POSDCORB
POSDCORB
POSDCORB
POSDCORB is an acronym created by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick in their "Papers on
the Science of Administration (1937). Developed as a means to structure and analyze
management activities, it set a new paradigm in Public Administration. Based on the
theories of Henri Fayols 14 Principles of Management, Gulick and Lyndall Urwick disputed
the prevailing thinking that there was a dichotomy between politics and administration.
Instead that it was impossible to separate the two. It has been called the "high noon of
orthodoxy, due to the assumption that it was the principles that were important and not
where they were applied.
The acronym which formulates the responsibility of a chief executive or administrator stands
for: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Direction, Coordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting. It
defines the principles as follows:
PLANNING
Planning is working out in broad outline the things that need .to be done and the methods
for doing them to accomplish the purpose set for the enterprise;
ORGANIZING
Organizing is the establishment of the formal structure of authority through which work
subdivisions are arranged, defined and coordinated for the defined objective;
STAFFING
Staffing is the whole personnel function of bringing in and training the staff and maintaining
favorable conditions of work;
DIRECTING
Directing is the continuous task of making decisions and embodying them in specific and
general orders and instructions and serving as the leader of the enterprise;
CO-ORDINATING
Coordinating is the all-important duty of interrelating the various parts of the work;
REPORTING
Reporting is keeping those to whom the executive is responsible informed as to what is
going on, which thus includes keeping himself and his subordinates informed through
records, research and inspections;
BUDGETING
Budgeting, with all that goes with budgeting in the form of fiscal planning, accounting and
control
All executives perform broadly similar functions. The President of the United States, like the
governors of the states or the Prime Minister of England, does many things in common with
his subordinate executives and with all those who have headed large organizations. Luther
Gulick and Lyndall Urwick have classified these common tasks of the executive, and his
categories of important executive functions: What is the work of the chief executive? What
does he do? The answer is POSDCORB.
The elements of management process are known as functions of management. However various authors
have classified these differently. Henry Fayol classified the major functions of management into five:
1. Planning
2. Organizing
3. Commanding
4. Coordinating and
5. Controlling
Luther Gullick has given the word 'POSDCORB' which stands for
1. Planning (P)
2. Organizing (O)
3. Staffing (S)
4. Directing (D)
5. Controlling (CO)
6. Reporting (R) and
7. Budgeting(B)
Koontz and O'Donnell have suggested
1. Planning
2. Organizing
3. Staffing
4. Directing and
5. Controlling
The important functions of management is explained below:
PIanning:
O The first function of the Manager is planning. t is also the foremost and the essential function. Planning
equips the Manager mentally to meet his tasks.
O To plan for the organization the Manager should first understand the culture and creed of the
Organization, what it stands for what are its objectives.
O The Manager should study the resources available within the organization, as also the strength and
weakness of the Organization.
O n the next phase the Manager should perceive the environment outside the organization and assess
correctly the opportunities it provides and the challenges it poses.
O Planning involves selecting missions and objectives and the actions to achieve them.
O t also consists of policies, procedures, methods, budgets, strategy and programmes that are needed to
achieve the goals set. Decision-making is the most important and integral part of planning
7ganizing:
O Organizing is the process of arranging and allocating work, authority, and resources among an
organization's members so that they can achieve the organization's goals.
O Organizing is to give a proper shape to the structure that should execute the plan smoothly to achieve
its success.
O t is the function of grouping together different parts forming an enterprise to carry out defined
operations.
O Various activities to fulfill the goals have to be grouped and these are to be assigned to people in-
groups or departments.
O The authority, responsibility, accountability needed at each level to execute the plan is to be defined and
delegated.
$9affing:
O The staffing function involves identifying/selecting the right person for executing each task planned.
O The staffing function includes all the jobs connected with recruitment, selection, training, placement,
remuneration appraisal, promotion, career planning of the human resources in the organization to
accomplish the task effectively and efficiently
i70.9ing:
O t is the duty of the Manager to guide his subordinates by training coaching, instructing and indicating
what to do, when to do and how to do.
O Thereafter closely monitor the team at work to ensure high standard and efficiency.
O Function of Directing embraces the following activities:
1. orders and instructions
2. supervising (overseeing) people at work
3. motivation, i.e. creating the willingness to work for certain objectives,
4. communication, i.e. establishing understanding with employees regarding plans and their
implementation, and
5. leadership or influencing the behavior of employees
4n974IIing:
O Controlling is the process of ensuring that actual activities conform to the planned activities
O The process of controlling involves the following steps:
1. establishing standards for measuring work performance
2. measurement of actual performance and comparing it with the standards
3. finding variances between the two and see the reasons therefore
4. taking corrective action for rectifying deviations so as to ensure attainment of objectives
5. t helps the manager to keep the organization on track