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Organizing is one of the prominent functions of management. The success or failure of an organization depends on how efficient and perfect the organizational structure have when it comes to assigning human resources, managing working relationships, and organizing the enterprise task. In this article, in detail we will learn about what is organizing in management, its meaning and different definition given by different authors, the importance of organizing, the objective of organizing, and most importantly the principle of organizing.

► What is Organizing in Management?

Organizing is one of the five important functions of management. Oganizationing as a function of management deals with developing and maintaining the organizational structure and ensuring the effective allocation of human resources in order to accomplish the organization’s goals.

◉ Organizing Meaning in Management

Organizing is a basic and crucial function of management that synchronize and combine the human, physical and financial resources, implement the plan by clarifying organizational objectives, grouping different activities, assigning role and responsibility, and ensuring a positive working environment.

Organizing simply means the arrangement of all the organizational activities to ensure the proper functioning of the organization. It is one of the important functions of management after planning.

◉ Definition of Organizing in Management

Following are some popular definitions of organizing:

“Organising is the establishment of authority relationships with provisions for coordination between them, both vertically and horizontally in the enterprise structure”. – Koontz and O ‘Donnell

“Organising is the process of identifying and grouping the work to be performed, defining and delegating the responsibility and authority and establishing a pattern of relationship for the purpose of enabling people to work most effectively to accomplish the objective”. – Louis A. Allen

“Organising is the process of defining and grouping the activities of the enterprise and establishing authority relationships among them” – Theo Haimman

“Organising is the process of identifying and grouping the work to be performed, defining and delegating responsibility and authority, and establishing relationships for the purpose of enabling people to work most effectively together in accomplishing objectives”. – Louis Allen

“To organize a business is to provide it with everything useful to its functioning: raw materials, machines and tools, capital and personnel”. – Henry Fayol

► Need and Importance of Organizing

• Facilitate specialization
• Ensure effective administration
• Cluster(group) similar jobs into units
• Ensure better coordination between employees and different department
• Help in the adoption to change and technology
• Define the individual role and responsibility
• Define the authority of a manager
• Optimum use of human resource
• Facilitate growth and development
• Aids productivity and job satisfaction
• Establishes effective channels of communication
• Help in the division of work
• Development of personnel

► Objectives of Organizing in Management

The important objective of organizing functions are:

• It helps to achieve organizational goals and objectives
• It ensures the optimum utilization of resources
• It ensures an effective organizational structure
• It facilitates the other function management such as planning, staffing, directing, and control
• It facilitates the growth and diversification

► Process of Organizing

Following are the step in the process of organizing the function of management-

• Identification and division of work
• Departmentalization
• Assignment of duties
• Establishing report relationship

Also Read : What is Staffing?

► Principles of Organizing

The organizing principles which are mostly used by organizations are

• Principle of unity of objective
• Principle of  work specialization
• Scalar chain principle
• Principle of the division of work
• Principle of chain in command
• Span of control
• Scalar chain

✔ Principle of Unity of Objective

The principle of unity of objective is crucial for an organization’s success, therefore organization clearly define its goals and objective at all organizational level, in each department, and even in each position.

If there is any ambiguity related to organizational goals and objective existing at various level of the organization, then the organization never accomplish its aim.

✔ Principle of Work Specialization

According to the work specialization principle, the organization’s tasks are divided into separate jobs so that each employee is trained to do a specific task in a more efficient and effective manner. If an employee performs a specific job it becomes an expert.

✔ Span of Control Organizing in Management

The span of control principle means how many numbers of employees or subordinates a manager or senior can effectively supervise.

A number of spans of control depend on the nature of work, the capabilities of both managers and workers, and the degree of automation that exists in the organization.

✔ Delegation of Authority

The principle of  delegation of authority means that the organization should delegate authority at all levels of the organization in such a way that

✔ Scalar Chain Principle Organizng in Management

The scalar chain principle is also known as the chain of command principle. It tells us about the well-established hierarchy of the organization from top to bottom level. It makes it clear who will report to whom which is very important for effective communication and decision-making.

✔ Principle of Unity of command

The principle of unity of command means that each subordinate should have only one boss and only this boss and he or she should follow.

✔ Principle of Coordination

The coordination among various departments for different activities is very crucial for achieving the organization’s aim. If there is a lack or absence of coordination it leads to chaos and contradiction of objectives.

✔ Principle of Scalar Chain 

The principle of the scalar chain suggests an unbroken line of authority from the top level to the lowest level of an organization. It is very important for information to flow from top to bottom level.

Motivation plays a central role in the performance of an employee and an organization. In this article, we will learn about what is motivation, what is the process of motivation and its step.

Every organization requires human resources to perform its task if employees are motivated they are always looking for a better way to complete the task and they are more quality orientated.

► What is Motivation? (Process)

Motivation in simple terms may be defined as the set of forces that cause people to behave in a certain way that drives them toward goals willingly without any force.

Motivation is a driving force that intensifies the hard work of an individual and helps him to remove the boredom of regular tasks and drives an individual to do something creative or think out of the box.

◉ Motivation Meaning

The word Motivation is derived from the Latin word “Mover” which means “To move” or ” To drive forward”.

As we all know that motivation is a process that begins with a physiological or psychological need that drives an individual behavior toward a particular aim or goal.

◉ Definition of Motivation

Motivation can be defined as the result of the sum of internal and external factors that drive an individual to willingly and persistently pursue his work.

Motivation definition by Famous Authors

“Motivation is a process whereby needs instigate behavior directed towards the goals that can satisfy those needs.” – Joe Kelly

“Motivation means a process of stimulating people to action to accomplish the desired goals.” – W. G. Scot

“Motivation is defined as the performance of an activity because it is perceived to be instrumental in achieving valued outcomes” – Teo, Lim, & Lai, 1999

“Motivation is defined as the power that triggers action that follows” – Cheng & Cheng 2012

“Motivation can be defined as everything that drives and sustains human behavior” – Gard, 2001

“Motivation may be defined as the degree to which individuals commit effort to achieve goals that they perceive as being meaningful and worthwhile”

“Motivation can be defined as the desire to achieve some goal.” – Hays, & Hill, 2001

“Motivation is generally viewed as a process through which an individual’s needs and desires are set in motion” – Rakes, & Dunn, 2010

“Motivation is the process whereby goal‐directed activity is instigated and sustained” – Pintrich, & Schunk, 1996

Also Read : Theory X and Theory Y of Motivation

► Types of Motivation

Generally, motivation is of two types

• Intrinsic motivation
• Extrinsic motivation

◉ Intrinsic Motivation

An individual is motivated to do some task or activity because an individual has a personal interest, fun, and enjoyment and it satisfies basic psychological needs competence, and relatedness.

For Example – Reading books for increasing knowledge and fun.

◉ Extrinsic Motivation

An individual feel motivated by some task or activity in order to get an external reward such as money, fame, power, and a higher position.

For Example – A salesman wants to achieve his target so that he gets the incentive.

► Process of Motivation

1. Identify the unsatisfied need and motivation
2. Tension
3. Drives
4. Search behavior
5. Satisfied need
6. Reduction of tension

✔ 1. Unsatisfied Need Process of Motivation

The first stage of the motivation process is when there is an unsatisfied need in a human being. This unsatisfied need may be a psychological, physiological, or social need in nature.

✔ 2. Tension

Due to the presence of unsatisfied needs person feels the tension or stress that decreases his individual performance level

✔ 3. Drive Process of Motivation

This tension creates a strong feeling for action that drives human beings and he starts looking for various alternatives to satisfy their need.

✔ 4. Search Behavior

After searching for the best alternative that satisfies the human need, the human being starts behaving according to the options adopted by him to satisfy his need.

✔ 5. Satisfied Need

After behaving in a particular manner for a certain time the individual examines whether his need is satisfied by the chosen option or not.

✔ 6. Reduction of Tension

When a human being’s need gets fulfilled then his tension gets reduced and he feels motivated and more focused that definitely increases his performance.

Motivating the employee is look like a simple task but it is very difficult because employees join organizations with different needs and expectations.

Each employee has their own values, beliefs, attitude, background, lifestyles, and perceptions so it becomes very challenging for managers or employers to find out ways of motivating such a diverse workforce.

A leader’s effectiveness depends on several factors including employee motivation and environmental or situational. In this article, we will in detail explain about what is the path-goal theory of leadership, what are its components, and the different leadership styles given by Robert J House.

Leaders always face difficulty in managing the employee’s personal goals and organizational goals.

Hence, a complete understanding of the path-goal theory helps the manager to identify or adopt the best leadership style which is suited to the situation and helps in increasing motivation or enhancing the performance level of their team members or employees.

► What is the Path-Goal Theory of Leadership?

• The path-goal theory of leadership is given by Robert J House in 1971.
• It is a situational theory created by integrating the Vroom expectancy theory of motivation and Ohio state leadership theory.

Robert House’s theory propounded the relationship between leadership styles and situation and this theory help the leader choose the best leadership style according to the situation demand.

• According to path-goal theory is that the leader’s job is to allocate resources, clarify goals to the subordinate and create a work environment that clears the path for achieving their goal.

An effective leader is one who creates an effective goal orientation and also improves the path toward goals for the employee.

The major component of the path-goal theory is

• Leader Behavior or leadership style
• Followers Characteristics
• Task Characteristics

Also Read : Vroom Expectancy Theory

► Types of Leadership style in Path-Goal Theory

Robert house identifies the 4 types of leadership styles that depend on the different situations.

• Directive Leadership Style
• Supportive Leadership Style
• Participative Leadership Style
• Achievement-oriented Leadership Style

✔ 1. Directive Leadership Style

In the directive approach of leadership style, a task is considered ambiguous so a leader provides guidelines or information, and tell subordinate what is their task, how to do it, and what is expected from them the leader also sets performance standards for subordinates.

This type of leadership style is best for new or inexperienced subordinates and the manager role is very important in a situation he works as a facilitator or coach.

✔ 2. Supportive Leadership Style

In this leadership style, the leader is very friendly and approachable to subordinates. Under this style displays personal concern for the needs, welfare, and well-being of his subordinate and he treated them like a family.

The supportive style is more successful when the task is stressful and employees need psychological or emotional support so can easily complete their task. This style is the same as people-oriented leadership.

✔ 3. Participative Leadership Style

In this leadership style, the leader believes in group decision-making and he consults and shares information with subordinates. This style is mostly used for the nonrepetitive task so the participation of subordinates become very vital.

Leader collaborates with their subordinates when decisions are important for work or task goals and require active participation from all subordinate to accomplish the task.

✔ 4. Achievement-oriented Leadership Style

In this leadership style, the leader intentionally sets challenging goals in order to encourage employees to reach their peak performance and display their capabilities and motivation.

This kind of leadership style is more suitable for ambiguous and non-repetitive tasks.

The leader expects employees have enough ability and confidence to accomplish challenging goals that were set by the leader.

Job satisfaction refers to how well a job provides fulfillment of a need or want of the employee, or how well it serves as a source or means of employment. In this article, we will learn what is job satisfaction, what is its meaning, the different definitions given by the different authors, and the factors affecting it.

Job satisfaction is a term used to measure how individuals feel positively or negatively about their jobs. In current businesses, employees spend a significant amount time of their time at the workplace, so it is very important for organizations to ensure a good working environment so that employees love their job and feel satisfied with their job.

If an employee feels satisfied with the nature and content of the job then he definitely feels happy and has higher productivity and motivation.

► What is Job Satisfaction?

Job satisfaction is defined as the level to which an employee feels self-motivated, self-satisfaction, self-happiness, and contentedness with their job.

Job satisfaction refers to the positive attitude or sense of pride that an employee holds about his or her job.

◉ Job Satisfaction Meaning

• As the famous saying goes “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”
• In simple words, job satisfaction refers to, the positive emotional state a person exerts when a person feels that his or her job is fulfilling his all needs and wants.

If a person is dissatisfied with his or her job, not only he or she is wasting his valuable time or efforts to pursue this job but also he or she is considered a burden to the organization.

◉ Definition of Job Satisfaction given by various Authors

Job satisfaction is “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences” – Edwin A. Locke (1976)

“Job satisfaction is an employee’s judgment of how well his job has satisfied his various needs”. – Adam Smith

Job S is a set of emotions that one feels about one’s job. – Robbins (2005)

“Job satisfaction is a feeling or affective response to facets of the situation.” – Smith, Kendall, and Hulin (1969)

Job S is defined as those feelings caused by the difference between what is expected from the job and what is actually experienced and compares this difference to alternative jobs. – Smith (1969)

Job S is the extent to which workers are happy with their jobs. – Agho, Mueller, and Price (1993)

► Importance of Job Satis-faction

Job S is very important for organizations because of these reasons.

• It ensures higher productivity
• Low employee turnover
• Increase the organization’s corporate image and earn goodwill
• Decrease in absenteeism
• High satisfaction decreases the employee stress level
• Improve work-life balance
• Increased customer satisfaction
• Ensure higher revenue
• Attract talented workforce
• Provide competitive advantage

Also Read : Process of Motivation

► Determinants of Job Satis-faction

The important determinants of Job S. are;

1. Organizational Determinants
2. Personal Factors

✔ 1. Organizational Determinants

• Level of supervision
• working condition
• Workload and stress level
• Job security
• Salary and wages
• Chances of growth and development
• Fringe benefits
• Reward and recognition
• Relationship with co-workers
• Employer and employees relationship
• work-life balance
• Level of autonomy employees have

✔ 2. Personal Factor

• Age
• Sex
• Education level
• Interest and hobby

► Factors affecting Job Satis-faction

• Nature of work
• Organization hierarchy
• Opportunities for growth and promotion
• Job Characteristics
• Leadership style of the manager
• Level of decentralization
• Level of employee participation in decision making
• Relation between employer or employee
• Coworker relation
• Challenges
• Organization mission and objective
• Remuneration
• Job security
• Worklife balance
• Traning and development
• Employee attitude toward the job
• Work pressure

► Theories of Job Satisfaction

There are several theories that help in understanding, evaluating, and measuring of job satis-faction of employees.

1. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

2.Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

3. Adam’s Equity Theory

4. Vroom Expectancy Theory 

The goal-setting theory of motivation helps us in understand how individuals feel motivated by setting well-defined or SMART goals, getting constructive feedback from superiors, and how goal setting is directly linked to improved performance, increased output, increased commitment, and positive organizational culture.

The accomplishment of goals is a very crucial factor to determine the motivation level of an individual, goals provide a path or direction to an employee about what needs to be done and how much effort is required to be put in.

In this article, we will discuss comprehensively the concept of goal setting theory of motivation and its principles, Smart goals, examples, and importance.

► What is the Goal Setting Theory of Motivation?

The goal-setting theory was proposed by Edwin Locke in the late 1960s.

The goal-setting theory of motivation advocates that the goals of an individual or group are directly linked to task performance and goals provide direction to workers about what needs to be accomplished by them.

The difficult goals have greater motivating factors than easy and general goals.

This theory also focuses on how specific and challenging goals along with appropriate feedback from superiors contribute to enhancing the task performance of employees and boosting their motivation level.

► Principles of the goal-setting theory

According to Locke’s goal-setting theory, there are five main principles.

1. Clarity
2. Challenge
3. Commitment
4. Feedback
5. Task Complexity

✔ Clarity

Goals should be clear and specific. If goals are clear and specific then relate to higher performance in completion and reduce the chance of misunderstanding. When employees understand project objectives and deadlines, there is much less risk of misunderstandings.

✔ Challenge

Goals should be set as challenging to keep employees motivated, and focused and put more effort while performing the tasks so he or they can achieve each goal. If an organization or manager set too tedious or easy goals for an employee that have a demotivating effect on the employee’s behavior it results in less achievement satisfaction.

✔ Commitment

If an individual is committed to the achievement of goals then they will not leave it before achieving it. If an employee is committed to the goal, then he or she understands, supports, and definitely enjoys the process of achieving the goal.

✔ Feedback

Feedback is a vital part of the goal-setting theory. Employees should receive regular feedback from their superiors or mentors so that they stay on track to reach the goal.

✔ Task Complexity

It means the degree of complicated actions needed to be required by the performer to accomplish the task. Complex or demanding task push harder to reach the goals.

► Steps in Implementation of Goal-setting Theory

The steps that help in the implementation of the goal-setting theory in the workplace are given below and these steps include:

1. Decide the purpose of the goal
2. Communicate with the employee
3. Develop a plan using the SMART model
4. Allocate the required resources
5. Provide regular feedback

✔ 1. Decide the Purpose of the Goal

The first step of the implementation process is to decide what is the purpose goal and what is organization aim to achieve after the completion of goals. The purpose goal should be clear and specific to both management and employees.

✔ 2. Communicate with the Employee

After deciding the purpose of the goal, the organization should communicate with employee’s ask for their opinion about the goal. This step is very crucial for employees to participate in the setting of their goals and understands their roles and responsibilities in terms of accomplishing the goal.

✔ 3. Develop a Plan using the SMART Goal

The organization used the SMART model for setting and accomplishing goals. A SMART is carefully planned and has trackable objectives. A SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Aggressive, Realistic, and Time-bound.

SMART Goals meaning in a detailed manner explained below.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Aggressive
• Realistic
• Time-bound

Specific- means that the goal should be well-defined, clear, and unambiguous.

Example – Instead of saying the goal is to increase sales, the manager should set a specific goal, such as increasing sales by 15% over the financial year.

Measurable – It means measuring employee progress toward the accomplishment of the goal.

Achievable – Goals should be fairly challenging and attainable. The goals being set are slightly higher than an employee’s skill set so he or she keeps pushing hard to achieve the goal.

Realistic – It means that goal should be reachable and relevant to both employee and management objectives.

Time-bound- Goals should have a clear timeline in which they need to be reached. It is important to create a sense of urgency.

✔ 4. Allocate the Required Resources

The organization should provide all required resources, equipment, time, and information needed by employees to accomplish the goal. It ensures the faster, more effective, and more efficient completion of tasks.

✔ 5. Provide Regular Feedback

It is the duty of superiors or managers to meet with the employee on a regular basis to check their progress, review their action plan, discuss the results achieved and provide constructive feedback that helps the employee to improve.

► Importance of Goal-setting Theory

• This theory highlights the importance of the willingness of employees to work towards the accomplishment of goals is considered the biggest source of job motivation.
• This theory built the relationship between goals difficulty and motivational level.
• It helps in formulating the goals that push harder for employees to achieve them.
• It helps in the creation of SMART goals which lead to greater output and better performance.
• Goals should be specific, clear, realistic, and challenging.
• Goals should have a deadline for completion which help in avoiding misunderstanding and trackability of goal.
• It advocates the concept that the more challenging the goal, the greater the reward, and the attainment of the goal gives an individual a feeling of pride and triumph.
• This theory advocates the importance of feedback in directing employee behavior, making clarifications and regulating goal difficulties, and ensure to higher employee performance.
• It helps employees to work with more involvement and leads to greater job satisfaction.
• Participation of employees in goal setting makes the goal more acceptable and develops a sense of belongingness leads among the employees.

Also Read :Process of Motivation

Other Theories of Motivation

• Vroom Expectancy Theory 
• Path Goal Theory of Motivation 
• Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation
• Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation
• Theory X Theory Y by Douglas McGregor

Theory of motivation help in finding the factors and situation that affect the motivation of employees. It assists the manager to find the best reward for the individual that they need. In this article, we will discuss one of the motivation theories that is Adam,s equity theory of motivation.

► What is the Equity Theory of Motivation?

The equity theory of motivation was given by John Stacey Adams in 1963.

Equity theory is a process theory of motivation. It is also known as social comparison theory and inequality theory.

According to this theory, employees feel highly motivated in the workplace when each employee is treated relatively fairly and equally like others. When an employee works for an organization he or she provides service in exchange for monetary and nonmonetary benefits.

Important terms in equity theory of motivation –

• Person – A individual who wants of finding an inequity and an equality
• Comparison with others – Any group or individual used as a reference to compare inputs and outputs
• Inputs – the things that an individual bring in a job with them, such as –  age, job efforts, experience, knowledge, Technical skill, communication skill, interpersonal skill, training and etc.
• Outcomes – the things that an individual receive, such as – salary, performance, fringe benefits, job security, status symbols, responsibility, recognition, challenging job assignment, etc.

Also Read : Theory X and Theroy Y of Motivation

While comparing her Inputs and outcomes with coworker inputs and outcomes, employees find three kinds of relationship

1. Equality
2. Negative inequity
3. Positive inequity

✔ An equitable situation

Here employees feel satisfied that the ratio of their outcome and input is equal to their coworker’s outcome and input ratio and they try to continue generating the same level of outcome.

✔ A negative inequality

Here employee feels dissatisfied because their outcome and input ratio is greater than the coworker outcome and input ratio and they try to reduce their input or leave the organization.

✔ A positive inequality

Here employee feels that he needs to do hard work or improve his performance because his ratio of outcome and input is lower than others.

Equity theory proposes that motivation in an individual is developed only after the person compares his inputs and outcome ratio with another person’s inputs and outcomes ratio.

After comparing individuals perceive equity and inequity. Inequity is a situation in which a person’s job inputs/output ratio is not equal to the inputs/outputs ratio of another.

If an employee thinks that he or she is paid less than his or her co-worker then as per this model he feels dissatisfied and reduces this job input or changes the organization.

► Example of equity theory of motivation.

Both employees have the same responsibility, quality, and quantity of work but their outcomes are different

So, employee A gets Rs 50 per hour, and employee B get Rs 62.50 per hour

now employee A feels dissatisfied and he tries to lower its input.

Like any other theory of motivation, Vroom’s expectancy theory is one of the most relevant and widely used motivation theories. In this article, we will get a complete insight into the vroom expectancy theory.

► What is Vroom Expectancy Theory?

Vroom expectancy theory was given by Victor H Vroom in 1964.

The vroom expectancy theory is also known as Instrumentality theory or valance instrumentality expectancy theory. It is a process theory of motivation.

The vroom expectancy theory propounded that the work effort of an individual is directed towards the expected behavior that leads to desired outcomes.

In simple words, we can say that the vroom expectancy tells us the correlation between efforts and performance to get the desired reward.

In this theory, employees are considered rational human beings and before they perform their task or job they think about what they have to do to get a reward and how much the reward means to them.

► Assumptions of the Vroom Exceptency Model

• Individual behavior is affected by multiple variables.
• Individuals are considered rational and conscious human beings.
• every individual has different needs and desires.
• Individuals alter their behavior based on their expectations which help them to achieve their desired goal.

He stated that effort and performance are directly linked to personal motivation and he uses expectancy, instrumentality, and valence as a variable to account for his theory.

◉ Expectancy

Expectancy means that an individual assesses the probability that a particular level of effort will bring a particular level or relative of change in his or her performance.

Effort to Performance  (E —> P)

◉ Instrumentality

Instrumentality means that if an individual performs better then desired outcome will be achieved.

Performance to Outcome  (P —> O)

◉ Valence

Valence refers to the desire of a person with respect to a potential outcome or reward. The reward may be extrinsic ( pay rise, promotion, and other benefits) and intrinsic (satisfaction and self-esteem)

Motivation = Expectancy  × Instrumentality  ×  Valence

If any of the variables is low the then motivation level is likely to remain low.

Unlike different theories of motivation which are only limited to satisfying and unsatisfying needs or the nature of work but the vroom expectancy theory implies that employees must analyze the appropriate effort that can result in getting a reward.

This theory guides managers in designing the organizational reward, and goal setting.

Also Read : Theory X and Theory Y

► Example of Vroom Expectancy Theory

• An employee wants a promotion (Valence)
• An employee believes that if he wants a promotion so, he achieves his target and improve his communication skill and become the best among his colleagues (Expectancy)
• Employee improve his communication skill and achieve his yearly target in six months ( Instrumentality)

Directing is the fourth function of management which directly deal with influencing, guiding, leading, supervising, and motivating the organization’s staff in order they can achieve the organization’s desired goals.

Today in this article, we will in detail explain what is directing, its meaning, the definition given by different authors, the element of directing, the importance of directing, the features of directing, and the principle of directing.

► What is Directing in Management?

Directing is one of the prominent functions of management in which the managers guide, instruct, inspire and supervise the performance of employees to accomplish predetermined goals lay down by the organization.

◉ Directing Meaning in Management

Directing is considered a process in which managers try to manage the subordinates by guiding, motivating, and instructing them which led to a better understanding of the needs and problems of subordinates and contributes effectively and efficiently to the attainment of enterprise objectives.

◉ Definition of Directing in Management

“Directing is telling people what to do and seeing that they do it to the best of their ability. It includes making assignments, explaining procedures, seeing that mistakes are corrected, providing on-the-job instructions, and of course issuing orders”. — Ernest Dale

“Direction is the sum total of managerial efforts that are applied for guiding and inspiring the working terms to make better accomplishments in the organization. ” —S.S. Chatterjee

“Directing concerns the total manner in which a manager influences the actions of subordinates. It is the final action of a manager in getting others to act after all preparations have been completed.” —Joseph Massie

“Direction is telling people what to do and seeing that they do it to the best of their ability. It includes making assignments, corresponding procedures, seeing that mistakes are corrected, providing on-the-job instructions, and, of course, issuing orders.” —Ernest Dale

► Need & Importance of Directing

• It ensures conformity with the organization’s objectives and organization actions.
• It facilitates control and coordination
• Efficient utilization of resource
• It helps in increasing the motivation of employee
• Help in to cope with the change
• It ensures employee discipline
• It integrates all the efforts to ensure effectiveness and stability.

► Objectives of Directing

• Guiding
• Influencing
• Leading
• Supervising
• Motivating

Also Read : What is Controlling?

► Features of Directing

• Pervasive function 
• Continuous process
• Dynamic Function
• Performance Oriented Function
• Human factor
• Creative activity
• Descending order of hierarchy

◉ Pervasive Function

Directing is a pervasive function because it is found in all organizations, at all levels, and in all locations. Every manager universe has to supervise guide, motivate and communicate with his subordinates to attain the objective.

◉ Continuous Process

Directing is a continuous activity because the manager continuously guides, supervises, and motivates his subordinates. If managers want that performance to be according to standards.

◉ Dynamic Function

Directing is a dynamic function because the methods and techniques used by managers to direct workers are continuous with change according to the plan and strategy of the organization.

◉ Performance-Oriented Function

Performance is the essence of directing. Being a performance-oriented function, directing ensures the continuity of operations for the effective achievement of goals.

◉ Human Factor

Directions consider an interpersonal aspect of management because employee behavior depends on the situation and according to the situation each employee behaves differently so it becomes the duty of the manager to influence the behavior of employees and get things done through them.

◉ Descending order of Hierarchy

In an organization, direction starts from the top of the management to the bottom. Every manager or superior gives guidance to his immediate subordinates and this process continues way down to the last subordinate.

► Elements of Directing in Management

The directing function of management has important elements-

• Supervision
• Leadership
• Communication
• Motivation

✔ Supervision – Directing in Management

It refers to the process by which the manager oversees the subordinate performance. The main aim of supervision is to check whether subordinates doing their task in a predetermined manner.

✔ Leadership – Directing in Management

Leadership simply means the ability of a person to influence or guide or teach others. An effective leader tries to maximize the efforts of his subordinates so that easily accomplish their goals.

✔ Communication – Directing in Management

Effective communication is important in an organization because it ensures the exchange of information between managers and workers which helps the manager to understand the needs, problems, and requirements of workers so it takes corrective action.

✔ Motivation – Directing in Management

One of the key functions of management is to motivate the workers when they feel low or face any difficulties.

► Principles of Directing

• Harmony of objective
• Maximum individual contribution
• Unity of command
• Direct supervision
• Managerial communication
• Effective leadership
• Effective motivation
• Follow through

◉ Harmony of objective

This principle of harmony of objectives states that there should be harmony between the organization’s objectives and the individual objectives of an organization. If harmony exists then there is no conflict between the organization and individual objectives.

◉ Maximum individual contribution

As per the principle of maximum individual contribution, mean management should adopt such a policy that maximizes individual potential and facilitate him or her to contribute more in achieving the organization’s goal.

◉ Unity of command

As per this principle, the subordinate should receive a command from only one superior, and the subordinate should obey it.

◉ Direct supervision

In every organization, supervision is done by the manager so that manager can check whether employees are adhering to his instruction or not. Direct supervision ensures quick feedback and boosts the morale of the employee.

◉ Managerial communication

As per this principle of direction, good and healthy communication between employees and management prevents miscommunication which may hinder the functioning of the organization.

◉ Effective leadership

The main role of the manager is to adopt a suitable leadership style that matches the situation because the leadership style varies with the situation.

◉ Effective Motivation

As per the principle of effective motivation, a manager should use appropriate motivation techniques according to the needs of employees. A manager should increase pay, status, remuneration, etc so that the productivity of employees can increase.

◉ Follow Through

According to the principle of follow through, the manager should examine the policies, procedures, and instructions, if the manager finds any problem then he or she should take suitable action to correct this.