Introduction
Management is a complex process that requires careful consideration with regard to the interplay of factors that characterize its propagation. One of the main elements that influence the understanding of management as a concept entails understanding the functional responsibilities of organizational leaders (Naidu 2005). Research has established that lack of proper understanding of the functional duties of various organizational leaders influences a lot on the level of success achieved by an entity (Farmer 2015).
In order to influence success in an organization, it is important for leaders to understand the skills and attributes required by managers, the role of effective management, understand the various elements that define the management environment, as well as understanding the most appropriate ways of matching the attributes of managers with their roles (Rabin 2003). Numerous theories and concepts apply in explaining the various elements that constitute an effective management process.
One of the most common concepts used in explaining the concept of management theory is POSDCORD (Farmer 2015). This acronym was developed to define the various management functions and steps that constitute the process of administration in an organization. POSDCORD stands for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting (Farmer 2015). The descriptor was developed by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick in 1937 (Naidu 2005). The main motivation for developing the concept was to define the roles and responsibilities of a Chief Executive Officer in an organization (Martinez & Richardson 2008).
Discussion
According to Gulick, organizations should always ensure that the roles and responsibilities of managers are well defined in order to increase efficiency (Stillman 2009). Using his model, organizations can increase the success of its organizational process through effective division of labour in terms of the level of input expected from every employee. Gulick used the elements of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting to explain the roles of a chief executive officer (Rabin 2003).
Planning
Planning refers to the act of formulating a program for a definite course of action by highlighting all the things that need to be done (Rabin & Miler 2000). It entails the cognitive process of thinking about what should be done in the event of something happening. Chief Executive Officers have the responsibility to guide their organizations through various stages of development by developing effective plans that will ensure the realization of various objectives (Pruthi 2005).
An effective leader should have the ability to choose appropriate organizational goals and courses of action that will ensure their successful attainment. There are various types of plans developed by organizational leaders that include strategic, tactical, project, marketing, and human resource management plans (Stillman 2009).
Organizing
Organizing refers to the structuring, developing order, or operating according to some principle. Organizational leaders have the responsibility to ensure that all objectives are clearly defined according to the corporate culture and values (Farmer 2015). Research has established that the organizing duties of a Chief Executive Officer entail establishing tasks and authority relationships that allow people to work together in order to achieve organizational goals. One of the main elements that define this managerial responsibility is ensuring effective division of labour (Farmer 2015).
It is important for organizational leaders to ensure that the strategy used in distributing responsibilities within the workforce should focus on promoting specialization and achieving efficiency (Stillman 2009). According to Gulick, there are certain considerations that organizational leaders should make during the division of labour.
They include the need to allocate tasks that will engage employees fully, ensure that responsibilities are allocated according to skills and competency level, as well as the need to ensure that all employees have enough motivation to work towards achieving organizational goals (Rabin & Miler 2000). In addition, Gulick noted that organization within an organization should be purposeful and client oriented.
Staffing
Staffing refers to the process of recruiting personnel for an organization, training them about their duties and responsibilities, as well as providing the most favourable working conditions (Mann 2013). Leaders have a responsibility to ensure that they recruit employees with the necessary skills and competencies to complement the objectives and corporate culture of an organization (Martinez & Richardson 2008).
One of the most important elements of staffing is good leadership that motivates, coordinates, and energizes the personnel to work together in a bid to achieve organizational goals. It is important to ensure that the staffing process is done on a need basis in order to avoid having too many employees doing the same work while other departments have a lot of workload (Pruthi 2005).
Directing
Directing refers to the process of showing the way by conducting or leading people towards a certain direction. It is the responsibility of organizational leaders to make effective decisions that help to maintain the focus of employees towards achieving the objectives of various tasks (Gabris 2014).
Research has established that the manner in which organizational leaders make and embody decisions on various issues has a lot of influence on the ability of an organization to achieve prolonged success (Guy & Rubin 2015). It is important for organizational leaders to ensure that all stakeholders participate fully in the decision-making process, as this reduces the chances of the workforce losing track in the process of implementing various processes (Guy & Rubin 2015).
Coordinating
Coordination refers to the process of bringing order and organization to organizational processes. Research has established that organizational leaders have the responsibility to ensure that there a good connection between various processes and activities within an entity (Rabin & Miler 2000). Coordination plays a pivotal role in influencing success and effective change management in an organization.
Studies have established that introducing change in a well coordinated organization is very easy, as the level of cooperation from the involved stakeholders is very impressive (Martinez & Richardson 2008). One of the most effective strategies of ensuring coordination in an organization is developing effective control measures. This entails establishing, measuring and monitoring systems to evaluate the organizational progress in terms of achieving its goals (Naidu 2005).
Reporting
Reporting is another management function in an organization. It entails the process of keeping various organizational stakeholders informed of various activities happening within an entity, and the required input (Gabris 2014). The reporting function of chief executive officers in an organization has three crucial elements, namely maintaining records, conducting research, and regular inspection. One of the most important things that organizational leaders should consider when reporting is the need to use an effective communication strategy (Rabin 2003).
This is very important because it influences on the ability to develop accurate records and report various findings in an effective manner. It is important to note that various organizational stakeholders depend a lot on the reports delivered by the leaders in making crucial decisions regarding their duties and responsibilities (Guy & Rubin 2015). Organizational leaders have a responsibility to ensure that they release their reports on time in order to avoid delaying crucial decisions that depend on the recommendations they make.
Budgeting
Budgeting is also a managerial function that has a lot of influence on organizational success. This function entails the process of identifying, acquiring, planning, accounting for, and controlling organizational resources (Mann 2013). Research has established that the style of budgeting adapted by managers often determines the ability of an organization to achieve its goals on time and in a substantive manner.
An effective strategy should focus on identifying the necessary resources, acquiring them on time and from a reliable supplier, as well as developing a formula for distributing them. A good budgeting process should ensure full participation of all organizational stakeholders in order to avoid omitting crucial steps (Gabris 2014). Developing a good budget also entails discipline, order, and a purpose that acts as a guide to the way resources should be allocated to various departments, processes, and programs (Mann 2013). In addition, it is important for organizational leaders to be accountable for the way they utilize various resources.
Conclusion
POSDCORD is one of the classic models that effectively explain the roles of managers in running an organization. Research has established that this model has played a major role in influencing the development of the concept of management over the years. Although various people have criticized the model in terms of its validity, most organizations in the contemporary world still refer to it, especially during the division of labour. The main reason for this is that it touches a lot of the five elements of management, namely planning, organizing, command, coordination, and control.
References
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