Management: Functions, Principles and Control
Management is the domain that tests whether a candidate can plan, organise, staff, direct and control work in a small office or enterprise. For a secretary, it is not abstract theory: it explains why schedules, records, reporting lines and follow-up systems exist.
Core functions and levels
- Planning: set objectives and choose a course of action before work begins.
- Organising: group tasks, allocate resources and define reporting relationships.
- Staffing: match people to roles, train them and appraise performance.
- Directing: guide, motivate and communicate day to day.
- Controlling: set standards, measure performance, compare and correct deviations. Coordination runs through all five; it is not a separate sixth function. Top management sets direction; middle management translates it; supervisory level executes it.
Principles and motivation
Fayol's principles include unity of command (one boss per employee), division of work, scalar chain and esprit de corps. Delegation transfers authority for a task while accountability remains with the delegator. Maslow's hierarchy and Herzberg's two-factor idea explain motivation; a secretary can apply them through recognition and clear work conditions.
Worked example
A principal finds that meeting minutes reach members after a week, causing repeated queries. The secretary sets a standard: draft minutes within two working days, verify with the chair, circulate within three days. After a month, average circulation is 2.4 days, so the control loop is working; if it were five days, the secretary would examine causes such as late chair approval and adjust the process.
Traps
Do not confuse planning with forecasting, or controlling with punishment. Delegation is not abdication; the manager still answers for results. Coordination is not a separate function. Authority may be delegated, but responsibility cannot be escaped.