Testing Planning Organising, Leading and Controlling (POLC): an empirical examination of the functions of management through a pilot study developing the 'POLC-BMS'

Abstract

Despite the POLC definitions of management being sustained over a long period of time, it is surprising to find that there is a lack of empirical research to support them. This paper begins to address this issue by reporting on the initial development of a brief management scale derived from the work of Fayol- the POLC-BMS. Data were collected from a government organization with 912 observations obtained from 304 participants. Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis and multi-group invariant analysis was conducted and provided initial support for the POLC-BMS and the functional definitions of management: planning organising leading and controlling. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are detailed.