Business Studies

MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Hospira

Wednesday 22nd February

Management Skillso A skill is the ability to do something expertly.

Rarely will all managers be experts at everything. Therefore just like us, managers will attend courses & lectures to improve their skills.

o Leadership & motivation are two of the essential skills of management

Leadershipa) Leadership means setting an example to staffb) Knitting the staff into a teamc) Ensuring work is carried out effectively to

achieve objectives

Management Skillso Motivation is linked closely to leadership,

because a good manager will motivate staff through respect & trust, and a motivated staff will have a greater chance of achieving their objectives

o Direction & delegation are also intertwined with leadership.

o There are 4 main types of leader, but each must have certain qualities like honesty fairness & the ability to listen & motivate to be successful

Management SkillsFour types of Leader

1. Autocratic2. Democratic3. Free-rein4. Charismatic

Authoritarian/autocratico This type of leader wants things done

immediately & in a particular way. This way might well be successful in achieving objectives, but result in low employee morale & motivation

Management SkillsParticipative/Democratic Leadero This leader will discuss all problems with staff

& obtain their views before making vital decisions. Such leaders may well be popular with employees who feel they have a say in the decision making process & a genuine role in the org.

Free-Rein Leadero This leader lets workers do their own thing.

He/she will give only general directions on how the firm should try and achieve its objectives. This approach may result in inefficiency & a sloppy org

Management SkillsCharismatic Leadero Employees look up to this type of leader, who in

turn is able to generate high productivity & morale in employees because of their respect for him/her. The leader’s strength of character & charisma are sufficient to achieve the org objectives.

o Direction – this involves guiding a group of people towards achieving a common objective. E.g. the director of a play establishes how the play should be presented, thus ensure the lights, sound & actors are knitted together to achieve the finished result. Direction ensures that each individual’s work contributes to the overall performance

Management SkillsDelegationo This means passing on authority/power & the

responsibility for certain tasks to people lower down in the org. A manager cannot do all jobs, there needs to be some delegation of work & authority

Dangers of not delegating worko Work is not finished in time because all the

tasks are carried out by the same group of workers

o Good advice & info are not received from qualified members of staff

o Overtime & stress can cause executive burn-out

o Workers feel they are not being trusted

Management Skills

Benefits of Delegating worko Greater involvement of workers in running

the orgo Work is completed faster due to all

employees using their skills & abilitieso Morale of workers improves as they

become more involvedo Tactical & strategic Objectives are

achieved more quickly

Management SkillsMotivationo This refers to those factors which drive us to

undertake particular tasks, to work hard & achieve goals. It is the willingness of people to work without being pushed

o You might find it easy to motivate yourself to do something you like (visits friends, go out, play football) but its more difficult to be motivated when we have to do exactly the same thing every day.

o In business the usual motivator is the pay packet, but other factors like good working conditions, promotion & recognition can also motivate

Management Skillso Many theories have been developed over

the years to help management identify how best to motivate people

1. Theories X and Y – McGregor2. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Theories X and Yo McGregor's theory X is the assumption

that workers have to be pushed into working: his theory Y is the idea that workers can become committed to their work & actively sees self-fulfilment

Management Skillso McGregor disagreed with the view that

workers were generally lazy & only motivated by threats or offers of more money. He called this view of workers Theory X & believed that it was the philosophy (way of thinking) adopted by many managers

o Theory Y had the opposite view, this theory stated that workers were committed to their jobs & like doing them. Their desire for self-development & responsibility are what motivates them. Workers are willing to try & solve problems within the workplace.

Management Skillso Many organisations have now come to see

the benefits of theory Y. Human resource managers have been employed to discover ways of giving workers extra responsibilities & encouraging them in their work

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs“Maslow stated that we have a hierarchy of needs; as one is satisfied, the higher need becomes the motivator”

Management Skillso Maslow believed that at any one time people

are driven by one or more of five needs.o They range from basic physical needs such as

the need for food or shelter to more sophisticated ones such as the need to be liked

o Maslow believed that as one need is satisfied, the next one up becomes increasingly important.o For example a man who is hungry does not care if

people like him or not! He only care where his next meal is coming from. But if this man has just eaten & knows where the next one is coming from is now more concerned what people think for him

Management Skillso Maslow stressed that as one need is

satisfied, its role as a motivator of behaviour decreases, & the higher need takes over as the major motivating factor.

Benefits of Motivationo A well motivated workforce will enjoy the

following:o Everyday work will be a pleasure & not a

choreo The workplace will have a good atmosphereo General health & well-being will improveo Self-esteem & a feeling of achievement &

success will rise

Management SkillsOrganisations will also benefits from a well motivated workforce, for example;

o High productivity will resulto Staff will contribute to a good image for the

orgo Disputes will be a a minimum & those that

do occur will be solve quicklyo A spirit of intrapreneurship will be foster in

management & staff

Management – Not just for Business

CommunicationsCommunication is the process whereby people exchange information. Its purpose is to aid the understanding of situations, data, people & problems. Business communicate both internally & externally

The Four Elements in a communicationo The sender – this is the person transmitting

& encoding the message. To encode means to translate ideas or info into a message which can be understood by others

Communicationso The recipient – decodes the message (Reads

the message in order to understand it) Whether a message is understood depends on the experience & intelligence of the recipient & how well the message is presented

o The message – is the actual words, graphs & symbols used to express meaning

o The medium – is the method used to present the message to the recipient, e.g. e-mail, letter, fax

CommunicationsThe importance of Communications in

Management1. It facilitates (helps) with good industrial

relations2. It helps the management make decisions &

pass them on to employees3. It resolves conflict in the work-place4. Communication skills are necessary for

negotiating wages & conditions with employees

5. Communication skills are used by managers when exercising leadership. To be a leader means to influence the behaviour of staff in a certain way, & this requires strong communication skills