DIRECTING/LEADING

- guiding and coordinating the efforts of individuals and teams to achieve

organizational goals

IMPORTANCE OF DIRECTING

1. Alignment of Efforts:

Directing helps align the efforts of employees with the strategic goals and objectives
of the organization.
By providing clear direction and guidance, managers ensure that individual tasks and
activities contribute to the larger mission and vision.

2. Clarity of Purpose:

Directing provides clarity of purpose to employees by communicating expectations,

priorities, and performance standards. When employees understand what is
expected of them, they are better able to focus their efforts and work towards
common goals.

3. Motivation and Engagement:

Effective directing involves motivating and inspiring employees to perform at their

best. By providing encouragement, recognition, and support, managers can boost
employee morale, engagement, and job satisfaction.

4. Optimal Resource Utilization:

Directing helps optimize the use of organizational resources by guiding employees in

the most efficient and effective ways to accomplish tasks. By coordinating activities
and allocating resources appropriately, managers maximize productivity and
minimize waste.

5. Coordination and Collaboration:

Directing facilitates coordination and collaboration among different departments and

teams within the organization. By fostering open communication and teamwork,
managers ensure that employees work together towards common objectives.

6. Development of Talent:

Directing provides opportunities for the development and growth of employees. By

assigning challenging tasks, providing feedback, and offering training and
development opportunities, managers help employees enhance their skills and
capabilities.

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7. Adaptability and Flexibility:

In dynamic and changing environments, directing helps organizations adapt to new

circumstances and challenges. By providing guidance and direction, managers
enable employees to respond quickly and effectively to changing conditions.

8. Conflict Resolution:

Directing involves addressing conflicts and resolving issues that may arise among
employees. By providing leadership and guidance, managers help mitigate conflicts
and maintain a positive work environment.

9. Achievement of Organizational Objectives:

Ultimately, directing contributes to the achievement of organizational objectives and

goals. By guiding and supervising employees, managers ensure that the
organization moves forward towards its desired outcomes and success.

ELEMENTS OF DIRECTING
Motivation
-motivate team members to perform at their best
-recognise and award/reward achievements
-provide positive feedback
- foster supportive and empowering work environment.
Leadership
- lead by example eg demonstrating professionalism, integrity and a strong work
ethics
-serve as role models, inspiring trust, respect and community

Communication
-clear and effective communication is essential
-directors must communicate goals, expectations and feedback clearly to ensure
understanding among team members

Supervision
Supervision can be defined as overseeing people at work and giving instructions to
ensure optimum utilisation of resources
- facilitates control by evaluating actual performance at regular intervals
-optimum utilization of resources leading to minimum wastage of resources
-improves communication by issuing orders and instructions leading to clear
communication to surbodinates regarding what is to be done

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CONTROLLING/COORDINATING
-Refers to the process of monitoring, evaluating, and regulating
organizational activities to ensure they align with established
goals, standards, and objectives.
-It involves comparing actual performance with predetermined
benchmarks, identifying deviations or variances, and taking
corrective actions as necessary to maintain or improve
performance.

IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING

1. Achieving Organizational Goals:

-Controlling helps ensure that organizational activities are directed towards the
achievement of predetermined goals and objectives.
-By monitoring performance and comparing it to established standards, managers
can identify deviations and take corrective actions to keep the organization on track.

2. Ensuring Accountability:

-Controlling establishes clear standards of performance and holds individuals and

departments accountable for their actions and outcomes.
-By measuring actual performance against predetermined benchmarks, managers
can identify areas of underperformance and take appropriate measures to address
them.

3. Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness:

-Controlling processes enable organizations to identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks,

and areas for improvement in their operations.
-By analyzing performance data and identifying root causes of problems, managers
can implement corrective actions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

4. Facilitating Decision-Making:

-Controlling provides managers with timely and relevant information about

organizational performance, enabling them to make informed decisions.
-By monitoring key performance indicators and identifying trends, managers can
anticipate problems and proactively address them before they escalate.

5. Enhancing Coordination and Communication:

-Controlling fosters coordination and communication among different departments

and levels of the organization.
-By establishing common standards and performance metrics, controlling processes
facilitate alignment and collaboration towards shared goals.

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6. Managing Risks:

-Controlling helps organizations identify and mitigate risks that may threaten the
achievement of their objectives.
-By monitoring performance indicators and identifying potential areas of vulnerability,
managers can implement risk management strategies to minimize the likelihood and
impact of adverse events.

7. Promoting Continuous Improvement:

-Controlling encourages a culture of continuous improvement and learning within the

organization.
-By regularly evaluating performance and implementing corrective actions, managers
and employees can identify opportunities for innovation, optimization, and growth.

8. Ensuring Compliance:

-Controlling processes help organizations ensure compliance with legal, regulatory,

and ethical standards.
-By monitoring activities and performance against established guidelines, managers
can detect deviations and take corrective actions to ensure adherence to applicable
laws and regulations.

CONTROL PROCESSES
1. Set standards- involves defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and
time bound (SMART) goals for individuals, teams or departments.
2. Observe performance- involves collecting data on actual performance using
appropriate methods such as observation, reports or monitoring systems
3. Evaluate deviations- involves identifying and understanding any significant
differences between actual performance and standards
4. Take action-involves addressing any deviations through improvement plans,
resource adjustment or other necessary actions to bring performance back in line
with standards

CONTROL TECHNIQUES IN THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF AN

ORGANIZATION
Human Resource
performance appraisal
disciplinary processes
performance reward systems
Finance and Accounting
Budget
financial statements
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financial Audits

Marketing
market research
sample testing
marketing statistics
consumer satisfaction survey's

Production
inventory control
quality control

MOTIVATION
-Motivation refers to the inner drive, desire, or energy that compels individuals to
act in a certain way, pursue goals, and achieve desired outcomes
OR
- Encouraging workers of the organization to work or perform better, to be more
committed to their job and work more effectively.
- Motivated workers work harder, keep cost down, increase productivity and output
and make profits
EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION

 Drives Action and Persistence: Motivation energizes individuals to take

action, persist in the face of challenges, and work towards goals.
 Enhances Performance and Productivity: Motivated individuals are more
likely to be engaged, focused, and productive in their endeavors.
 Fosters Resilience and Adaptability: Motivation helps individuals bounce
back from setbacks, learn from failures, and adapt to changing circumstances.
 Improves Well-Being and Satisfaction: Achieving meaningful goals driven
by motivation contributes to overall well-being, satisfaction, and fulfillment.

Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

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 1. Intrinsic Motivation:
 Intrinsic motivation arises from within an individual and is driven by
internal rewards such as enjoyment, satisfaction, or personal
fulfillment.
 Examples include pursuing a hobby, engaging in creative activities, or
striving for mastery in a particular skill because it brings intrinsic joy or
satisfaction.

2. Extrinsic Motivation:

 Extrinsic motivation comes from external rewards or incentives, such

as money, praise, recognition, or tangible benefits.
 Examples include working hard to earn a bonus, studying to receive
good grades, or performing well to gain approval from others

(draw Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)

Explain Maslow's hierarchy of needs

1. Physiological Needs:
 This is the foundational level of needs, which includes basic biological
requirements for survival such as air, water, food, shelter, sleep, and clothing.
 Physiological needs must be satisfied first, as they are essential for
maintaining life and ensuring overall physical well-being.

2. Safety Needs:

 Once physiological needs are met, individuals seek safety and security. This
includes protection from physical harm, danger, threats, and a stable
environment.
 Safety needs encompass financial security, health, personal safety,
employment, and social stability.

3. Social Needs:

 After physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, individuals crave social
connections, love, and a sense of belonging.
 Love and belongingness needs involve forming meaningful relationships,
friendships, intimate connections, and being part of a community or social
group.

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4. Self esteem Needs:

 Once lower-level needs are met, individuals strive for self-esteem and
recognition. This includes both self-respect (self-esteem) and respect from
others (external esteem).
 Esteem needs involve feelings of competence, achievement, reputation,
status, and recognition of one's abilities and contributions.

5. Self-Actualization/realization Needs:

 The highest level of Maslow's hierarchy is self-actualization, representing

the pursuit of personal growth, fulfillment, and self-fulfillment of one's
potential.
 Self-actualization needs involve realizing one's talents, creativity, and
unique potential, and striving towards personal growth, purpose, and
meaning in life.

Describe the motivating factors

Financial rewards
- These are payments in the form of payments.
- Payment systems- are various forms of payments, include; wages, salaries,
commission, bonus, profit sharing, performance related pay
Non-financial rewards
- payment in the form of fringe benefits/perks
- paid in addition to monetary rewards
it includes;
-company vehicles
-free accommodation
-children’s education fees paid
-free trips abroad/holidays
-health care paid for
-discount on the firm’s products
Job satisfaction
-ability to find one’s job enjoyable, satisfying or interesting. Things that make a job
satisfying include;
-pay
-opportunities for promotion
-good working conditions
-fringe benefits
-working hours
-the way that the employees is managed or treated
- recognition for good work
-level of responsibility
- status of the job

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