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skill – умение; навык

to be good at management – быть хорошим руководителем to put into practice – применять на практике

to negotiate with (on) – вести переговоры с (по)

to keep ahead of the competition – оставаться впереди конкурентов to invest heavily into – делать крупные инвестиции в

Starting up

1.What is management? Is it an art or a science? An instinct or a set of skills and techniques that can be taught?

2.What do you think makes a good manager? Which of the following

qualities do you think are the most important?

a.being exceptionally intelligent

b.being competent and efficient in one’s job

c.being keen to improve people’s lives

d.being interested in other people

e.being friendly and sociable

f.having good, innovative ideas

g.being good at communicating

h.being a hard worker

i.being popular

j.being able to give clear orders

k.being persuasive

l.being honest

m.being admired by others

n.being able to examine carefully and make judgments

o.being good at motivating people

p.being good at taking the initiative and leading other people

Are there any qualities that you think should be added to this list? Which of these qualities do you think you have? Which do you lack? Which could you still learn? Which do you have to be born with? Do any of these qualities seem to you to be essentially masculine or feminine?

Reading

This text summarizes some of Peter Drucker’s views on management.

Our society is made up of different types of organizations, such as companies, government departments, unions, hospitals, schools, libraries, banks, and the like. They are essential to our existence, helping to create our standard of living and our quality of life. In all these organizations, there are people carrying out the work of a manager although they do not have that title. The vice-chancellor of a university, the president of a students’ union, a chief librarian are all managers. They have a responsibility to use the resources of their organization effectively and economically to achieve its objectives.

Are there certain activities common to all managers? Can we define the task of a manager? A French industrialist, Henri Fayol, wrote in 1916 a classic definition of a

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manager’s role. He said that to manage is ‘to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control’. This definition is still accepted by many people today, though some writers on management have modified Fayol’s 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 chairmen and directors, will be more involved in long range planning, policy making, and the relations of the company with the outside world. They will be making 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 a planning function.

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 operations of their organization.

Peter Drucker, the well-known American business professor and consultant, suggests that the work of a manager can be divided into five basic operations: planning (setting objectives), organizing, integrating (motivating and communicating), measuring, and developing people.

First of all, managers, especially senior managers, set objectives and decide how their organization can achieve them. This involves developing strategies, plans and precise tactics, and allocating resources of people and money. For this task they need analytical ability.

Secondly, managers organize. They analyze and classify the activities of the organization and the relations among them. They select people to manage and perform the jobs. For this, they not only need analytical ability but also understanding of human beings.

Thirdly, managers practise the social skills of motivation and communication. They also have to communicate objectives to the people responsible for attaining them. They have to make the people who are responsible for performing individual jobs form teams. They make decisions about pay and promotion. As well as organizing and supervising the work of their subordinates, they have to work with people in other areas and functions: their superiors, partners, competitors, clients, suppliers. To succeed in this task, managers need social skills.

Fourthly, managers have to measure the performance of their staff, to see whether the targets and standards set for the organization as a whole and for each individual member of it are being achieved. Measuring the performance of the staff in relation to the objectives set before is very important. Measuring requires analytical ability.

Lastly, managers develop people – both their subordinates and themselves. They help to make people more productive, highly skilled and to grow as human beings. Obviously, objectives occasionally have to be modified or changed. It is generally the job of a company’s top managers to consider the needs of the future, and to take responsibility for innovation, without which any organization can only expect a limited life. Top managers also have to manage a business’s relations with customers,

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suppliers, distributors, bankers, investors, neighbouring communities, public authorities, and so on, as well as deal with any major crises which arise. Top managers are appointed and supervised and advised (and dismissed) by a company’s board of directors.

Although the tasks of a manager can be analyzed and classified in this fashion, management is not entirely scientific. It is a human skill. Business professors obviously believe that intuition and ‘instinct’ are not enough; there are management skills that have to be learnt. Drucker, for example, wrote over twenty years ago that

‘Altogether this entire book is based on the proposition that the days of the “intuitive” manager are numbered, meaning that they were coming to an end. But some people are clearly good at management, and others are not. Some people will be unable to put management techniques into practice. Others will have lots of technique, but few good ideas. Outstanding managers are rather rare.

Comprehension / interpretation

1.According to the writer, what is the main duty of the head of any organization?

2.Why do some people disagree with Fayol’s definition of the role of management?

3.What do a manager’s functions depend on?

4.In what ways are the functions of a company director, for example, different from those of a middle manager?

5.According to Peter Drucker, what basic operations do managers perform? Describe each of them. What abilities should managers possess?

Language focus

1. The text contains a number of common verb-noun partnerships (e.g. achieve objectives, deal with crises, and so on).

Match up these verbs and nouns to make common collocations.

2. Complete the following sentences using suitable words or phrases given below.

1.Managers have to ____ objectives and ____ them to their personnel.

2.The group of executives working below the top managers are generally called ____ .

3.Valerie is an important person in our company. She is a member of the ____.

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4.Peter, a recent University graduate, has been with the firm for a year. He is at present a ____ and is being trained for a managerial position.

5.Their ____ is expanding rapidly. They now have over 5,000 employees.

6.Managers have to supervise their subordinates, to measure and to improve their

____ .

7.At least 60% of our ____ have been with the company over ten years.

8.____ in an organization generally have more fringe benefits than lower-level managers.

9.We are a small group in the Research and Development Department. Fortunately, I get on well with all my ____ .

10.Our telephone operators work under the direction of a ____ .

11.I work under Mr. Brown. He’s my ____ .

12.Sheila and Tom work under my authority. I am their boss and they are my ____.

13.I am responsible for ____ training and development.

14.A ____ is a person of high rank in an organization, usually next in importance to the Chairman.

15.Top managers are responsible for the ____ that will allow a company to adapt to a changing world.

3.Divide the following styles of behavior into pairs of opposites.

Which five of the above styles do you think are generally preferable for managers? Why?

a.being group oriented

b.being cautious and careful

c.being decisive and able to take rapid individual decisions

d.being individualistic

e.being assertive, authoritative, ruthless and competitive

f.being happy to take risk

g.being good at listening and sensitive to other people’s feelings

h.being intuitive

i.being logical, rational and analytic

j.liking consensus and conciliation

4.Translate the following text into English.

Что такое менеджмент?

Менеджмент, прежде всего, предполагает организацию людей для достижения целей, поставленных перед предприятием.

Руководители высшего звена обязаны ставить цели перед организацией, а затем разрабатывать стратегии для их достижения.

Менеджеры анализируют деятельность предприятий, их подразделений и взаимоотношений между ними. Они делят работу на отдельные задания и подбирают и назначают определённых людей для их выполнения.

Менеджеры наделяют служащих полномочиями и заставляют их чувствовать ответственность за качественное выполнение работы.

Менеджеры должны уметь общаться с людьми и стимулировать их деятельность. Они обязаны сообщать цели организации людям, которые

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работают для их достижения. Менеджеры должны побуждать работников к успешному труду и содействовать повышению производительности.

Менеджеры также обязаны оценивать работу своего персонала и добиваться того, чтобы цели и задачи, стоящие перед организацией, были достижимы.

Кроме того, менеджеры должны обучать персонал, постоянно повышать его профессиональный уровень.

Все удачи и провалы в бизнесе – это результат работы отдельных руководителей.

Communication skills

Introducing yourself and organization you work for.

Giving details about your organization

I’m with the Palmer Reece Group.

I work for Kitchen Interiors.

We make / manufacture / sell / install / deal with electrical products (fitted kitchens).

My company’s based in … Our head office is in …

I’ve been with (worked for) the company for five years. We have branch offices / subsidiaries in …

Our turnover is …

We’ve got a workforce of …

Our company employ 200 people.

Listening

Listen to the conversation of two managers, which takes place at a conference. Reproduce it.

Role play

Situation: You are a manager attending an exhibition of office equipment. In the hospitality lounge you start talking to some other business people who are at the exhibition.

Working in groups of two or three, improvise a conversation similar to the one given above. Before starting the conversation read the following:

1.Choose a company or business organization. It may be real or imaginary.

2.Introduce yourself; say who you work for, what your position is in the organization and how long you have worked for it.

3.Give the following information:

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a)what kind of business organization it is (e.g. private, public, sole trader, partnership)

b)its main business activities

c)location of its head office, branches / subsidiaries

d)turnover, profits, size of work-force etc.

4.Give any information about yourself, your job and the organization

Case study Victor Motor Company (VMC): Choose the right man for the job.

main markets exports 60 % of its output to USA and Canada, plans to increase

Subject: Appointment of a new General Manager

As I am sure you are all aware by now, Anthony Hiller will be retiring at the end of this year, which leaves us a little over two months in which to appoint a new General manager.

The post is currently being advertised in both the national press and the leading trade magazines and I intend to begin the first round of interviews in mid October. The advertisements contain the following description of the General Manager’s duties:

a.to have overall responsibility for the running of the plant;

b.to coordinate the work of the management team so that the company’s targets and objectives are met;

c.to advise on new product development;

d.to negotiate with trade union representatives;

e.to accompany the Sales manager on overseas sales trips, whenever possible;

f.to represent the company when the Managing director is unavailable.

The right man for the job.

The problem

Two candidates, Jim Collier and Bernard Wheeler, are being considered for the position. The two men have been interviewed by

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1.The Managing Director and a team of senior executives

2.An industrial psychologist, who has carried out a number of tests.

The candidates have also had lunch with the interviewing team and the industrial psychologist. The wife of Bernard Wheeler was present at the lunch.

Below are the candidates’ curricula vitae, extracts from the psychologist’s reports and the interviewing team’s notes.

Extract from psychologist’s report on Jim Collier

Mr Collier is a man of very high intelligence. He is creative, imaginative, and very good at problem-solving. When put under pressure, he kept cool and showed a sense of humor. Although he appears to be calm and cheerful, he is an emotional person. He is deeply dissatisfied with his personal life. He is still upset and shaken by the breakdown of his marriage to his English wife. Note: during interview it came out that he had been expelled from the schools for indiscipline.

Extract from interviewing team’s notes on Jim Collier

Super-confident – at times almost aggressive; extremely ambitious – wants to have own car-manufacturing company one day; frank and outspoken in opinions; believes that “winning is the only thing that matters in life”; seemed to be a relaxed, calm personality; but admitted he could “blow his top” if people didn’t do their job properly; in a letter of reference, a previous employer suggested he was “charming, but

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could be very moody when he didn’t get what he wanted – not an easy person to work with”.

Extract from psychologist’s report on Bernard Wheeler

Mr Wheeler has above-average intelligence. He is a logical person with good powers of reasoning. He has planned his life carefully and knows where he is going. He is not particularly creative. When put under pressure, he became ill-at-ease and finally lost his temper. He is devoted to his family. As he says, “They come before everything”. He is serious, with no apparent sense of humor. Perhaps this is because he was an only child, and his parents separated when he was young.

Extract from interviewing team’s notes on Bernard Wheeler

…gave long, thoughtful replies; knew a great deal about Victor – well-prepared for interview; a patient man, polite but didn’t take to him very much – not particularly likable, but showed strength of character; wishes to leave Volkswagen because of personality clash with his Works Manager; when questioned on this he said, “I prefer not to discuss the matter”; main ambition: to become a company director; in letters of reference, described as “efficient”, “dependable” and “self-reliant”.

Note: At the lunch, his wife didn’t shine – nervous, unsure of herself and of limited conversation.