"Fayol's management functions and Mintzberg's management roles are two sides of the one coin." Discuss

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        Vikki Adamson                

“Fayol’s management functions and Mintzberg’s management roles are two sides of the one coin.” Discuss

Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg are both key figures in the way management is approached today.

Henri Fayol (1841 – 1925) is frequently seen as an essential early contributor to classical school of management theory, or more particularly, administrative management. He believed that management is an acquired skill and can therefore be taught. He wanted to introduce a set of principles that all organisations can apply in order to run properly. He built his theory of the five management functions upon personal observation and experience whilst he was working with French mining organisations, to find what worked well in terms of organisation. This theory was introduced in 1916, but as he wrote his works in French it was not until some time afterwards that his management functions were recognised worldwide.

Fayol’s functions of management include;

  • Forecast and planning; this involves thinking about the future and drawing up a plan of action for business strategy. It allows short-term activities to be consistent with longer-term strategies
  •   Organising; building a structure – both technical and social. This allows the company to communicate and operate efficiently and also to maintain quality.  
  • Commanding; maintaining activity among staff. This is done by observing behaviours and seeking to correct them by monitoring performance or by motivating staff to perform well.
  • Coordinating; unifying plans and activities across the organisation. This can be done by circulating relevant information throughout the organisation in order to ensure everyone is aiming for the same objectives.
  • Controlling; making sure that everything occurs in conformity with policies and practice. This ensures that everything runs smoothly and creates a feedback mechanism to make changes where necessary.
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Henry Mintzberg (born in 1939) is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management. He believes that Fayol’s management functions do not really describe what managers actually do, but instead gives vague objectives for them. Mintzberg has identified ten roles of the manager, split into three broader groups; interpersonal, informational and decisional roles. Within these he states much more clearly what managers have to undertake in their job and also what is expected of them as a manager. He believes that Fayol’s functions are outdated and that nowadays managers do little or no planning, and that their ...

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