Management: Nature & Functions

Definition of Management

  • Management is described as a PROCESS that integrates Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling (POLC) of various RESOURCES in order to accomplish clearly defined OBJECTIVES.

  • Emphasizes the dynamic and continuous nature of managerial work rather than a one-time action.

Main Aspects of Management

  • Process

    • The sequential and cyclical set of activities represented by POLC.

  • Resources

    • Anything—tangible or intangible—required to carry out activities (people, money, materials/machines, time, information, technology, land, buildings, etc.).

  • Objectives

    • The desired outcomes toward which resources and processes are directed.

Management as a PROCESS (POLC)

  • P – Planning: deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who will do it.

  • O – Organizing: gathering and allocating resources and prioritizing tasks for effective and efficient use.

  • L – Leading: influencing, directing, coordinating, communicating, and motivating people.

  • C – Controlling: monitoring, evaluating, and correcting performance to ensure objectives are met.

Resources in Management

  • People: employees, volunteers, partners, specialists.

  • Money: budgets, cash, credit lines, investments.

  • Materials / Machines / Equipment: raw inputs, tools, technology.

  • Time: scheduling, deadlines, time-on-task.

  • Extended list: land, buildings, information & communication systems.

  • Resource misuse (even if low-cost) signals mismanagement and environmental irresponsibility.

Objectives

  • Must be SMART:

    • SS – Specific

    • MM – Measurable

    • AA – Attainable

    • RR – Realistic

    • TT – Time-bound

  • Clear objectives are the starting point of all other managerial actions.

Perspectives in Management

  • Investment Perspective: focuses on expected economic return or material benefit.

  • Ethical Perspective: evaluates moral rightness or wrongness of objectives or methods.

  • Individual Fulfillment Perspective: addresses employee needs and capability development.

  • Mainstream Perspective: traditional, materialist, individualistic; stresses profitability, productivity, competitiveness.

  • Multistream Perspective: balances multiple forms of well-being for multiple stakeholders; highlights CSR, dignity of work, fairness, participation.

Detailed Exploration of Each Management Process

1. Planning

  • Defined as “the process of identifying the objectives … and the corresponding activities to achieve those objectives” (Schermerhorn, 2011).

  • Core questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How will we get there?

Work Plan

  • A concise, visual planning tool—often a table—containing:

    1. Objectives

    2. Corresponding activities

    3. Persons responsible

    4. Time frame / schedule

    5. Resources needed

  • Template (typical column headings): Objectives | Activities | Persons Responsible | Time Frame | Resources Required

Illustrative Work Plans

  • Nutrition Month Celebration (July 25)

    • Objective: conduct cooking & slogan-poster competitions.

    • Activities: inform judges, notify students, list ingredient rules.

    • Persons Responsible: Ciara (President), Alynna (Senator), Christine, Devonne, Danica, Roxanne.

    • Time Frame: July 20 for judge notice; July 20 for student notice.

    • Resources: tables, chairs, six 1/4 illustration boards, oil pastels/crayons, black markers.

  • Intramurals 2025 (Santo Rosario School)

    • Objectives: celebrate 4-day sports fest.

    • Activities: Mr. & Ms. Intramural prep, gym coordination, awards/tokens, area cleaning & decorating, mass preparation, sound checks, final program distribution.

    • Time Frames: Sept 11–12, 13–14, 15–16, 16 AM/PM, 19–20 (gym).

    • Resources: municipality permit, school sports equipment, funds, chaplain approval, sound system.

    • Persons Responsible: SSC & class officers (Grades 11–12), maintenance, campus ministry, John Loyd.

2. Organizing

  • Gathering resources and allocating them for effective and efficient execution.

  • Requires answering WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHEN of resource acquisition.

  • Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

    • Effective: “doing the right things” (accomplishing desired outcomes).

    • Efficient: “doing things right” (minimal resource waste / optimal process).

Comparative Example

  • Company A – Campus visits, on-site exams → Effective (finds good talent).

  • Company B – E-mail blast, social-media call, online tests → Effective & Efficient (broader reach, lower cost, faster turnaround).

Entrepreneur Scenario

  • Start-up sourcing Agta handicrafts (Apayao): researches suppliers, contact methods, transport logistics to organize the venture before launch.

3. Leading

  • Involves:

    • Influencing people to behave as desired.

    • Directing efforts toward objectives.

    • Coordinating activity implementation.

    • Communicating across groups.

    • Motivating individuals to perform at their best.

  • Central to aligning human behavior with organizational goals.

4. Controlling

  • Continuous monitoring & evaluation against the plan.

  • Steps:

    1. Identify variance (gap between planned vs. actual quantity/quality).

    2. Determine root causes of problems.

    3. Correct problems.

    4. Prevent recurrence.

    5. Seek improvements for future cycles.

Ethical and Environmental Considerations

  • Wasting resources (even inexpensive ones) is unethical and environmentally harmful.

  • Multistream & Ethical perspectives remind managers to factor social responsibility, fairness, and stakeholder well-being into decisions.

Practical Implications & Performance Task

  • Performance Task Prompt: As a future manager, design a business, seek partnerships, and persuade partners to agree—demonstrating mastery of Organizing & Controlling processes via a video presentation.

  • Key success factors for the task:

    • Show resource alignment (Organizing).

    • Present monitoring mechanisms (Controlling).

    • Address both investment and ethical considerations.

    • Articulate SMART objectives and stakeholder benefits.

Connections to Foundational Principles

  • POLC echoes classical management theory yet adapts to modern multi-perspective approaches.

  • The SMART framework synthesizes goal-setting theory and project-management best practices.

  • Efficiency vs. effectiveness dichotomy bridges Taylor’s scientific management with contemporary lean methodologies.

  • Multistream perspective aligns with current CSR, sustainability, and stakeholder capitalism discourses.