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Functions of Management Paper Sharon D. Blaire University of Phoenix Management: Theory, Practice, and Application/ MGT 330 Charles H. Davis Jr December 15, 2008

Functions of Functions of Management Paper

Within every organization there are management concepts that are implemented in order to accomplish the vision, objectives, and goals. Planning, organizing, directing, and controlling are four essential functions of management. Every organization must follow these management concepts to build a successful company or maintain a flourishing business. Working for the Department of Vital Statistics for 10 years has shown me that these functions of management are the reason for the longevity of this organizations achievement through its commitment to public health. The foundation of all the functions of management is the planning phase. Planning involves managements efforts of evaluating where an organization is currently and where it would like to be in the future so that a course of action can be implemented in order to fulfill the companys goals and objectives. Issuing birth certificates to individuals and mothers of newborns is one of the tasks that I perform on a daily basis. A year ago the Department of Vital Statistics opened a satellite clinic at St. Josephs Hospital to make it convenient for moms to leave with a birth certificate when they are discharged from hospital. This service would be beneficial for the parents as well as the organization because it would eliminate travel time of having to go to another location to retrieve the certificate and it would increase revenue for the department. This concept took extensive planning from upper management, supervisors, director of the Department of Health and many other to make this operation successful. Due to the planning of this satellite clinic and the convenience to mothers who should only be thinking about their bundles of joy, a second satellite clinic will be opening March 2009 at Tampa General Hospital. The planning process is continuously ongoing and could affect an organization positively or negatively. In this case the outcome was extremely positive and other hospitals in the state of

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Florida are in the process of opening facilities such as St. Josephs Hospital to accommodate parents in the near future. The second function of management is organizing. Organizing of all resources must be implemented in order to determine the inner governmental structure, develop and maintain relationships, as well as distribute all necessary resources. Within my department each individual has an important role to contribute in making sure that birth and death certificates are issued in a timely manner, that each certificate is proofread before it is distributed to the public, and making sure that the department has supplies in order to perform our duties. Management is a pivotal element in coordinating staff tasks and disbursement of information in an organization. Organizing staff meetings to keep employees informed of any new developments from the corporate office, in-house trainings to help employees performing their jobs effectively, and establishing community outreach efforts in order to help keep the communities aware of the services that we provide are all elements of organizing that are required by members of management. Management has an obligation to direct their employees on achieving the organizations mission and goals as well as the goals of its staff members. These influences can be achieved by communication, motivation, and organizational leadership. Employees in any company need to feel appreciated whether its through monetary or non-monetary means. Within my organization there are numerous reward and incentive programs that are based on an employees job performance and toward the employees needs. Computer training classes, customer service classes, CPR classes, tuition reimbursement, and motivational classes are given to employees to help them advance themselves for future job opportunities. Research indicates that the type of recognition employees appreciate most is to be recognized by people they work directly with.

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78% of employees indicated that it was extremely important to be recognized by their managers when they do good work (Nelson 2004). If employees are motivated they generally go well above their job responsibilities, which in turn helps the company achieve its goals. Maintaining a productive working atmosphere require effective communication between employees as well as management. When management understands the communication process and makes improvement where needed, this will assist them in becoming more effective communicators. The purpose in recognizing employees for outstanding behavior or performance is that it leads directly to meeting the mission and successfully achieving strategic goals for an organization, division, or unit (Smith, 2006). The last of the four management functions is controlling. This function involves developing performance standards which are based on the organizations objectives and reporting as well as evaluating job performances. When management has performed these tasks they should be used to determine preventive as well as corrective actions. Being a manger sometimes require making tough decisions if its for the better of the company. In my present department I have not witness the action of an employee losing their job due to company cuts, but in previous organizations I have. These actions can be detrimental not only to the person who is affected by their job being terminated but to the supervisor who has to deliver this terrible news. These types of decisions are sometimes made beyond the control of management, for example it could be due to a budget issue or a lack of sales within a business. There are times when an employee is terminated due to lack of production; in a case such as this management must never lower the companys standards to solve a performance issue. The supervisor should address the employee with the problem and make a decision accordingly. Many companies have

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failed due to an employees lack of loyalty to an organization and the managers lack of control within the organization. For any management to be successful, the objectives and goals must be accomplished. In order to achieve this, resourceful problem solving of the four functions of management is required. A supervisor needs to be efficient as well as effective to be successful in any organization. Management has an obligation to fulfill the companys goals and objectives, but it must be done in a way that the cost of completion is practicable for the organization.

Functions of References Nelson, B., (January 2004). Everything you thought you knew about recognition is wrong. Workplace Management. Retrieved April 20, 2006 from http://www.workforce.com Smith, J. ( 2006). Key Performance Indicators. Health Care Registration: The Newsletter for Healthcare Registration Professionals, Vol.15, Issue 9, p 1-11, 7p. Retrieved March 14, 2007, from ProQuest database.

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