Gustavo’s The Business Automator

Gustavo’s The Business Automator

Share this post

Gustavo’s The Business Automator
Gustavo’s The Business Automator
The four functions of Management
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

The four functions of Management

Gustavo De Felice's avatar
Gustavo De Felice
Apr 05, 2024
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

Gustavo’s The Business Automator
Gustavo’s The Business Automator
The four functions of Management
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Leaders and supervisors have the pivotal roles of not just goal setters but also enablers and supporters, helping their teams navigate through challenges to reach the finish line.

Do not take me wrong, few “C-Class” know that Management is divided into four core responsibilities, and those 4 points every leader should fulfil.

Henri Fayol - July 29, 1841, and passing on November 19, 1925

The first person to introduce the Four Core Responsibility functions was Henri Fayol in the early 1900s, actually, there were 5 functions but over the years;
Fayol’s functions were combined and reduced to the following four :

  • Planning

  • Organizing

  • Leading

  • Controlling

Henri Fayol

Henri Fayol, born on July 29, 1841, and passing on November 19, 1925, was a distinguished French mining engineer and executive, as well as a prolific author and director of mines.

He is renowned for devising a comprehensive theory of business administration, commonly referred to as Fayolism; developed in parallel but independently from the scientific management movement, his work intersects with the contributions of his contemporary, Frederick Winslow Taylor, positioning Fayol as a pivotal figure in the foundation of modern management practices.

Fayol threw the base of Management that we still have today dividing the Organisation into those 5 points:

Fayol divided the range of activities undertaken within an industrial undertaking into six types:

  • Technical activities

  • Commercial activities

  • Financial activities

  • Security activities

  • Accounting activities

  • Managerial activities

In his original work, Administration industrielle et générale; prévoyance, organisation, commandement, coordination, control, he identified five primary functions

  • Planning

  • Organizing

  • Commanding

  • Co-ordinating

  • Controlling

Obviously the word “commanding” is a bit “too much” for today's world and a way to Manage in our upper class, and the “commanding + co-ordinating” becomes “Leading” (really more cool to read :) )

Regardless of the industry you find yourself in, the core functions of management remain universal and relevant across all fields.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Gustavo De Felice
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More