What management process involves leading, motivating, and communicating to achieve objectives?

The management process that involves leading, motivating, and communicating to achieve objectives is directing. This function of management is critical as it focuses on guiding and influencing team members to align their efforts towards fulfilling organizational goals. Directing encompasses a range of activities that include providing direction, creating an engaging environment, and fostering collaboration among team members.

Effective directing ensures that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities within the context of the larger objectives, which is essential for organizational success. By motivating individuals and teams, management can drive performance and ensure that objectives are met efficiently and effectively.

In contrast, the other options represent different aspects of management but do not specifically emphasize the interpersonal and motivational elements inherent in directing. Designing pertains more to the structural organization of the team or project, planning involves setting goals and determining the best course of action, while controlling focuses on monitoring and evaluating progress against plans. Each of these functions is important, but they do not encapsulate the complete active engagement in guiding and motivating personnel that directing embodies.