Key Management Skills

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 553.

Knowledge Base

MANAGERIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND PERFORMANCE

I. Information for study.

Unit 3

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

Although managers often switch companies and work in different industries, they are apt to run into difficulties if they don't have a reasonably extensive knowledge base relevant to their particular managerial job. 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 three key types of skills to carry out the various functions of management. A skill is the ability to engage in a set of behaviors that are functionally related to one another and that lead to a desired performance level in a given area. For managers, the three key skill types are technical, human, and conceptual.

Technical Skills. 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 a specialized field such as accounting, finance, engineering, manufacturing, or computer science.

Human Skills. 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 typically are particularly adept at communicating with others and motivating them to develop themselves and perform well in pursuit of organizational goals.

Conceptual Skills. 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. Managers need to recognize these various elements and understand the complex relationships among them so that they can take actions that advance the goals of the organization. Conceptual skills, coupled with technical skills, human skills, and a knowledge base, are important ingredients in organizational performance.