which ensures accountability and
responsibility of the team. Finally, the budget to be allocated is studied. In this
way, POSDCORB can be used for better management

Mintzberg's Management Roles

Identifying the Roles Managers Play
For instance, as well as leading your team, you might find yourself resolving a
conflict, negotiating new contracts, representing your department at a board
meeting, or approving a request for a new computer system.

Put simply, you're constantly switching roles as tasks, situations, and

expectations change. Management expert and professor Henry Mintzberg
recognized this, and he argued that there are ten primary roles or behaviors
that can be used to categorize a manager's different functions.

Category Roles

Figurehead
Leader
Interpersonal Liaison

Monitor
Disseminator
Informational Spokesperson

Entrepreneur
Disturbance Handler
Resource Allocator
Decisional Negotiator
Interpersonal Category
The managerial roles in this category involve providing information and
ideas.
1. Figurehead As a manager, you have social, ceremonial and legal
responsibilities. You're expected to be a source of inspiration. People look up
to you as a person with authority, and as a figurehead.
2. Leader This is where you provide leadership for your team, your
department or perhaps your entire organization; and it's where you manage
the performance and responsibilities of everyone in the group.
3. Liaison Managers must communicate with internal and external contacts.
You need to be able to network effectively on behalf of your organization.

Informational Category
The managerial roles in this category involve processing information.
4. Monitor In this role, you regularly seek out information related to your
organization and industry, looking for relevant changes in the environment.
You also monitor your team, in terms of both their productivity, and their
well-being.
1. Disseminator This is where you communicate potentially useful
information to your colleagues and your team.
2. Spokesperson Managers represent and speak for their organization. In this
role you're responsible for transmitting information about your organization
and its goals to the people outside it.

Decisional Category
The managerial roles in this category involve using information.
7. Entrepreneur As a manager, you create and control change within the
organization. This means solving problems, generating new ideas, and
implementing them.
8. Disturbance Handler When an organization or team hits an unexpected
roadblock, it's the manager who must take charge. You also need to help
mediate disputes within it.
9. Resource Allocator You'll also need to determine where organizational
resources are best applied. This involves allocating funding, as well as
assigning staff and other organizational resources.
10.Negotiator You may be needed to take part in, and direct, important
negotiations within your team, department, or organization.