Functional responsibilities: Role and purpose. Description of functional duties

Manager is a very popular and demanded position. No enterprise, firm or organization today can do without a manager. This profession exists as long as commodity-money relations. At all times, their main task was and is to attract customers, successful sales, maintaining the status of the enterprise.

Manager - a specialist in a wide profile

A manager is a leader who holds a permanent position in an organization that operates in market conditions. He is endowed with certain powers in the field of making managerial decisions on issues of departments or the organization as a whole. The manager is a hired labor force involved on specific conditions for the implementation of activities. The main guideline for him is the plan and the amount of resources available to him. The main job responsibilities of a manager are to make decisions and make efforts to implement them.

Perhaps, today the most demanded is the middle manager - middle management. This includes the manager of sales, customer service, recruitment and many others. People are very interested, and at the same time it is not clear, what are the job and functional responsibilities of a manager? What are the benefits of this profession? And is it worth choosing?

Required Qualities

First of all, it is worth knowing that a manager is a manager who has professional knowledge in organizing and managing production, has a higher education. He knows how to plan personal work, that is, set goals and determine ways to achieve them, set priorities. The manager can conduct business negotiations, identify factors of unproductive work and apply measures to eliminate them.

To date, a list of requirements for a modern manager has been developed:

  1. Mental capacity. These include creative thinking, the ability to give adequate assessments.
  2. Attitude towards others. That is, he must be able to work in a team, be sociable, friendly, respect each person in the company, regardless of social status and position.
  3. Personal traits. That is, strive for success, have internal motivation, a hobby.
  4. Attitude towards work. The initiative in decision-making should come from the manager, should be receptive to workloads, able to delegate, organized.

The full and fruitful work of a manager directly depends on several factors. This is the atmosphere in the team, working conditions, rational organization of the workplace. It is important to be able to get out of conflict situations, to be patient.

  1. Manages the workflow. At the same time, it uses computer technology, communications, and ensures the systematic release of products, focusing on the production plan and supply contracts.
  2. Identifies and masters technical innovations, best practices, methods of increasing labor productivity.
  3. Engaged in the development of calendar schedules for the production and release of products, while focusing on the plan.
  4. Makes a daily record of how activities are progressing. This is the control of the availability and condition of products, the development of the daily norm according to the plan, ensuring the rational use of transport.
  5. Prepares, takes into account, regulates the execution of orders.

Department head

The work of a department manager is quite interesting and intense. A person in this position must be active, quick in making decisions, responsible. It is important to be able to update sales strategies, motivate employees, and be an optimist.

The duties of the department manager are as follows:

  1. Corrects release and delivery schedules, develops and implements standards for operational planning.
  2. Controls the entire production process. Fills in technical documents with his own hand, monitors the availability of tools, materials, products, transport, loading facilities, prepares equipment for new products.
  3. Warns and, if possible, eliminates any violations during the production process.
  4. Organizes activities to improve planning, the introduction of more modern and modernized equipment, means of communication.
  5. Manages the work process in the warehouse, department employees, dispatching units.
  6. Conducts a systematic inventory.

Project Manager: Job Responsibilities and Responsibilities


Customer satisfaction is the main goal in the work of a manager. Search for orders, sponsors, performers - the project manager is responsible for all this. Job responsibilities mainly consist in planning activities, managing the reserve, the ability to take risks. His work also includes:

  1. Market analysis: studying the competitive environment, collecting information about consumers, their preferences and desires.
  2. Finding new and maintaining old relationships with customers.
  3. Development of a strategic plan, control of its implementation.
  4. Active promotion of activities in social networks.
  5. Managing projects and events from start to finish.
  6. Work with mail - receiving, processing and answering letters, technical documentation.

Account Manager

Perhaps this is the most communicative position in management activities. Daily communication with customers, their service, building relationships - all these are the main functions of a manager. It is extremely important to interest a person, to offer the product or service that will fully satisfy his needs.

Client Manager Responsibilities:

  1. Friendly communication with customers, well-developed speech.
  2. Knowledge about the product or service being produced.
  3. Attracting new customers and maintaining old ones.
  4. Maintaining a mailbox. This is a systematic distribution of notifications, a response to letters.
  5. Communication with customers through communications: receiving calls, communicating on Skype, etc.
  6. The ability to find an approach to each client, to provide them with everything necessary. If the item is out of stock, find an alternative.

HR manager

A recruiter is a specialist with a wide range of responsibilities. His main task is to recruit personnel for the company. This person should be able to competently compose questionnaires, ask correct questions, provide consulting services, be self-possessed and impartial. The responsibilities of the Human Resources Manager are:


The profession of a manager will always be relevant and necessary. Its great advantage is the possibility of career growth, and, consequently, receiving a decent salary. It is important not only to know the job responsibilities of a manager, but also to be able to apply them to the benefit of the company.

Hasty recruitment does not give the desired result due to a vaguely set goal, as well as a lack of thoughtful requirements for applicants. In this case, one goal is pursued - to quickly fill the vacancy. This approach is doomed to failure from the outset because it has three major drawbacks.

Lack of a clear description of the main job responsibilities.

Lack of understanding of what requirements a new employee must meet.

The desire to quickly fill a vacancy.

Making a decision on recruitment

The need for recruitment arises in two situations:

Some of the employees move to a new position or leave the company;

There is a need to create a new workplace due to the increase in the volume of work.

When someone leaves, there is a temptation to find exactly the same employee as the previous one.

Before you start looking for a person for a vacancy, make sure that:

Hiring someone is really necessary;

Responsibilities cannot be distributed among the remaining employees;

It is impossible to promote or train someone from the company's staff.

Also make sure that:

The newly hired employee will perform the same duties as the previous one;

There is no need to review these responsibilities.

If you decide that you still need a new employee, try again to clarify the scope of his job responsibilities. Determine what results you generally expect from an applicant for a vacant position in terms of the following parameters:

Efficiency;

Quality of work;

Additional responsibilities.

Description of functional duties

Job seekers usually have no idea about the job they are being offered. Description of functional duties is a key element in the recruitment process, which helps the applicant understand what is wanted from him. Of course, each position has a title, which must be indicated in the announcement, but a detailed description of functional responsibilities contributes to a clearer idea of ​​the vacancy.

Take the time to describe the functional responsibilities in detail. Put on paper a formal description of the rights and responsibilities of the new employee. If possible, consult with colleagues on how to do this more efficiently, because one head is good, but two is still better.

You can describe the vacancy in different ways, but in any case, it is necessary to formulate:

Job responsibilities;

terms of reference (if any);

Responsibility level.

Such a description will help to avoid possible misunderstandings, as the new employee will be clearly informed about the tasks ahead of him. The employer must take into account all aspects of the activity, drawing up a description of the vacancy.

Characteristics of the applicant

As soon as the description of the functional duties is completed, you can begin to draw up the characteristics of the employee. Think about the specifics of the proposed job and what kind of person will be able to effectively perform it. Often, when recruiting staff, this is simply not paid attention to.

Sometimes employers go to great lengths to create something that vaguely resembles a job description. But if you ask them to describe the personal qualities that a new employee should have, then in response you will hear only a few mean words. This is due to the confidence of most employers that they will be able to recognize the right person as soon as he (or she) crosses the threshold of the company.

Make a list of qualities, skills and abilities that you would like to see in an applicant for a vacancy. During the interview, this will help to figure out how the person meets the specified characteristics. It would be helpful to divide the required qualities into three categories:

objective data;

abilities and achievements;

individual character traits.

With the help of a list of qualities necessary for effective performance of work, it will be easier for you to select an applicant for a vacancy. For this you can compose:

Portrait of the ideal candidate

objective data(natural features; special qualities; general information). For instance:

Manual dexterity - when performing complex (manual) work;

Neat appearance, punctuality (accuracy) - if the work involves communicating with people or controlling equipment;

Mobility - the ability to go on a business trip on demand;

Physical training - if the work involves physical activity.

Abilities and Achievements(mental abilities; individual inclinations; achievements in study and work). For instance:

Ability for mathematical thinking - if you need to work with numbers and dates;

Language proficiency - if you need to work with texts, prepare reports, letters, etc.;

Experience in public speaking - for presentations;

Critical thinking and logic - if in the process of work you need to draw the right conclusions and read between the lines;

The ability to spatial thinking - when performing engineering and technical work.

Individual character traits(organizational qualities; interests; level of motivation). For instance:

Cheerfulness - if the work is accompanied by great emotional stress;

The ability to easily find a common language - if the work is done jointly with other employees;

The ability to convince - if you need to convince others to accept this or that idea or sell a product;

An innovative approach to business - if the work involves the search and development of new ideas;

Inventiveness - if in the process of work you need to make non-standard decisions.

It is also very important to define some qualities.

Mandatory qualities that must be inherent in a person in order for him (or she) to cope with official duties.

Desirable Qualities that separate a great employee from a good one.

Undesirable qualities, which you would not like to see in a future employee. Sometimes the definition of these qualities helps to understand what qualities a person applying for a vacancy should have.

Having a clear idea of ​​what you want your new employee to be like will help you avoid recruiting mistakes and keep you from the temptation to go looking for a non-existent super employee.

Job advertisement

When placing an ad or applying to a recruitment agency, be sure to specify all the requirements for the applicant. It is very important. The announcement must indicate the functional responsibilities and special requirements that are put forward by the applicant. For example, the applicant must be able to work with cash, issue invoices; and must also be willing to work on Saturdays.”

You can also report on the personal qualities of the applicant that are of interest to the employer. For example: the use of aggressive sales methods, the ability to work with people, the willingness to learn.

By reading such an ad, people will be able to determine for themselves whether they meet the specified requirements. For example, those who are interested in office work, but not sales, will respond to the first job offer. The second category includes applicants who are more interested in communication and sales, but who are not sufficiently competent in administrative work.

If you do not specify the requirements for applicants in the announcement, then there will be many answers to this announcement, and few qualified applicants. Therefore, it is impossible to find a suitable applicant without communicating the requirements.

At the end of the job description, you must include contact information. For instance:

Drawing conclusions

Recruitment is like a treasure hunt. The employer must know exactly what he is looking for. But it is even more important to recognize the "treasure" as soon as it is found. When recruiting, use a systematic approach, but do not forget about creativity.

Ask yourself

Think about whether you are ready to start recruiting, and answer the following questions:

^ Do you have job descriptions for employees?

^ Does it cover all aspects of the job or is it just a list of responsibilities?

^ Do you have a portrait of the ideal candidate?

^ Do you distinguish between mandatory and desirable qualities?

^ Have you discussed the list of requirements for applicants with your colleagues?

^ Are the requirements for the applicant indicated in the announcement?

If you answered yes to all the questions, then you will succeed.

Everything will work out if…

Write a description of the functional responsibilities for all positions in the company;

Prepare a portrait of the ideal candidate, describing what qualities an applicant for a vacant position should have;

Know what basic qualities a competent employee should have;

To know what qualities of the future employee would contribute to the most effective implementation of the tasks;

Use a job description and a portrait of the ideal candidate when placing an ad.

Section 3. Liability. This section lists the types of responsibility that an employee bears for the quality and timeliness of his work, violations of labor discipline, loss or damage to material assets and documents entrusted to him in accordance with labor legislation and local acts.

Financially responsible employees without fail conclude an agreement on full individual or collective (team) liability.

In accordance with the current legislation of the Russian Federation, an employee is responsible for:

1) dissemination of confidential information, loss of documents containing such information, violation of the established rules for handling confidential information (Article 13.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (CAO RF), Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Criminal Code of the Russian Federation));

2) collecting information constituting a commercial secret by stealing documents, bribery or threats, as well as in any other illegal way (Article 183 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation);

3) the use by a person performing managerial functions in a commercial organization of his powers contrary to the legitimate interests of this organization and for the purpose of deriving benefits and advantages for himself or other persons or causing harm to other persons, if this act caused significant harm to the rights and legitimate interests of citizens or organizations (clause 1, article 201 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation);

4) illegal access to legally protected computer information, i.e. information on a machine carrier, in an electronic computer (computer), computer system or their network, if this act entailed the destruction, blocking, modification or copying of information, disruption of the computer , computer systems or their networks (Article 272 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Concerning qualification requirements, then this section specifies the requirements for education, knowledge, skills, and professional training. Knowledge can be both general and specific (for example, knowledge of a foreign language, knowledge of certain regulatory documents of an external and internal nature, the ability to work with people, skills in working with organizational equipment for various purposes, including on a PC, organizational and analytical skills, communication skills ).

TO working conditions may include business trips, provision of communication facilities, workplace equipment requirements, the need to install software, and other conditions associated with the performance of work duties.

Job descriptions are drawn up in a single graphic style in accordance with the requirements established by the organization.

Let's take an example of a job description.

Sample job description for a hotel manager

The manager shapes the work and ensures the economic efficiency of the hotel.

General provisions:

1) subordination. The hotel manager reports directly to the hotel owner;

2) substitution. The manager of the hotel is replaced by the deputy manager;

3) admission and dismissal. The hotel manager is appointed and dismissed by order of the hotel owner. Job Responsibilities

1. Manages, in accordance with applicable law, the production, economic and financial and economic activities of the hotel, bearing full responsibility for the consequences of the decisions made, the safety and efficient use of the property of the hotel, as well as the financial and economic results of its activities.

2. Organizes the work and effective interaction of all structural divisions and production units, directs their activities to:

1) improving the efficiency of the hotel;

2) growth in sales of services;

3) increase profits, improve quality and competitiveness;

4) compliance of the services provided with world standards in order to conquer the domestic and foreign markets;

5) ensuring the safety and maintenance of premises and property in good condition in accordance with the rules and regulations of operation, uninterrupted operation of equipment, landscaping and comfort;

6) compliance with sanitary and fire safety requirements.

3. Carries out control over the quality of customer service in accordance with the class of the hotel, accounting, distribution and proper use of residential rooms and vacant places, as well as compliance with the passport regime.

4. Ensures that the hotel fulfills all obligations to the regional and local budget, suppliers, customers and creditors, including bank institutions, as well as economic and labor agreements (contracts) and business plans.

5. Organizes production and economic activities based on the widespread use of the latest technology and technology, progressive forms of management and organization of labor, reasonable standards for material, financial and labor costs, market research and best practices (domestic and foreign) in order to improve the technical level in every possible way and the quality of services, the economic efficiency of their production, the economical use of all types of resources.

6. Takes measures to provide the hotel with qualified personnel, rational use and development of their professional knowledge and experience, creation of safe and favorable working conditions for life and health.

7. Provides the right combination of economic and administrative methods of leadership, unity of command and collegiality in discussing and resolving issues, material and moral incentives for increasing production efficiency, applying the principle of material interest and responsibility of each employee for the work entrusted to him and the results of the work of the entire team, paying wages in deadlines.

8. Resolves issues related to the financial, economic and production and economic activities of the hotel, within the rights granted to it by law, entrusts the conduct of certain areas of activity to other officials - the deputy manager, manager, chef of the restaurant.

9. Ensures the maintenance and timely submission of reports on the economic and financial activities of the hotel.

10. Ensures compliance with the law in the activities of the hotel and the implementation of its economic and economic relations, the use of legal means for financial management and functioning in market conditions, strengthening contractual and financial discipline, regulating social and labor relations.

11. Protects the property interests of the hotel in court, arbitration, state authorities and administration.

Requirements for the qualification of a hotel manager A hotel manager needs to know:

1) legislative and regulatory legal acts regulating the production, economic and financial and economic activities of the enterprise, resolutions of federal, regional and local government and government bodies that determine priority areas for the development of the economy and the relevant industry;

2) the prospects for the technical, economic and social development of the industry and the hotel, the production capacity and human resources of the hotel;

3) technology for the provision of hotel services, rules for the provision of hotel services in the Russian Federation;

4) market methods of managing and managing the hotel;

5) a system of economic indicators that allow the enterprise to determine its position in the market and develop programs for entering new sales markets;

6) the procedure for concluding and executing economic and financial contracts;

7) market conditions;

8) forms and systems of remuneration.

Rights of the hotel manager

1. The hotel manager has the right to give instructions to subordinate employees and services, tasks on a range of issues that are part of their functional duties.

2. The hotel manager has the right to control the fulfillment of production tasks, the timely execution of individual orders by his subordinate services and divisions.

3. The hotel manager has the right to request and receive the necessary materials and documents related to the issues of his activities and the activities of his subordinate services and divisions.

4. The hotel manager has the right to interact with other enterprises, organizations and institutions on production and other issues that are part of his functional duties.

5. The Hotel Manager has the right to get acquainted with the draft decisions of the Hotel Owner relating to the activities of the Hotel.

6. The hotel manager has the right to propose to the Owner for consideration proposals for improving the work related to the duties provided for in this Job Description.

7. The hotel manager has the right to submit for consideration by the Owner proposals for the appointment, transfer and dismissal of hotel employees, proposals for encouraging distinguished employees, imposing penalties on violators of production and labor discipline.

8. The hotel manager has the right to report to the Owner about all identified violations and shortcomings in connection with the work performed.

9. The hotel manager has the right to communicate with the press, transfer official information to other organizations as a hotel employee within the framework of the functions performed by position.

A responsibility

The hotel manager is liable for improper performance or non-performance of his official duties provided for by this job description, to the extent determined by the labor legislation of the Russian Federation.

1. The hotel manager is liable for violation of the rules and regulations governing the operation of the hotel.

2. Upon transfer to another job or dismissal from office, the hotel manager is responsible for the proper and timely transfer of cases to the person entering this position, and in the absence of such, to the person replacing him or directly to the Owner.

3. The hotel manager is liable for offenses committed in the course of his activities, to the extent determined by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

4. The hotel manager is responsible for causing material damage within the limits determined by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation.

5. The hotel manager is responsible for complying with applicable instructions, orders and orders for the preservation of trade secrets and confidential information.

6. The hotel manager is responsible for the implementation of the internal regulations, technical and fire safety.

Regulations on subdivisions and job descriptions come into effect from the moment they are approved by the heads of the enterprise (organization) and cease to be valid from the moment new versions of these documents are approved or an order (instruction) to abolish, reorganize an existing unit, or reduce staff units. Familiarization of employees of the organization with the named documents is carried out against signature. The original signatures of employees on familiarization with the regulations on subdivisions and job descriptions are sent by the head of the subdivision to the personnel department of the organization or enterprise within three working days from the date of approval of the order (instruction), which are stored in the subdivision during the entire existence of this position in this subdivision.

Regulations on subdivisions and job descriptions that have lost their effect are stored in the archive for the period established by the nomenclature of affairs of the organization or enterprise. Together with these documents, signatures of employees on familiarization with the above documents are stored.

When a new subdivision is created, the regulation on the subdivision and job descriptions are approved and put into effect by the order of the head of the organization or enterprise.

If a small number of employees are involved in a newly created division for work, a description of the activities, tasks and functions of the divisions and functional duties of employees should be attached to the job descriptions and regulations on the division being created by a separate order of the head. At the same time, the order on the creation of the unit must indicate the time period for the development and submission for approval of the regulation on the unit and job descriptions (no more than three months after creation).

If the newly created subdivision has a complex internal structure, then the order to create a new subdivision of an organization or enterprise must also be accompanied by provisions on all structural subdivisions as part of this newly created subdivision.

When the staff of an organization (subdivision) is increased by all newly hired employees and employees transferred from other positions, job descriptions are drawn up. Job descriptions for all employees are approved and put into effect by a special order (instruction) of the head of the organization or structural unit. The development and approval of job descriptions take place in accordance with the internal rules established in each organization.

In practice, situations often arise when, with a constant number of staff, the duties of employees and the competence of departments change. In such cases, new job descriptions and regulations will not be accepted. It would be more expedient to make a number of changes to existing documents.

A job description is considered a valid document only if it reflects the existing work process in the organization.

Chief Accountant:

2.1. Carries out the organization of accounting of economic and financial activities and control of the economical use of material, labor and financial resources, the safety of the Organization's property.

2.2. Forms an accounting policy in accordance with the legislation on accounting, based on the structure and characteristics of the Organization's activities, the need to ensure its financial stability.

2.3. Leads the work on the preparation and adoption of a working chart of accounts, forms of primary accounting documents used to process business transactions for which standard forms are not provided, the development of forms of internal accounting documents, as well as ensuring the procedure for conducting inventories, monitoring business transactions, compliance with processing technology accounting information and document flow.

2.4. Ensures the rational organization of accounting and reporting in the Organization based on the maximum centralization of accounting and computing work and the use of modern technical means and information technologies, progressive forms and methods of accounting and control, the formation and timely presentation of complete and reliable accounting information about the activities of the Organization, its property status , income and expenditure, as well as the development and implementation of measures aimed at strengthening financial discipline.

2.5. Organizes accounting of property, liabilities and business transactions, incoming fixed assets, goods, materials and cash, timely reflection on the accounting accounts of operations related to their movement, accounting for production and circulation costs, execution of cost estimates, sales of products, performance of works (services) ), the results of the financial and economic activities of the Organization, as well as financial, settlement and credit operations.

2.6. Ensures the legality, timeliness and correctness of paperwork, the preparation of economically sound reporting cost estimates for products, work (services) performed, payroll calculations, the correct calculation and transfer of taxes and fees to the federal, regional and local budgets, insurance premiums to state non-budgetary social funds , payments to banking institutions, funds to finance capital investments, repayment of debts to banks on loans in a timely manner, as well as the allocation of funds for material incentives for employees of the Organization.

2.7. Carries out control over compliance with the procedure for processing primary and accounting documents, settlements and payment obligations, spending the payroll fund, setting official salaries for employees of the Organization, conducting an inventory of fixed assets, goods, materials and cash, checking the organization of accounting and reporting, as well as documentary audits in divisions of the Organization.

2.8. Participates in conducting an economic analysis of the financial and economic activities of the Organization according to accounting and reporting data in order to identify on-farm reserves, eliminate losses and production costs.

2.9. Takes measures to prevent shortages, illegal spending of funds and inventory items, violations of financial and economic legislation. Participates in the preparation of materials on shortages and theft of funds and inventory items, controls the transfer, if necessary, of these materials to the investigative and judicial authorities.

2.10. Takes measures to accumulate financial resources to ensure the financial stability of the Organization.

2.11. Interacts with banks on the placement of free financial resources on bank deposits (certificates) and the acquisition of highly liquid government securities, control of accounting transactions with deposit and loan agreements, securities.

2.12. Works to ensure strict observance of staff, financial and cash discipline, estimates of administrative and other expenses, the legality of write-offs from accounting accounts of shortages, receivables and other losses, the safety of accounting documents, their execution and delivery in the prescribed manner to the archive.

2.13. Participates in the development and implementation of rational planning and accounting documentation, progressive forms and methods of accounting based on the use of modern computer technology.

2.14. Ensures the preparation of a balance sheet and operational summary reports on income and expenditure of funds, on the use of the budget, other accounting and statistical reporting, submitting them in the prescribed manner to the relevant authorities.

2.15. Provides methodological assistance to employees of the Organization's divisions on accounting, control, reporting and economic analysis.

2.16. Supervises accounting staff.

Rights

The chief accountant has the right:

3.1. Get acquainted with the draft decisions of the Director of the Organization concerning the activities of the department headed.

3.2. Participate in the discussion of issues related to their official duties.

3.3. Submit proposals to the Director of the Organization to improve the activities of the department headed by him.

3.4. Liaise with the heads of other structural divisions of the organization.

3.5. Sign documents within their competence.

3.6. Make proposals to the management of the organization on encouraging distinguished employees, imposing penalties on violators of production and labor discipline.

3.7. Require the head of the organization to assist in the performance of their duties and rights.

The article is devoted to the topic of creating an effective organization with a clear functional structure. The author argues that this is facilitated by coordinated actions, which are largely achieved through the formalization of the behavior of team members, if service (official, work) functions are defined and documented. The service function, or job function, should be part of a corporate purpose.

It is these service functions as the main tool that concretize the company's strategy at all levels. The solution of this problem allows laying a huge managerial resource.

Creating an effective organization with a well-functioning structure requires special attention to the design, or design, of individual job positions. A well-known American researcher in the field of management, organization researcher, Henry Mintzberg notes that one of the important parameters of job design is formalization of employee behavior. Moreover, the higher the need to coordinate the actions of workers, the higher should be the level of formalization of behavior.

For example, to quickly extinguish a fire, the actions of the members of the fire brigade must be clearly coordinated and everyone must know: who is driving the car, who is connecting the hose to the hydrant, who is climbing the fire escape. Such coherence of actions is achieved to a large extent due to the formalization of the behavior of the members of this team.

One of the main means of formalizing the work behavior of employees at all levels of the organization is the definition and documentation of official (official, work) functions.

Documents in which utility functions are fixed can be named differently: functional responsibilities, official duties, functional tasks etc. The official functions of the head are often fixed in the position of the unit he leads. They can be included in the job description, which, in addition to functions, usually fixes powers (rights), responsibilities, features of interaction with other departments, employees of the enterprise and its counterparties, as well as individual procedures (processes) of activity. In addition, well-formulated service functions can be included in the texts of labor contracts with workers.

According to many experts, the definition of service functions is the main tool for concretizing the company's strategy at all its levels. The solution of this problem contains a huge managerial resource, which, however, is often underestimated in practice. A typical manifestation of such an underestimation is the following situation: job functions are developed, meticulously spelled out, filed in the appropriate folders and ... forgotten. Moreover, according to the observations of practitioners, about a third of managers are concerned about the uselessness of the significant efforts spent on writing these texts. They are not even aware of the opportunities for improving the manageability of the organization, which contains the development and implementation of job functions.

At the same time, without sufficiently clearly defined functions, it is impossible to create effective systems of labor motivation, control, and evaluation of personnel. “The functions of departments and employees are one of the most capacious and grateful points in the development of an organization. Here, a more or less competent leader sees huge opportunities for increasing the manageability of the organization, for its integration. But, in addition, from this point there are very sensitive connections to a change in motivation, organizational culture, and innovation. German researchers of the organization Helmut Laux and Felix Liermann also emphasize that the determination of the functions of each individual employee that is adequate from the point of view of the organization is one of its central problems. The inconsistency of functions, especially the management vertical, can cause a functional crisis in the organization.

In defining the concept of a service function, it is most convenient to start from the concept of a goal. The goal is the planned result of the activity. The purpose of an organization is what it plans to achieve.

in the course of its activity for a certain period. So the service function, or official function, is that part of the corporate goal that is assigned to a specific unit or employee. “... a function is the contribution of the unit and the employee to the achievement of the company's goals,” writes Arkady Prigogine. Eduard Smirnov gives a more extended definition of this concept: "... a function is a set of actions that are relatively homogeneous in some way, aimed at achieving a private goal and subordinate to the general goal of management" .

At present, there are at least three approaches to the development of utility functions: descriptive, productive and role-playing.

Descriptive approach

Currently, in the definition of utility functions, the most commonly used descriptive approach. It is focused on the processes that are the components of the activity. Keywords and phrases used in the description: “controls”, “coordinates”, “informs”, “supports”, “evaluates”, “keeps records”, “bears responsibility”, “participates”, “facilitates”, “makes suggestions” etc. reflect these processes. In other words, the descriptive approach in the definition of service functions gives a list of actions, and not the result to which these actions should lead. Moreover, the actions or tasks associated with a particular position are formulated, as a rule, in a fairly general form. Moreover, G. Lauks and F. Liermann believe that “a more accurate (detailed) description of job responsibilities is impossible / unnecessary, especially when these responsibilities are poorly structured or vary greatly over time” . Often service functions are referred to here as a specific area of ​​work.

Due to the generalized description of job responsibilities, a range of tasks is determined, the clarification of which can occur over time by issuing additional instructions and instructions. Such a definition of service functions, of course, should be combined with sufficiently detailed and clear planning. At the same time, the employee may be given the right to independently specify the tasks facing him.

This approach has two significant drawbacks:

    the description of the list of actions is rarely complete, therefore, it allows the employee to refuse important functions for the organization on the basis that “this is not part of his duties”;

    the implementation of the prescribed actions does not at all mean obtaining a certain performance, i.e., such an approach fundamentally allows a situation where there is a process, but no result.

Product approach

The shortcomings of the descriptive approach, according to A. Prigogine, allows you to overcome product approach when the functions of an individual employee or an entire unit are determined through the required product of activity or the specific contribution of an employee to solving the problems of the organization. The product approach involves focusing on the “internal client”, to which each division and its employees must provide some service or conditional product. An “internal client” can be a senior manager or department of the organization. In this case, the internal client can accept the proposed "product" or require its modification. But he might as well give it up. Those units and employees whose products of activity do not find their “internal client” are unnecessary for this organization.

The product approach in defining job functions, in fact, underlies the management system, which is called "goal management"(or "management for results"). The emergence of this term is most often associated

with the name of the famous "guru" of management, the American scientist Peter Drucker. In the "management by objectives" system, individual service functions appear as the goals of specific employees who contribute to the achievement of the goals of the unit and the organization as a whole.

The process of defining utility functions is easier to do from top to bottom. The first leader and the strategic top (management team) specify the purpose of the organization and formulate the functions of the main divisions of the organization in a product form. The heads of these departments, in turn, determine the functions of their subordinates, etc. It is possible to define functions in the opposite direction, when employees themselves formulate functions

in product terms, and then offer and coordinate them with the internal client. But such a process is more cumbersome, since it often leads to duplication of functions and their repeated revision.

Within the framework of the product approach, the so-called vector expression functions, when they define and fix the need to increase or decrease something in comparison with something. For instance: “Reduction of downtime of equipment”, “Increase of overhaul periods of operation of equipment”. This ensures the concreteness and measurability of the results of actions to perform the function. In addition, A. Prigogine advises where one can try to formulate functions through competitive advantages.

Let's compare the descriptive and product approaches using the example of sales specialist functions ( Table 1). The product approach provides the ultimate specificity of the results (goals) that an employee in this position should achieve. At the same time, such specificity will require timely adjustment of the goals as they are achieved, which is not required when using a descriptive approach.

Table 1. Functions of a Sales Specialist

Descriptive approach

Product approach

Conclude contracts for the supply of products Increase the amount of contracts by 10%
Manage inventory of finished products Reduce inventory to 1/3 of a day's supply
Organize storage, marketing and transportation of finished products Automate 70% of operations
Control the receipt of funds for products sold Bring prepayment up to 30% of the amount of contracts
Promptly take into account the shipment of products under the contract Have daily data on the shipment of products

If the HR manager acts as a consultant in determining the functions, then he can use the auxiliary questionnaire proposed by A. Prigogine ( table 2). He can fill it out with the words of the heads of departments. It is advisable to discuss the processed answers in the process of group work to determine the service functions of this unit in the presence of the heads of the "client" units.

Table 2. Questionnaire for determining service functions

Questions

Answers

How would you define the main contribution of this unit to the success of the organization as a whole?
What does this unit do in the organization that no one here does? What is it expressed in?
What is the main result of the work of the head of this unit?
When will the performance of its functions be considered the most effective?
What is the product of the work of this unit the management of the organization according to "buy"? (Short name and in what form it can be presented)
Who personally should be the main "buyer" of the product produced by this division?
What would your organization lose if it did not have this unit?
By what parameters does the company's management evaluate the main results of the work of this unit? List these options in order of priority.

“The main thing that gives such a method of determining job functions,” writes A. Prigozhin, “is consistency in setting and transferring corporate goals to all levels of the organizational hierarchy, as well as horizontally, i.e. between interconnected departments and employees. At the same time, in this way, maximum convergence, matching of the goals and actions of employees and departments with the goals of the organization and its leaders is achieved. In addition, such functions become controllable, and their execution is verifiable”.

The formulation of functions in a product form makes it possible to overcome such dangerous pathologies of organizations as uncontrollability, lack of subjectivity, dispersion of goals. An important property of this technique, as noted by A. Prigogine, also lies in the fact that it reveals the trouble and disorder of organizational goals. Sometimes managers only in the process of working on functions think about their managerial priorities.

But in the process of implementing a product approach, difficulties can arise. They are primarily related to the fact that such a technique will be much less comfortable for some employees than the traditional, descriptive one. Most people feel more confident, more secure, when their functions are formulated as a list of actions without a rigid link to the result. The consequence of this may be a certain resistance to the use of this approach, attempts to move to the previous formulations. To overcome these difficulties, you can use the help of an external specialist consultant.

Role approach

Actually, role approach is applicable not so much to the definition of job functions, but in general to the design of individual positions of employees in the structure of the organization. However, the definition of job functions in this approach differs significantly from the previous two. The role approach is presented in detail in the work of the modern classic of personnel management Michael Armstrong.

The activities of some organizations are characterized by the promotion of teamwork. The importance of working in teams and the need to have multiple skills sometimes conflicts with rigid job modeling. Under these conditions, according to M. Armstrong, the concept role better reflects new realities than the concept position. He believes that the role can be defined broadly, and its definition should not be prescriptive. Attention here is focused on the behavior of the employee, "playing the role", in the process of achieving the goal of the activity. "The concept of a role is much broader because it is focused on people and their behavior - it has to do with what people do and how they do it, and not with close attention to the content of the work". Depending on the situation, some workers may be given some leeway in applying their skills.

Implementation of this approach begins from role analysis, involving the collection of information about the role played by the employee. In the process of this work, psychological models for describing roles and appropriate psychodiagnostic techniques can be used. Based on the results of such work, as well as taking into account the analysis of skills and competencies, a brief role profile, or defining the role an employee must play in order to meet the requirements of their job. In the role profile, as a rule, the general purpose of the role, the scope of key results are disclosed, and a list of core competencies is given. Sometimes it is difficult to reflect the role in writing in detail, so the head of the unit additionally explains it to the employee in personal communication.

The tailor's principle in the definition of functions

Based on an idealized view of the organization, it is clear that the functions of the position are described, and not the specific person holding this position. Actually, the task of personnel departments (again, ideally) is to select a person who is most suitable for the given job functions. But still, it must be recognized that the individual characteristics of workers are different. With formal compliance with job requirements, each person has strengths and weaknesses. From the point of view of the organization, it would be wasteful not to use the strengths of the employee, even if they go beyond the scope of the job, and not to take into account the weaknesses. Therefore, A. Prigogine, in defining official functions, proposes to be guided by the so-called tailor's principle. It consists in not only selecting a person for a certain function, but also building a function for a person. “If we learn to use each worker to the best of his ability, then he will work in accordance with his inclinations, will be more satisfied with the work and will perform it as efficiently as possible. The firm and the employee win mutually.

Opponents of this principle consider it too laborious. For example, if an employee leaves, then the functions need to be rebuilt. And they, as a rule, are interconnected among the employees of the organization - a change in one function requires a change in others. On this occasion, A. Prigogine emphasizes that building an organization is a laborious and constant process. Managers have to choose: they need stability and certainty or efficiency. In addition, firstly, this principle is not suitable for all positions, but only for creative ones, and secondly, it is with this approach that staff turnover is minimal.

In general, the content of service functions should be influenced not only by the individual characteristics of the performers, their personal potential, but also by the conditions of performance (location, layout, technical equipment, etc.), the specifics of the structural unit of the organization (composition of employees, their experience and length of service). work, reputation with customers). Therefore, for example, the heads of territorial branches of the same enterprise may have functions that differ from each other.

Function parameters

The development of a coordinated system of job functions requires taking into account their parameters. Eduard Smirnov distinguishes four function parameters: laboriousness, complexity, compatibility and price.

Labor intensity characterizes the actual costs of working time required to perform this function, and is determined in hours.

Complexity related to the nature of the operations performed. There are four difficulty levels:

    zero level - characterized by the absence of rules, instructions and documentation for their implementation;

    low level - characterized by the predominance of technical operations;

    middle level - the predominance of logical operations;

    high level - the predominance of creative activity, including actions based on the adoption of non-standard decisions.

Compatibility functions are the same, the same type and different types. TO the same E. Smirnov classifies the functions performed by different people according to the same rules (for example, the functions of shop assistants). TO of the same type include functions performed according to different rules, but related to the same field of activity. For example, in the accounting department of an enterprise there may be employees who specialize in wages, taxes, etc. heterogeneous are functions performed according to different rules and related to different areas of activity.

Price is determined on the basis of the calculation of all types of operations that make up a specific function.

The list of function parameters given by E. Smirnov should be supplemented with one more - level of specialization . It can be high when the worker specializes in one operation, medium, involving the performance of several operations, and low when the worker performs many operations. In general, the concept of specialization is multifaceted and deserves separate consideration.

Function types

To date, there are various approaches to the classification of types of functions. G. Lauks and F. Liermann distinguish:

    object functions related to the implementation of operational activities (labor processes) and / or the adoption of object decisions;

    organizational functions which include both the implementation of operational activities and the adoption of organizational decisions;

    communicative functions involving the implementation of operational activities and the adoption of communicative decisions.

E. Smirnov adheres to a different view on the types of functions. He divides the functions performed by employees of the organization into three large groups:

    production, which include the functions of the main, auxiliary and servicing production of goods, services, information or knowledge;

    production function management, this type or group includes the functions of planning, forecasting, organizing, coordinating, stimulating and controlling the activities of workers performing production functions;

    business management- this type covers the functions of strategic management, external representation and consulting activities.

Such a classification seems to be more complete and systematic. In general, it is assumed that the same employee can perform both functions of one type, and a combination of functions of different types. Achieving the optimal combination of functions of various types, taking into account their complexity, complexity and compatibility, is an important task in determining job functions.

LITERATURE

    Mintzberg G. Structure in a fist: creating an effective organization / Per. from English. ed. Yu. P. Kapturevsky. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2004. - 512 p.

    Prigogine A. I. Methods for the development of organizations. - M.: MTsFER, 2003. - 864 p.

    Lauks G., Liermann F. Fundamentals of organization: decision-making management / Per. with him. - M.: Business and Service, 2006. - 600 p.

    Smirnov E. A. Fundamentals of the theory of organization: Proc. allowance for universities. - M.: UNITI, 2000. - 375 p.

    Vikhansky O. S., Naumov A. I. Management: A Textbook for Economy. specialist. universities. - M.: Higher. school, 1994. - 224 p.

    Armstrong M. The practice of human resource management. 8th ed. / Per. from English. ed. S. K. Mordovina. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2004. - 832 p.

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