Functions of management

We have formed a management team at Belipola which consists of the team leaders from each of the 4 teams that exist - Farm & Nursery, Kitchen & Processing, Office & Admin, and Operations & Arboretum. We conducted various trainings for the management team, including management training. This training consisted of:

    • What is management - management vs leadership

    • Functions of management

    • Budgeting and creating budget requests

    • Understanding income and expenses

    • Forecast for 2016

    • Belipola organisational structure - mandala

    • Human resources - recruitment, salaries

    • Stress management

    • Problem solving and decision making

    • Communications - listening and working with all teams

    • Delegation and sharing responsibilities

    • Reporting and record keeping

    • Goal setting for each team

The core functions of management are described below, which is what we used over the past 3 years, while we were managers at Belipola.

Management functions are based on a common philosophy and approach.

    1. Developing and clarifying the mission, policies and objectives of the center

    2. Establishing formal and informal organisation structures - delegating authority and sharing responsibilities

    3. Setting priorities and reviewing and revising objectives

    4. Maintaining effective communications within the working group, with other groups and the larger community

    5. Selecting, motivating, training, and appraising staff

    6. Securing funds and managing budgets, and evaluating accomplishments

    7. Being accountable to staff, the larger enterprise and to the community at large

These functions can be categorised by POSDCORB

P - Planning: outlining philosophy, policy, objectives, things to accomplish and its techniques and goal setting

O - Organising: establishing structures and systems through which activities can be arranged, defined and coordinated (Belipola mandala)

S - Staffing: fulfilling personnel function, selecting and training staff

D - Directing: making decisions and delegating, embodying decisions in instructions, serving as a leader of the enterprise

C - Coordinating: Communications and interrelating the various parts of the work

R - Reporting: record-keeping, keeping records and reporting to those who you are responsible to, including both staff and public

B - Budgeting: making financial plans, maintaining accounting and management control of revenue and keeping costs in line with objectives