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Sunday, May 15, 2011

What skills do managers require at different levels of managerial responsibilities and why?

What skills do managers require at different levels of managerial responsibilities and why? Explain with suitable examples from any organization you are familiar with. Describe the organization you are referring to.

In order to be effective, a manager must possess and continuously develop several essential skills. A successful practice of management depends upon such skills. Different writers suggest different types of skills required of managers. For example, Abraham Collier desires a manager to possess organizational skill so that be may view the enterprise in its complexity. Thus the following four types of skills are required of managers:
1. Technical Skill. Technical skill is the knowledge of and proficiency in the activities involving methods, processes, and procedures. Thus, it involves the ability to use the tools and specific techniques in a particular area of. Expertise (i.e., a specialized field). Technical skill is considered to be very crucial to the effectiveness follower level managers because they have direct contact with employees performing work activities within the enterprise. For example, the mechanics work with tools and therefore their supervisor should have the ability to teach them how to use these tools.
2. Human Skill. It is the/ability to work with, understand, motivate, and lead people either as individuals or as a work group. The manager needs compassion for human beings and an understanding of the human nature and attitudes so that optimum performance can be achieved by the subordinates. This kid nod of skill is cooperative effort. It is teamwork. It involves the creation of an environment in which people feel secure; they are free to express their opinion and to attempt creativity or innovation.
3. Conceptual Skill. It is the ability to see the 'big picture' of the whole organization; to recognize significant elements in a situation; to understand the relationship among these elements; and to coordinate or integrate the organization's interests and activities. If the ability to look at the organization as one whole system and to understand how a change in any given sub-system (part) of it, can affect the other sub-systems (parts) of the organization. Conceptual skill permits a manager to generalize solutions of problems with respect to specific situations.
4. Design Skill or Problem Solving Skill or Decision Making Skill.
If Skills Used at Different Managerial Levels Conceptual & Design skills
• Top Management
• Middle Management Human
• Skills Supervisory Management
Technical skills are of greatest importance at the supervisory level. Human skills are also helpful in the frequent interactions with subordinates. On the other hand, conceptual skills are usually not critical for managers at supervisory level. Then, at the middle management level, the need. For technical skills decreases; human skills are still essential; and the importance of conceptual skills increases. Then, at the tope management level, conceptual and design skills and human skills are especially valuable, but there is relatively little need for technical skills because it is assumed, especially in large companies, that chief executives can utilize the technical skills of their subordinates. However, in smaller firms, technical experience or abilities may still be quite important for the owner-top manager or the chief executive.
At Ryan Companies US Inc. in Minneapolis , admins can get a taste of managerial tasks by volunteering for a year-long post as one of three administrative coordinators for Administrative Manager Cindy Gross. In addition to their regular duties, the coordinators work directly with Gross supervising a core group of staff as team leader, training admins, sitting in on job interviews, and helping her make key decisions. “Once they’ve finished with their terms as administrative coordinators, not only can they see if they like that type of work, they also can take back what they’ve learned to their position,” she adds. “I’ve already seen some benefits. They understand the larger issues involved with company decisions and management. It also helps them with people skills and exposes them to different people in the organization.” Administrative staff at Ryan Companies also run their own internal committee on training and mentoring, selecting speakers and training programs that will help them pick up the skills they need, Gross adds.
However, admins can develop managerial skills on their own, and most admins pick up these skills on the job, says Annette Dubrouillet, president and owner of Continuum and a consultant, speaker, and personal coach who works regularly with admins. Her most important advice to today’s admin is to develop self-empowerment skills. “They have to be responsible for their own professional development, their own mental health within the position, their own skills, and not rely on their organization or their boss to do that for them,” she says.
Indeed, Hermann suggests that admins should take the initiative of informing their boss—diplomatically, of course—of managerial achievements. “No administrative assistant should assume that the boss knows or even understands the multitude of steps it takes to accomplish a given task or the difficulties overcome to create a success,” she says. “Come performance time, the boss of an office assistant should have a great deal of notes for reference in gauging performance over the course of a year.” Admins can also benefit from experience gained by others through creating an educational pool among colleagues, exchanging e-mails, sticky notes, training manuals, and conversation, Herrmann adds. Another way to pick up managerial skills on one’s own is subscribing to business and professional magazines.

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