Role of a Manager
INTRODUCTION
It is difficult to accurately describe what constitutes a Manager’s vocation, and contemporary management education maintains a group of parameters or models by which a manager’s attributes are delineated. Specifically, the question of what describes a manager’s activities is generally studied in reference to the contemporary elements of functions, skills and roles as adopted from a combination of the original theories and works of management theorists and authors.
However it is argued that management contains a myriad of activities and factors that defy such simplistic compartmentalisation into contemporary models, and the theories and models are not definitive. This is reflected in the conflicting approaches observed from histories management theorists as well as the notion that management is not strictly a science, but an art as well.
Therefore, are the management models of functions, skills and roles of the manager effective in objectifying management?
DISCUSSION
In approaching the subject of what a manager does, we first outline the elements of functions, skills and roles in a managerial environment: A function in a managerial context is the activity or job of the manager in carrying out the objectives of the organisation.
A skill in the context of management is a competent attribute that enables the efficient and effective utilisation of resources by the manager in an organisation for the benefit of the organisation’s goals.
A role in terms of a manager’s duties is a prescribed or expected behaviour associated with a particular position or status in a group or organisation (www.businessdictionary.com, 2011).
A manager’s activities and attributes are captured within these elements which have been constructed as models in management textbooks, passed down from historical studies and publications to assist the student to appreciate the role of the manager. However, the things that a manager does are so diverse and
It is difficult to accurately describe what constitutes a Manager’s vocation, and contemporary management education maintains a group of parameters or models by which a manager’s attributes are delineated. Specifically, the question of what describes a manager’s activities is generally studied in reference to the contemporary elements of functions, skills and roles as adopted from a combination of the original theories and works of management theorists and authors.
However it is argued that management contains a myriad of activities and factors that defy such simplistic compartmentalisation into contemporary models, and the theories and models are not definitive. This is reflected in the conflicting approaches observed from histories management theorists as well as the notion that management is not strictly a science, but an art as well.
Therefore, are the management models of functions, skills and roles of the manager effective in objectifying management?
DISCUSSION
In approaching the subject of what a manager does, we first outline the elements of functions, skills and roles in a managerial environment: A function in a managerial context is the activity or job of the manager in carrying out the objectives of the organisation.
A skill in the context of management is a competent attribute that enables the efficient and effective utilisation of resources by the manager in an organisation for the benefit of the organisation’s goals.
A role in terms of a manager’s duties is a prescribed or expected behaviour associated with a particular position or status in a group or organisation (www.businessdictionary.com, 2011).
A manager’s activities and attributes are captured within these elements which have been constructed as models in management textbooks, passed down from historical studies and publications to assist the student to appreciate the role of the manager. However, the things that a manager does are so diverse and
References: Deathridge, R & Potter, M 2011‘A match made in heaven?’ Training Journal ISSN 1465-6523, p. 52 Gao, 2008 Peterson, T.O & Van Fleet, D.O 2004, ‘The ongoing legacy of R.L. Katz: An updated typology of management skills’, Management Decision, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 1297-1308 Pryor, M.G Samson,D & Daft,R.L. 2003, Fundamentals of Management, Pacific Rim Edition, Thomson Learning Australia, Southbank