DIRECTING
FUNCTION
OF
MANAGEMENT
Naz Eliseo Carcosia
Bulacan State University
DIRECTING
is said to be a process in which the
managers instruct, guide and oversee
the performance of the workers to
achieve predetermined goals. Directing
is said to be the heart of management
process. Planning organizing, staffing
have got no importance if direction
function does not take place.
Directing initiates action and it is
from here actual work starts. Direction is
said to be consisting of human factors. In
simple words, it can be described as
providing guidance to workers is doing
work. In field of management, direction is
said to be all those activities which are
designed to encourage the subordinates
to work effectively and efficiently.
According to Human, “Directing consists
of process or technique by which
instruction can be issued and operations
can be carried out as originally planned”
Therefore, Directing is the function of
guiding, inspiring, overseeing and
instructing people towards
accomplishment of organizational goals.
DIRECTION HAS GOT PERVASIVE
FOLLOWING
CHARACTERISTICS: FUNCTION
Directing is required at all levels of
organization. Every manager provides
guidance and inspiration to his
subordinates.
CONTINUOUS
Direction is a continuous activity as it
ACTIVITY
continuous throughout the life of
organization.
HUMAN FACTOR
Directing function is related to
subordinates and therefore it is related
to human factor. Since human factor is
complex and behaviour is
unpredictable, direction function
becomes important.
DIRECTION HAS GOT CREATIVE
Direction function helps in converting
FOLLOWING
CHARACTERISTICS:
ACTIVITY
plans into performance. Without this
function, people become inactive and
physical resources are meaningless.
EXECUTIVE
Direction function is carried out by all
FUNCTION
managers and executives at all levels
throughout the working of an enterprise,
a subordinate receives instructions from
his superior only.
DELEGATE
Direction is supposed to be a function dealing
FUNCTION
with human beings. Human behaviour is
unpredictable by nature and conditioning the
people’s behaviour towards the goals of the
enterprise is what the executive does in this
function. Therefore, it is termed as having
delicacy in it to tackle human behaviour.
IMPORTANCE OF DIRECTING
FUNCTION
Directing or Direction function is said to be
the heart of management of process and
therefore, is the central point around which
accomplishment of goals take place. A few
philosophers call Direction as “Life spark of an
enterprise”. It is also called as on actuating
function of management because it is through
direction that the operation of an enterprise
actually starts. Being the central character of
enterprise, it provides many benefits to a
concern which are as follows
1. It Initiates
Actions
2. It Ingrates
Efforts
3. Means of
Motivation
4. It Provides
Stability
5. Coping up with
the changes
6. Efficient
Utilization of
ROLE OF
A SUPERVISOR
Supervisor has got an important role to play in
factory management. Supervision means
overseeing the subordinates at work at the
factory level. The supervisor is a part of the
management team and he holds the
designation of first line managers. He is a
person who has to perform many functions
which helps in achieving productivity.
Therefore, supervisor can be called as the only
manager who has an important role at
execution level. There are certain philosophers
who call supervisors as workers. There are yet
some more philosophers who call them as
managers. But actually he should be called as a
manager or operative manager. His primary job
is to manage the workers at operative level of
A supervisor plays As a Planner
A supervisor has to plan the daily work
multidisciplinary role schedules in the factory. At the same
time, he has to divide the work to
at one time like various workers according to their
abilities.
As a Manager
It is righty said that a supervisor is a part
of the management team of an enterprise.
He is, in fact, an operative manager.
As a Guide &
A factory supervisor leads the workers by
Leader
guiding them the way of perform their daily
tasks. In fact, he plays a role of an inspired by
telling them.
As a Mediator As a Counselor
A supervisor plays the role of a counselor to
A Supervisor is called a linking pin
the worker’s problem. He has to perform this
between management and workers. He
role in order to build good relations and co-
is the spokesperson of management as
operation from workers. This can be done not
well as worker.
only by listening to the grievances but also
handling the grievances and satisfying the
workers.
As an Inspector
An important role of supervisor is to
enforce discipline in the factory. For this,
the work includes checking progress of
work against the time schedule, recording
the work performances at regular
intervals and reporting the deviations if
any from those. He can also frame rules
and regulations which have to be followed
by workers during their work.
Therefore, we can say that effective and
efficient supervision helps in serving better
work performance, building good human
relations, creating a congenial and co-
operative environment. This all helps in
increasing productivity.
