2020-01-15
1000
Our society is made up of all kinds of organizations, such as companies, government departments, unions, hospitals, school and the like. In all these organizations there are people carrying out the work of a manager although they do not always have that title. They have responsibility to use the resources of their organizations effectively and economically to achieve objectives.
Are there certain activities common to all managers? Can we define the task of a manager? There is a classic definition of the manager’s role. It says: “To manage means to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control. ” This definition is still accepted by many people today, though some writer on management have somewhat modified this description. Instead of talking about command, they say a manager must motivate or direct and lead other workers.
In most companies, the activities of a manager depend on the level at which he/she is working.
Top managers such as the chairman and directors are more involved in long range planning, policy making and the relations of the company with the outside world. They make decisions on the future of the company, the sort of product lines it should develop, how it should face up to the competition, whether it should diversify etc. These strategic decisions are part of the planning function mentioned in classic definition.
Top managers: president, vice-president, chief executive officer (CEO) and members of the Board.
Middle management and supervisors are generally making the day-to-day decisions which help an organization to run efficiently and smoothly. They must respond to the pressures of the job which may mean dealing with an unhappy customer, chasing up supplies, meeting an urgent order or sorting out a technical problem. Managers at this level spend a great deal of time communicating, coordinating and making decisions affecting the daily operation of their organizations.
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Middle management includes: division manager, department head, plant manager and operation manager.
Across the same levels in the organization we can find, a project manager, who is in charge of developing a certain project; a functional manager, who is charge of a major function, such as a department in the organization; a product manager, who is charge of a group of closely related products. General Managers are in charge of numerous functions within an organization or department.
First- line managers are those who coordinate and supervise the activity of operating employees. They spend most of their time working with employees, answering questions and solving day-today problems. Most first-line managers are former operating employees who were promoted into management. Common titles for first-line managers include: office manager, supervisor, foreman, and project manager.
In the opinion of Peter Drucker, a famous American writer on management, managers perform five basic operations.
Firstly, managers set o bjectives. They decide what these objectives should be and how the organization can achieve them. For this task, they need analytical ability.
Secondly, managers organize. They must decide how the resources of the company are to be used, how the work is to be classified and divided. Furthermore, they must select right people for the jobs to be done. For this, they not only need analytical ability but also understanding of human beings.
The third task is to motivate and communicate effectively. They must be able to get people to work as a team, and to be as productive as possible. To do this, they will be communicating effectively with all levels of the organization – their supervisors, colleagues and subordinates. To succeed in this task, managers need social skills.
The fourth activity is measurement. Having set targets and standards, managers have to measure the performance of the organization, and of its staff, in relation to those targets. Measuring requires analytical ability.
Finally, managers develop people, including themselves. They help to make people more productive, and to grow as human beings. They make them bigger and richer persons.
Successful people are not necessarily people who are liked or who get on well with others. They are people who command the respect of workers and who set high standards. Good managers need not be geniuses but must bring characte r to the job.
Text 4. Major functions of Managers.
There are four major functions of managers: planning, organizing, leading and coordinating and controlling.
1) Planning includes identifying goals, objectives, methods, resources needed to carry out methods, responsibilities and dates for completion of tasks. Examples of planning are strategic planning, business planning, project planning, work force planning, promotions planning etc.
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2) Organizing resources in order to achieve the goals in an optimal fashion. Examples are organizing new departments, human resources, office and file systems, re-organizing business, etc.
3) Leading includes setting direction for the organization, groups and individuals and influencing people to follow this direction.
4) Coordinating the organization’s systems, processes and structures to reach effectively and efficiently goals and objectives.
5) Controlling includes constant monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures accordingly. Examples include use of financial control, performance management processes, measures to avoid risks etc.
