The term functions of management refers to the roles and responsibilities of business managers.
The second perspective on the functions of management is that of Charles Handy who identified the following three management functions such as:
1. Being a general practitioner. Handy compares organizational health to individual well-being, emphasizing managers’ role in identifying and addressing issues like low productivity, high turnover, or dissatisfied customers. Just like a doctor assessing a patient, managers analyze symptoms and prescribe solutions. For instance, low productivity could require hiring new staff, retraining existing employees, or addressing morale issues through incentives.
2. Being a confronter of dilemmas. Handy argues that managers earn their pay by confronting a constant stream of dilemmas. Delegating tasks involves relinquishing some control while maintaining responsibility. Balancing trust with control, managing stakeholder interests, and navigating organizational conflict are just a few examples. He highlights three specific dilemmas that business managers face including:
- Dilemma of cultures. Being familiar with a certain job then having to change.
- Dilemma of trust-control. Mangers must trust that others can get the job done.
- Dilemma of commando. When to give permission to be free with ideas and when to restrict that right.
3. Being a balancer of cultural mixes. Handy emphasizes the manager’s role in fostering a harmonious cultural mix within the organization. He contrasts Henri Fayol’s hierarchical approach with a flatter structure, arguing that better communication and decision-making arise from open collaboration. This involves understanding individual differences and leveraging them to maximize team effectiveness.
Charles Handy claimed that a manager’s job description cannot be specific as there is simply is too much to do for managers on daily basis. He suggested that effective management requires the helicopter factor – rising above everybody else to see the ‘big picture’. Hence, managers should be generalists rather than specialists not to get caught up or too involved with micro-managing of every small aspect of the business.
