Lesson 1: Management

Chapter 1

Describe what management is.

Good management is working through others to accomplish tasks that help fulfill organizational objectives as efficiently as possible.

Explain the four functions of management.

1. planning - determining organizational goals and a means for achieving them.
2. organizing - deciding where decisions will be made, who will do what jobs and tasks, and who will work for whom.
3. leading - inspiring and motivating workers to work hard to achieve organizational goals.
4. controlling - monitoring progress toward goal achievement and taking corrective action when needed.

Describe the 4 different kinds of managers.

1. __**Top managers**__ are responsible for creating a context for change, developing attitudes of commitment and ownership, creating a positive organizational culture through words and actions, and monitoring their company's business environments.
2. __**Middle managers**__ are responsible for planning and allocating resources, coordinating and linking groups and departments, monitoring and managing the performance of subunits and managers, and implementing the changes or strategies generated by top managers.
3. __**First-line managers**__ are responsible for managing the performance of nonmanagerial employees, teaching them how to do their jobs, and making detailed schedules and operating plans based on middle management's intermediate-range plans.
4. __**Team leaders**__ are responsible for facilitating team performance, fostering good relationships among team members, and managing external relationships.

Explain the 3 major roles and their subroles that managers perform in their jobs.

1. interpersonal


1. figureheads by performing ceremonial duties
2. leaders by motivating and encouraging workers
3. liaisons by dealing with people outside their units
2. informational


1. monitors by scanning their environment for information
2. disseminators by sharing information with others in the company
3. spokespeople by sharing information with people outside their departments or companies
3. decisional roles


1. entrepreneurs by adapting their units to incremental change
2. disturbance handlers by responding to larger problems that demand immediate action
3. resource allocators by deciding on resource recipients and amounts
4. negotiators by bargaining with others about schedules, projects, goals, outcomes, and resources

Explain what 4 things companies look for in managers.

1. __**technical skills**__ - Managers need the knowledge and abilities to get the job done (most important for lower-level managers)


1. __**human skills**__ - must be able to work effectively in groups and be good listeners and communicators (equally important at all levels of management)
2. __**conceptual skills**__ - must be able to assess the relationships between the different parts of the company and the external environment and position their companies for success
3. __**motivation to manage**__ - should want to assume positions of leadership and power

* conceptual skills and motivation to manage increase in importance as managers rise through the managerial ranks.

Discuss the top mistakes that managers make in their jobs.

* managers who experience difficulty adapting to change
* have problems with interpersonal relationships
* experience difficulty building a team
* fail to meet business objectives
* have too narrow a functional orientation

Describe the transition that employees go through when they are promoted to management.

* __**Beginning of job**__ - use more formal authority and less people management skill.
* __**After six months**__ - surprised at the fast pace and heavy workload and that "helping" their subordinates was viewed as interference.
* __**After a year**__ - most think of themselves not as doers but as managers who get things done through others. And, because they finally realized that people management was the most important part of their job, most of them had abandoned their authoritarian approach for one based on communication, listening, and positive reinforcement.

Management

Getting work done through others

Efficiency

Getting work done with a minimum of effort, expense, or waste

Effectiveness

Accomplishing tasks that help fulfill organizational objectives

Planning

Determining organizational goals and a means for achieving them

Organizing

Deciding where decisions will be made, who will do what jobs and tasks, and who will work for whom

Leading

Inspiring and motivating workers to work hard to achieve organizational goals

Controlling

Monitoring progress toward goal achievement and taking corrective action when needed

Top managers

Executives responsible for the overall direction of the organization

Middle managers

Managers responsible for setting objectives consistent with top management’s goals and for planning and implementing subunit strategies for achieving these objectives

First-line managers

Managers who train and supervise the performance of non-managerial employees who are directly responsible for producing the company’s products or services

Team leaders

Managers responsible for facilitating team activities toward accomplishing a goal

Figurehead role

The interpersonal role managers play when they perform ceremonial duties

Leader role

The interpersonal role managers play when they motivate and encourage workers to accomplish organizational objectives

Liaison role

The interpersonal role managers play when they deal with people outside their units

Monitor role

The informational role managers play when they scan their environment for information

Disseminator role

The informational role managers play when they share information with others in their departments or companies

Spokesperson role

The informational role managers play when they share information with people outside their departments or companies

Entrepreneur role

The decisional role managers play when they adapt themselves, their subordinates, and their units to change

Disturbance handler role

the decisional role managers play when they respond to severe problems that demand immediate action

Resource allocator role

the decisional role managers play when they decide who gets what resources

Negotiator role

the decisional role managers play when they negotiate schedules, projects, goals, outcomes, resources, and employee raises

Technical skills

the specialized procedures, techniques, and knowledge required to get the job done

Human skills

the ability to work well with others

Conceptual skills

the ability to see the organization as a whole, understand how the different parts affect one another, and recognize how the company fits into or is affected by its environment