1a. Define the functions of managersThe four functions of managers (The P-O-L-C Framework – see diagram below) are: Show Planning: managers set goals and determine the best way to achieve them. Because of the planning process, everyone in the organization knows what should be done, who should do it, and how it should be done. Three Types of Planning
Organizing: managers allocate resources (people, equipment, and money) to achieve a company's plans. Successful managers make sure all activities identified in the planning process are assigned to some person, department, or team that everyone has the resources needed to perform their assigned jobs. Leading/Directing: managers provide focus and direction to others and motivate them to achieve organizational goals. Controlling: managers monitor their team's operations to make sure everything is going according to plan and taking corrective action where necessary. Five-Step Control Process:
The P-O-L-C Framework
Different types of managersTop Managers are responsible for developing the organization's strategy and being a steward for its vision and mission. A second set of managers includes functional, team, and general managers. Functional managers are responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness of an area, such as accounting or marketing. Supervisory or team managers are responsible for coordinating a subgroup of a function or a team composed of members from different parts of the organization. Line managers lead a function that contributes directly to the products or services the organization creates. Staff Managers lead a function that creates indirect inputs. Project Managers have the responsibility for the planning, execution, and closing of any project. Project managers are often found in construction, architecture, consulting, computer networking, telecommunications, or software development. General Managers are responsible for managing a clearly identifiable revenue-producing unit, such as a store, business unit, or product line. They typically must make decisions across different functions and have rewards tied to the performance of the entire unit (stores, business units, product lines, etc.). General managers take direction from their top executives. 1b. Discuss and analyze the purpose of managementA summary of the purpose of management is:
What differentiates a manager from a leader?Managers:
Leaders:
The Changing Roles of Management and ManagersMintzberg's influence is his observation that the nature of managerial work has changed very little through time, aside from the shift to a more empowered relationship between top managers and other managers and employees. Changes in technology and the large increase in information overload contributes to this. The diagram below indicates his ideas.
Mintzberg's Ten Managerial RolesMintzberg identified 10 roles common to the work of all managers. The diagram below summarizes the 10 roles, and they are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is provided. The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees, depending on the level and function of management.
Manager Personality and ValuesWhen researchers analyzed people's personality characteristics and traits, they realized that many different words were pointing to a single dimension of personality. The words were grouped, forming five dimensions that emerged, and these explain various personalities. These five are not necessarily the only traits out there. Other, specific traits represent other dimensions not captured by the Big Five. But understanding the Big Five helps us understand better and gives us a good start for describing personality. The Big Five Personality Traits are:
Source: Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative "description of personality": The big-five factor structure. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 59, 1216–1229. Unit 1 Vocabulary
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