The Four Functions of Management

Introduction

The Four Functions of Management

Every company is made up of a team of workers whose ultimate goal is to provide a product or skill that brings in revenue. A business cannot run unless the team runs properly and smoothly to get the job done. There are stages of managers and associates who operate within a company. But, none of these companies will be successful unless they follow the guidelines of management, which consist of four functions. The four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling and Wal-Mart utilizes each one in order to be successful and is one of the top retail stores world-wide.

The Four Functions of Management

Planning is specifying the goals to be achieved and deciding in advance the appropriate actions needed to achieve those goals. Planning activities include analyzing current situations, anticipating the future, determining objectives, deciding in what types of activities the company will engage, choosing corporate and business strategies, and determining the resources needed to achieve the organization's goals. Plans set the stage for action and for major achievements. (Bateman & Snell, 2009, Chapter 1, Managing). Planning is an important part of the daily routine of Wal-Mart managers and associates. The store manager usually does a walk through of the entire store with the assistant managers on duty to take notes and give feedback on what goals need to be done that day and in the near future. The assistant managers then assign the objectives or duties to customer service managers and zone managers, who then pass out the duties to associates and cashiers. Throughout the day there are meetings that every floor associate and manager discusses what has been accomplished and what needs to be accomplished and any problems that may have arose during the process and utilize organization.

Organizing is assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals. Organizing activities include attracting people to the organization, specifying job responsibilities, grouping jobs into work units, marshaling and allocating resources, and creating conditions so that people and things work together to achieve maximum success. (Bateman & Snell, 2009, Chapter 1, Managing). After the plan has been put into action the associates and managers alike have to carefully organize the duties into small components so that all the duties are accomplished within the day. Let one remember that Wal-Mart is based on customer service and providing quality and quantity in every aspect of the business. That being stated even though there are specific duties that each associate and manager must complete they must also assist the customers who shop. Each associate must organize their time wisely so that they can still accomplish what needs to be done and to help assist their customers as well. This means if an associate is working on a modular, section of products, stocking or re-organizing it and a customer needs help then, the duty is to the customer. The customer