What directing is

Planning, organising and staffing prepare the ground; directing starts the action. It means instructing, guiding, counselling, motivating and leading people, so that they work towards the organisation's objectives.

Its features: it initiates action; it takes place at every level of management; it is continuous; and it flows from top to bottom.

Why directing matters: it initiates action; it integrates everyone's efforts; it helps people realise their potential, through motivation and leadership; it makes change easier, by explaining it and encouraging people to accept it; and it brings stability and balance.

Principles of directing:

• Maximum individual contribution: draw out the most each person can give.
• Harmony of objectives: make people's personal goals fit the organisation's.
• Unity of command: each person takes orders from one superior.
• Appropriate direction technique: suit the method to the person. Some are motivated by money, others by promotion or praise.
• Managerial communication: clear and two-way.
• Use of informal organisation: work with the informal groups, not against them.
• Leadership: influence people without causing dissatisfaction.
• Follow through: keep reviewing whether orders are being carried out, and help where they are not.

Its four elements: supervision, motivation, leadership and communication.