Management Function- Directing

Which of the following examples best depicts the directing function

• A manager hires six new staff members

• A CEO determines the company’s goals

• A president figures out which staff members should report to him

• A supervisor tells her team the tasks they need to complete

Which of the following statements about directing is true

• Directing is considered the “heart” of management

• Some employees do not need direction

• Staffing is more important than directing

• Only top-level managers participate in directing

When a marketing manager goes on vacation, the marketing staff does not know what tasks to do and does not feel like it can work ahead on anything. This example illustrates that

• directors must build group dynamics

• directing is a continuous process

• directing is the starting point of action

• directing motivates employees

What happens if managers do not coordinate individual employees’ work and effort?

• The company is not able to handle changes

• Employees are more focused on their tasks

• Employees duplicate tasks and are not efficient

• The company has a culture of teamwork

Why is it important for managers to provide stability through direction?

• Instability leads to greater chance of high reward

• Employees who feel secure are more productive and happier

• By providing stability, managers can eliminate risk

• Companies that have stability struggle to guide employees’ work

Which of the following is an example of a manager directing the company’s resources efficiently:

• Tyrell tells Diane to use a part of her budget on a new ad campaign

• Lina trains her staff on the latest software they will be using

• Michael makes sure his employees understand the value of their work

• Renee offers Enrique a raise if he improves his performance

When BlueLight, Inc. merged with a competitor, the managers strived to instruct their employees on the best ways to transition. This is an example of how directing

• motivates employees

• coordinates work and effort

• builds group dynamics

• initiates changes smoothly

Directing is pervasive, which means that it

• never stops

• happens at every level of the organization

• involves interpersonal communication

• flows from the top down

Managers need to form relationships with employees and understand human behavior. This is an example of which characteristic of directing?

• Executive

• Continuous

• People-focused

• Creative

Thomas is listening to his employees’ ideas about how to improve their time management. What directing activity is Thomas engaging in?

• Motivating

• Communicating

• Instructing

• Supervising