▷ Administrative Functions: Definition and Authors

  • Aug 10, 2022
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We must first define what is a administrative function in the company. A administrative function It is the performance of certain activities or duties while coordinating effectively and efficiently in conjunction with the work of others.

Called Fayolism or positive administration, Fayol's theory was an essential contribution to modern administration, centering his studies at the management level, creating the well-known school of bosses. in his book “Industrial and General Administration” define for the first time the 5 functions of management: planning, organization, address, coordination and control. And that these functions are universal, which is why every good administrator should be able to apply them.

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These functions are the result of their studies and experiences, and they have been working effectively for nearly 80 years, they are studied all over the world.

Fayol also established 14 principles of management, as regulations to manage the functions effectively, announced

procedures administrative as important instruments for the adequate address of any company, since through them it was possible to make a diagnosis and find a solution to the difficulties at the right time, establishes that the principles and administrative functions were applicable to all companies, regardless of its nature, objectives and magnitude.

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In this article you will find:

Management Functions Approach

The administrative processes are directed to generate value contributions to organizations, for this, the administration as a social science adopting a managerial approach based on five administrative functions, plan, organize, direct, coordinate and control; applied as basic management processes. The authors of the book Administration a Global and Business Perspective describe it this way, Koontz, Weihrich and Cannice (2012) "Studying administration is necessary to break it down into five managerial functions (plan, organize, integrate staff, direct and control)" (p. 4).

The great effectiveness of these processes for the efficient achievement of organizational objectives, has made this a widely spread and applied approach worldwide, more than a hundred years after being proposed by Henry Fayol as a universal approach; Koontz, Weihrich and Cannice (2012), agree that: “This frame has been used and tested for many years. Although there are different ways of organizing managerial knowledge, most current textbooks and authors have adopted this framework—or a similar one—” (p. 4).

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Therefore, these functions can be applied to any organization, regardless of their characteristics; Although each entity is subject to internal and external factors under unique circumstances, this model allows adapt and direct the administrative management in a more efficient way, for the effective achievement of the results.

Fayol's Theory of Management Functions

The goal of this theory is to get better managers and is achieved through the organized teaching of management techniques.

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Administrative functions according to Fayol are distributed hierarchically throughout the company. The ability of people at lower levels constitutes the professional capacity and the essential capacity of the management constitutes the capacity administrative, with respect to ascending the hierarchical scale within the organization, the administrative functions increase, and in the lower part the technical functions.

Despite this and the fact that this theory offers a normative and functional vision for the administration, it has some cons such as:

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  • It does not cover informal relationships between managers and subordinates very well, leaving little consideration for how to keep the workforce motivated.
  • It does not fully represent the complex work that administrators face in their daily work.
  • It can be very rigid about the roles of managers in modern businesses and organizations.
  • It offers a structured summary of the tasks that any administrator must carry out as an overview of their daily work.
    Administrative functions
    Diagram where the administrative functions are highlighted.

In the management we can find 5 administrative functions:

planning

Management function in which goals are defined, strategies to achieve them are set, and plans are drawn up to integrate and coordinate activities

Organization

Management function of determining what tasks need to be done, who does them, how they are done, how they are grouped, who is accountable to whom, and where decisions are made.

Address

Management function of motivating subordinates, influencing individuals and teams while do their job, choose the best communication channel, and otherwise deal with customer behavior. employees.

Coordination

It consists of unifying organizational efforts.

Control

Management function of monitoring current performance, comparing it to a standard, and taking corrective action as necessary.

Administrative functions
Administrative functions

See also: The 5 functions of the Administration according to Henri Fayol

More information on administrative functions

Bibliographic references:

  • Heinz Weihrich, Mark Cannice and Karen Hanah (2012), Management in a Global and Business Perspective, 14th Edition, McGRAW-HILL/INTERAMERICANA EDITORS S.A. DE C.V.
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