Directing
Directing means instructing, guiding, motivating and supervising people to achieve goals. This domain tests supervision, motivation theories, leadership styles, communication and incentives.
Elements
Supervision, motivation, leadership and communication.
Motivation theories
- Maslow's hierarchy: physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualisation. Lower needs are satisfied reasonably before higher needs motivate.
- Herzberg's two-factor theory: hygiene factors (pay, working conditions, company policy, job security, supervision) prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate; motivators (achievement, recognition, responsibility, growth, the work itself) create satisfaction.
Leadership styles
Autocratic - quick decisions, low morale. Democratic - participation and commitment, slower. Laissez-faire - full freedom, useful for experts, but risks drift.
Communication
Formal channels follow the chain of command; informal channels include the grapevine. Barriers may be semantic (jargon, poor wording), psychological (prejudice, distrust), organisational (long chains, rigid rules) or personal (fear, poor listening).
Incentives
Financial: pay, bonus, profit sharing, co-partnership, retirement benefits. Non-financial: recognition, job security, status, career advancement, employee participation.
Worked example
A firm raises salaries, yet resignations continue, and exit interviews cite the absence of recognition. Reasoning: under Herzberg, pay is a hygiene factor, so a raise only removes dissatisfaction. Recognition is a motivator. The remedy is non-financial incentives, not another salary hike.
Traps that cost marks
Treating hygiene factors as motivators; placing esteem below social needs in Maslow's order; calling the grapevine a formal channel; listing supervision as a style of leadership.