Page 283 - Business Principles and Management

Unit 4

11.1 The Role and Work of Managers

Goals Terms
• Define management and the func- • management • manager
tions all managers complete. • planning • supervisor
• Differentiate the work of several • organizing • executive
levels of management. • implementing • mid-manager
• controlling

rik’s experience is similar to that of many employees. For people who want
to become managers, their first management position will often be that
Eof supervisor. However, they may not know very much about the work of
managers. If they have worked for effective managers, it may appear that the
job is quite easy. On the other hand, employees may have had experiences with
poor managers who make their own jobs difficult and cause problems for their
subordinates.

Moving into Management

Many employees believe they would like to be managers and often think they
can do a better job than the managers for whom they work. However, when
presented with the decision of whether to move into management, they may find
that decision difficult to make. If they like the work they do, moving into man-
agement will mean they can no longer expect to spend much time doing that
work. Will they enjoy a management job as much? If they have been successful
in their current job, a move into management can be very risky. What if they are
not successful in the management position? It is not likely they will be able to
move back into their previous jobs, and, indeed, they may be fired if they do not
succeed as a manager.
Understanding management and the work of managers will make it easier
for employees to choose a management career. If the company helps employees
move into management with training programs, there will be less risk and a
greater opportunity for employees to be successful. Some companies are now
allowing employees an opportunity to work in a beginning management posi-
tion for a short time before making a permanent decision. If they find the job
is not what they expected or if the company decides these new managers are
not performing at the level required, they can reach an agreement to move the
employees back into the same type of job they held before.

THE CHANGING NATURE OF MANAGEMENT

Managers make things happen in business. From the original idea for a busi-
ness, through accumulating and determining the best ways to use the resources
needed to operate the business, to managing people, managers are responsible
for the success or failure of the company. The decisions managers make deter-

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