Managing the agribusiness - Agribusiness Management - page 46

Step 6: evaluate results

Management specialists have found monitoring progress to be a high priority in planning.
Carefully reviewing, assessing, or evaluating results shows whether the plan is on course
and allows both the analysis of new information and the discovery of new opportunities.
Evaluation cannot be left to chance. It must be incorporated into the planning process,
since a plan is only good so long as the situation remains unchanged. An evaluation also
reveals whether results met performance objectives or where the results fell short or overshot
objectives. Evaluation also points out weaknesses in plans and programs so that those
portions that are ineffective can be changed. In a fast-changing world, continuous evaluation
is essential to planning success. Evaluation also triggers the next round of planning.

Organizing
People working effectively towards accomplishing the company's goals; these are objec-
tives of every manager—no matter what industry, function, or organization. There must be
a structure in place to make it possible for people to work effectively toward accomplishing
goals. The management task of organizing provides that structure or framework in which to
operate. Organizing represents the systematic classifi cation and grouping of human and
other resources in a manner consistent with the fi rm's goals. The organizing process is
important at each level of a company or fi rm. And, it is the manager's challenge to design an
organizational structure that allow employees both to accomplish their own work, while
simultaneously reaching the goals and objectives of the organization.
The organizing task occurs continuously throughout the life of the fi rm. Done effectively,
this task helps management establish accountability for the results achieved; prevents “buck-
passing” and confusion as to who is responsible; and details the nature and degree of author-
ity given to each person as the activities of the fi rm are accomplished. This task is especially
important in today's business environment in which many fi rms frequently restructure their
operations. This restructuring may be the result of efforts to improve effi ciency, reduce
costs, or as the result of a merger or acquisition. The manager must develop an effective
organizational structure before he or she can implement the strategies needed to achieve the
goals developed in the planning task. Organizing involves:

• Setting up the organizational structure

• Determining the jobs to be done

• Defi ning lines of authority and responsibility

• Establishing relationships within the organization

Until all employees understand their relationships to other employees and to the agribusiness
as a whole, cooperation, teamwork, and coordinated action remain impossible to achieve. If
members of a band fail to understand their connection to the whole, discord rather than har-
mony will result. Thus, as part of the organizing task, the agribusiness manager must see to
it that each employee has a clearly defi ned role, and that when the employee accomplishes
his or her goal, the goals for the organization are furthered.
For example, the overall sales goal for a fi rm can be broken down to performance objec-
tives for regions or divisions and ultimately individual sales representatives. An example is
provided in Figure 2. 2 . The planning process in this seed company is structured as described
above, with all levels of the organization involved in planning. However, as indicated