IBE01 Flores, Jerome P. June 21, 2011 Questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Who is a Manager? Types of Managers. Process of Management.

Seventeen Managerial Skills. Development of Managerial Skills. The Manager as an integrator of Five Mind Sets. Evolution of Management Thought. 3BIT

Answers: 1. Who is a Manager? A manager is a person that can manage itself and the resources to achieve the organisation goals and objective. A good manager must be able to follow all the functions of management which are planning, controlling, directing, coordinating leading etc. It is also a person tasked with overseeing one or more employees or departments to ensure these employees or departments carry out assigned duties as required. Depending on the size of the company there might be a single, dual or triple management layer involved. 2. Types of Managers. A. Functional and General Managers Functional managers supervise the work of employees engaged in specialized activities, such as accounting, information systems, and marketing. General Managers are responsible for the work of several different groups performing a variety of functions. Plant managers and CEOs are general managers. B. Administrators An administrator is a manager who works in a public or non-profit organization (Including educational institutions) rather than in a business firm. C. Entrepreneurs and Small-Business Owners Entrepreneurs are people who begin a new business based on an innovative idea for a product or service. Entrepreneurship is defined along three dimensions: innovativeness, risk taking, and pro-activeness. Similar to an entrepreneur, the owner and operator of a small business becomes a manager when the firm grows beyond a few people. D. Team Leaders A team leader coordinates the work of a small group of people, while acting as a facilitator and catalyst.

3.

Process of Management. A. Resources Used by Managers Managers use four types of resources: 1. Human Resources 2. Financial Resources 3. Physical Resources 4. Information Resources The Four Managerial Functions Managers must use the four major resources in such a way that goals are reached. To accomplish this feat, the manager relies on the functions of planning, organizing and staffing, leading, and controlling. 1. Planning Planning involves setting goals and figuring out ways of reaching them. Organizing and Staffing Organizing and staffing is the process of making sure the necessary human and physical resources are available to carry out a plan and achieve organizational goals. Staffing focuses on the human resources. Leading Leading is the managerial function of influencing others to achieve organizational objectives. Leadership is the interpersonal aspect of management, yet at the top level also includes formulating strategy. Controlling Controlling is the managerial function of ensuring that performance conforms to plans. It is comparing actual performance to a predetermined standard. Controlling also helps determine in the original plan needs revision, given the realities of the day.

B.

2.

3.

4.

Managerial level influences how much time managers spend on the four managerial functions. For example, first-level managers spend the most time in face-to-face leadership of employees.

4.

Managerial Skills A role is an expected set of activities or behaviours stemming from ones job. Roles are another important way of understanding managerial work. A. Planning 1. Strategic Planner 2. Operational Planner B. Organizing and Staffing 3. Organizer 4. Liaison 5. Staffing Coordinator 6. Resource Allocator 7. Task Delegator

C. Leading 8. Figurehead 9. Spokesperson 10. Negotiator 11. Motivator and Coach 12. Team Builder 13. Team Player 14. Technical Problem Solver 15. Entrepreneur D. Controlling 16. Monitor 17. Disturbance Handler E. Managerial Roles Currently Emphasized

Managerial work has substantially shifted away from the controller and director roles to those of coach, facilitator, and supporter. F. The Influence of Management Level on Managerial Roles

A managers level influences which roles are likely to be engaged in most frequently, such as top managers emphasizing strategic planning.

5.

Development of Managerial Skills. Experience and education are both important for the development of management skills. You can develop managerial skills by studying the text and following a general learning model: 1. Study conceptual knowledge and behaviour guidelines. 2. Use conceptual knowledge demonstrated by examples. 3. Do skill-development exercises. 4. Obtain feedback on skill utilization, or performance, from others. 5. Practice frequently what you have learned, including making adjustments from the feedback. Skill development is important because the managers job is more demanding than ever, and the workplace keeps changing.

6.

Manager as an integrator of the five mind sets. A new analysis believes that managers need to synthesize five different mind-sets or perspectives at the same time. Each mind-set links to one of the five key tasks of managers. 1. Managing self: the reflective mind-set. 2. Managing organizations: the analytical mind-set. 3. Managing context: the worldly mind-set. 4. Managing relationships: the collaborative mind-set. 5. Managing change: the action mind-set.

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Evolution of Management Thought. Management has a practice has an almost unlimited history, with the formal study of management starting during the Industrial Revolution.

A.

Classical Approach to Management The classical school of management encompasses scientific management and classical management. The focus of scientific management was on the application of scientific methods to increase individual workers productivity. Administrative management was concerned primarily with how organizations should be managed and structured. The core of management knowledge is based on the classical school.

B.

The Human Resources Approach The human resources approach emphasizes improving management by understanding the psychological makeup of people. The human resources (or behavioral) approach has had a profound influence on management, and much of this book is based on behavioral theory. Three direct cornerstones of the human resources approach are as follows: 1. The Hawthorne Studies The often-mentioned Hawthorne effect is the tendency of people to behave differently when they receive attention because they respond to the demands of the situation. 2. Theory X and Theory Y of Douglas McGregor Theory X makes the traditional assumption that workers have to be prodded and controlled. Theory Y is a more positive, optimistic set of assumptions about workers. 3. Maslows Need Hierarchy Humans are motivated by efforts to satisfy a hierarchy of needs.

C.

Quantitative Approaches to Management The quantitative approach to management is a group of methods to managerial decision making that is based on the scientific method. Scientific management provided the foundation for the quantitative approach to management.

D.

The Systems Perspective The systems perspective is a way of viewing problems more than a specific approach to management. It is based on the concept that an organization is a system, or an entity of interrelated parts. The organization interacts with the outside world. If you adjust one part of the system, other parts will be affected automatically. Entropy and synergy are two important systems concepts.

E.

The Contingency Approach The contingency approach to management emphasizes that there is no one best way to manage people or work. A method that leads to high productivity or morale in one situation may not achieve the same results in another. The contingency approach is derived from the study of leadership and organization structure.

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The Information Technology Era Information technology has modified the work of managers in many ways including electronic communication with workers, and e-commerce. Practicing managers can use all six major developments in management thought.