3. Manager’s functions: different levels of organization.

In any organization, there are a small number of top managers, a large number of middle managers, and the largest group will be first line managers. Top management is the most authority, first-line management the least and the middle management’s authority lays between the two groups.

Each organization has 3 management levels: top management, middle management and operating management. The responsibility of each manager depends on his or her level in the organization.

Top managers are responsible for all activities, or for an entire company or subsidiary. They are more involved in long range planning, policy making, and the relations of the company with the government and the external economic environment. They will be making decisions of 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. Top managers have middle managers working for them and who are in charge of a major function of department.

Middle managers generally make day-to-day decisions which help an organization to run effectively 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. Manager at this level spend a great deal of their time communicating.

First-line management are at the base of the pyramid and they are responsible for getting the work done. First-line managers supervise only non-management personnel, who report directly to them. They oversee the scheduling of work, and work routines on a day-to-day basis. They have considerable responsibility for seeing that tasks are accomplished.

4. Modern views on manager’s skills and qualities.

Management plays a significant role in any business. And all managers regardless of level, organization size, etc. thought about the question: ‘What are the critical skills that are related to managerial competence?’ In the 1970s management researcher Robert Katz attempted to answer that question and then founded 2 groups of skills: general and specific. General skills are: conceptual, interpersonal, technical and political.

Conceptual skills refer to the mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations. They help managers see how things fit together and facilitate making good decisions.

Interpersonal skills encompass the ability to work with, understand, mentor. And motivate other people, both individually and in groups. Since managers get things done through other people, they must have good interpersonal skills to communicate, delegate and motivate.

Additionally, all managers need to have technical skills. These are ability to apply specialize knowledge or expertise. For top-level managers, these abilities tend to be related to knowledge of industry and a general understanding of the organization’s processes and products. For middle and first-line managers, they are related to the specialized knowledge required in the areas with which they work – finance, human resources, manufacturing, computer systems, law, and the like.

Finally, managers need political skills. This area is related to the ability to enhance one’s position, build a power base, and establish the right connections. Organizations are political arenas in which people compete for resources. Managers with good political skills tend to be better at getting resources for their group that are managers with poor political skills. They also receive higher evaluations and get more promotions.

Research has also identified 6 sets of behaviors that explain a little more that 50 % of a manager’s effectiveness. 1) controlling the organization’s environment and resources; 2) organizing and coordinating; 3) handling information; 4) providing for growth and development; 5) motivating employees and handling conflicts; 6) strategic problem solving.