What Are Henri Fayol's Five Functions of Management? Video

Welcome to our video series on historical management theories that changed the world. This time, we're looking at Henri Fayol and his Five Functions of Management.

Henri Fayol was a French management theorist, and one of the first people to recognize that management require different skills from those of a technical worker.

Although they're more than 100 years old, many of Fayol's ideas are still relevant and applicable in today's organizations. They promote skills such as teamwork and agility, which modern teams need now more than ever. 
Fayol's Five Functions of Management takes a broad look at how managers should allocate their time. The Five Functions are: Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating, and Controlling. Let's have a look at these in a bit more detail.

Planning is all about assessing the future and making sure your organization is prepared for it. That means developing a flexible action plan that considers your available resources, work in progress and future market trends.

Organizing involves defining team members' roles and responsibilities and making sure that everyone understands what's expected of them. It also covers hiring and training so that every role is covered.

The focus of Commanding is to get the most from your people. As a manager, it's vital that you know what your team members' strengths are and to delegate tasks that match them. You also need to set a good example by "walking the talk" to build a strong and dependable team.

In a well-coordinated organization, each department understands their responsibilities and knows what other teams need from them.

Successful Coordination creates a smooth workflow and prevents silos.

Finally, Controlling involves regularly checking that everything is running as it should be. Are your rules, plans and processes working effectively? Are there any areas that need improvement?

Monitoring and evaluating your organization regularly can help you to identify areas for growth and improvement.

Although Fayol's theory remains popular today, it's not without its problems. Some have criticized it for being too inhuman for modern management. Others feel that his ideas aren't scientific enough and that one man's observations can't possibly apply to all organizations. However, Fayol's ideas can be made more applicable by considering them in connection with your own experiences.

By following and progressing the five functions of management, you can create a strong foundation for success and navigate the challenges of being a manager.

So let's recap. Some 100 years ago, Henri Fayol identified five main functions that all managers perform, Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating and Controlling. While there have been criticisms of Fayol's work, it's still a useful model for managers today. So try applying your own experiences to the Five Functions and see how they can help you to manage your team.

If you want to discover more historical management theories that changed the world, check out our other videos in this series.

To discover more about Henri Fayol and his theories, read our article   .