Text 2. Historical Development of the Functional Approach to Management

The most commonly cited functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, although some identify additional functions. The functions of management define the process of management as distinct from accounting, finance, marketing, and other business functions. These functions provide a useful way of classifying information about management, and most basic management texts since the 1950s have been organized around a functional framework.

Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933), who wrote on the topic in the early twentieth century, defined management as "the art of getting things done through people". One can also think of management functionally, as the action of measuring a quantity on a regular basis and of adjusting some initial plan; or as the actions taken to reach one's intended goal. This applies even in situations where planning does not take place.

Henri Fayol was the first person to identify elements or functions of management in his classic 1916 book Administration Industrielle et Generale. Fayol defined five functions, or elements of management: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling. Some people, however, find this definition, while useful, far too narrow. The phrase "management is what managers do" occurs widely, suggesting the difficulty of defining management, the shifting nature of definitions, and the connection of managerial practices with the existence of a managerial cadre or class. Fayol argued that these functions were universal, in the sense that all managers performed them in the course of their jobs, whether the managers worked in business, military, government, religious, or philanthropic undertakings.

Management pioneers such as George Terry, Harold Koontz, Cyril O'Donnell, and Ralph Davis all published management texts in the 1950s that defined management as a process consisting of a set of interdependent functions. Collectively, these and several other management experts became identified with what came to be known as the process school of management.

According to the process school, management is a distinct intellectual activity consisting of several functions. The process theorists believe that all managers, regardless of their industry, organization, or level of management, engage in the functions of management. The process school of management became a dominant paradigm for studying management and the functions of management became the most common way of describing the nature of managerial work.

By the early 1970s, some experts suggested that the functions of management as described by Fayol and others of the process school of management were not an accurate description of the reality of managers' jobs. Chief among the critics of the functional approach was Henry Mintzberg. He argued that the functional or process school of management was "folklore" and that functions of management such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling did not accurately depict the chaotic nature of managerial work. He felt that the functional approach to the managerial job falsely conveyed a sense that managers carefully and deliberately evaluated information before making management decisions.

Mintzberg's challenge to the usefulness of the functions of management and the process school attracted a tremendous amount of attention and generated several empirical studies designed to determine whether his or Fayol's description of the managerial job was most accurate. While this research did indicate that managers performed at least some of the roles Mintzberg identified, there was little in the findings that suggested that the functions of management were not a useful way of describing managerial work.

Scholars continue to debate this question. Research by David Lamond suggests that both approaches had some validity, with Fayol's approach describing the ideal management job and Mintzberg describing the day-to-day activities of managers. Thus, the general conclusion seems to be that while Mintzberg offered a genuine insight into the daily activities of practicing managers, the functions of management still provide a very useful way of classifying the activities managers engage in as they attempt to achieve organizational goals.

 

Exercise 11. Translate into Ukrainian and make your own sentences.

To measure a quantity, to adjust a plan, intended goal, shifting nature, philanthropic undertakings, interdependent functions, managerial work, to convey a sense, make decision, to achieve goals.

 

Exercise 12. Match the verbs in the first column with the most likely noun in the second column. More than one combination may be possible.

to accomplish	function
to set	work
to adjust	goal
to reach	plan
to manage	objective
to maximize	effectiveness
to determine	business
to check	profit
to carry out	people
to perform	firm
to conduct	progress

Exercise 13. Find the synonyms to the following words in the text. Put them in your own sentences.

To check, to achieve, to perform, an organization, management, a goal, a firm, work.

Exercise 14. Answer the questions to the text.

1. What is the management process distinct from? 2. What were the management functions defined by Henri Fayol? 3. Why were these functions considered to be universal? 4. What is the definition of management by the process school? 5. Why did Mintzberg argue the management definitions of functional and process schools?

 

Exercise 15. Translate into English.

1. Планувальники повинні встановити цілі, які визначають, що і коли потрібно досягти. 2. Після оцінювання альтернатив планувальники повинні прийняти рішення про найкращий курс дій для досягнення цілей. 3. Наступним кроком процесу планування є формулювання необхідних кроків і забезпечення ефективного впровадження планів. 4. Нарешті, планувальники повинні постійно оцінювати успіх своїх планів і вживати заходи для ліквідації недоліків. 5. Новим завданням менеджерів є наставляння, яке має на меті збільшення продуктивності і здатності працівників до навчання. 6. Процес організації – це створення внутрішньої організаційної структури компанії. 

 

Exercise 16. Learn the following words and word combinations.

hinder	– заважати, бути перешкодою
chain of command	– структура підпорядкування
span of control	– сфера безпосереднього підпорядкування
fatigue	– втомлювати
mom-and-pop	– родинний (бізнес)
CEO (chief executive officer)	– президент, генеральний директор
line-and-staff	– лінійно-управлінський
subordinate	– підлеглий

 

Exercise 17. Read, translate and give the gist of text 3.

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