Direction

Direction means the issuance of orders and leading and motivating subordinates. Direction can be also defined in terms of instruction, supervision, motivation, leadership, and communication. Direction deals with people whose nature and behavior is quite complex and unpredictable.

Concept of Direction

Direction virtually denotes management in action. Direction means the issuance of orders and leading and motivating subordinates. It clearly predicts that directing is a part of managerial function and process in which senior issues orders, gives instructions, provides leadership, guides and supervises subordinate performance, motivates them to develop confidence and zeal. He also communicates with the subordinates effectively. Without direction, nothing can be accomplished. Direction can be also defined in terms of instruction, supervision, motivation, leadership, and communication.

According to Ernest Dale, "Direction is telling people what to do and seeing that they do it to the best of their ability."

It includes making assignments, corresponding procedures, seeing that mistakes are corrected, providing on the job instruction and of course, issuing orders.

Besides, these elements relating to direction may be as follows:

1. Issuing orders and instructions to the subordinates telling them what to do and how to do it.
2. Guiding and supervising subordinates to ensure that they are doing their job properly.
3. Motivating the subordinates to inspire to work with zeal and willingness for the accomplishment of organizational goals.
4. Providing leadership to subordinates and induce to give best.
5. Communicating with subordinates to remain in constant touch with them.

Principles of Direction

We know that direction is a vital function of management, but it is also a complex one. A manager can learn and get perfection in it only having long experiences. Direction deals with people whose nature and behavior is quite complex and unpredictable. However, some important principles or requirements of direction can be prescribed for effective implementation and they are discussed hereunder:

1. Strategic Use of Informational Organization:
   Today, within the business organization, many other informal organizations are being created by the employees. A group of people uses to create separate associations of their own interests. The associations may be related to any type and kind ranging from ethnic to professional. Hence, the manager should, first of all, accept the association and then try to use that association strategically for the betterment of organization and association both.
   
   
2. Effective Leadership:
   The subordinates, workers, staff members and other followers feel very protected, guided, saved and see the future with some sort of confidence and assurance if they are lead well by their senior. So, a manager must possess a quality of leadership if he wants his subordinates to perform work well. Under the process of leadership, he should assign the job with instruction and guide them and provide his personal advice too. Besides, he should pay personal attention to individual workers and try to understand their problems if any they have. Doing these, a manager can win confidence.
   
   
3. Comprehension:
   Unless the subordinates understand the assigned job and instruction, it will be meaningless to give emphasis upon direction. So, a direction is guided by the principle i.e. what job is assigned to the subordinates understand it easily, exactly and accept it wholly.
   
   
4. Direct Supervision:
   As a leader, a manager is required to supervise the work and performance of subordinates. Within the organization, the superiors are required to make direct contact with the juniors, subordinates, and staff members to whom they have assigned the jobs and prescribed instructions. In this regard, personal touch and contact, face to face communication and individual hearing will encourage the subordinates and thus successful direction would be achieved. This principle may help to boost the working staff.
   
   
5. Harmony of Objectives:
   The first principle of direction is to maintain harmony and establish consistency in the objectives of individuals and enterprises. Employees may be interested in achieving their own goals and objectives such as the satisfaction of their physiological and psychological needs and on the other hand, an enterprise may have their own corporate objective which they may wish to be accomplished with the help of employees. So a manager can very tactfully manage the problem and situation by establishing a complete harmony between the individual and corporate objectives. If employees are asked to work hard so that the enterprise’s profit may increase, then the employees probably will not. Thus, through proper and tactful direction, the manager can easily integrate individual and organizational goals or objectives.
   
   
6. Unity of Command:
   Unity of command is the principle of organizing, however, it is equally applicable in the case of direction. According to this principle, each and every employee should receive order or instruction only from a definite superior i.e., one manager. If orders are given by more than two superiors or works are assigned by many seniors, it will surely create confusion, conflict, and disorder in the organization. Therefore, only one superior should command the subordinates.
   
   
7. Effective Communication:
   Today, communication has become necessary for organizational success. An effective communication system should be adopted if corporate success is to be achieved. The principle of direction also demands and tells that two-way communication must be followed i.e. downward and upward communication. Downward communication carries the orders, instruction, guiding, etc. given by the senior to the subordinates, and on the other hand, upward communication is related to subordinates feeling, though, and performance in the organization. If the senior knows and understands the workers feeling, then it will be easier to make the direction effective.
   
   
8. Flows of Information:
   Information is very important. Lack of information, partial information and problems, disseminating information may create an unfavorable situation. For an effective and efficient direction, the direct and complete flow of information is necessary. Information is necessary for communication, communication is necessary for direction and effective direction helps the organization to achieve the corporate goals.
   
   
9. Effective Motivation:
   Unless the workers are motivated their work may not be accomplished well. Motivation creates a willingness to work. This motivation can be materialized by the manager. The manager can motivate the employees in the work. He can inspire in such a way that the employees may contribute to the accomplishment of the organization’s goal.
   
   
10. Maximum Individual Contribution:
    Every person has some potentials and capability with which he performs the job. Here, this potentiality and capability should be utilized properly. A manager with effective motivation and leadership should adopt such direction techniques so that the capability of individuals should be utilized in its true sense.

Importance of Direction

The direction is the heart of the management process. Without having an effective and efficient direction, the corporate goal cannot be achieved. As we know that the direction relates to management in action, it plays a vital role in an organization’s life. The importance of direction can be understood by the fact that all the actions, activities, works or functions are initiated by it. Corporate objectives can be achieved if the corporate decisions are implemented; and this regard planning, organizing, and staffing. It is only the direction which helps the organization to implement the decision. Under the concept of directing, a manager stimulates action by giving direction to the subordinates. The importance of direction can be discussed below:

1. Initiates Action:
   According to the ability of subordinates through the effective and efficient direction, a manager initiates the job/ task assigned to them to the best of their ability. Of course, a good plan, a sound organization and a set of high-quality personnel may not work well and put the organization in success unless it is directed in the right perspective.
   
   
2. Improves Efficiency:
   The human factor, working staff members of an organization are very important for organizational success. So, the work efficiency of the staff members should be enhanced. The manager, while directing, considers the subordinates having some potential and capability and he utilizes this in the organization’s work through supervision, motivation and so on. If subordinates are encouraged, their abilities are appreciated and more guidance is provided, the efficiency can be intensified, improved and enhanced.
   
   
3. Integrates Efforts:
   It is only through the direction that a manager can create a sense of coordination and cooperation among the subordinates. A manager, while directing, uses different techniques to integrate the efforts of subordinates. So, a successful manager establishes harmonious coordination among the staff.
   
   
4. Facilitates Changes:
   There exists dynamism in external as well as the internal environment of a business unit. The components of the environment are frequently being changed, and it may either create an opportunity or it may pose threats. In both cases, the manager has to work very carefully. He is required to make an adjustment with the working staff. In such a situation, the staff members may oppose the newly enforced environment adjustment, however, a manager has to convince the staff and help them personally in their way of performance.
   
   
5. Stability and Growth:
   If the direction is efficient and effective, it may help the organization to prove its existence and develop in the due course of time. If a direction is given truly, honestly and responsibly, the organization can be developed, its operations can be expanded and it could achieve stability. Thus, it aims at stability and growth.
   
   
6. Achieves the Mission and Objectives:
   Direction helps the organization to achieve the objectives and fulfill the mission. It is through the effective direction that a business firm gets its mission because direction utilizes the resources properly with the help of inspired subordinates under the team spirit. So, it has become essential for the attainment of business goals.
   
   
7. Means of Motivation:
   There are five elements of direction and one of them is motivation. When a manager directs the people for any action, he motivates them to work also. It is the directing role of the manager, while directing the work, motivates the staff to contribute their maximum efforts towards the accomplishment of the objectives.

Components of Direction

We learned that direction is one of the important managerial functions. This function of management is quite different than that of planning, organizing, and staffing because these all are concerned with preparation for doing the works for the organization, but this direction is directly related to the human factor of an organization. We know that direction function starts with action and culminates in action. The components of direction can be shown below:

1. Motivation:
   Under the process of directing, a manager has to motivate the subordinates in such a way that they could come forward with a willingness to work and ready to cooperate for the achievement of corporate goals. One should clearly understand that motivation is the psychological process through which a manager motivates, encourages or inspires the people to work in connection with satisfying their needs and wants.
   
   
2. Leadership:
   Another important component of direction is leadership. To put the organization in success, effective leadership is desirable without which direction function may not be completed. This leadership denotes the quality of the manager to guide and influence the work of his subordinates. It is rightly said that the success of a business firm is dependent upon the quality of its leadership.
   
   
3. Supervision:
   Under this concept, the manager or the concerned senior comes in action in connection with seeing the works at progress, guiding the subordinates, giving more advises and controlling the wrongs by correcting them in time. It means effective supervision helps the organization to observe whether the works are performed as per the plan, policy, programs, etc. So, supervision is a regular and continuing function of direction.
   
   
4. Communication:
   Communication means the transfer of information or a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. It relates to the flow of information, in the case of an organization, from the top level to the low level of management units and from a low level to top level of management. Thus, a manager should work very carefully while communicating the information to keep the organization successful.
   
   
5. Coordination:
   Without coordination, a manager cannot think about the accomplishment of the job. Modern management is based on the principle of specialization in which the concept of division of labor is basically applied. The work is divided into many parts and each part of the work is assigned to a particular person or group of persons. To accomplish the whole work, coordination among the persons and groups becomes necessary.