ABSTRACT
The function to be discussed in analyzing the evolutionary development of management is that of planning. As the function of planning is essential to the performance of any organized task, so are its four main underlying principles. These principles include objective, efficiency, balance, and coordination. The emergence of three other principles will also be presented. These are primacy of planning, commitment, and flexibility. The interrelationships that exist among the four main principles of planning selected for discussion are fundamental to the initiation of the management process. Dalton E. McFarland saw the definition and identification of objectives as one of the basic requirements of management. In 1916, Henri Fayol considered coordination to be one of the major functions of management. The commitment principle was also developed by Harold D. Koontz at the same time as the principle of primacy of planning. Flexibility has long been recognized as a desirable characteristic of a plan.
