The functions of management uniquely describe managers' jobs. The most
commonly cited functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and
controlling, although some identify additional functions. The functions of
management define the process of management as distinct from accounting,
finance, marketing, and other business functions. These functions provide a
useful way of classifying information about management, and most basic
management texts since the 1950s have been organized around a functional
framework.
Increasingly, good practice points to
incorporating stakeholder engagement activities into a company’s environmental
and social management system. In practice this means making its management
systematic by integrating it with core business activities. To achieve this,
managers will need to identify critical points in the life of the project where
stakeholder engagement will be needed, and determine who will deliver these
actions and how they can be integrated with core business functions. This
involves trying to work out how best to deliver and integrate a number of
different aspects of engagement discussed in the previous sections, including:
·
Ongoing
stakeholder analysis and the assessment of stakeholder concerns from a “risk”
perspective
·
The hiring and
training of community liaison officers
·
Consultation
processes designed to meet the company’s own policies and/or compliance
requirements of lenders and regulators
·
Input and
suggestions received from stakeholders on project design and proposed
mitigation measures
·
Grievance
mechanisms that capture and respond to stakeholder concerns
·
The involvement of
local stakeholders in project monitoring
·
Reporting
information to stakeholders
Henri Fayol was the first person to identify elements or functions of
management in his classic 1916 book Administration Industrielle et
Generale. Fayol was the managing director of a large French
coal-mining firm and based his book largely on his experiences as a
practitioner of management. Fayol defined five functions, or elements of
management: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.
Fayol argued that these functions were universal, in the sense that all
managers performed them in the course of their jobs, whether the managers
worked in business, military, government, religious, or philanthropic
undertakings.
Fayol defined planning in terms of
forecasting future conditions, setting objectives, and developing means to attain
objectives. Fayol recognized that effective planning must also take into
account unexpected contingencies that might arise and did not advocate rigid
and inflexible plans. Fayol defined organizing as making provision for the
structuring of activities and relationships within the firm and also the
recruiting, evaluation, and training of personnel.
Management pioneers such as George Terry, Harold Koontz, Cyril O'Donnell,
and Ralph Davis all published management texts in the 1950s that defined
management as a process consisting of a set of interdependent functions.
Collectively, these and several other management experts became identified with
what came to be known as the process school of management.
According to the process school,
management is a distinct intellectual activity consisting of several functions.
The process theorists believe that all managers, regardless of their industry,
organization, or level of management, engage in the functions of management.
The process school of management became a dominant paradigm for studying
management and the functions of management became the most common way of
describing the nature of managerial work.
When hiring community liaison staff, consider
people who will be able to develop and maintain good working relationships with
the local communities. Since their job will involve listening and responding to
local concerns and suggestions, qualities to look for include:
■Good people and communication skills
■A good understanding of the local language and community/cultural
dynamics
■Open-mindedness and respect for the views of others
■A solution-oriented approach
■A high integrity/degree of trustworthiness
■A genuine commitment to the position and its goals
Conclusion
The management functions of planning,
organizing, leading, and controlling are widely considered to be the best means
of describing the manager's job as well as the best way to classify accumulated
knowledge about the study of management. Although there have been tremendous
changes in the environment faced by managers and the tools used by managers to
perform their roles, managers still perform these essential functions.
References
- http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/attachmentsbytitle/p_stakeholderengagement_partone_management/$file/partone_managementfunctions.pdf
Payment Management Function
https://www.acquisition.gov/appecontributors.doc
