Management Concepts &
Applications
Dr. Rishiraj Sarkar
Unit 4: Direction
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Directing:
Directing initiates action and it is from here actual work starts. Direction is said to be
consisting of human factors. In simple words, it can be described as providing guidance to
workers is doing work.
In field of management, direction is said to be all those activities which are designed
to encourage the subordinates to work effectively and efficiently.
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According to Human, “Directing consists of process or technique by which instruction can
be issued and operations can be carried out as originally planned”
Therefore, Directing is the function of guiding, inspiring, overseeing and instructing
people towards accomplishment of organizational goals.
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Characteristics/Nature of Direction:
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Pervasive Function - Directing is required at all levels of organization. Every manager
provides guidance and inspiration to his subordinates.
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Continuous Activity - Direction is a continuous activity as it continuous throughout the life
of organization.
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Human Factor - Directing function is related to subordinates and therefore it is related to
human factor. Since human factor is complex and behaviour is unpredictable, direction
function becomes important.
 Creative Activity - Direction function helps in converting plans into performance. Without
this function, people become inactive and physical resources are meaningless.
 Executive Function - Direction function is carried out by all managers and executives at all
levels throughout the working of an enterprise, a subordinate receives instructions from his
superior only.
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Elements of Directing: (Scope of Directing/Direction)
It has been made clear in the nature of leading that it is not a single activity but a group of
functions. On the same basis, the following functions are included in its scope:
(1) Supervision: It refers to monitor the progress of routine work of one’s subordinates and
guiding them properly. Supervision has an important feature that face-to-face contact between
the supervisor and his subordinate is a must.
(2) Communication: It refers to an art of transferring facts, ideas, feeling, etc. from one
person to another and making him understand them. A manager has to continuously tell his
subordinates about what to do, how to do, and when to do various things.
Also, it is very essential to know their reactions. To do all this it becomes essential to
develop effective telecommunication facilities. Communication by developing mutual
understanding inculcates a sense of cooperation which builds an environment of coordination
in the organisation.
(3) Leadership: It refers to influence others in a manner to do what the leader wants them to
do. Leadership plays an important role in directing. Only through this quality, a manager can
inculcate trust and zeal among his subordinates.
(4) Motivation: It refers to that process which excites people to work for attainment of the
desired objective. Among the various factors of production, it is only the human factor which
is dynamic and provides mobility to other physical resources.
If the human resource goes static then other resources automatically turn immobile.
Thus, it becomes essential to motivate the human resource to keep them dynamic, aware and
eager to perform their duty. Both the monetary and non-monetary incentives are given to the
employees for motivation.
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Principles of Direction:
Managers or superiors can follow some principles while directing:
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Maximum Individual Contribution: Managers should try to elicit the maximum possible
contribution from each subordinate. It is the duty of the managers to explore and find out the
hidden talents of the subordinates. For example, timely rewarding the workers can motivate
them to contribute maximum towards the organisation’s goals.
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Harmony of Objectives: Therefore managers should harmonise or reconcile the personal
goals of employees with the organisational goals.
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Unity of Command: According to this principle, each subordinate should receive orders and
instructions from one superior only.
Appropriateness of Direction Techniques: According to this the manager should use correct
direction techniques to ensure the efficiency of direction. The techniques used should be
suitable for subordinates, organisation and the situation. Goals can be accomplished only when
an efficient direction is given.
Managerial Communication: According to this, there should be a systematic flow of
communication between the superiors and subordinates to achieve the goals of the
organisation. A good system of communication between the superior and subordinates helps to
achieve mutual understanding.
Strategic Use of Informal Organisation: Management should try to identify, understand and
use informal groups to strengthen formal and official relationships to improve the effectiveness
of direction.
Effective Leadership: According to this principle, managers should exercise good leadership
while directing the subordinates. As leaders, they should guide and council subordinates in
their personal problems too to win the confidence and trust of their subordinates.
Direct Supervision: Direction becomes more effective when there is a direct personal contact
between the superior and his subordinates. Morale and commitment of employees are
improved through direct contact. Therefore, direct supervision should be used wherever
possible.
Principle of Follow through: After issuing orders and instructions, the subordinates must be
monitored. A manager should find out whether the subordinates are working properly and the
problems they are facing regularly because directing is a continuous process. He should act
accordingly after following through with the activities of the subordinates.
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Leadership:
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Leadership is a process by which an executive can direct, guide and influence the behavior and
work of others towards accomplishment of specific goals in a given situation. Leadership is the
ability of a manager to induce the subordinates to work with confidence and zeal.
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Leadership is the potential to influence behaviour of others. It is also defined as the capacity to
influence a group towards the realization of a goal. Leaders are required to develop future
visions, and to motivate the organizational members to want to achieve the visions.
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According to Keith Davis, “Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined
objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and
motivates it towards goals.”
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Characteristics of Leadership:
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It is a inter-personal process in which a manager is into influencing and guiding workers
towards attainment of goals.
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It denotes a few qualities to be present in a person which includes intelligence, maturity and
personality.
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It is a group process. It involves two or more people interacting with each other.
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A leader is involved in shaping and molding the behaviour of the group towards
accomplishment of organizational goals.
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Leadership is situation bound. There is no best style of leadership. It all depends upon
tackling with the situations.
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Leadership Styles:
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Autocratic leadership style: In this style of leadership, a leader has complete command and
hold over their employees/team. The team cannot put forward their views even if they are best
for the team’s or organizational interests. They cannot criticize or question the leader’s way of
getting things done. The leader himself gets the things done. The advantage of this style is that
it leads to speedy decision-making and greater productivity under leader’s supervision.
Drawbacks of this leadership style are that it leads to greater employee absenteeism and
turnover. This leadership style works only when the leader is the best in performing or when
the job is monotonous, unskilled and routine in nature or where the project is short-term and
risky.
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Democratic/Participative leadership style: The leaders invite and encourage the team
members to play an important role in decision-making process, though the ultimate decisionmaking power rests with the leader. The leader guides the employees on what to perform and
how to perform, while the employees communicate to the leader their experience and the
suggestions if any. The advantages of this leadership style are that it leads to satisfied,
motivated and more skilled employees. It leads to an optimistic work environment and also
encourages creativity. This leadership style has the only drawback that it is time-consuming.
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The Laissez Faire Leadership Style: Here, the leader totally trusts their employees/team to
perform the job themselves. He just concentrates on the intellectual/rational aspect of his work
and does not focus on the management aspect of his work. The team/employees are welcomed
to share their views and provide suggestions which are best for organizational interests. This
leadership style works only when the employees are skilled, loyal, experienced and
intellectual.
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Leadership Theories:
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The Theory of Contingencies
According to the contingency hypothesis, there is no one right way to run an organization.
Determining the optimal strategy for leading an organization to achieve depends on both
internal and external considerations. The right candidate should fit the correct scenario,
according to the contingency theory.
The following elements influence the leadership style, based on contingency theory:
1. Management approach
2. Work speed
3. Organizational policies and culture
4. Employee spirit
5. Employees' level of maturity
6. Relationship b/w coworkers or members of a team
7. Organizational objectives
8. Environment and routine at work
9. The management strategy that will help
the organization achieve its objectives in a
particular situation is decided by the leader.
According to this view, situations determine whether or not leaders are effective. No
matter how successful a leader is, the idea explains, difficult situations will always arise. It
emphasizes that the leaders are aware that the conditions in combination with their abilities
have a role in their achievement.
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The Theory of Situations
Similar to the contingency theory, this idea emphasizes the significance of context and holds
that a leader should adjust to the shifting context to achieve objectives and make judgments.
The level of competence and dedication of the team members can influence how these leaders
choose to lead.
Situational leadership, as per situational theory:
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Develop a connection with the workforce
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Encourage employees
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Recognize when alternative leadership philosophies are required in a given situation
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Develop teams and organizational units
The theory lists a few essential traits of a situational leader, such as problem-solving
abilities, trust, adaptability, insight, and coaching.
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Motivation:
Motivation is the word derived from the word ’motive’ which means needs, desires, wants or
drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish
the goals. In the work goal context the psychological factors stimulating the people’s
behaviour can be 
desire for money
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success
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recognition
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job-satisfaction
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team work, etc
One of the most important functions of management is to create willingness amongst
the employees to perform in the best of their abilities. Therefore the role of a leader is to
arouse interest in performance of employees in their jobs. The process of motivation consists
of three stages:
A felt need or drive
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A stimulus in which needs have to be aroused
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When needs are satisfied, the satisfaction or accomplishment of goals.
Therefore, we can say that motivation is a psychological phenomenon which means
needs and wants of the individuals have to be tackled by framing an incentive plan.
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Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Model:
Human behavior is goal-directed. Motivation cause goal-directed behaviour. It is through
motivation that needs can be handled and tackled purposely. This can be understood by
understanding the hierarchy of needs by manager. The needs of individual serves as a driving
force in human behaviour. Therefore, a manager must understand the “Hierarchy of needs”.
Maslow has proposed “The Need Hierarchy Model”. Once a need or a certain order of needs
is satisfied, it ceases to be a motivating factor.
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The needs have been classified into the following in order:
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Physiological needs- These are the basic needs of an individual which includes food, clothing,
shelter, air, water, etc. These needs relate to the survival and maintenance of human life.
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Safety needs- These needs are also important for human beings. Everybody wants job security,
protection against danger, safety of property, etc.
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Social needs- These needs emerge from society. Man is a social animal. These needs become
important. For example- love, affection, belongingness, friendship, conversation, etc.
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Esteem needs- These needs relate to desire for self-respect, recognition and respect from
others.
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Self-actualization needs- These are the needs of the highest order and these needs are found
in those person whose previous four needs are satisfied. This will include need for social
service, meditation.
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Other Motivation Theories:
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Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation:
In 1959, Frederick Herzberg, a behavioural scientist proposed a two-factor theory or the
motivator-hygiene theory. According to Herzberg, there are some job factors that result in
satisfaction while there are other job factors that prevent dissatisfaction. According to
Herzberg, the opposite of “Satisfaction” is “No satisfaction” and the opposite of
“Dissatisfaction” is “No Dissatisfaction”.
Hygiene factors- Hygiene factors are those job factors which are essential for existence of
motivation at workplace. These do not lead to positive satisfaction for long-term. But if these
factors are absent / if these factors are non-existant at workplace, then they lead to
dissatisfaction. In other words, hygiene factors are those factors which when
adequate/reasonable in a job, pacify the employees and do not make them dissatisfied. These
factors are extrinsic to work. Hygiene factors are also called as dissatisfiers or maintenance
factors as they are required to avoid dissatisfaction. These factors describe the job
environment/scenario. The hygiene factors symbolized the physiological needs which the
individuals wanted and expected to be fulfilled.
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Motivational factors- According to Herzberg, the hygiene factors cannot be regarded as
motivators. The motivational factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to
work. These factors motivate the employees for a superior performance. These factors are
called satisfiers. These are factors involved in performing the job. Employees find these factors
intrinsically rewarding. The motivators symbolized the psychological needs that were perceived
as an additional benefit.
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McClelland’s Theory of Needs:
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David McClelland and his associates proposed McClelland’s theory of Needs / Achievement
Motivation Theory. This theory states that human behaviour is affected by three needs - Need
for Power, Achievement and Affiliation.
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Need for achievement (nAch) is the urge to excel, to accomplish in relation to a set of
standards, to struggle to achieve success.
The individuals with high achievement needs are highly motivated by competing and
challenging work. They look for promotional opportunities in job. They have a strong urge for
feedback on their achievement. Such individuals try to get satisfaction in performing things
better. High achievement is directly related to high performance.
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Need for power (nPow) is the desire to influence other individual’s behaviour as per your wish.
In other words, it is the desire to have control over others and to be influential.
The individuals who are motivated by power have a strong urge to be influential and
controlling. They want that their views and ideas should dominate and thus, they want to lead.
Such individuals are motivated by the need for reputation and self-esteem.
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Need for affiliation (nAff) is a need for open and sociable interpersonal relationships. In other
words, it is a desire for relationship based on co-operation and mutual understanding.
The individuals who are motivated by affiliation have an urge for a friendly and
supportive environment. Such individuals are effective performers in a team. These people want
to be liked by others. The manager’s ability to make decisions is hampered if they have a high
affiliation need as they prefer to be accepted and liked by others, and this weakens their
objectivity.
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Communication:
Communications is fundamental to the existence and survival of humans as well as to an
organization. It is a process of creating and sharing ideas, information, views, facts, feelings,
etc. among the people to reach a common understanding. Communication is the key to the
Directing function of management.
A manager may be highly qualified and skilled but if he does not possess good
communication skills, all his ability becomes irrelevant. A manager must communicate his
directions effectively to the subordinates to get the work done from them properly.
 Communications Process:
Communications is a continuous process which mainly involves three elements viz. sender,
message, and receiver. The elements involved in the communication process are explained
below in detail:
1. Sender: The sender or the communicator generates the message and conveys it to the
receiver. He is the source and the one who starts the communication
2. Message: It is the idea, information, view, fact, feeling, etc. that is generated by the sender
and is then intended to be communicated further.
3. Encoding: The message generated by the sender is encoded symbolically such as in the form
of words, pictures, gestures, etc. before it is being conveyed.
4. Media: It is the manner in which the encoded message is transmitted. The message may be
transmitted orally or in writing. The medium of communication includes telephone, internet,
post, fax, e-mail, etc. The choice of medium is decided by the sender.
5. Decoding: It is the process of converting the symbols encoded by the sender. After decoding
the message is received by the receiver.
6. Receiver: He is the person who is last in the chain and for whom the message was sent by
the sender. Once the receiver receives the message and understands it in proper perspective and
acts according to the message, only then the purpose of communication is successful.
7. Feedback: Once the receiver confirms to the sender that he has received the message and
understood it, the process of communication is complete.
8. Noise: It refers to any obstruction that is caused by the sender, message or receiver during the
process of communication. For example, bad telephone connection, faulty encoding, faulty
decoding, inattentive receiver, poor understanding of message due to prejudice or inappropriate
gestures, etc.
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Barriers to Communication:
The communication barriers may prevent communication or carry incorrect meaning due to
which misunderstandings may be created. Therefore, it is essential for a manager to identify
such barriers and take appropriate measures to overcome them. The barriers to communication
in organizations can be broadly grouped as follows:
1. Semantic Barriers: These are concerned with the problems and obstructions in the process
of encoding and decoding of a message into words or impressions. Normally, such barriers
result due to use of wrong words, faulty translations, different interpretations, etc.
2. Psychological Barriers: Emotional or psychological factors also act as barriers to
communication. The state of mind of both sender and receiver of communication reflects in
effective communication. A worried person cannot communicate properly and an angry
recipient cannot understand the message properly.
Thus, at the time of communication, both the sender and the receiver need to be
psychologically sound. Also, they should trust each other. If they do not believe each other,
they cannot understand each other’s message in its original sense.
3. Organizational Barriers: The factors related to organizational structure, rules and
regulations authority relationships, etc. may sometimes act as barriers to effective
communication. In an organization with a highly centralized pattern, people may not be
encouraged to have free communication. Also, rigid rules and regulations and cumbersome
procedures may also become a hurdle to communication.
4. Personal Barriers: The personal factors of both sender and receiver may act as a barrier to
effective communication. If a superior thinks that a particular communication may adversely
affect his authority, he may suppress such communication. Also, if the superiors do not have
confidence in the competency of their subordinates, they may not ask for their advice. The
subordinates may not be willing to offer useful suggestions in the absence of any reward or
appreciation for a good suggestion.
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Measures to improve communication effectiveness:
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Communication of Clarification of the idea.
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Communication should be according to the needs of the receiver.
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Consulting others before communication.
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Awareness about the language, tone and body postures and gestures.
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Convey information useful to the receiver.
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Ensure proper feedback.
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Follow up communications.
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Be a good listener.
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Coordination:
Coordination is the function of management which ensures that different departments and
groups work in sync. The important features of coordination are:
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It is essential for group efforts and not for individual efforts.
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It is a continuous and dynamic process.
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Coordination emphasizes the unity of efforts
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Helps in the integration of functions
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It is the responsibility of every manager in the organization.
Thank You!