Directing,Motivation, Communication and Leadership

DIRECTING is said to be a process in which the managers instruct, guide and

oversee the performance of the workers to achieve predetermined goals.

Directing is said to be the heart of management process. Planning, organizing,

staffing have got no importance if direction function does not take place.

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.

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.

Direction has got following characteristics:

1. Pervasive Function - Directing is required at all levels of organization. Every

manager provides guidance and inspiration to his subordinates.
2. Continuous Activity - Direction is a continuous activity as it continuous
throughout the life of organization.
3. 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.
4. Creative Activity - Direction function helps in converting plans into
performance. Without this function, people become inactive and physical
resources are meaningless.
5. 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.
6. Delegate Function - Direction is supposed to be a function dealing with
human beings. Human behaviour is unpredictable by nature and
conditioning the people’s behaviour towards the goals of the enterprise is
what the executive does in this function. Therefore, it is termed as having
delicacy in it to tackle human behaviour.
 Importance of Directing Function
Directing or Direction function is said to be the heart of management of process and
therefore, is the central point around which accomplishment of goals take place. A
few philosophers call Direction as “Life spark of an enterprise”. It is also called as on
actuating function of management because it is through direction that the
operation of an enterprise actually starts. Being the central character of enterprise,
it provides many benefits to a concern which are as follows:-

1. It Initiates Actions - Directions is the function which is the starting point of

the work performance of subordinates. It is from this function the action
takes place, subordinates understand their jobs and do according to the
instructions laid. Whatever are plans laid, can be implemented only once the
actual work starts. It is there that direction becomes beneficial.
2. It Ingrates Efforts - Through direction, the superiors are able to guide,
inspire and instruct the subordinates to work. For this, efforts of every
individual towards accomplishment of goals are required. It is through
direction the efforts of every department can be related and integrated with
others. This can be done through persuasive leadership and effective
communication. Integration of efforts bring effectiveness and stability in a
concern.
3. Means of Motivation - Direction function helps in achievement of goals. A
manager makes use of the element of motivation here to improve the
performances of subordinates. This can be done by providing incentives or
compensation, whether monetary or non - monetary, which serves as a
“Morale booster” to the subordinates Motivation is also helpful for the
subordinates to give the best of their abilities which ultimately helps in
growth.
4. It Provides Stability - Stability and balance in concern becomes very
important for long term sun survival in the market. This can be brought upon
by the managers with the help of four tools or elements of direction function
- judicious blend of persuasive leadership, effective communication, strict
supervision and efficient motivation. Stability is very important since that is
an index of growth of an enterprise. Therefore a manager can use of all the
four traits in him so that performance standards can be maintained.
5. Coping up with the changes - It is a human behaviour that human beings
show resistance to change. Adaptability with changing environment helps in
sustaining planned growth and becoming a market leader. It is directing
function which is of use to meet with changes in environment, both internal
as external.

Effective communication helps in coping up with the changes. It is the role of

manager here to communicate the nature and contents of changes very
clearly to the subordinates. This helps in clarifications, easy adaptions and
 smooth running of an enterprise. For example, if a concern shifts from
handlooms to powerlooms, an important change in technique of production
takes place. The resulting factors are less of manpower and more of
machinery. This can be resisted by the subordinates. The manager here can
explain that the change was in the benefit of the subordinates. Through more
mechanization, production increases and thereby the profits. Indirectly, the
subordinates are benefited out of that in form of higher remuneration.

6. Efficient Utilization of Resources - Direction finance helps in clarifying the

role of every subordinate towards his work. The resources can be utilized
properly only when less of wastages, duplication of efforts, overlapping of
performances, etc., doesn’t take place.

Through direction, the role of subordinates become clear as manager makes

use of his supervisory, the guidance, the instructions and motivation skill to
inspire the subordinates. This helps in maximum possible utilization of
resources of men, machine, materials and money which helps in reducing
costs and increasing profits.

From the above discussion, one can justify that direction, surely, is the heart of
management process. Heart plays an important role in a human body as it serves
the function pumping blood to all parts of body which makes the parts function. In
the similar manner, direction helps the subordinates to perform in best of their
abilities and that too in a healthy environment. The manager makes use of the four
elements of direction here so that work can be accomplished in a proper and right
manner.

According to Earnest Dale, “Directing is what has to be done and in what manner
through dictating the procedures and policies for accomplishing performance
standards”. Therefore, it is rightly said that direction is essence of management
process.

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

 success
 recognition
 job-satisfaction
  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:-

1. A felt need or drive.

2. A stimulus in which needs have to be aroused.
3. 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.

Importance of Motivation
Motivation is a very important for an organization because of the following benefits
it provides:

1. Puts human resources into action

Every concern requires physical, financial and human resources to

accomplish the goals. It is through motivation that the human resources can
be utilized by making full use of it. This can be done by building willingness in
employees to work. This will help the enterprise in securing best possible
utilization of resources.

2. Improves level of efficiency of employees

The level of a subordinate or a employee does not only depend upon his
qualifications and abilities. For getting best of his work performance, the gap
between ability and willingness has to be filled which helps in improving the
level of performance of subordinates. This will result into-

a. Increase in productivity,
b. Reducing cost of operations, and
c. Improving overall efficiency.
3. Leads to achievement of organizational goals

The goals of an enterprise can be achieved only when the following factors
take place :-
 a. There is best possible utilization of resources,
b. There is a co-operative work environment,
c. The employees are goal-directed and they act in a purposive manner,
d. Goals can be achieved if co-ordination and co-operation takes place
simultaneously which can be effectively done through motivation.
4. Builds friendly relationship

Motivation is an important factor which brings employees satisfaction. This

can be done by keeping into mind and framing an incentive plan for the
benefit of the employees. This could initiate the following things:

a. Monetary and non-monetary incentives,

b. Promotion opportunities for employees,
c. Disincentives for inefficient employees.

In order to build a cordial, friendly atmosphere in a concern, the above steps

should be taken by a manager. This would help in:

iv. Effective co-operation which brings stability,

v. Industrial dispute and unrest in employees will reduce,
vi. The employees will be adaptable to the changes and there will be no
resistance to the change,
vii. This will help in providing a smooth and sound concern in which
individual interests will coincide with the organizational interests,
viii. This will result in profit maximization through increased productivity.

5. Leads to stability of work force

Stability of workforce is very important from the point of view of reputation

and goodwill of a concern. The employees can remain loyal to the enterprise
only when they have a feeling of participation in the management. The skills
and efficiency of employees will always be of advantage to employees as well
as employees. This will lead to a good public image in the market which will
attract competent and qualified people into a concern. As it is said, “Old is
gold” which suffices with the role of motivation here, the older the people,
more the experience and their adjustment into a concern which can be of
benefit to the enterprise.

Motivation Incentives - Incentives to

motivate employees Incentive is an act or promise for
greater action. It is also called as a stimulus to greater action. Incentives are
something which are given in addition to wagers. It means additional remuneration
or benefit to an employee in recognition of achievement or better work.

Incentives provide a spur or zeal in the employees for better performance. It is a natural
thing that nobody acts without a purpose behind. Therefore, a hope for a reward is
a powerful incentive to motivate employees.

Besides monetary incentive, there are some other stimuli which can drive a person
to better. This will include job satisfaction, job security, job promotion, and pride for
accomplishment. Therefore, incentives really can sometimes work to accomplish the
goals of a concern. The need of incentives can be many:-

1. To increase productivity,
2. To drive or arouse a stimulus work,
3. To enhance commitment in work performance,
4. To psychologically satisfy a person which leads to job satisfaction,
5. To shape the behavior or outlook of subordinate towards work,
6. To inculcate zeal and enthusiasm towards work,
7. To get the maximum of their capabilities so that they are exploited and
utilized maximally.

Therefore, management has to offer the following two categories of incentives to

motivate employees:

1. Monetary incentives- Those incentives which satisfy the subordinates by

providing them rewards in terms of rupees. Money has been recognized as a
chief source of satisfying the needs of people.

Money is also helpful to satisfy the social needs by possessing various

material items. Therefore, money not only satisfies psychological needs but
also the security and social needs. Therefore, in many factories, various wage
plans and bonus schemes are introduced to motivate and stimulate the
people to work.

2. Non-monetary incentives- Besides the monetary incentives, there are

certain non-financial incentives which can satisfy the ego and self-
actualization needs of employees.

The incentives which cannot be measured in terms of money are under the
category of “Non- monetary incentives”. Whenever a manager has to satisfy
the psychological needs of the subordinates, he makes use of non-financial
incentives. Non- financial incentives can be of the following types:-

a. Security of service- Job security is an incentive which provides great

motivation to employees. If his job is secured, he will put maximum
 efforts to achieve the objectives of the enterprise. This also helps since
he is very far off from mental tension and he can give his best to the
enterprise.
b. Praise or recognition- The praise or recognition is another non-
financial incentive which satisfies the ego needs of the employees.
Sometimes praise becomes more effective than any other incentive.
The employees will respond more to praise and try to give the best of
their abilities to a concern.
c. Suggestion scheme- The organization should look forward to taking
suggestions and inviting suggestion schemes from the subordinates.
This inculcates a spirit of participation in the employees. This can be
done by publishing various articles written by employees to improve
the work environment which can be published in various magazines of
the company. This also is helpful to motivate the employees to feel
important and they can also be in search for innovative methods
which can be applied for better work methods. This ultimately helps in
growing a concern and adapting new methods of operations.
d. Job enrichment- Job enrichment is another non- monetary incentive
in which the job of a worker can be enriched. This can be done by
increasing his responsibilities, giving him an important designation,
increasing the content and nature of the work. This way efficient
worker can get challenging jobs in which they can prove their worth.
This also helps in the greatest motivation of the efficient employees.
e. Promotion opportunities- Promotion is an effective tool to increase
the spirit to work in a concern. If the employees are provided
opportunities for the advancement and growth, they feel satisfied and
contented and they become more committed to the organization.

The above non-financial tools can be framed effectively by giving due

concentration to the role of employees. A combination of financial and non-
financial incentives help together in bringing motivation and zeal to work in a
concern.

Positive Incentives

Positive incentives are those incentives which provide a positive assurance for
fulfilling the needs and wants. Positive incentives generally have an optimistic
attitude behind and they are generally given to satisfy the psychological
requirements of employees. For example-promotion, praise, recognition, perks and
allowances, etc. It is positive by nature.

Negative Incentives

Negative incentives are those whose purpose is to correct the mistakes or defaults
of employees. The purpose is to rectify mistakes in order to get effective results.
Negative incentive is generally resorted to when positive incentive does not works
and a psychological set back has to be given to employees. It is negative by nature.
For example- demotion, transfer, fines, penalties.

Self Motivation at Work

Self-motivation is a power that drives us to keep moving ahead. It encourages
continuous learning and success, whatever be the scenario.

Self-motivation is a primary means of realizing our goals and progressing. It is

basically related to our inventiveness in setting dynamic goals for ourselves, and our
faith that we possess the required skills and competencies for achieving those
challenging goals. We often feel the need for self-motivation.

Following are the ways/techniques for self-motivation:

1. Communicate and talk to get motivated: Communicating with someone

can boost up your energy and make you go on track. Talk with optimistic and
motivated individuals. They can be your colleagues, friends, wife, or any one
with whom you can share your ideas.
2. Remain optimistic: When facing hurdles; we always make efforts to find
how to overcome them. Also, one should understand the good in bad.
3. Discover your interest area: If you lack interest in current task, you should
not proceed and continue with it. If an individual has no interest in the task,
but if it is essential to perform, he should correlate it with a bigger ultimate
goal.
4. Self-acknowledgement: One should know when his motivation level is
saturated and he feels like on top of the world. There will be a blueprint that
once an individual acknowledge, he can proceed with his job and can grow.
5. Monitor and record your success: Maintain a success bar for the
assignments you are currently working on. When you observe any progress,
you will obviously want to foster it.
6. Uplift energy level: Energy is very essential for self-motivation. Do regular
exercises. Have proper sleep. Have tea/coffee during breaks to refresh you.
7. Assist, support and motivate others: Discuss and share your views and
ideas with your friends and peers and assist them in getting motivated. When
we observe others performing good, it will keep us motivated too. Invite
feedback from others on your achievements.
8. Encourage learning: Always encourage learning. Read and grasp the logic
and jist of the reading. Learning makes an individual more confident in
commencing new assignments.
9. Break your bigger goals into smaller goals: Set a short time deadline for
each smaller goal so as to achieve bigger goal on time.
 Motivational Challenges
Motivation seems to be a simple function of management in books, but in practice it
is more challenging. The reasons for motivation being challenging job are as
follows:

1. One of the main reasons of motivation being a challenging job is due to the
changing workforce. The employees become a part of their organization with
various needs and expectations.

Different employees have different beliefs, attitudes, values, backgrounds

and thinking. But all the organizations are not aware of the diversity in their
workforce and thus are not aware and clear about different ways of
motivating their diverse workforce.

2. Employees motives cannot be seen, they can only be presumed. Suppose,

there are two employees in a team showing varying performance despite
being of same age group, having same educational qualifications and same
work experience. The reason being what motivates one employee may not
seem motivating to other.
3. Motivation of employees becomes challenging especially when the
organizations have considerably changed the job role of the employees, or
have lessened the hierarchy levels of hierarchy, or have chucked out a
significant number of employees in the name of down-sizing or right-sizing.

Certain firms have chosen to hire and fire and paying for performance
strategies nearly giving up motivational efforts. These strategies are
unsuccessful in making an individual overreach himself.

4. The vigorous nature of needs also pose challenge to a manager in motivating

his subordinates. This is because an employee at a certain point of time has
diverse needs and expectations. Also, these needs and expectations keep on
changing and might also clash with each other.

For instance-the employees who spend extra time at work for meeting their
needs for accomplishment might discover that the extra time spent by them
clash with their social neds and with the need for affiliation.

Essentials/Features of a Good Motivation

System
Motivation is a state of mind. High motivation leads to high morale and greater
production. A motivated employee gives his best to the organization. He stays loyal
and committed to the organization. A sound motivation system in an organization
should have the following features:

 Superior performance should be reasonably rewarded and should be duely

acknowledged.
 If the performance is not consistently up to the mark, then the system must
make provisions for penalties.
 The employees must be dealt in a fair and just manner. The grievances and
obstacles faced by them must be dealt instantly and fairly.
 Carrot and stick approach should be implemented to motivate both efficient
and inefficient employees. The employees should treat negative
consequences (such as fear of punishment) as stick, an outside push and
move away from it. They should take positive consequences (such as reward)
as carrot, an inner pull and move towards it.
 Performance appraisal system should be very effective.
 Ensure flexibility in working arrangements.
 A sound motivation system must be correlated to organizational goals. Thus,
the individual/employee goals must be harmonized with the organizational
goals.
 The motivational system must be modified to the situation and to the
organization.
 A sound motivation system requires modifying the nature of individual’s jobs.
The jobs should be redesigned or restructured according to the requirement
of situation. Any of the alternatives to job specialization - job rotation, job
enlargement, job enrichment, etc. could be used.
 The management approach should be participative. All the subordinates and
employees should be involved in decision- making process.
 The motivation system should involve monetary as well as non- monetary
rewards. The monetary rewards should be correlated to performance.
Performance should be based on the employees’ action towards the goals,
and not on the fame of employees.
 “Motivate yourself to motivate your employees” should be the managerial
approach.
 The managers must understand and identify the motivators for each
employee.
 Sound motivation system should encourage supportive supervision whereby
the supervisors share their views and experiences with their subordinates,
listen to the subordinates views, and assist the subordinates in performing
the designated job.

Classical Theories of Motivation

he motivation concepts were mainly developed around 1950’s. Three main theories
were made during this period. These three classical theories are-

 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory

 Herzberg’s Two factor theory
 Theory X and Theory Y

These theories are building blocks of the contemporary theories developed later.
The working mangers and learned professionals till date use these classical theories
to explain the concept of employee motivation.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow is well renowned for proposing the Hierarchy of Needs Theory in
1943. This theory is a classical depiction of human motivation. This theory is based
on the assumption that there is a hierarchy of five needs within each individual. The
urgency of these needs varies. These five needs are as follows-

1. Physiological needs- These are the basic needs of air, water, food, clothing
and shelter. In other words, physiological needs are the needs for basic
amenities of life.
2. Safety needs- Safety needs include physical, environmental and emotional
safety and protection. For instance- Job security, financial security, protection
from animals, family security, health security, etc.
3. Social needs- Social needs include the need for love, affection, care,
belongingness, and friendship.
4. Esteem needs- Esteem needs are of two types: internal esteem needs (self-
respect, confidence, competence, achievement and freedom) and external
esteem needs (recognition, power, status, attention and admiration).
5. Self-actualization need- This include the urge to become what you are
capable of becoming/what you have the potential to become. It includes the
need for growth and self-contentment. It also includes desire for gaining
more knowledge, social- service, creativity and being aesthetic. The self-
actualization needs are never fully satiable. As an individual grows
psychologically, opportunities keep cropping up to continue growing.

According to Maslow, individuals are motivated by unsatisfied needs. As each of

these needs is significantly satisfied, it drives and forces the next need to emerge.

Maslow grouped the five needs into two categories - Higher-order

needs and Lower-order needs.

The physiological and the safety needs constituted the lower-order needs. These
lower-order needs are mainly satisfied externally. The social, esteem, and self-
actualization needs constituted the higher-order needs. These higher-order needs
are generally satisfied internally, i.e., within an individual. Thus, we can conclude
that during boom period, the employees lower-order needs are significantly met.

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”.

FIGURE: Herzberg’s view of satisfaction and dissatisfaction

Herzberg classified these job factors into two categories-

1. 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. Hygiene
factors include:

 Pay: The pay or salary structure should be appropriate and

reasonable. It must be equal and competitive to those in the same
industry in the same domain.
 Company Policies and administrative policies: The company
policies should not be too rigid. They should be fair and clear. It should
include flexible working hours, dress code, breaks, vacation, etc.
 Fringe benefits: The employees should be offered health care plans
(mediclaim), benefits for the family members, employee help
programmes, etc.
 Physical Working conditions: The working conditions should be safe,
clean and hygienic. The work equipments should be updated and well-
maintained.
 Status: The employees’ status within the organization should be
familiar and retained.
 Interpersonal relations: The relationship of the employees with his
peers, superiors and subordinates should be appropriate and
acceptable. There should be no conflict or humiliation element
present.
 Job Security: The organization must provide job security to the
employees.
2. 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. Motivational factors include:

 Recognition: The employees should be praised and recognized for

their accomplishments by the managers.
  Sense of achievement: The employees must have a sense of
achievement. This depends on the job. There must be a fruit of some
sort in the job.
 Growth and promotional opportunities: There must be growth and
advancement opportunities in an organization to motivate the
employees to perform well.
 Responsibility: The employees must hold themselves responsible for
the work. The managers should give them ownership of the work.
They should minimize control but retain accountability.
 Meaningfulness of the work: The work itself should be meaningful,
interesting and challenging for the employee to perform and to get
motivated.

Limitations of Two-Factor Theory

The two factor theory is not free from limitations:

1. The two-factor theory overlooks situational variables.

2. Herzberg assumed a correlation between satisfaction and productivity. But
the research conducted by Herzberg stressed upon satisfaction and ignored
productivity.
3. The theory’s reliability is uncertain. Analysis has to be made by the raters. The
raters may spoil the findings by analyzing same response in different
manner.
4. No comprehensive measure of satisfaction was used. An employee may find
his job acceptable despite the fact that he may hate/object part of his job.
5. The two factor theory is not free from bias as it is based on the natural
reaction of employees when they are enquired the sources of satisfaction and
dissatisfaction at work. They will blame dissatisfaction on the external factors
such as salary structure, company policies and peer relationship. Also, the
employees will give credit to themselves for the satisfaction factor at work.
6. The theory ignores blue-collar workers.

Despite these limitations, Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory is acceptable broadly.

Implications of Two-Factor Theory

The Two-Factor theory implies that the managers must stress upon guaranteeing
the adequacy of the hygiene factors to avoid employee dissatisfaction. Also, the
managers must make sure that the work is stimulating and rewarding so that the
employees are motivated to work and perform harder and better.
This theory emphasize upon job-enrichment so as to motivate the employees.
The job must utilize the employee’s skills and competencies to the maximum.
Focusing on the motivational factors can improve work-quality.

Theory X and Theory Y

In 1960, Douglas McGregor formulated Theory X and Theory Y suggesting two
aspects of human behaviour at work, or in other words, two different views of
individuals (employees):

1. one of which is negative, called as Theory X and

2. the other is positive, so called as Theory Y

According to McGregor, the perception of managers on the nature of individuals is

based on various assumptions.

Assumptions of Theory X

 An average employee intrinsically does not like work and tries to escape it
whenever possible.
 Since the employee does not want to work, he must be persuaded,
compelled, or warned with punishment so as to achieve organizational goals.
A close supervision is required on part of managers. The managers adopt a
more dictatorial style.
 Many employees rank job security on top, and they have little or no
aspiration/ ambition.
 Employees generally dislike responsibilities.
 Employees resist change.
 An average employee needs formal direction.

Assumptions of Theory Y

 Employees can perceive their job as relaxing and normal. They exercise their
physical and mental efforts in an inherent manner in their jobs.
 Employees may not require only threat, external control and coercion to
work, but they can use self-direction and self-control if they are dedicated
and sincere to achieve the organizational objectives.
 If the job is rewarding and satisfying, then it will result in employees’ loyalty
and commitment to organization.
 An average employee can learn to admit and recognize the responsibility. In
fact, he can even learn to obtain responsibility.
 The employees have skills and capabilities. Their logical capabilities should be
fully utilized.
 In other words, the creativity, resourcefulness and innovative potentiality of
the employees can be utilized to solve organizational problems.

Thus, we can say that Theory X presents a pessimistic view of employees’ nature
and behaviour at work, while Theory Y presents an optimistic view of the employees’
nature and behaviour at work.

If we correlate it with Maslow’s theory, we can say that Theory X is based on the
assumption that the employees emphasize on the physiological needs and the
safety needs; while Theory X is based on the assumption that the social needs,
esteem needs and the self-actualization needs dominate the employees.

McGregor views Theory Y to be more valid and reasonable than Theory X. Thus,
he encouraged cordial team relations, responsible and stimulating jobs, and
participation of all in decision-making process.

Implications of Theory X and Theory Y

 Quite a few organizations use Theory X today. Theory X encourages use of

tight control and supervision. It implies that employees are reluctant to
organizational changes. Thus, it does not encourage innovation.
 Many organizations are using Theory Y techniques. Theory Y implies that the
managers should create and encourage a work environment which provides
opportunities to employees to take initiative and self-direction. Employees
should be given opportunities to contribute to organizational well-being.

Theory Y encourages decentralization of authority, teamwork and

participative decision making in an organization.

Theory Y searches and discovers the ways in which an employee can make
significant contributions in an organization. It harmonizes and matches
employees’ needs and aspirations with organizational needs and aspirations.

Modern Theories of Motivation

We all are familiar with the classical theories of motivation, but they all are not
empirically supported. As far as contemporary theories of motivation are
concerned, all are well supported with evidences. Some of the
contemporary/modern theories of motivation are explained below:

 ERG Theory
 McClelland’s Theory of Needs
 Goal Setting Theory
 Reinforcement Theory
 Equity Theory of Motivation
  Expectancy Theory of Motivation

ERG Theory of Motivation

To bring Maslow’s need hierarchy theory of motivation in synchronization with

empirical research, Clayton Alderfer redefined it in his own terms. His rework is
called as ERG theory of motivation. He recategorized Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
into three simpler and broader classes of needs:

 Existence needs- These include need for basic material necessities. In short,
it includes an individual’s physiological and physical safety needs.
 Relatedness needs- These include the aspiration individual’s have for
maintaining significant interpersonal relationships (be it with family, peers or
superiors), getting public fame and recognition. Maslow’s social needs and
external component of esteem needs fall under this class of need.
 Growth needs- These include need for self-development and personal
growth and advancement. Maslow’s self-actualization needs and intrinsic
component of esteem needs fall under this category of need.

The significance of the three classes of needs may vary for each individual.
Difference between Maslow Need Hierarchy Theory and Alderfer’s ERG Theory

 ERG Theory states that at a given point of time, more than one need may be
operational.
 ERG Theory also shows that if the fulfillment of a higher-level need is
subdued, there is an increase in desire for satisfying a lower-level need.
 According to Maslow, an individual remains at a particular need level until
that need is satisfied.

While according to ERG theory, if a higher-level need aggravates, an individual

may revert to increase the satisfaction of a lower-level need. This is called
frustration-regression aspect of ERG theory.

For instance – when growth need aggravates, then an individual might be

motivated to accomplish the relatedness need and if there are issues in
accomplishing relatedness needs, then he might be motivated by the
existence needs. Thus, frustration/aggravation can result in regression to a
lower-level need.

 While Maslow’s need hierarchy theory is rigid as it assumes that the needs
follow a specific and orderly hierarchy and unless a lower-level need is
satisfied, an individual cannot proceed to the higher-level need; ERG Theory
of motivation is very flexible as he perceived the needs as a range/variety
rather than perceiving them as a hierarchy.

According to Alderfer, an individual can work on growth needs even if his

existence or relatedness needs remain unsatisfied. Thus, he gives
explanation to the issue of “starving artist” who can struggle for growth even
if he is hungry.

Implications of the ERG Theory

Managers must understand that an employee has various needs that must be
satisfied at the same time.

According to the ERG theory, if the manager concentrates solely on one need at a
time, this will not effectively motivate the employee. Also, the frustration-regression
aspect of ERG Theory has an added effect on workplace motivation.

For instance – if an employee is not provided with growth and advancement

opportunities in an organization, he might revert to the relatedness need such as
socializing needs and to meet those socializing needs, if the environment or
circumstances do not permit, he might revert to the need for money to fulfill those
socializing needs. The sooner the manager realizes and discovers this, the more
immediate steps they will take to fulfill those needs which are frustrated until such
time that the employee can again pursue growth.
McClelland’s Theory of Needs

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:

1. Need for Power,

2. Need for Achievement, and
3. Need for Affiliation

Need for power 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.

Need for achievement is the urge to excel, to accomplish in relation to a set of

standards, to struggle to achieve success.

Need for affiliation 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.

1. 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.

Individuals who are better and above average performers are highly
motivated. They assume responsibility for solving the problems at
work. McClelland called such individuals as gamblers as they set
challenging targets for themselves and they take deliberate risk to achieve
those set targets.

Such individuals look for innovative ways of performing job. They perceive
achievement of goals as a reward, and value it more than a financial reward.

2. 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.
 Individuals with greater power and authority will perform better than those
possessing less power.

Generally, managers with high need for power turn out to be more
efficient and successful managers. They are more determined and loyal to
the organization they work for.

Need for power should not always be taken negatively. It can be viewed as
the need to have a positive effect on the organization and to support the
organization in achieving it’s goals.

3. 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.

Individuals having high affiliation needs prefer working in an environment

providing greater personal interaction.

Such people have a need to be on the good books of all. They generally
cannot be good leaders

Goal Setting Theory of Motivation

In 1960’s, Edwin Locke put forward the Goal-setting theory of motivation.

This theory states that goal setting is essentially linked to task performance.

It states that specific and challenging goals along with appropriate feedback
contribute to higher and better task performance.

In simple words, goals indicate and give direction to an employee about what
needs to be done and how much efforts are required to be put in.

The important features of goal-setting theory are as follows:

 The willingness to work towards attainment of goal is main source of job

motivation. Clear, particular and difficult goals are greater motivating factors
than easy, general and vague goals.
  Specific and clear goals lead to greater output and better performance.
Unambiguous, measurable and clear goals accompanied by a deadline for
completion avoids misunderstanding.
 Goals should be realistic and challenging. This gives an individual a feeling
of pride and triumph when he attains them, and sets him up for attainment
of next goal.

The more challenging the goal, the greater is the reward generally and the
more is the passion for achieving it.

 Better and appropriate feedback of results directs the employee behaviour

and contributes to higher performance than absence of feedback.

Feedback is a means of gaining reputation, making clarifications and

regulating goal difficulties. It helps employees to work with more involvement
and leads to greater job satisfaction.

 Employees’ participation in goal is not always desirable.

 Participation of setting goal, however, makes goal more acceptable and leads
to more involvement

Goal setting theory has certain eventualities such as:

a. Self-efficiency- Self-efficiency is the individual’s self-confidence and faith that

he has potential of performing the task. Higher the level of self-efficiency,
greater will be the efforts put in by the individual when they face challenging
tasks.
 While, lower the level of self-efficiency, less will be the efforts put in by the
individual or he might even quit while meeting challenges.

b. Goal commitment- Goal setting theory assumes that the individual is

committed to the goal and will not leave the goal.

The goal commitment is dependent on the following factors:

i. Goals are made open, known and broadcasted.

ii. Goals should be set-self by individual rather than designated.
iii. Individual’s set goals should be consistent with the organizational
goals and vision.

Advantages of Goal Setting Theory

 Goal setting theory is a technique used to raise incentives for employees to
complete work quickly and effectively.
 Goal setting leads to better performance by increasing motivation and
efforts, but also through increasing and improving the feedback quality.

Limitations of Goal Setting Theory

 At times, the organizational goals are in conflict with the managerial goals.
Goal conflict has a detrimental effect on the performance if it motivates
incompatible action drift.
 Very difficult and complex goals stimulate riskier behaviour.
 If the employee lacks skills and competencies to perform actions essential for
goal, then the goal-setting can fail and lead to undermining of performance.
 There is no evidence to prove that goal-setting improves job satisfaction

Reinforcement Theory of Motivation

Reinforcement theory of motivation was proposed by BF Skinner and his
associates. It states that individual’s behaviour is a function of its consequences. It is
based on “law of effect”, i.e, individual’s behaviour with positive consequences tends
to be repeated, but individual’s behaviour with negative consequences tends not to
be repeated.

Reinforcement theory of motivation overlooks the internal state of individual,

i.e., the inner feelings and drives of individuals are ignored by Skinner. This theory
focuses totally on what happens to an individual when he takes some action.
Thus, according to Skinner, the external environment of the organization must be
designed effectively and positively so as to motivate the employee.

This theory is a strong tool for analyzing controlling mechanism for individual’s
behaviour. However, it does not focus on the causes of individual’s behaviour.

The managers use the following methods for controlling the behaviour of the
employees:

Positive Reinforcement- This implies giving a positive response when an

individual shows positive and required behaviour. For example - Immediately
praising an employee for coming early for job. This will increase probability of
outstanding behaviour occurring again.

Reward is a positive reinforce, but not necessarily. If and only if the employees’
behaviour improves, reward can said to be a positive reinforcer. Positive
reinforcement stimulates occurrence of a behaviour. It must be noted that more
spontaneous is the giving of reward, the greater reinforcement value it has.

Negative Reinforcement- This implies rewarding an employee by removing

negative / undesirable consequences. Both positive and negative reinforcement
can be used for increasing desirable/required behaviour.

Punishment- It implies removing positive consequences so as to lower the

probability of repeating undesirable behaviour in future.

In other words, punishment means applying undesirable consequence for

showing undesirable behaviour.

For instance - Suspending an employee for breaking the organizational rules.

Punishment can be equalized by positive reinforcement from alternative source.

Extinction- It implies absence of reinforcements.

In other words, extinction implies lowering the probability of undesired

behaviour by removing reward for that kind of behaviour.

For instance - if an employee no longer receives praise and admiration for his
good work, he may feel that his behaviour is generating no fruitful consequence.
Extinction may unintentionally lower desirable behaviour.

Implications of Reinforcement Theory

Reinforcement theory explains in detail how an individual learns behaviour.

Managers who are making attempt to motivate the employees must ensure that
they do not reward all employees simultaneously. They must tell the employees
what they are not doing correct. They must tell the employees how they can achieve
positive reinforcement.

Equity Theory of Motivation

The core of the equity theory is the principle of balance or equity. As per this
motivation theory, an individual’s motivation level is correlated to his perception of
equity, fairness and justice practiced by the management.

Higher is individual’s perception of fairness, greater is the motivation level and vice
versa. While evaluating fairness, employee compares the job input (in terms of
contribution) to outcome (in terms of compensation) and also compares the same
with that of another peer of equal cadre/category. D/I ratio (output-input ratio) is
used to make such a comparison.

EQUITY THEORY

Ratio Perception
Comparison

O/I a < O/I b Under-rewarded (Equity

Tension)

O/I a = O/I b Equity

O/I a > O/I b Over-rewarded (Equity

Tension)

Negative Tension state: Equity is perceived when this ratio is equal. While if this
ratio is unequal, it leads to “equity tension”. J.Stacy Adams called this a negative
tension state which motivates him to do something right to relieve this tension. A
comparison has been made between 2 workers A and B to understand this point.

Referents: The four comparisons an employee can make have been termed as
“referents” according to Goodman. The referent chosen is a significant variable in
equity theory. These referents are as follows:

Self-inside: An employee’s experience in a different position inside his present

organization.
 Self-outside: An employee’s experience in a situation outside the present
organization.

Other-inside: Another employee or group of employees inside the employee’s

present organization.

Other-outside: Another employee or employees outside the employee’s present

organization.

An employee might compare himself with his peer within the present job in the
current organization or with his friend/peer working in some other organization or
with the past jobs held by him with others. An employee’s choice of the referent will
be influenced by the appeal of the referent and the employee’s knowledge about
the referent.

Moderating Variables: The gender, salary, education and the experience level are
moderating variables. Individuals with greater and higher education are more
informed. Thus, they are likely to compare themselves with the outsiders.

Males and females prefer same sex comparison. It has been observed that females
are paid typically less than males in comparable jobs and have less salary
expectations than male for the same work. Thus, a women employee that uses
another women employee as a referent tends to lead to a lower comparative
standard.

Employees with greater experience know their organization very well and compare
themselves with their own colleagues, while employees with less experience rely on
their personal experiences and knowledge for making comparisons.

Choices: The employees who perceive inequity and are under negative tension can
make the following choices:

Change in input (e.g. Don’t overexert)

Change their outcome (Produce quantity output and increasing earning by

sacrificing quality when piece rate incentive system exist)

Choose a different referent

Quit the job

Change self perception (For instance - I know that I’ve performed better and
 harder than everyone else.)

Change perception of others (For instance - Jack’s job is not as desirable as I

earlier thought it was.)

Assumptions of the Equity Theory

 The theory demonstrates that the individuals are concerned both with their
own rewards and also with what others get in their comparison.
 Employees expect a fair and equitable return for their contribution to their
jobs.
 Employees decide what their equitable return should be after comparing
their inputs and outcomes with those of their colleagues.
 Employees who perceive themselves as being in an inequitable scenario will
attempt to reduce the inequity either by distorting inputs and/or outcomes
psychologically, by directly altering inputs and/or outputs, or by quitting the
organization.

Expectancy Theory of Motivation

The expectancy theory was proposed by Victor Vroom of Yale School of
Management in 1964. Vroom stresses and focuses on outcomes, and not on needs
unlike Maslow and Herzberg.

The theory states that the intensity of a tendency to perform in a particular manner is
dependent on the intensity of an expectation that the performance will be followed
by a definite outcome and on the appeal of the outcome to the individual.

The Expectancy theory states that employee’s motivation is an outcome of:

1. how much an individual wants a reward (Valence),

2. the assessment that the likelihood that the effort will lead to expected
performance (Expectancy) and
3. the belief that the performance will lead to reward (Instrumentality).

1. In short, Valence is the significance associated by an individual about the

expected outcome. It is an expected and not the actual satisfaction that an
employee expects to receive after achieving the goals.
2. Expectancy is the faith that better efforts will result in better performance.

Expectancy is influenced by factors such as possession of appropriate skills

for performing the job, availability of right resources, availability of crucial
information and getting the required support for completing the job.
 3. Instrumentality is the faith that if you perform well, then a valid outcome
will be there.

Instrumentality is affected by factors such as believe in the people who

decide who receives what outcome, the simplicity of the process deciding
who gets what outcome, and clarity of relationship between performance
and outcomes.

Thus, the expectancy theory concentrates on the following three relationships:

 Effort-performance relationship: What is the likelihood that the individual’s

effort be recognized in his performance appraisal?
 Performance-reward relationship: It talks about the extent to which the
employee believes that getting a good performance appraisal leads to
organizational rewards.
 Rewards-personal goals relationship: It is all about the attractiveness or
appeal of the potential reward to the individual.

Vroom was of view that employees consciously decide whether to perform or not at
the job. This decision solely depended on the employee’s motivation level which in
turn depends on three factors of expectancy, valence and instrumentality.

Advantages of the Expectancy Theory

 It is based on self-interest individual who want to achieve maximum

satisfaction and who wants to minimize dissatisfaction.
 This theory stresses upon the expectations and perception; what is real and
actual is immaterial.
 It emphasizes on rewards or pay-offs.
 It focuses on psychological extravagance where final objective of individual is
to attain maximum pleasure and least pain.

Limitations of the Expectancy Theory

 The expectancy theory seems to be idealistic because quite a few individuals

perceive high degree correlation between performance and rewards.
 The application of this theory is limited as reward is not directly correlated
with performance in many organizations. It is related to other parameters
also such as position, effort, responsibility, education, etc.

Implications of the Expectancy Theory

 The managers can correlate the preferred outcomes to the aimed

performance levels.
  The managers must ensure that the employees can achieve the aimed
performance levels.
 The deserving employees must be rewarded for their exceptional
performance.
 The reward system must be fair and just in an organization.
 Organizations must design interesting, dynamic and challenging jobs.
 The employee’s motivation level should be continually assessed through
various techniques such as questionnaire, personal interviews, etc.

Communication

Lisa works as a Brand Executive with a reputed multinational firm. She was asked to
deliver a presentation on her assignments and achievements. Her appraisal was
due that month, and she did not get her promotion. No points for guessing, her
presentation played the culprit. Her thoughts were not at all clear and she could not
express her views in front of her boss and the top management.

Such is the importance of communication or to be very precise effective

communication.

Let us first try to find out what communication actually is ?

Understanding Communication

A famous quote says - “The way we communicate with others and with
ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives”

The process of passing any information from one person to the other person with
the aid of some medium is termed as communication.

The first party who sends the information is called the sender and the second party
who receives the information, decodes the information and accordingly responds is
called the receiver or the recipient. Thus in simpler terms communication is
simply a process where the sender sends the information to the receiver for him to
respond.

------------------------------
Sender Receiver
-----

Information
Joe might have an unparalleled, incomparable concept or an idea with him but he
would never get the credit if he merely keeps it within himself. He has to pass on the
idea to his fellow workers. He has to communicate. Not only communicate but also
effectively communicate.

In an organization, your boss will never give you your share of credit, unless and
until you present your work in a well defined manner. How will one present his/her
work- by communication.

Parents will never understand that their child is hurt unless and until, the child cries
or shows his wounds. What is crying? A form of communication. What does showing
of wounds mean-The child wants to communicate to his parents that he needs to be
immediately attended by the doctor.

Mike preferred pasta to pizza and once during the Christmas party, he made his
point clear and pasta was ordered only for Mike as Jenny, Christina and Tony were
all pizza lovers. Mike did nothing but simply communicated and passed on his
desire to his gang, here Mike being the sender and the others receiver.

It is of utmost importance not only to communicate but also effectively

communicate. Please throw some light on the first instance where Lisa was not
suitably promoted. She did give her presentation, she did communicate, then why
was she denied her promotion? She did not effectively communicate. The trick is not
only to communicate but effectively communicate. And if you can effectively
communicate, the world is all yours.

The Communication process

Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a

continuous process. Pre-requisite of communication is a message. This message
must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this
message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the
sender. He must respond within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way
process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the sender on
how well the message is understood by him.
 Communication
Process

The main components of communication process are as follows:

1. Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place.

This context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every
communication proceeds with context. The sender chooses the message to
communicate within a context.
2. Sender/Encoder - Sender/Encoder is a person who sends the message. A
sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the
message and produce the required response. For instance - a training
manager conducting training for new batch of employees.

Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization. The views,

background, approach, skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender
have a great impact on the message. The verbal and non verbal symbols
chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the message by the
recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender.

3. Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is

a sign that elicits the response of recipient. Communication process begins
with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be ensured that the
main objective of the message is clear.
4. Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange/transmit the message. The
sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message
else the message might not be conveyed to the desired recipients.

The choice of appropriate medium of communication is essential for making

the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice
of communication medium varies depending upon the features of
communication.

For instance - Written medium is chosen when a message has to be conveyed

to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when
 spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings
are cleared then and there.

5. Recipient/Decoder - Recipient/Decoder is a person for whom the message is

intended/aimed/targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the
message is dependent upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient,
their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on
decoder.
6. Feedback - Feedback is the main component of communication process as it
permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender
in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback
may be verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It
may take written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.

Different Types of Communication

Let us now go through the various types of communication:

Verbal communication

Verbal communication is a type of communication where the information flows

through verbal medium like words, speeches, presentations etc. In verbal
communication the sender shares his/her thoughts in the form of words. In
organizations, individuals communicate verbally among each other in the form of
dialogues, speech, presentations, discussions to name a few.

The tone of the speaker, the pitch and the quality of words play a crucial role in
verbal communication. The speaker has to be loud and clear and the content has to
be properly defined. Haphazard and unorganized thoughts only lead to confusions
and misunderstandings among individuals. In verbal communication, an individual
must understand the importance of words and how to put them across.

While speaking the pitch ought to be high and clear for everyone to understand and
the content must be designed keeping the target audience in mind. In verbal
communication it is the responsibility of the sender to cross check with the receiver
whether he has downloaded the correct information or not and the sender must
give the required response.

Sarah to ken - “I want a glass of water” is an example of verbal communication.

Non verbal communication

Imagine yourself in a situation, where you can’t speak but have to communicate an
urgent information to the other person or for that matter, you are sitting in an
important meeting and you want to express your displeasure or pleasure to your
colleague without uttering even a word. Here non verbal mode of communication
comes into picture. Facial expressions, gestures, hand and hair movements, body
postures all constitute non verbal communication.

Any communication made between two people without words and simply through
facial movements, gestures or hand movements is called as non verbal
communication.

In other words, it is a speechless communication where content is not put into

words but simply expressed through expressions If one has a headache, one would
put his hand on his forehead to communicate his discomfort - a form of non verbal
communication. Non verbal communications are vital in offices, meetings and even
in romantic chats.

Visual Communication

Before planning any outing or tour, Sandra always refers to the map of that place.
Through the map, she tries to find out more about the place, the route to reach that
place, hotels, shopping joints etc. The map is actually passing information about the
place to Sandra or communicating with Sandra. This mode of communication is
called visual communication.

In visual communication, the recipient receives information from signboards,

displays, hoardings, banners, maps etc. The sign board of Mc Donald’s or KFC
indicates eating joints - a form of visual communication. The sign board of “No
Parking Zone” communicates to the individuals that any vehicle must not be parked
in the vicinity - again a mode of visual communication. Vision plays a very important
role in visual communication and it depends on the recipient how to interpret the
message.

Communication Barriers - Reasons for

Communication Breakdown
Communication is a process beginning with a sender who encodes the message and
passes it through some channel to the receiver who decodes the message.
Communication is fruitful if and only if the messages sent by the sender is
interpreted with same meaning by the receiver. If any kind of disturbance blocks
any step of communication, the message will be destroyed. Due to such
disturbances, managers in an organization face severe problems. Thus the
managers must locate such barriers and take steps to get rid of them.
There are several barriers that affects the flow of communication in an organization.
These barriers interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the reciever,
thus making communication ineffective. It is essential for managers to overcome
these barriers. The main barriers of communication are summarized below.

Following are the main communication barriers:

1. Perceptual and Language Differences: Perception is generally how each

individual interprets the world around him. All generally want to receive
messages which are significant to them. But any message which is against
their values is not accepted.

A same event may be taken differently by different individuals. For example:

A person is on leave for a month due to personal reasons (family member
being critical). The HR Manager might be in confusion whether to retain that
employee or not, the immediate manager might think of replacement
because his teams productivity is being hampered, the family members
might take him as an emotional support.

1. The linguistic differences also lead to communication breakdown. Same word

may mean different to different individuals. For example: consider a word
“value”.

a. What is the value of this Laptop?

b. I value our relation?
c. What is the value of learning technical skills?

“Value” means different in different sentences. Communication breakdown

occurs if there is wrong perception by the receiver.

2. Information Overload: Managers are surrounded with a pool of

information. It is essential to control this information flow else the
 information is likely to be misinterpreted or forgotten or overlooked. As a
result communication is less effective.
3. Inattention: At times we just not listen, but only hear. For example a traveler
may pay attention to one “NO PARKING” sign, but if such sign is put all over
the city, he no longer listens to it. Thus, repetitive messages should be
ignored for effective communication. Similarly if a superior is engrossed in
his paper work and his subordinate explains him his problem, the superior
may not get what he is saying and it leads to disappointment of subordinate.
4. Time Pressures: Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within
a specified time period, the failure of which has adverse consequences. In a
haste to meet deadlines, the formal channels of communication are
shortened, or messages are partially given, i.e., not completely transferred.
Thus sufficient time should be given for effective communication.
5. Distraction/Noise: Communication is also affected a lot by noise to
distractions. Physical distractions are also there such as, poor lightning,
uncomfortable sitting, unhygienic room also affects communication in a
meeting. Similarly use of loud speakers interferes with communication.
6. Emotions: Emotional state at a particular point of time also affects
communication. If the receiver feels that communicator is angry he interprets
that the information being sent is very bad. While he takes it differently if the
communicator is happy and jovial (in that case the message is interpreted to
be good and interesting).
7. Complexity in Organizational Structure: Greater the hierarchy in an
organization (i.e. more the number of managerial levels), more is the chances
of communication getting destroyed. Only the people at the top level can see
the overall picture while the people at low level just have knowledge about
their own area and a little knowledge about other areas.
8. Poor retention: Human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One cant
always retain what is being told specially if he is not interested or not
attentive. This leads to communication breakdown.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

There are a lot of communication barriers faced these days by all. The message
intended by the sender is not understood by the receiver in the same terms and
sense and thus communication breakdown occurs.

It is essential to deal and cope up with these communication barriers so as to

ensure smooth and effective communication.

As, in the previous section we have discussed the major barriers of communication.
Let’s talk about how to overcome these barriers of communication.
1. Eliminating differences in perception: The organization should ensure that
it is recruiting right individuals on the job. It’s the responsibility of the
interviewer to ensure that the interviewee has command over the written
and spoken language.

There should be proper Induction program so that the policies of the

company are clear to all the employees. There should be proper trainings
conducted for required employees (for eg: Voice and Accent training).

2. Use of Simple Language: Use of simple and clear words should be

emphasized. Use of ambiguous words and jargons should be avoided.
3. Reduction and elimination of noise levels: Noise is the main
communication barrier which must be overcome on priority basis. It is
essential to identify the source of noise and then eliminate that source.
4. Active Listening: Listen attentively and carefully. There is a difference
between “listening” and “hearing”. Active listening means hearing with proper
understanding of the message that is heard. By asking questions the speaker
can ensure whether his/her message is understood or not by the receiver in
the same terms as intended by the speaker.
5. Emotional State: During communication one should make effective use of
body language. He/she should not show their emotions while communication
as the receiver might misinterpret the message being delivered. For example,
if the conveyer of the message is in a bad mood then the receiver might think
that the information being delivered is not good.
6. Simple Organizational Structure: The organizational structure should not
be complex. The number of hierarchical levels should be optimum. There
should be a ideal span of control within the organization. Simpler the
organizational structure, more effective will be the communication.
7. Avoid Information Overload: The managers should know how to prioritize
their work. They should not overload themselves with the work. They should
spend quality time with their subordinates and should listen to their
problems and feedbacks actively.
8. Give Constructive Feedback: Avoid giving negative feedback. The contents
of the feedback might be negative, but it should be delivered constructively.
Constructive feedback will lead to effective communication between the
superior and subordinate.
9. Proper Media Selection: The managers should properly select the medium
of communication. Simple messages should be conveyed orally, like: face to
face interaction or meetings.

Use of written means of communication should be encouraged for delivering

complex messages. For significant messages reminders can be given by using
written means of communication such as: Memos, Notices etc.
 10. Flexibility in meeting the targets: For effective communication in an
organization the managers should ensure that the individuals are meeting
their targets timely without skipping the formal channels of communication.
There should not be much pressure on employees to meet their targets.

Seven C’s of Effective Communication

There are 7 C’s of effective communication which are applicable to both written as
well as oral communication. These are as follows:

1. Completeness - The communication must be complete. It should convey all

facts required by the audience. The sender of the message must take into
consideration the receiver’s mind set and convey the message accordingly. A
complete communication has following features:
 Complete communication develops and enhances reputation of an
organization.
 Moreover, they are cost saving as no crucial information is missing and
no additional cost is incurred in conveying extra message if the
communication is complete.
 A complete communication always gives additional information
wherever required. It leaves no questions in the mind of receiver.
 Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the
audience/readers/receivers of message as they get all desired and
crucial information.
 It persuades the audience.
2. Conciseness - Conciseness means wordiness, i.e, communicating what you
want to convey in least possible words without forgoing the other C’s of
communication. Conciseness is a necessity for effective communication.
Concise communication has following features:
 It is both time-saving as well as cost-saving.
 It underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using
excessive and needless words.
 Concise communication provides short and essential message in
limited words to the audience.
 Concise message is more appealing and comprehensible to the
audience.
 Concise message is non-repetitive in nature.
3. Consideration - Consideration implies “stepping into the shoes of others”.
Effective communication must take the audience into consideration, i.e, the
audience’s view points, background, mind-set, education level, etc. Make an
attempt to envisage your audience, their requirements, emotions as well as
problems. Ensure that the self-respect of the audience is maintained and
their emotions are not at harm. Modify your words in message to suit the
 audience’s needs while making your message complete. Features of
considerate communication are as follows:
 Emphasize on “you” approach.
 Empathize with the audience and exhibit interest in the audience. This
will stimulate a positive reaction from the audience.
 Show optimism towards your audience. Emphasize on “what is
possible” rather than “what is impossible”. Lay stress on positive words
such as jovial, committed, thanks, warm, healthy, help, etc.
4. Clarity - Clarity implies emphasizing on a specific message or goal at a time,
rather than trying to achieve too much at once. Clarity in communication has
following features:
 It makes understanding easier.
 Complete clarity of thoughts and ideas enhances the meaning of
message.
 Clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and concrete words.
5. Concreteness - Concrete communication implies being particular and clear
rather than fuzzy and general. Concreteness strengthens the confidence.
Concrete message has following features:
 It is supported with specific facts and figures.
 It makes use of words that are clear and that build the reputation.
 Concrete messages are not misinterpreted.
6. Courtesy - Courtesy in message implies the message should show the
sender’s expression as well as should respect the receiver. The sender of the
message should be sincerely polite, judicious, reflective and enthusiastic.
Courteous message has following features:
 Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as
feelings of the receiver of the message.
 Courteous message is positive and focused at the audience.
 It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of message.
 It is not at all biased.
7. Correctness - Correctness in communication implies that there are no
grammatical errors in communication. Correct communication has following
features:
 The message is exact, correct and well-timed.
 If the communication is correct, it boosts up the confidence level.
 Correct message has greater impact on the audience/readers.
 It checks for the precision and accurateness of facts and figures used
in the message.
 It makes use of appropriate and correct language in the message.

Awareness of these 7 C’s of communication makes you an effective communicator.

Guidelines for Effective Communication

Effective communication is a part and parcel of any successful organization.

A communication should be free from barriers so as to be effective. Communication

is a two way process where the message sent by the sender should be interpreted
in the same terms by the recipient.

The characteristics of effective communication are as follows:

1. Clarity of Purpose: The message to be delivered must be clear in the mind

of sender. The person to whom it is targeted and the aim of the message
should be clear in the mind of the sender.
2. Completeness: The message delivered should not be incomplete. It should
be supported by facts and observations. It should be well planned and
organized. No assumptions should be made by the receiver.
3. Conciseness: The message should be concise. It should not include any
unnecessary details. It should be short and complete.
4. Feedback: Whether the message sent by the sender is understood in same
terms by the receiver or not can be judged by the feedback received. The
feedback should be timely and in personal. It should be specific rather than
general.
5. Empathy: Empathy with the listeners is essential for effective verbal
communication. The speaker should step into the shoes of the listener and
be sensitive to their needs and emotions. This way he can understand things
from their perspective and make communication more effective.
6. Modify the message according to the audience: The information
requirement by different people in the organization differs according to their
needs. What is relevant to the middle level management might not be
relevant to the top level of management.

Use of jargons should be minimized because it might lead to

misunderstanding and misinterpretations. The message should be modified
according to the needs and requirements of the targeted audience.

7. Multiple Channels of communication: For effective communication

multiple channels should be used as it increases the chances of clarity of
message.

The message is reinforced by using different channels and there are less
chances of deformation of message.

8. Make effective use of Grapevine (informal channel of

communication): The employees and managers should not always
discourage grapevine. They should make effective use of grapevine.
 The managers can use grapevine to deliver formal messages and for
identification of issues which are significant for the employees. The managers
can get to know the problems faced by the employees and can work upon it.

1. While managers lay down the structure and delegates authority and
responsibility, leaders provides direction by developing the organizational
vision and communicating it to the employees and inspiring them to achieve
it.
2. While management includes focus on planning, organizing, staffing, directing
and controlling; leadership is mainly a part of directing function of
management. Leaders focus on listening, building relationships, teamwork,
inspiring, motivating and persuading the followers.
3. While a leader gets his authority from his followers, a manager gets his
authority by virtue of his position in the organization.
4. While managers follow the organization’s policies and procedure, the leaders
follow their own instinct.
5. Management is more of science as the managers are exact, planned,
standard, logical and more of mind.

Leadership, on the other hand, is an art. In an organization, if the managers

are required, then leaders are a must/essential.

6. While management deals with the technical dimension in an organization or

the job content; leadership deals with the people aspect in an organization.
7. While management measures/evaluates people by their name, past records,
present performance;

Leadership sees and evaluates individuals as having potential for things that
can’t be measured, i.e., it deals with future and the performance of people if
their potential is fully extracted.

8. If management is reactive, leadership is proactive.

9. Management is based more on written communication, while leadership is
based more on verbal communication.

The organizations which are over managed and under-led do not perform upto the
benchmark.

10 Principles of Effective Communication

Principles of communication is effectively is vital in the world of marketing.
Whether it’s emails, blog posts, or client meetings, good communication skills are
a necessity. Understanding how to express yourself clearly and effectively is
critical for any business.
Here are 10 simple principles to remember for effective communication.
1. Create A Goal
The first step is determining how you want to impact your audience. Are you
positioning yourself as a thought leader, or are you persuading them to take action?
Figuring out your ideal outcome at the start and intentionally crafting your
communication to reach for that goal will make it much more effective. Deciding
which KPIs can help you keep track of your goals is also important, whether it’s
clicks, social shares, sign-ups, or purchases.
2. Listen to Feedback
Good communication is never a one-way street. This is why no one enjoys being
stuck with someone constantly talking about themselves without giving you a
chance to respond or even say a few words. A one-sided conversation can make
anyone lose interest in the topic at hand.
Likewise, if you never listen to what your audience is saying or give them a chance
to engage, you’ll struggle to effectively connect with them. The better option
is always to do your research, read what they’re writing, ask for their feedback, and
incorporate what they’re looking for into what you’re trying to communicate.
3. Adjust To Your Medium
Understanding the context of your communication is vital to success. For example,
you wouldn’t say certain things through written communication because the tone
and inflection of the spoken word isn’t there. On the other hand, you would
communicate much differently on the phone than face-to-face because the other
person can’t see your face, hand gestures, or body language.
Once you decide on the most appealing format to reach your audience, make sure
your content and messaging are both tailored for that medium. For example, if it’s
for Twitter, you’ll want something that’s short, visually appealing, and will maybe
even start a conversation. However, you’ll want to go into more detail on a mobile-
optimized and easy-to-read page if you are writing a blog post.
4. Stay Organized
Staying organized isn’t easy for most people. One way to stay organized is to
create a high-level outline before you attempt to communicate with your audience.
An outline includes:

 Your goal.
 Your main point(s) to get across.
 The different ways you’re going to illustrate them for your audience.

Breaking things down into small tasks will help you remain focused on this plan
while being methodical in your research, and avoiding any scope creep.
5. Be Persuasive
One of the primary goals of effective communication is to remain persuasive. Of
course, people are persuaded in different ways. Using relevant facts to back up
your main argument is a great way to appeal to many people.
However, it’s even more important to appeal to your audience’s emotional side, as
research shows that our emotional brain processes information much faster than the
logical side of our brain. In other words, using images or telling stories that bring
happiness, hope, or humor can greatly impact how you communicate with your
audience.
6. Be Clear
Writing concise sentences is essential to keeping things clear. On the other hand,
writing large blocks of text with lengthy sentences is one of the quickest ways to
lose the attention of your audience.
Replacing longer phrases with shorter ones, making things simple, and keeping
most of your sentences below 30 words are all key aspects of communication.
Usually, this entire process goes through a few rounds of editing to eliminate
unnecessary content and improve readability.
7. Visuals Are Important
Variety can often go a long way while communicating with an audience. People
can comprehend new information in numerous ways, but the vast majority are
primarily visual people. In fact, people can understand visual data in as little as 13
milliseconds.
Understanding how to use compelling visuals is a great way to draw in your
audience, and you can use text to further demonstrate your point. Visuals are also a
fantastic way to appeal to the emotional side of your audience.
8. Use Stories
Another way to connect with your audience and communicate your ideas is with
powerful stories. People are natural storytellers and listeners. This inborn trait
stretches across cultures and is especially evident with how kids are so quickly
drawn to storybooks.
Stories are great ways to make ideas more tangible to people and can also
humanize what you’re communicating. Stories are also more likely to be
remembered than the other elements of what you communicate due to them
appealing to your audience’s more emotional side. So, if you really want people to
understand and remember your point, add in a story that illustrates it.
9. Less Is More
Your audience is likely busy. So don’t waste your (or their) time with irrelevant
tidbits, repeated information, or details that don’t help you with your main
communication goal. It will lead to disengagement, less information being
retained, and take away from the effectiveness of your efforts. When in doubt, err
on the side of clarity.
10. Be Curious
Finally, resolve to always be learning. While some things remain the same, the
world of communication is constantly evolving. Continue to read, talk to mentors,
and never assume you know everything when it comes to good communication.
For your individual efforts, test different formats and styles to see what works best
when connecting with your unique audience, and always be open to feedback.
Good Communication is Effective Communication
Communication is the cornerstone of our profession. These principles of
communication will help you focus your thoughts, whether you are selling a
product, trying to convince a group to act, or getting your team aligned to reach
specific goals.

Commmunicator as a Leader

Strong communication skills enable leaders to provide

necessary information and direction to their teams. They may
use a broad range of communication techniques to strengthen
interpersonal understanding and enhance morale and
professionalism. By understanding how crucial communication
is for leading your team members and increasing productivity,
you can take specific steps to improve your skills. In this article,
we discuss the importance of communication skills in
leadership, learn the benefits of communication skills for
leaders and explore some ways to develop your communication
skills.

Principles for becoming an effective

Communicator
 Effective communication makes the product/service understandable – All
promotional material should be self-explanatory. Prospective customers
should know exactly what they are getting.
 Effective communication is unobtrusive – The product/service should take
centre stage, not the copywriting, design or promotion.
 Effective communication is honest – No outrageous claims or promises.
 Effective communication is long-lasting - It avoids fads and trends, and
thereby lasts for many years.
 Effective communication is thorough down to the last detail – Research
and attention to detail show respect to the client and consumer. Both should
go without saying.
  Effective communication is succinct – It should ‘say more with less’,
focusing on the essential aspects, to keep everything simple, honest, and
effective.
 Effective communication is innovative – Every project, and every client, is
unique. Good communication should highlight the personality of the client
and project in an innovative, attractive and effective manner.
 Effective communication makes a product/service useful – If prospective
customers don’t feel that the product or service is useful, and therefore worth
using, the marketing and promotion fails.
 Effective communication is aesthetic – Aesthetics are a big part of
communication. Attractive layouts, font choices, use of images – and more –
all go towards creating effective, useful communicative materials.
 Effective communication is environmentally friendly – Promotional
materials should be chosen to have the least impact on the environment as
possible.

Communication Styles
Four types of communication styles include passive communication, aggressive
communication, passive-aggressive communication and assertive communication.
Meg Palmer
Communication allows us to express our thoughts, share information and connect with other
people. From sending a quick text to chatting with a friend over coffee, you are interacting
with the people around you all the time. Whether it's verbal or nonverbal, communication
makes up a big part of your life.

But who we are also shapes how we communicate. Just like no two people are exactly the
same, everyone has their own unique communication style. Knowing what these styles look
like — and how to identify them — can help you better communicate and work with other
people.

4 Types of Communication Styles

There are many ways to describe how a person communicates. One way is through their
communication style.

Dr. Daria S. LaFave, a communication instructor at Southern New Hampshire University

(SNHU), points to these styles as a tool that can help you understand others. In addition to
her work as an instructor, LaFave works as a consultant for online course development and
conducts research on subjects such as instructor-student relationship building and
instructional design.

According to LaFave and other business leaders, communication can be categorized into
four main styles:

1. Passive Communication often looks like not communicating at all for fear of
speaking up. This can lead to misunderstandings.
 2. Aggressive Communication tends to be driven by anger and judgment and can also
result in inflexibility. This can create a hostile environment.
3. Passive-Aggressive Communication might mean you don’t directly communicate
your feelings, but you hold on to negative emotions and let those affect your actions.
This can cause confusion and resentment.
4. Assertive Communication is confident but also respectful of others' thoughts and
feelings. Assertive communication creates space for honest conversations and
promotes healthy connections between individuals.

"These four types are pretty good at capturing styles of communication," said LaFave, who
teaches classes such as interpersonal communication and communication theory, where these
styles come into play. "However, it is important to consider the contexts, the relationships
and the purposes of interactions when identifying these styles," she said.

According to LaFave, you may feel as though you align with one of these communication
styles, or you might feel like you use a mix of all four. For example, a person may adopt a
more assertive communication style in a professional setting but switch to a more passive
style when talking with family or close friends. "Style fluidity is a useful strategy for anyone
who is looking to become a competent communicator," said LaFave.

What Other Factors Affect How Someone Communicates?

While sorting types of communicators can help you understand someone's habits or reactions,
these styles don’t always tell the whole story.

"Interpersonal communication is multifaceted," said Dr. Jim Owston, a communication

instructor at SNHU. According to Owston, it's hard to define someone by just one
communication style. If someone is using an aggressive communication style in a meeting,
that doesn't mean it's the style they use all the time.

With over 30 years of teaching experience and 20 years working in broadcasting, Owston
points to some key factors that he has seen impact how someone communicates, including:

 Cultural and social conventions

 Gender and social roles
 Emotions and perception
 Environment or medium

These additional factors can explain why someone communicates the way they do. But they
can also explain how other people interpret those messages.

For example, being an assertive communicator is often seen as a good thing. An assertive
communicator is direct with their message while still being respectful of others' thoughts and
feelings.

"In some instances (though)," LaFave said, "assertiveness can come across as aggression,
which could have negative impacts on the person who is asserting themselves."

LaFave points to gender as one outside factor that can negatively affect how communication
is interpreted. While assertiveness may be praised in men, "women are more likely to be seen
as aggressive when they assert themselves," she said. It's important to think about how your
communication style comes across and what factors may affect how you view someone else's
style, too.

Control Or Controlling

Controlling consists of verifying whether everything occurs in confirmities with the

plans adopted, instructions issued and principles established.

Controlling ensures that there is effective and efficient utilization of organizational

resources so as to achieve the planned goals.

Controlling measures the deviation of actual performance from the standard

performance, discovers the causes of such deviations and helps in taking corrective
actions

According to Brech, “Controlling is a systematic exercise which is called as a process

of checking actual performance against the standards or plans with a view to ensure
adequate progress and also recording such experience as is gained as a
contribution to possible future needs.”

According to Donnell, “Just as a navigator continually takes reading to ensure

whether he is relative to a planned action, so should a business manager continually
take reading to assure himself that his enterprise is on right course.”

Controlling has got two basic purposes:

1. It facilitates co-ordination
2. It helps in planning

Features of Controlling Function

Following are the characteristics of controlling function of management-

1. Controlling is an end function- A function which comes once the

performances are made in confirmities with plans.
2. Controlling is a pervasive function- which means it is performed by
managers at all levels and in all type of concerns.
3. Controlling is forward looking- because effective control is not possible
without past being controlled. Controlling always look to future so that
follow-up can be made whenever required.
4. Controlling is a dynamic process- since controlling requires taking reviewal
methods, changes have to be made wherever possible.
5. Controlling is related with planning- Planning and Controlling are two
inseperable functions of management. Without planning, controlling is a
meaningless exercise and without controlling, planning is useless. Planning
presupposes controlling and controlling succeeds planning.
Process of Controlling
Controlling as a management function involves following steps:

1. Establishment of standards- Standards are the plans or the targets which

have to be achieved in the course of business function. They can also be
called as the criterions for judging the performance. Standards generally are
classified into two-
a. Measurable or tangible - Those standards which can be measured and
expressed are called as measurable standards. They can be in form of
cost, output, expenditure, time, profit, etc.
b. Non-measurable or intangible- There are standards which cannot be
measured monetarily. For example- performance of a manager,
deviation of workers, their attitudes towards a concern. These are
called as intangible standards.

Controlling becomes easy through establishment of these standards because

controlling is exercised on the basis of these standards.

2. Measurement of performance- The second major step in controlling is to

measure the performance. Finding out deviations becomes easy through
measuring the actual performance.

Performance levels are sometimes easy to measure and sometimes difficult.

Measurement of tangible standards is easy as it can be expressed in units,
cost, money terms, etc. Quantitative measurement becomes difficult when
performance of manager has to be measured. Performance of a manager
cannot be measured in quantities. It can be measured only by-

a. Attitude of the workers,

b. Their morale to work,
c. The development in the attitudes regarding the physical environment,
and
d. Their communication with the superiors.

It is also sometimes done through various reports like weekly, monthly,

quarterly, yearly reports.

3. Comparison of actual and standard performance- Comparison of actual

performance with the planned targets is very important. Deviation can be
defined as the gap between actual performance and the planned targets. The
manager has to find out two things here - extent of deviation and cause
of deviation.
 Extent of deviation means that the manager has to find out whether the
deviation is positive or negative or whether the actual performance is in
conformity with the planned performance. The managers have to exercise
control by exception. He has to find out those deviations which are critical
and important for business.

Minor deviations have to be ignored. Major deviations like replacement of

machinery, appointment of workers, quality of raw material, rate of profits,
etc. should be looked upon consciously. Therefore it is said, “ If a manager
controls everything, he ends up controlling nothing.”

For example, if stationery charges increase by a minor 5 to 10%, it can be

called as a minor deviation. On the other hand, if monthly production
decreases continuously, it is called as major deviation.

Once the deviation is identified, a manager has to think about various cause
which has led to deviation. The causes can be-

a. Erroneous planning,
b. Co-ordination loosens,
c. Implementation of plans is defective, and
d. Supervision and communication is ineffective, etc.
4. Taking remedial actions- Once the causes and extent of deviations are
known, the manager has to detect those errors and take remedial measures
for it. There are two alternatives here-
a. Taking corrective measures for deviations which have occurred; and
b. After taking the corrective measures, if the actual performance is not
in conformity with plans, the manager can revise the targets. It is here
the controlling process comes to an end. Follow up is an important
step because it is only through taking corrective measures, a manager
can exercise controlling.

Control is a crucial function of management that involves monitoring, evaluating,

and regulating organizational activities and processes to ensure they align with
established goals and standards. To implement effective control, managers employ
various techniques and methods that provide insights into performance and
facilitate decision-making. In this blog, we will explore some common techniques
of control in management.
1. Budgetary Control
Budgetary control is a widely used technique for financial control. It involves
setting budgets for various organizational activities and departments and then
comparing actual expenditures and revenues to the budgeted figures. Budget
variances help identify areas where corrective actions may be needed. This
technique helps organizations manage their finances, allocate resources effectively,
and control costs.
2. Variance Analysis
Variance analysis is a method for comparing actual performance against
predetermined standards or budgets. By calculating the differences (variances)
between actual and expected outcomes, managers can pinpoint areas that require
attention. Variance analysis is particularly useful for financial control and
assessing deviations in areas such as sales, production, and expenses.
3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
KPIs are specific, measurable metrics used to assess the performance of
organizations, departments, or individuals. They provide a clear and quantitative
way to monitor progress toward goals. Managers select relevant KPIs to measure
performance in areas such as sales, customer satisfaction, employee productivity,
and more. Regularly tracking KPIs allows for ongoing performance evaluation.
4. Benchmarking
Benchmarking involves comparing an organization’s performance, processes, or
practices to those of industry leaders or competitors. This technique helps identify
best practices and areas for improvement. By studying benchmarking data,
organizations can set performance targets and implement strategies to achieve
excellence in specific areas.
5. Management Information Systems (MIS)
MIS is a technology-based control technique that relies on information systems to
collect, process, and present data for decision-making. It provides real-time or
periodic reports on various aspects of organizational performance, including
financial data, inventory levels, production output, and sales figures. MIS enables
managers to access critical information quickly and make informed decisions.
6. Quality Control
Quality control techniques focus on ensuring that products or services meet
established quality standards. This includes methods such as:
 Statistical Process Control (SPC): Using statistical techniques to monitor
and control production processes to maintain consistent quality.
 Six Sigma: A systematic approach to improving quality by reducing defects
and variations in processes.
 Total Quality Management (TQM): A comprehensive quality
management approach that involves all employees in continuous
improvement efforts.
  ISO Standards: Implementing international quality standards like ISO 9001
to ensure product and service quality.
7. Benchmarking
Benchmarking involves comparing an organization’s performance, processes, or
practices to those of industry leaders or competitors. This technique helps identify
best practices and areas for improvement. By studying benchmarking data,
organizations can set performance targets and implement strategies to achieve
excellence in specific areas.
8. Employee Performance Appraisal
Employee performance appraisal is a technique used to evaluate and control
employee performance. Managers assess individual performance based on
predefined criteria and provide feedback and development opportunities.
Performance appraisals help identify areas where employees excel and where
improvement is needed.
9. Management by Objectives (MBO)
MBO is a technique that aligns organizational goals and individual objectives.
Employees set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
(SMART) objectives in consultation with their managers. Periodic performance
reviews are conducted to ensure that employees are on track to meet their
objectives, contributing to the achievement of organizational goals.
10. Internal Auditing
Internal auditing involves the independent examination and evaluation of an
organization’s financial and operational processes. Internal auditors review internal
controls, assess compliance with policies and regulations, and identify areas of
risk. Their findings help organizations strengthen control mechanisms and improve
governance.
In conclusion, these techniques of control are essential tools for managers to
monitor and regulate organizational performance effectively. Budgetary control,
variance analysis, KPIs, benchmarking, MIS, quality control, performance
appraisal, MBO, internal auditing, and other control techniques provide valuable
insights, support decision-making, and contribute to achieving organizational
objectives. Managers often combine several of these techniques to create a
comprehensive control system tailored to their organization’s specific needs.

Tools Of Management
n order to ensure standard performance, technical tools are required. To accomplish goals, it
maintains proper control over each employee's activity and each organizational unit. Several
of the methods include:

 Personal Control: Controlling the actions through oversight of deputies and close
observation is important. Through this, supervisors may see firsthand how employees
perform and behave. Technical managers are familiar with the status and issues
relating to all organizational activities. These kinds of controls are appropriate for
small organizations with few activities.
 Bureaucratic control: The Bureaucratic Theory of Management by Max Weber is
the foundation of this strategy. "Management structure should be built in a
hierarchical system and division on the basis of specialization," said Max Weber. To
maintain control over the actions of subordinates, a formal system of written rules and
procedures must be in place. This method is appropriate for a sizable company with a
vertical organizational structure.
 Output control: Units of output produced by each person and department are
specified for a set amount of time under this output control. The responsibilities and
position they play inside an organization determine all of the organizational goals. By
evaluating their real production, managers are able to keep a tight grip on their
employees' actions.
 Culture control: Culture control systems lessen the need for bureaucratic and
individual control. The department's whole workforce adheres to the organization's
principles and standards and behaves consistently, which contributes to the
environment of restraint that is maintained there.
 Central through incentives: Gifts or rewards given to employees as incentives to
practice self-control in their work are known as incentives. Employee skill levels and
the organization's business scope should be taken into consideration when awarding
incentives. Employees are encouraged to carry out their tasks energetically and
correctly as a result of these. It could be either financial or not. Non-financial
incentives include a suitable working environment, transportation facilities, an
appropriate division of labor, etc. Financial incentives include fair compensation,
bonuses, shares of profit, allowances, etc.
 Market Controls: The goal of market control techniques is to manage individual
organizational units' behavior. Such methods are used by businesses with diversified
product lines. When the head office functions as an internal investment bank to boost
the effectiveness of their units, divisional managers execute activities with the money
they create as belonging to the office.
Recent Trends In Management:-
Overview of Management Trends

In today’s ever-changing business environment, management is always evolving to

cope with possible problems and situations. This blog provides a look at five recent
developments in the field of management that have implications for students who
want to succeed in their careers. These trends redefine traditional management
paradigms, ranging from embracing entrepreneurship to addressing sustainability
concerns and offering some hope for future leaders.
Trend 1: Embracing Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is now embraced by forward-thinking companies regardless of their

size it is no longer only limited to small firms or startups. In the modern business
landscape, cultivating an entrepreneurial culture is a key driver of innovation, new
opportunities and keeping ahead in business competition.

The trend allows organisations to take a proactive approach towards solving problems
and making decisions. Companies can release untapped potential by empowering
employees to think like entrepreneurs as they create an organisational culture which
supports creativity and agility.

For students, knowing entrepreneurship principles remains crucial irrespective of their

career goals. Students can enhance adaptability, resilience and ability to discern
emerging trends by developing an entrepreneurship mindset.

Trend 2: Prioritizing Sustainability Management

Sustainability has moved from being just a corporate buzzword into one of the
fundamental features of business strategy. With increasing environmental concerns,
there are mounting pressures on organisations regarding the adoption of sustainable
practices throughout all their operations.

The importance of this change lies in how it can drive positive social change while
improving long-term business prospects at the same time. Other than cutting costs,
mitigating risks and enhancing brand reputation, companies must incorporate
sustainability into their mainline business strategies.

Students who choose this specialisation area, open up themselves to various career
paths across different sectors. By understanding sustainability issues such as
environmental management or CSR (corporate social responsibility), students with
sustainability knowledge could become important contributors towards more
sustainable organisations.

Trend 3: Evolving Leadership Development

Leadership development continues transforming due to the fast-changing workforce

demands. More agile and inclusive leadership models that emphasise collaboration,
empathy, and continuous learning are replacing traditional hierarchies.

This shift helps create a new age of leaders capable of navigating complexity and
driving organisational success in a globally connected world. Leadership development
initiatives help companies to develop cultures of innovation, engagement and
adaptability.
Companies like Google or Zappos have already accepted this trend with many
successful illustrations from the real world. Their creativity and productivity increased
as they created environments where their employees felt safe enough for them to take
risks.

Trend 4: Enhancing Risk Management Practices

Effective risk management is essential for an organisation’s ability to be resilient and

sustainable amidst unprecedented uncertainties and volatility. Businesses face various
risks like global pandemics or cyber security threats which require proactive strategic
management.

This trend provides both opportunities and threats for organisations. However, while
there is an increasing complexity as well as scale in terms of risks, technology
advancements along with data analytics bring forth new ways of identifying,
evaluating and mitigating risks.

For students today who have an eye on business risk environments filled with
uncertainties, it is important to learn about risk management. Students can assist
organisations in anticipating potential threats by being able to assess risk properly
hence protecting their interests and thereby protecting value by learning the
techniques used for assessing risks correctly.

Trend 5: Embracing Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM) is experiencing a resurgence as organisations

endeavour to improve their operational efficiencies, enhance customer satisfaction and
achieve product/service excellence. With its roots in continuous improvement and
customer-centricity, TQM provides an approach that systematically ensures
excellence in all aspects of business operations.

This trend is significant because it has the potential to create a sustainable competitive
advantage by relentlessly pursuing quality and excellence. This enables companies to
improve processes, reduce wastage and exceed customer expectations.

Students who want to thrive in today’s competitive job market can gain a lot from
understanding and practising TQM principles. Whether in manufacturing, services or
consulting careers knowing how to apply TQM methods will help students acquire the
competencies which they need for future enhancement through sustained
improvements.
Conclusion

In conclusion, staying ahead of the latest management trends is important for anyone
wishing to excel in today’s fast-paced world of business. These include adopting total
quality management principles among others such as embracing innovation strategies
on risk management practices fostering entrepreneurship, nurturing leadership
development and prioritising sustainability or integrating knowledge-based strategic
management (KSM) therefore being updated with them is critical for success.

Management journey awaits you students. Be curious! Learn about new developments
in this field with great enthusiasm. They shape the current business landscape while at
the same time providing possible areas of growth and innovation.

Constantly seeking knowledge and being up-to-date with what is happening now will
help you understand more about your subject areas and also give you an insight into
how complex the modern-day business environment can be. Therefore may this be an
encouragement unto all of you: keep exploring, and keep learning till you reach
mastery in your pursuit of knowledge that leads to excellence in managing things.