Levels of management

Each organization can be represented as a three-story struc­ture or a pyramid. Each story corresponds to one of the three gen­eral levels of management: top managers, middle managers, and first-line managers. At the basic level of this pyramid there are operating employees.

A top manager is an upper-level executive who guides and controls the overall activities of the organization. Top managers constitute a small group. They are generally responsible for the organization's planning and developing its mission. They also de­termine the firm's strategy and its major policies. It takes years of hard work as well as talent and good luck, to reach the ranks of top managers. They are president, vice president, chief execu­tive officer, and member of the Board.

A middle manager is a manager who implements the strate­gy and major policies handed down from the top level of the orga­nization. Middle managers develop tactical plans, policies, and standard operating procedures, and they coordinate and supervise the activities of first-line managers. Titles at the middle-manage­ment level include division manager, department head, plant manager, and operations manager.

A first-line manager is a manager who coordinates and su­pervises the activities of operating employees. First-line managers spend most of their time working with employees, answering questions, and solving day-to-day problems. Most first-line man­agers are former operating employees who, owing to their hard work and potential, were promoted into management. Many of today's middle and top managers began their careers on this first management level. Common titles for first-line managers include office manager, supervisor, foreman and project manager.

Operating employees are not managers. They are qualified and non-qualified persons working for the organization. For their labour or services they get salaries or wages. They represent the work force of the organization.

III. Find the English equivalents:

трехуровневая структура, уровни управления, контролировать всю деятельность, составлять небольшую группу, быть ответственным за что-либо, определять стратегию фирмы, годы усердного труда, достичь уровня, определять стратегию и основную политику, координировать и руководить, решать каждодневные проблемы, бывшие рабочие, продвинуться в управление, начать карьеру, неквалифицированные люди, работа и услуги, получать зарплату, рабочая сила организации.

IV. Complete the sentences:

1. A top manager is …

2. It takes years of hard work …

3. Middle managers develop …

4. Titles at the middle-management level include …

5. First-line managers spend most of their time …

6. Many of today’s middle and top managers began …

V. Agree or disagree to the following:

1. Each organization can be represented as a four-story structure.

2. At the basic level of this pyramid there are middle managers.

3. Top managers constitute a large group.

4. Top managers are president, vice president, chief executive officer, and member of the Board.

5. Middle managers develop tactical plans, policies and standard operating procedures.

6. First-line managers spend most of their time solving day-to-day problems.

7. First-line managers can not become top managers.

8. Operating employees are managers too.

9. Operating employees don’t get any money for their work.

10. They represent the work force of the organization.

VI. Find antonyms:

1. small, upper-level, good luck, hard, manager, major, work, standard, to answer, former, many, to begin, qualified.

1. to end, original, present, to ask, large, misfortune, low-level, easy, non-qualified, idleness, employee, few, insignificant.

VII. Find the right word order:

1. organization, each, represented, can, be, structure, three-story, as, a.

1. small, constitute, top, a, group, managers.

1. operating, work, the, are, employees, force, the, of, organization.

VIII. Match the left-hand column with the right-hand column:

1. tactical a. employees

2. overall b. problems

3. operating c. persons

4. day-to-day d. plans

5. qualified e. structure

6. major f. policy

7. three-story g. activities

IX. Answer the questions:

1. How can each organization be represented?

1. What can we find at the basic level of this pyramid?

1. What is a top manager responsible for?

1. What are the duties of a middle manager?

1. Does a first-line manager coordinate and supervise the activities of operating employees?

1. How and where do first-line managers spend their working time?

1. What are common titles for first-line managers?

1. What do operating employees get for their work?

X. Speak on the following:

1) General structure of a management pyramid.

2) Top and middle-managers. Their duties and titles.

3) First-line managers and operating employees.

Lesson III

I. Read and translate the following international words without using a dictionary:

financial, manager, organization, resource, investment, to specialize, operation, firm, president, company, basic, training, system, traditionally, techniques, activity, client, specific, program, planning, human, to design, practice, functional, administrative, hospital, administrator, operation, finance, to coordinate.

II. Remember the following words:

accounting – бухгалтерский учет

to equate – ассоциировать, отождествлять

to appraise – оценивать

to ensure – обеспечивать

regulations – постановления, положения законодательства