HAS 320-1401B-02

Phase 1 DB 2

Comparing the Management Functions Planning and Controlling

Managers that are effective as well as efficient are valuable assets to an organization and participate in the success of the organization. Managers have the responsibility of following not only the values and principles set forth by their organization, but also teach fellow employees those same values and principles. Managers successfully fulfill this role by knowing the different roles within the organization and how the management functions are executed in these different roles. Management functions consist of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling CITATION Hea12 l 1033 (Healey & Marhese, 2012). Each of these functions are a critical component in how managers can efficiently and effectively carry out the organization’ values and principles.

The planning function is where the organization can identify and select the goals that are more pertinent for the organization’s success. This function also allows the organization to develop a course of action and strategy to achieve these pertinent goals. There are essentially three goals in the planning function CITATION Hea12 l 1033 (Healey & Marhese, 2012). The first being that the organization needs to prioritize the goals that want to be pursued. The second goal is the adoption of a plan in how these desired goals will be pursued. The third goal is to determine in how resources will be allocated in the pursuing of the goals. Planning allows organizations to become more productive because employees of the organization know what the plans of the organization are. Planning can involve tasks that require the organization to do a SWOT analysis to determine goals for future growth or to determine where more resources are needed. Years ago, I worked at a telemarketing company called Rain Soft. While there, I retained the position of Assistant Manager. The goal was to set up potential clients to have their water tested for free and at the same time a sales representative of the company would sell them a water purification system, or at least try. We had daily goals that needed to be reach and in order for those goals to be reached I would create a schedule that allowed for my top performers to work at the peak hours of contacting clients. This for me meant planning so that the daily goals would be met.

The controlling function relies on the managers to evaluate how well an organization has achieved its goals and to take any necessary corrective actions needed to maintain or improve performance CITATION Hea12 l 1033 (Healey & Marhese, 2012). The controlling function allows the manager to be able to monitor employees, productivity, and resources. The ultimate goal of the controlling function is the ability to measure performance accurately and regulate organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The manager will need to have an image of the organizations goals that is clear and concise; in order to successfully guide employees the right direction. Managers are ultimately responsible for controlling and making sure that employees are following values and principles during the pursuit of organizational goals. Another difference is that the controlling requires constant evolving of processes so that the desired can be reached. The similarities these two share is that they feed off one another. Even though a goal may be set out in the planning function, the controlling function may bring to light that some fine-tuning may need to be done to the goals that were set during the planning function.

All the functions rely upon one another to make sure that organization is reaching the desired goal or goals. The main difference between these two functions is the fact that planning starts the process of goal attainment and controlling makes sure that goals are being reached in a manner that is effective and efficient. All managers on levels are involved in the management functions. However, the actual hands on or input level differs among the functions. Senior management will have more power during the planning function. They are the ones who ultimately decide the direction the organization must take to ensure the continued success of the organization. In my experience working at Rain Soft as an Assistant Manager, it was my responsibility to make sure that employees were working at their full potential and meeting the goals of the company. If I saw that an employee was not meeting work performance standards, it was my responsibility to give further training to the employee so they can meet work performance goals.

References

Christensen, K. (2014). Live chat presentation 1Management Functions [Chat]. Retrieved from Colorado Technical University

BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Certo, S. (2014). The Role of Supervisors. Retrieved from McGraw-Hill: http://answers.mheducation.com/business/management/supervision/role-supervisors#planning-organizing-leading-and-controlling-

Healey, B., & Marhese, M. (2012). Foundations of Health Care Management Principles and Methods. San Francisco: Wiley.