Study Guides/Commerce/POSDCORB Meaning
Study Guide · Commerce

What is POSDCORB in Management?

POSDCORB is one of the most famous acronyms in the fields of Management and Public Administration. It was coined by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick in 1937 to describe the core functions of a manager or chief executive.

Question (Click to Flip)

Who gave the concept of POSDCORB?

Answer

The concept of POSDCORB was introduced by American political scientist Luther Gulick and British management consultant Lyndall Urwick in their 1937 book 'Papers on the Science of Administration'.

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Key Facts

Though POSDCORB is highly influential, modern management experts criticise it for being too mechanical and ignoring the human/psychological elements of leadership.

The POSDCORB Full Form

Each letter stands for a vital administrative function:

  • P - Planning: Working out the things that need to be done and the methods for doing them.
  • O - Organizing: Establishing the formal structure of authority through which work subdivisions are arranged.
  • S - Staffing: The whole personnel function of bringing in and training the staff, and maintaining favourable conditions of work.
  • D - Directing: Making decisions and embodying them in specific and general orders; serving as the leader.
  • CO - Coordinating: The all-important duty of interrelating the various parts of the work.
  • R - Reporting: Keeping those to whom the executive is responsible informed (through records, research, and inspection).
  • B - Budgeting: All that goes with budgeting in the form of fiscal planning, accounting, and control.

Significance of POSDCORB

Gulick and Urwick created this acronym to answer the question: 'What is the work of the chief executive?' While developed for public administration, it became the foundation for classical management theory and is taught in Commerce and MBA courses worldwide.

Questions and Answers

Who gave the concept of POSDCORB?+

The concept of POSDCORB was introduced by American political scientist **Luther Gulick** and British management consultant **Lyndall Urwick** in their 1937 book 'Papers on the Science of Administration'.

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