Directing – Keywords and Brief Notes

Directing

1. complex managerial function
2. includes supervision, motivation, communication and leading

Features of Directing

1. Initiates action
2. At every level of management(pervasive)
3. Continuous process
4. Flows from top to bottom

Importance of Directing

1. Achieving Goal
2. Integrate employees efforts
3. Fuller utilization of employees capabilities
4. Introducing changes
5. Stability in organization

 Principles of Directing:

Related to purpose of Directing and Directing process

1. Maximum Individual Contribution
2. Harmony of Objectives
3. Unity of Command
4. Appropriateness of directing techniques
5. Managerial communication
6. Use of informal communication
7. Leadership
8. Follow through

 

Elements of Directing

1. Supervision
2. Motivation
3. Leadership
4. Communication

Supervision

1. Element of directing
2. Function performed by supervisors
3. Process of overseeing and guiding the workers
4. For achieving the targets

Importance of Supervision:

1. Friendly relations with workers.
2. Link between workers and management.
3. Maintains harmony among workers.
4. Employee motivation
5. Provides good on-the-job training
6. Employee Morale
7. Proper feedback

 

Motive:

An inner state that activates and directs behaviour towards goals.

Motivators:

The technique used to motivate.

 

Motivation (Features)

1. Element of directing
2. Stimulating people to action
3. Creating Internal feeling
4. Complex process
5. Positive or negative

Motivation process

1. Unsatisfied need
2. Tension
3. Drives
4. Search Behaviour
5. Satisfied needs
6. Reduction of Tension

Importance of Motivation

1. Improves performance level of employee
2. Turns negative to positive attitude
3. Reduces employee turnover
4. Reduces absenteeism
5. Introducing change smoothly

 

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory of Motivation:

• Based on human needs.
• Within every human being, there exists a hierarchy of five needs.

 

1. Basic Physiological Needs:

Primary needs. Hunger, thirst, shelter, sleep and sex are examples.

2. Safety/Security Needs:

Security and protection from physical and emotional harm.

Examples: job security, stability of income, Pension plans etc.,

3. Affiliation/Belonging Needs:

Affection, sense of belongingness, acceptance and friendship.

4. Esteem Needs:

Self-respect, autonomy, status, recognition and attention.

5. Self Actualisation Needs:

The highest level, the drive to become what one is capable of.

 

Assumptions of Maslow’s Theory:

1. People’s behaviour is based on their needs.
2. People’s needs are in hierarchical order.
3. A satisfied need can no longer motivate a person.
4. Next need is tried only after the lower need is satisfied.

 

Financial Incentives:

1. Pay & allowances
2. Productivity linked with wage system
3. Bonus
4. Profit sharing
5. Co partnership/stock option
6. Retirement benefits
7. Perquisites

 

Non-Financial Incentives:

1. Status
2. Organisational Climate
3. Career advancement
4. Job enrichment
5. Employee Recognition
6. Job security
7. Employee Participation
8. Employee Empowerment

 

Leadership:

Influencing the behaviour of people to work willingly.

Features of Leadership

1. Ability to influence others.
2. Interpersonal relations.
3. Focus on common goals.
4. Continuous process.

 

Importance of Leadership

1. Influences others for the benefit of organization.
2. Creates congenial work environment.
3. Inspires people to accept changes.
4. Handles conflicts effectively.
5. Training to subordinates.

 

Leadership styles

1. Autocratic (Authoritarian) leader
2. Democratic (Participative) leader
3. Laissez faire (Free-Rein) leader

Autocratic (Authoritarian) leader

1. Boss Centered Approach.
2. Only one-way communication.
3. Leader gives orders and expects subordinates to obey the orders.
4. Leader is dogmatic i.e. does not change his views.
5. Assumption - Both reward and punishment can be given.
6. Only boss (Supervisor) is responsible for production on time.
7. Quick decision making.
8. Decision after others’ views.

Democratic (Participative) leader

1. Group Centered Approach.
2. Leader develops action plans.
3. Decision in consultation with subordinates.
4. Encourages participation of subordinates.
5. Assumption - People perform best if they have set their own objectives.
6. Respect others’ opinion and support subordinates.
7. More control by using forces within the group.

Laissez faire (Free-Rein) leader

1. Subordinate Centered Approach
2. Leader does not believe in the use of power unless essential.
3. High degree of independence to subordinates.
4. Subordinates work on their own tasks and solve issues themselves.
5. Manager only supports and provides required information to them.
6. Subordinate assumes responsibility for his work.

 

Communication:

• Process of transmission or exchange.
• Ideas, views, facts, feelings, message, information or instructions
• Between two or more persons.
• To reach common understanding.
• Oral, written, gestural or any other audio-visual way.

 

Elements of Communication Process:

1. Source/sender/Communicator
2. Encoding
3. Channel
4. Receiver/Communicatee
5. Decoding
6. Feedback

 

Importance of Communication

1. Acts as basis of coordination
2. Helps in smooth working of an enterprise
3. Acts as basis of decision making
4. Increases managerial efficiency
5. Promotes cooperation and industrial peace
6. Establishes effective leadership
7. Boosts morale and provides motivation

 

Formal communication

• Official communication
• Generally written

Types of Formal Communication

1. Downward
2. Upward
3. Horizontal
4. Diagonal

Merits of Formal Communication

1. Systematic
2. Easy to fix responsibility
3. Helps in control

Demerits of Formal Communication

1. Delayed information
2. Impersonal manner

 

Informal communication

• Social and friendly interactions.
• Also called grapevine.
• Because no fixed source.

Merits of Informal Communication

1. Friendly relations
2. Fast
3. Emotional relief to employees

Demerits of Informal Communication

1. Leakage and spoilage of information
2. Spreads rumours

 

Barriers of Communication

1. Semantic barriers
2. Psychological barriers
3. Organizational barriers
4. Personal barriers

Semantic barriers

• Branch of linguistics dealing with meaning of words and sentences.
• Problems in the process of encoding and decoding of message into words.

1. Badly expressed Message

Inadequate vocabulary, Usage of wrong words, Omission of needed words.

2. Symbols with different meanings

Word having several meanings

3. Faulty translation

Difficulty in understanding language.

4. Unclarified assumptions

Assumptions having different interpretations.

5. Technical jargon

Use of technical words

6. Body language and gesture decoding

Body movement and gestures wrongly perceived.

 

Psychological barriers

Due to emotional factors (worry, anger, confusion)

1. Premature evaluation

Evaluate message before listening complete message, Pre-conceived notions or prejudices.

2. Lack of attention

Pre-occupied mind of receiver, non-listening.

3. Loss by transmission and poor retention

Communication passing through various levels

4. Distrust

Lack of mutual trust between both parties

 

Organisational barriers

Factors related to org. structure, Authority relationships, Rules and regulations.

1. Organizational policy

Highly centralised pattern in an org. makes communication difficult.

2. Rules and regulations

Prescribed channel may result in delayed communication.

3. Status

Psychological distance b/w sender and receiver.

4. Complexity in organizational structure

Delayed and distorted due to large number of filtering points.

5. Organizational facilities

Lack of frequent meetings, Suggestion box, Complaint box, Social-cultural gathering, Transparency in operations etc.

 

Personal barriers

Personal factors of both sender and receiver.

1. Fear of challenge to authority

Adverse effect on authority.

2. Lack of confidence of superior on his subordinates

Lack of confidence on competency of his subordinates.

3. Unwillingness to communicate

Adverse effect on their interests.

4. Lack of proper incentives

Employees lack initiative due to no motivation or no incentive.

 

Measures to Improve Communication

1. Clarity of message.
2. Communicate according to the need of receiver.
3. Consult other to develop plan for communication.
4. Beware of language, content and tone.
5. Communicate thing of value to others.
6. Ensure proper feedback.
7. Connect present with future.
8. Follow up communication.
9. Be a good listener.

Check your understanding