Elements of Direction

Elements of Direction – A Concept-First Overview

Directing is not a single action. It is a bundle of activities through which a manager guides, coaches, instructs, motivates and leads the people in an organisation towards its objectives. A few everyday examples make this clear: a supervisor explaining to a worker the operations to be carried out on a lathe machine; a mining engineer explaining the safety precautions to be followed inside a coal mine; a managing director declaring a share in profits to managers for their contribution; and a manager who inspires employees by personally playing a lead role in the work.

All such activities can be grouped into four categories, which are the elements of directing:

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