Four Functions Of Management

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The Four Functions of Management Abstract This paper will introduce the four functions of management and how they are both independent and dependent at the same time. Beginning with the history of management theory created by people like Henri Fayol and Mary Parker Follett and how management theory has evolved to the four major functions of effective corporate management. The Four Functions of Management One hypothesis of the classical theory of management is “the relationship between employees and management is defined by means of formal structured communication process, defined tasks, defined accountability, and formalized procedures and practices to avoid any conflict in their relationship.” (Almashaqba & Nemer Al-Qeed, 2010, p. 60) This one statement epitomizes the four functions of management. History of Management Theory In the early 1900s, Henri Fayol defined “five elements (and 15 principles) of administrative management: planning, organizing, co-coordinating, commanding, and controlling” (Andrews, 2004, p. 6). In the 1930s Luther Gulick modified these elements to include staffing, reporting, and budgeting. In the 1930s, James Mooney and Alan Reiley completed their own study and developed 4 principles: co-ordination, scalar, functional, and staff (Andrews). Finally, the realization came about that management needed to be more human focused, “leading rather than commanding” (Andrews, p. 6). Political scientist, Mary Parker Follet, urged managers to educate themselves by learning from their own experiences. She regarded managers to be the key element to integrate the parts of a business into a whole. Management functions continue to evolve through the 1970s to where the four functions contained 19 separate activities (Andrews). However, the foundation of management, even in our every changing business climate, is always the four essential

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