Summary

Directing is the managerial function of guiding, supervising, motivating, and leading subordinates to achieve organisational goals. It is the heart of the management process, activating plans and policies.

Supervision means overseeing the work of subordinates at the operational level. A supervisor ensures work is done as per standards, provides guidance, and maintains discipline. Key functions: instructing, checking performance, and reporting.

Motivation is the process of stimulating people to act willingly towards goals. It is psychological and based on needs. Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory ranks human needs in a pyramid: Physiological → Safety → Social → Esteem → Self-actualisation. Lower needs must be satisfied before higher ones become motivating. Financial incentives (salary, bonus, profit sharing, pension) and non-financial incentives (status, recognition, career advancement, job enrichment, participation) both matter.

Leadership is the process of influencing people to strive willingly for group objectives, and is one of the most important factors in an enterprise’s success. Leadership styles: Autocratic (leader decides alone, fast but low morale), Democratic (consults the group, high satisfaction but slower), Laissez-faire (full freedom, works best only with highly skilled teams). …