Fayol’s Management Functions and Its Essay

Managers motivate employees, influence individuals or teams as they work, select the most effective communication channel or deal in any way with employee behaviour issues, they are leading. In controlling, ‘managers evaluate how well an organisation is achieving its goals and take action to maintain or improve performance’, (Waddell, Devin, Jones, George, 2008, p. 9). Controlling when handled well ensures that the overall direction of individuals and groups are consistent with the short and long term goals of the organisation. It also helps to maintain compliance with essential organisation rules and policies. Fayol (Fayol, 1949, p. 107) stated that controlling purpose was to ‘identify weaknesses and problems such that they can be rectified and reoccurrences prevented’. In identifying and addressing issues quickly the organisation can maintain its productivity whilst also maintaining an optimum work environment. The planning and controlling management functions are closely related, as the planning functions establishes goals, while the controlling function nsure that the goal is being worked towards by all parties involved. Fayol is seen by some as the founding father of management functions’ (Raymond E. Miles, Charles C. Snow, Alan D. Meyer and Henry J. Coleman, Jr. , 1978, p. 556). While some of his principle and functions are no longer appropriate, his core functions have been adapted to modern organisational management issues. Plan, lead, organise and control, may have ‘stood the test of time’ (fell, 2000, p. 345) due to their simplicity and malleability to change with demand for modern management thinking. These four principles may be seen as outdated, but his methods still work. If there is ‘good communication, understanding, unity, continuity, flexibility and precision’ (Fayol, 1945, p 137