Managerial Knowledge, Skills, and Performance

9

For managers to develop work agendas, act out roles, and engage in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, they need a sound knowledgebase and key management skills.

A knowledge base can include information about an industry and its technology, company policies and practices, company goals and plans, company culture, the personalities of key organization members, and important suppliers and customers.

In addition to having a knowledge base, managers need certain skills to carry out the various functions of management. A skill is the ability to engage in a set of behaviours that are functionally related to one another and that lead to a desired performance level in a given area. For managers, three types of skills are necessary: technical, human, and conceptual.

Technical skills are skills that reflect both an understanding of and a proficiency in a specialized field. For example, a manager may have technical skills in accounting, finance, engineering, manufacturing, or computer science.

Human skills are skills associated with a manager’s ability to work well with others, both as a member of a group and as a leader who gets things done through others. Managers with effective human skills are typically adept at communicating with others and motivating them to develop themselves and perform well in pursuit of organizational goals.

Conceptual skills are skills related to the ability to visualize the organization as a whole, discern interrelationships among organizational parts, and understand how the organization fits into the wider context of the industry, community, and world. Conceptual skills, coupled with technical skills, human skills, and a knowledge base, are important ingredients in organizational performance.

( From MANAGEMENT by James A. F. Sioner. R.Edward Freeman, Daniel HGilberl)

1. What is organization?

2. What is management?

3. What are the four major functions of management?

4. What is a work agenda?

5. What three types of skills are necessary for managers?

Puzzle-1 point

Paraphrase the following sentences

1. More than ever, managers operating both globally and domestically require the best ideas that the field of management has to offer in order to gain a competitive edge. (sec. l)

2. Our lives are indirectly affected by organizations through the products we use. (sec.2)

3. Work methods and managerial roles, as well as work agendas, feed into the core management functions. (sec.5)

4. We can look beyond these functions to identify a number of specific roles that managers may fill at various times. (sec.8)

5. Conceptual skills are skills related to the ability to discern interrelationships among organizational parts. (sec.9)

Translation-1 point

Translate the following sentences from English into Russian

1. Pressures from foreign companies are causing many managers to reassess their approaches as they strive to be successful in a formidable competitive environment (sec. 1)

2. This definition recognizes that management is an ongoing activity, entails reaching important goals, and involves knowing how to perform the major functions of management. (sec. 3)

3. Leading is the management function that involves influencing others to engage in the work behaviours necessary to reach organizational goals. (sec. 4)

4. A nonprofit organization is an organization whose main purposes centre on issues other than making profits. (sec. 6)

5. A skill is the ability to engage a set of behaviours that are functionally related to one another and that lead to a desired performance level in a given area. (sec. 9)