“The real leader has no need to lead - he is content to point the way.”

Henry Valentine Miller (American writer and painter)

Unit 2 levels and areas of management

1. A) What do the terms “pyramid” and “hierarchy” mean in the business world? What associations do you have with them? How does the managers’ responsibility for work change within a company?

b) Read the text and be ready to speak upon the managers’ role in a company.

§1 Managers are organizational members who are responsible for the work performance of other organizational members. Managers have formal authority to use organizational resources and to make decisions.

§2 The levels of managers form a hierarchy, in which they are ranked in the order of importance. In most organizations, the number of managers at each level is such that the hierarchy resembles a pyramid.

§3 Additionally, there are differences across the management levels as to what types of management tasks each does and the roles that they take in their jobs.

§4 Finally, there are a number of changes that are occurring in many organizations that are changing the management hierarchies in them, such as the increasing use of teams, the prevalence of outsourcing, and the flattening of organizational structures.

c) Title the text and say in which paragraph(s) the information is about:

• company hierarchy;

• responsibility of managers;

• team work;

• decision making;

• the importance of change;

• pyramid structure.

d) Look through the text and find the words which mean the same. The paragraph numbers are given in brackets:

a. the power or right to give orders (1);

b. a position in a hierarchy (2);

c. an organized group of people with a particular purpose (2);

d. the process of dealing with or controlling things or people (3);

e. a paid position of regular employment (3);

f. an arrangement or classification of things according to relative importance or inclusiveness (4);

g. two or more people working together (4).

2. D iscuss the following quotations:

• Paraphrase each quotation. • Say whether you agree or not, and why.

3. A) What are the levels of management? Rank the following according to how important you think they are. Compare your answers with a partner.

1. middle management;

2. first line management;

3. top management;

4. operating employee.

b) Some phrases were taken out from the text, so insert them into the appropriate gaps. Read and translate the text:

a) implements the strate­gy and major policies;

b) controls the overall activities оf the organization;

c) represent the work force;

d) develop tactical plans, policies, and standard operating procedures;

e) former operating employees;

f) de­termine the firm's strategy and its major policies;

g) a three-story structure;

h) coordinates and su­pervises the activities.

Management Levels

Each organization can be represented as 1) … 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 2) … . Tор managers constitute a small group. They are generally responsible for the organization's planning and developing its mission. They also 3) … . 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 4) … handed down from the top level of the organization. Middle managers 5) …, 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 6) … 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 7) … 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 8) … of the organization.

c) Read the text again and answer the questions that follow (1-5):

1. What are the levels of management?

2. What are the common titles associated with top management?

3. What are common titles associated with middle manage­ment?

4. What are the common titles associated with first-line management?

5. Who is at the bottom of the management level?