Directing

Directing is the management function that instructs, guides, communicates with, and inspires people in the organisation to achieve its objectives. Unlike planning, organising and staffing, which prepare the ground, directing is the function that actually gets things done by influencing employee behaviour.

Elements of directing:

• Supervision — overseeing the work of subordinates by their immediate superior, to ensure that work proceeds according to plans, and to guide and correct them where necessary.
• Motivation — stimulating people to take action, so that their desired goals are achieved; can involve financial incentives (bonus, profit-sharing, pay increase) and non-financial incentives (status, recognition, employee participation, job security, employee empowerment). A useful framework taught here is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs — physiological, safety, social/affiliation, esteem, and self-actualisation needs — arranged in order, with the idea that a satisfied need no longer motivates and a manager should identify which level of need is currently unmet for an employee.
• Leadership — the process of influencing the behaviour of people so that they willingly strive towards the achievement of group objectives; a good leader has qualities such as vision, self-confidence, communication skill, and the ability to motivate and build the confidence of followers. …