MGT/230 Management Action Plan: Functions, Approaches, and Techniques

This assignment presents a detailed management action plan, addressing key functions such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The planning section emphasizes forecasting, goal setting, and contingency planning, outlining a four-stage planning process. Organizing focuses on the importance of organization charts and workflow, while the leadership component highlights essential characteristics like integrity and communication, along with approaches like rewarding team members. The controlling aspect discusses concurrent and feedback controls for measuring and improving performance. The assignment draws on textbook references and provides practical insights into effective management strategies, with a focus on real-world application of management principles.

MGT/230 v6
Management Action Plan Template
Answer the following questions for each function of management. Your responses should total 700 to
1,050 words combined.
Function of Management: Planning
What type of planning activities will you need to use as a manager?
As a manager, planning activities are at the core of any function at work. Some of the most critical
planning activities include forecasting, goal setting, and contingency planning (Lumen, 2020). These are
essential in facilitating a coordinated effort that ensures organization goals are met on time. Forecasting is
important as it helps predict what may happen in the future, which prevents the organization from
experiencing sudden shocks that may occur due to external factors. Goal setting is also important as it
makes all the staff aware of precisely what needs to be achieved, giving them a sense of direction.
Finally, I will ensure that the company has a contingency plan. This course of action is designed to help
an organization respond effectively to a significant future event or situation that may or may not happen
(TechTarget, 2015). A contingency plan is an alternate plan which can be used in case of any event or
situation. A plan B is always important as we may not always achieve the expected results. Businesses
are also prone to disasters. How we navigate through should things not go to plan makes all the
difference in business continuity.
Review planning activities from the textbook. What planning process would you use as a manager?
The most effective planning process would go through the following four stages. First, I would determine
the position of the organization by analyzing issues that need to be addressed. To do this, I would use
market data to identify opportunities and threats then use SWOT to synthesize the data. I will then
develop a strategy based on the organization's mission and core values. Once this is done, I will build a
plan based on goals, budget, and prevailing conditions and finally roll out the strategy setting up a
calendar for progress reviews.
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Management Action Plan Template
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Function of Management: Organizing
How will you use organizing as a manager?
As a manager, an organization chart would be the most important element in assigning people different
tasks and responsibilities. A chart can easily tell all employees which tasks are pending and what exactly
they are supposed to be doing. It can also be important in connecting employees who work in different
departments and aligning them with shared goals. Organization is important as it creates cohesiveness
and workflow, which is crucial in achieving the company's goals (Lucidchart, 2019).
Review organizing approaches from the textbook. What organizing approaches would you use as a
manager?
One of the most important requirements for the organization is to ensure that employees understand what
tasks need to be accomplished and within what time. Going over the flow chart would show how we
organize our time and activities for each day of that week to ensure we are meeting all our deadlines.
Function of Management: Leading
What type of leadership characteristics do you want to demonstrate?
According to the Centre for Creative Leadership (2021), integrity, gratitude, communication, empathy,
courage, and respect are the most important qualities for a leader. I possess most of these, and I think
they are my greatest strengths. Integrity is the most important of them all, as it can make or break a
company. Therefore, I must also reinforce the importance of integrity at every company level and ensure
that each employee values it. Effective leadership also requires communication, and I must communicate
effectively with a wide range of people across roles, social identities, and more. Gratitude should also be
valued as employees are always willing to work harder for an appreciative boss. It also leads to high self-
esteem and confidence amongst team members, translating to better results (Lumen, 2020).
Review leadership characteristics from the textbook. What leadership approaches would you use as a
manager?
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Management Action Plan Template
MGT/230 v6
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As a manager, I would inspire my team by always rewarding those who put their best foot forward. This
would help my team acquire shared goals. I would also be honest so that my team knows that I am
trustworthy and open to hearing any of the ideas that they put forth. I want my team to feel like we are on
the same team with the purpose of accomplishing similar goals, and I support them in growing their
careers.
Function of Management: Controlling
Which controlling techniques would you use to measure performance?
Tracking down the organization's performance and comparing it to the goals that have been set is one of
the most important aspects of management. This ensures that we are on track and that we make any
necessary adjustments should any problem arise. To do this, I would employ concurrent controls to
ensure that procedures and quality requirements are strictly adhered to. Concurrent controls involve the
identification and prevention of problems as they occur (Study.Com, 2019). I would also use feedback
controls to review the information and determine if employee performances are meeting standards.
Review controlling techniques from the textbook. What controlling approaches would you use as a
manager?
Concurrent controls are the most important as they ensure that employees are consistent in what they are
doing. This is useful as it enables corrections to be done instantly and makes me a hands-on manager
with effective control over the company. Feedback controls are very helpful after doing a large project or
for things such as an annual review. This will allow me to review the overall performance of the
employees and provide them with timely feedback when they do well or when we will require certain
adjustments.
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References
CCL. (2021, July 7). What Are the Characteristics of a Good Leader? Centre for Creative
Leadership. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/characteristics-good-
leader/
Lucidchart. (2019, October 2). The 5 Steps of the Strategic Planning Process. LucidChart.
https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/5-steps-of-the-strategic-planning-process
Lumen, B. (2020). An Introduction to Management | Boundless Business. LUMENLEARNING.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-business/chapter/an-introduction-to-
management/
Study.Com. (2019). Study.com | Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools,
Degrees & Careers. STUDY.COM. https://study.com/academy/lesson/organizational-
controls-feedforward-concurrent-feedback.html#:%7E:text=Concurrent%20controls
%20involve%20identifying%20and,these%20include%20quality%20control
%20standards.
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Management Action Plan Template
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Copyright 2019 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.