The Four Functions
of Management
Management is the utilization of organizational resources, combined with people working together to achieve an organizational objective. In order to accomplish a united goal effectively, managers should use the four functions of management, which are: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The Marine Corps is a large organization that uses these traditional methods of management to conduct business at every section level. This paper will describe the four functions of management and how they are utilized by the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Camp Futenma, Marine Tactical Air Control Squadron 18 (MTACS- 18).
Planning
Planning is the first step in achieving organizational goals. Planning includes: forecasting setbacks and opportunities; developing timetables and courses of action, analyzing costs, and setting an overall objective (Creswell, 1988). According to Anderson and Pulich (2002), planning starts after the highest level of management has announced its goals for the organization, followed by lower levels incorporating their section's objectives, to achieve the overall goal. The planning process requires the cohesion of each individual section.
For example, every year MTACS-18 joins other units from MCAS Futenma, to participate in an exercise in Pohang, Korea. The overall objective of MTACS-18 during this operation is to set up aviation command and control through the Tactical Air Command Center (TACC), in support of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. In order to support the TACC, each section of MTACS must make a plan.
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