Concept of Directing:

• Directing is the fourth main function of management.

Without directing a manager cannot get the reporting
properly because without giving direction or guidance to
the employees a manager cannot achieve the desired
productivity that he actually wants. The following
examples make the concept more clear:
• 1)The Production manager guides his workers that how
to operate the machines for production.
• 2) The marketing manager guide and instruct his
salesmen that how to increase the sale volume and how
to generate a customer.
• Definitions:
• “Directing consists of process or technique by
which instruction can be issued and
operations can be carried out as originally
planned” 
 Characteristics of Directing Function

• 1. Directing Initiates Action:

• Other functions prepare a base or setting of action, i. e., how
action has to be carried on the directing initiate or start action.
By giving directions or instructions the managers get the work
started in the organisation.

• 2. Continuing Function:
• Directing is a continuous process. A manager cannot just rest
after issuing orders and instructions. He has to continuously
guide, supervise and motivate his subordinates. He must
continuously take steps to make sure that orders and
instructions are carried out properly.
• 3. Directing takes place at every level:
• Directing is a pervasive function as it is performed
by managers at all levels and in all locations. Every
manager has to supervise, guide, motivate and
communicate with his subordinate to get things
done. 

• 4. Directing flows From Top to Bottom:

• Directions are given by managers to their
subordinates. Every manager can direct his
immediate subordinate and take directions from
immediate boss. Directing starts from top level and
flows to lower level.
• 5. Performance Oriented:
Directing is a performance oriented function. The main
motive of directing is bringing efficiency in
performance. Directing converts plans into
performance. Performance is the essence of directing.
Directing functions direct the performance of
individuals towards achievement of organisational goal.

• 6. Human Element:
Directing function involves study and molding of human
behaviour. It improves interpersonal and intergroup
relationship. It motivates employees to work with their
best ability.
Importance of Directing:
1.Initiates Action:
I state that managers encourage actions by supervising and
motivating their employees(workers) in the right way.
Direction activates employees to work for achieving desired
goals.
2.Motivation:
The goals can be achieved only if employees are motivated to
perform work willingly. So Directing helps in motivating
employees for their maximum efforts towards the completion
of the task.
For example, an employee has a deadline to submit a report
at a particular time but there is a lack of confidence in
between due to stress and pressure of time. So according to
this situation if the employee does not get motivation he can
not accomplish the given task.
3. Facilitates Changes:
Direction enables an organization to adapt to changing
conditions through better communication. In this, the
manager always directs and gives instructions to his
employees according to the changing take place in the
organization due to external factors. External factors include
government policies, rules, environmental factors,
technological factors.

4. Improve Efficiency:
Directing ensures efficiency among the workers because
managers guides/ instruct their subordinates from time to
time and motivate them to accomplish the given task. So by
these activities organization also get the best results.
5. Stability and growth:
Effective leadership and communication result in growth and
stability in the organization because managers always
emphasize better utilization of resources at minimum cost.
This is only possible through effective leadership.
Harmony of Objectives
One of the essential principles of direction is the
harmonization of objectives. It states that you should
harmonize the organizational objectives with people working
inside your organization.

Maximum Individual Contribution

Maximum individual contribution in performing the
organizational activities is needed to efficiently achieve the
desired goals or objectives. This principle states that you
should make an environment or adopt direction practices that
influence employees to give their best.
Unity of Command
When you have to do tasks under many bosses at a time can
you do the task as effectively as you can when you work
under a single boss? Probably not. The unity of command
 principle of directing is about this.

Appropriate Direction Technique

What do you think the appropriate direction technique is?
This states that the direction techniques should be liked and
matched with the employees.
You should use direction techniques considering the
employee’s skills, abilities, knowledge, and expertise. 
Effective Communication
Communication is everything in the organization. Your
intended message should be received and understood by the
employees the way you want to. Because alternation or
misconception of message does not get the required results.

Use of Informal Organization

Informal groups are common in big organizations. As they
have a particular goal for which they have formed their
misunderstanding of new direction techniques goals might
cause difficulty in implementation.
Leadership
Leadership is an essential function of management. As a
manager, you should own the leadership qualities and while
directing the subordinates good leadership practices should
be applied.

Follow Through
This is the last of our eight principles of effective direction or
directing in management or the organization. The direction is
a continuous process and it should be continued.
This principle states that once order, guidance, and instruction
are given to subordinates their performance should be
followed or monitored appropriately. 
Techniques of Directing
1. Consultative Direction:
Under this technique, superior, though vested with powers to
take decision independently, does not take decision without
consulting with his subordinates. 

2. Free-Rein Direction:
Under this technique, subordinates are empowered to take
decisions independently. The superior limits himself to issuing
guidelines. The execution of the entire task is left to
subordinates.
3. Autocratic Direction:
Superior commands the subordinates to accomplish a set of
goals. He does not take into his decision-making the views,
opinions and suggestions of subordinates. The superior gives
a clear direction and precise orders to his subordinates.

4. Supervision:
Supervision is the process of overseeing the subordinates at
work. Supervisor gives a precise, detailed and clear cut
instruction to subordinates. The quality of supervision
depends on the strength of the subordinates working under
him.
5. Motivation:
Merely issuing orders and instructions may not help to
accomplish any task effectively. Motivation is the process of
stimulating such forces like desires, wishes and wants that
impel human beings to achieve the desired action.

6. Leadership:
Leadership is defined to be the ability of a manager to
influence his subordinates to accomplish the goals. A leader is
supposed to possess certain qualities to exercise effective
leadership. A leader does many functions like formulation of
objectives, representing the undertaking, initiating action,
influencing followers, etc.
7. Communication:
Communication enables a group to think together, see
together and act together. It becomes indispensable for
passing on decisions to those engaged in executing them.
Where communication is not understandable to the receiver,
direction becomes ineffectual. Face to face communication
and feedback system is essential for smooth operation of
business. There are certain principles like clarity, preciseness,
concreteness etc., to be followed for effective
communication.
 What are Leadership Styles?

• Leadership styles refer to the behavioral approach

employed by leaders to influence, motivate, and direct
their followers. A leadership style determines how leaders
implement plans and strategies to accomplish given
objectives while accounting for stakeholder expectations
and the wellbeing and soundness of their team.
• Improvement in communication and collaboration
• Increase in employee engagement
• Strengthening of team effectiveness
• Leadership effectiveness becomes conspicuous in the
organization leading to recognition
1. Democratic Leadership
A democratic leadership style is where a leader makes
decisions based on the input received from team members. It
is a collaborative and consultative leadership style where each
team member has an opportunity to contribute to the
direction of ongoing projects. However, the leader holds the
final responsibility to make the decision.

2. Autocratic Leadership
The leader holds all authority and responsibility. They have
absolute power and dictate all tasks to be undertaken. There
is no consultation with employees before a decision is made.
After the decision is made, everyone is expected to support
the decision made by the leader. There is often some level of
fear of the leader by the team.
3. Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership is accurately defined as a hands-off or
passive approach to leadership. Instead, leaders provide their
team members with the necessary tools, information, and
resources to carry out their work tasks. The “let them be”
style of leadership entails that a leader steps back and lets
team members work without supervision and free to plan,
organize, make decisions, tackle problems, and complete the
assigned projects.
4. Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is all about transforming the
business or groups by inspiring team members to keep
increasing their bar and achieve what they never thought they
were capable of. Transformational leaders expect the best out
of their team and push them consistently until their work,
lives, and businesses go through a transformation or
considerable improvement.

7. Servant Leadership
Servant leadership involves a leader being a servant to the
team first before being a leader. A servant leader strives to
serve the needs of their team above their own. It is also a
form of leading by example. Servant leaders try to find ways
to develop, elevate and inspire people following their lead to
achieve the best results.
5. Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is more short-term and can best be
described as a “give and take” kind of transaction. Team
members agree to follow their leader on job acceptance;
therefore, it’s a transaction involving payment for services
rendered. Employees are rewarded for exactly the work they
would’ve performed. If you meet a certain target, you receive
the bonus that you’ve been promised. It is especially so in
sales and marketing jobs.
6. Bureaucratic Leadership
Bureaucratic leadership is a “go by the book” type of
leadership. Processes and regulations are followed according
to policy with no room for flexibility. Rules are set on how
work should be done, and bureaucratic leaders ensure that
team members follow these procedures meticulously. Input
from employees is considered by the leader; however, it is
rejected if it does not conform to organizational policy. New
ideas flow in a trickle, and a lot of red tape is present.
Another characteristic is a hierarchical authority structure
implying that power flows from top to bottom and is assigned
to formal titles.
 What is supervision?

• Definition: Supervision implies one to one and prompt

guidance provided to the employees, along with
instructing, monitoring and controlling them when they
carry out any task or job to check if they are working
according to the organization’s plans and policies, in a
timely manner. Besides this, supervision also involves
resolving the issues and work-related problems of the
employees.
• It is a conjunction of two words – ‘super‘ and ‘vision‘
which refers to over and above and to see or view. In a
nutshell, supervision means overseeing the activities of
the employees.
Characteristics of Supervision
Element of Directing: Supervision is one of the four
important elements of directing. The other three being –
motivation, communication and leadership.

Universal activity: Supervision is a very common activity,

which is required at different levels of management.

Continuous Process: Constant and frequent supervision is

required by the employees to perform various tasks as well as
to resolve issues related to the work or job which occur
abruptly.
Direct Contact: The two parties involved in the process of
supervision are – Supervisor and Subordinate. Hence, there is
a direct and one to one contact between the two.

Overseeing work: Supervision is done with an aim of guiding

as well as keeping an eye on the work performed by the
employees, to ensure that they are working in an appropriate
manner. Also, there are no deviations from the plans, policies
and objectives of the concern.

Utilization of Resources: It facilitates optimum utilization of

resources, which leads to the elimination of wastage and
achieving maximum output at minimum cost.
1. Issues Instructions: At the time of providing supervision to
the subordinates. The supervisors give orders and instructions
which are material, as to the performance of the tasks.

2. Facilitates control: Supervision entails overseeing and

observing the activities performed by the workers. So, it keeps
a check on the methods, techniques and procedures used to
perform the task, along with the progress of the work
overtime, in relation to the set schedule.

3. Effective Utilization of Resources: A supervisor gives all the

training to the front line workers as to how to operate
machinery, tools and equipment, how to use materials and
what precautions are to be taken while operating the
machinery, etc, which prevents wastage.
4. Maintains Discipline: If a person is aware of the fact that
his/her work is under constant observation and it is going to
be checked by someone else, then the chances of mistakes
and errors become very less. And in such a case proper
discipline is maintained in the organization.

5. Provides Feedback: In the process of supervision, the

supervisor comes in direct contact with the workers. Hence,
feedback in the form of suggestions, reviews, grievances and
complaints, regarding the work comes from the top
management, which is provided to the workers by the
Supervisor. This ensures maintenance of the quality of
management decisions.
6. Improves Communication: The supervisor acts as a
connection between workers and management. Hence, it
improves open communication between the two, as the
workers can convey their requests, and suggestions easily to
the top management.

7. Provides Motivation: While providing supervision to the

subordinates, he/she motivates the workers for improving
their performance and productivity and boosts their morale.

8. Maintains Group Unity: Supervision also helps in

maintaining the group unity and team spirit among the
workers working in the organization. The supervisor works for
keeping the workers together and maintaining harmony
among them.
 Theories of Motivation

• Definition: There are several Theories of

Motivation that are developed to explain the concept
of “Motivation”. The motivation is a drive that forces
an individual to work in a certain way. It is the energy
that pushes us to work hard to accomplish the goals,
even if the conditions are not going our way.
• The content theories deal with “what” motivates
people, whereas the process theories deal
with, “How” motivation occurs. Thus, theories of
motivation can be broadly classified as:
Physiological Needs: These needs are the basic needs, a
prerequisite for the survival of the human being. Air, water,
food, sleep are the physiological needs which must be met, in
order to go further in the hierarchy.

Safety Needs: Once the physiological or basic needs are

fulfilled, the other needs become important. The next comes
the safety or security needs. People begin to feel the need for
a safer place to live in, i.e. shelter, safe neighborhood, steady
employment, etc.

Social Needs: After the first two needs of the hierarchy are

met, people tend to move further and seeks to satisfy their
social needs. Since a human being is a social animal who lives
in the society, has an urge to belong to and be accepted by all.
Esteem Needs: Once the above needs are fulfilled, an
individual strives to achieve the esteem needs, concerned
with self-respect, self-confidence, a feeling of being unique,
social recognition, personal worth, etc.

Self-Actualization Needs: The next and the final need on the

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy is the Self Actualization Need. It
refers to the need to maximize one’s potential. These needs
are related to the development of one’s intrinsic capabilities
that can be utilized in different real life situations.
Hygiene Factors: Herzberg identified ten maintenance or
hygiene factors, that are not intrinsic parts of a job, but are
related to the conditions in which the job has to be
performed. These are company policy and administration,
technical supervision, job security, working conditions,
interpersonal relationship with peers, subordinates and
supervisors, salary, job security, personal life, etc.

Motivational factors: These factors have a positive effect on

the functioning of the employees in the organization. There
are six factors that motivate employees: Achievement,
Recognition, Advancement, Work-itself, Possibility of growth
and Responsibility. An increase in these factors satisfies the
employees and the decrease in these will not affect the level
of satisfaction.
Need for Power (n-pow): What is Power? Power is the ability
to induce or influence the behavior of others. The people with
high power needs seek high-level positions in the
organization, so as to exercise influence and control over
others.

Need for Achievement (n-ach): McClelland found that some

people have an intense desire to achieve. He has identified
the following characteristics of high achievers:
High achievers take the moderate risks, i.e. a calculated risk
while performing the activities in the management context.
This is opposite to the belief that high achievers take high risk.
High achievers seek to obtain the immediate feedback for the
work done by them, so as to know their progress towards the
goal.
Existence Needs: The existence needs comprises of all those
needs that relate to the physiological and safety aspects of
human beings and are a prerequisite for the survival. Thus,
both the physiological and safety needs of Maslow are
grouped into one category because of their same nature and
a similar impact on the behavior of an individual.
Relatedness Needs: The relatedness needs refer to the social
needs, that an individual seeks to establish relationships with
those for whom he cares. These needs cover the Maslow’s
social needs and a part of esteem needs, derived from the
relationship with other people.
Growth Needs: The growth needs cover Maslow’s self-
actualization needs as well as a part of esteem needs which
are internal to the individual, such as a feeling of being
unique, personnel growth, etc.
Valence: It refers to the value that an individual places on a
particular outcome or a strength of an individual’s preference
for the expected rewards of the outcome. To have a positive
valence, one should prefer attaining the outcome to not
attaining it. For example, if an employee gets motivated by
promotions, then he might not value offers of increased
incentives. The valence is zero if an individual prefers not
attaining outcomes to attaining it. In the above example, an
employee agrees with the increased incentives.
Instrumentality: Another major input into the valence is the
instrumentality of first level outcome in obtaining the second
level outcome, i.e. a degree to which the first level leads to
the second level outcome. For example, suppose an employee
desires promotion and he feel that superior performance is a
key factor to achieve the goal.
Expectancy: Expectancy, another factor that determines the
motivation, refers to the probability that a particular action
will lead to the desired outcome. The expectancy is different
from the instrumentality in the sense; it relates efforts to the
first level outcome, whereas the instrumentality relates to
first and second-level outcomes to each other. Thus,
expectancy is the probability that a particular action will lead
to a particular first-level outcome.
Overpaid Inequity: When an individual perceives that his
outcomes are more as compared to his inputs, in relation to
others. The overpaid inequity can be expressed as:

Underpaid Inequity: When an individual perceives that his

outcomes are less as compared to his inputs, in relation to
others. The Underpaid Equity can be expressed as:

Equity: An individual perceives that his outcomes in relation

to his inputs are equal to those of others. The equity can be
expressed as
 Reinforcement Theory of Motivation

• Definition: The Reinforcement Theory of
Motivation was proposed by B.F. Skinner and
his associates. This theory posits that behavior
is the function of its consequences, which
means an individual develops a behavior after
performing certain actions.
The reinforcement theory of motivation is based on
the “Law of Effect” concept, i.e. an individual is likely to
repeat those actions having the positive consequences, and
will avoid those behaviors that result in negative or
unpleasant outcomes.

Operant conditioning means, the change in the behavior

caused due to the reinforcement (Positive reward or
punishment) given after the response.

The reinforcement theory lay emphasis on the

environmental factors that shape the behaviors and thus,
Skinner believed that environment external to the
organization must be designed effectively so as to increase
the motivation among the employees.