The list of management functions can be increased to include other functions, but these
four can be defined with sufficient precision to differentiate them and, at the same time, to
include others that management writers have proposed. For example, some managers and
organizations include functions such as decision making, staffing, coordinating, implementing,
and executing. Remember, management and organizational behavior aren’t exact sciences
with uniform language and definitions. The various definitions of management reflect the
specific expectations of the people who practice management in specific organizations. 22
Although the list we propose might be arbitrary, managers at all levels of the organization
generally perform these functions. The relative importance of one function vis-à-vis
another function differs depending on where the manager is in the organization and what
problems and issues the manager faces. But the ability to discern the relative importance of
planning, organizing, leading, and controlling may distinguish effective managers from
ineffective managers. 23
The work of a manager is captured in some degree in the next OB at Work feature. It
suggests that hectic, frantic, and somewhat chaotic times are what managers know quite a
bit about. The manager’s day is filled with challenges and with searching for ways to improve
the effectiveness of employees.