Manager's Responsibilities
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 502.
People are the most expensive resources. If people's skills are right, the rest of the whole job becomes easier. Any staff will be more motivated, which will bring joy into the workplace as well as improve efficiency and cost effectiveness. People spend so much of their life at work: enjoying work means enjoying life.
“Being an effective manager means being a saint, as it is likely that you are expected to manage a variety of people in a fair, unbiased, just and consistent way… You are expected at all times to be fair and to manage without prejudice, although it is impossible to avoid times when you feel prejudiced, when you do pre-judge how a person will act or respond to your requests… you can manage people more effectively, recognizing that people are individuals and their behavior can vary…you … need to care, manage conflict or deal with contentious situations… free and empower your staff and… avoid making assumptions about them… recognize the difference between team members who are incompetent or incapable and those who may need to discipline”. [2]
Actually all managers perform as many roles as possible in order to help his company move forward to the stated goals. In any situation they have to work through people and with people. In other words, they are conductors of communication. Managers communicate with all the people who are their clients, suppliers, representatives, and customers. Besides, they tackle problems with people who are outside the company. In either event, they solve personal and social matters.
Certainly, managers at all the managerial levels have to communicate with each other. This is inevitable.
Besides, managers are responsible of the tasks they set. They are in charge of their employees' actions and plans. In other words, they are expected to accomplish more goals than their subordinates, to be accountable for the greatest achievements.
It is very important for a manager to balance between goals and needs. They have to set priorities in order to save their time. Each manager has to strike a balance between various goals and needs. He needs effective time management.
A manager has to be an analytical thinker. He has to analyze a problem, examine its components and come up with a solution. Besides, managers should be able to view the entire task in the abstract and relate it to others. Thus, thinking of a particular task in relation to its larger implications is a complicated matter. It is a manager who has to think conceptually.
Managers can act as mediators. Settling fights and quarrels require managers ‘skills and tact. They have to be more careful handling disputes and arguments in order not to be dismayed to find the right decision.
Managers are diplomats. They may represent their company as well as units in dealing with clients, customers, contractors etc.
Managers are symbols. They may represent their company's successes and failures.
Managers are decision-makers. Certainly, there can be a lot of problems in the company: financial, difficulties with employees, problems with orders etc. A manager is always considered to be responsible for the right and wise solution.
In other words, managers are peers, superiors, and subordinates at one and the same time. The ability to recognize the appropriate role to be played and to change roles readily is one mark of effective manager.[3]
2. Answer the questions:
1. How do you understand the term “management”?
2. Analyze Civil's statement about aims and functions of a manager. What did he say about them?
3. Describe manager's key activities.
4. What are managerial responsibilities? Give so-called “real” examples: describe a business activity of a famous businessman or a person who you know well.
3. Complete the table:
| manager's | responsibilities | roles |
4. Discussion
a) what do you think?
1. What personal qualities are important for a manager to be successful?
2. What professional skills/abilities are essential in a good manager?
3. What approach to people should a good manager have?
b) look at the list of adjectives in the box and:
- translate them into English using a dictionary, if necessary
- explain the meaning of each adjective (in English);
- decide which of them can be considered as personal features or managerial qualities;
- decide which of them can be considered as positive, negative and neutral;
- do you posses all of them? Which would you like to have? Which ones would you like to get rid of?
| lunatic ruthless informal balanced moderate charismatic | persuasive rambling responsive methodical perceptive energetic | thoughtful passionate open coherent inhibited self-confident |
c) give synonyms to these adjectives;
d) how do you understand the meaning of the following expressions?
- a good articulator of policy;
- keen to improve employees' lives;
- able to give right order;
- interpersonal relationships;
- monitoring activities;
- self-confidence
e) use all the expressions (4.d) in your (6) own sentences.
f) what characteristics ( your own) can make an image of an ideal colleague or employee? Are the following words competent, responsible, self-motivated, determined, efficient, independent, hard-working, tolerant, boring, flexible, aggressive, self-reliant, meticulous mainly positive? Which ones can be neutral or negative? Which of them describe an approach to work? Which of them describe a personality?
g) give synonyms and antonyms to all the bold adjectives ( ex. 4.b)
h) form nouns based on the bold adjectives (ex. 4.b)
5. Writing
a) write a brief profile of yourself outlining your personal qualities, highlight your strengths and weaknesses;
b) make up your own list of adjectives describing your friend; highlight any strengths and weaknesses he/she may have.
c) work with a partner. Write a brief profile of your partner outlining his/her personal qualities, strengths and weaknesses (as you think). After you finish, work with the partner and compare the profiles you both have. Discuss any differences between them and try to agree to an “accurate” list of each other.
d) look at the table, add some possible strengths and weaknesses.
| Strengths confident caring humorous helpful thorough competitive ambitious kind forceful open to change tolerant alert prudent focused supportive generous | Weaknesses arrogant nosy opportunistic indecisive ruthless interfering controlling irresponsible bullying lunatic obsessive mean aggressive unfair |
e) change the following verbs into nouns and adjectives: employ, motivate, manage, organize, analyze, produce, plan, compete
f) look at the words below and use them in the sentences (1-5). Then write your own sentences and illustrate the other words based on the given ones:
| ensure assure morale moral dissatisfied unsatisfied criticism critic effective efficient |
1. A good manager will___________ that his employees have an opportunity to express their opinion.
2. In my opinion, the demand for the product is still largely _______________.
3. The new machine is very _____________ - it is quick and very economic to run.
4. The _____________ of the story is the following: if you must dismiss somebody, you had better do it quickly.
5. Our new advertisement has come in for a lot of ____________ - many people consider they are in poor taste.
6. Grammar and usage
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