Management

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Management

I am interested in knowing more about management. Managers are in high demand and they can work in different sectors. They can work in private, government, and non-governmental organizations. This means that they need to have a variety of skills and competencies in order to do their job well. In some cases, managers need to specialize in specific areas of interest. The challenges that managers face depend on the industry and work responsibilities. Managers have the responsibility of ensuring that the work place runs efficiently. This involves hiring the right people for the right job to ensure that every person is qualified for the positions held. Managers have to make decisions and have a vision for the company. As such, they need to be knowledgeable about their industry. They should have expert knowledge in their industry, as this will determine how they make decisions. Managers determine the direction to steer the company and they need to be organized and learn how to plan. They have to determine which direction the company will take when the company is performing well and when it is performing poorly. They have to make hard decisions such as deciding to close down stores or lay off the workers.

History

The field of management has existed for a long time. The concept of management is present in the document “The Duties of the Vizier, which was written over three thousand years ago in ancient Egypt. The document highlighted the duties of a manager as well as the goals of management. During the middle ages, people began receiving some form of management training. They also received financial management, although this was seen as a distinct area. As early as the sixteenth century, people used the term manager to refer to a person who was responsible for looking after a landed estate. They had power and jurisdiction over the property. The focus and area of specialization during this time was agriculture (Center for Leadership Studies University of Exeter Business School Morgen Witzel 4).

By the eighteenth century, the term management had become common and it referred to a person who supervised the activities of others (Center for Leadership Studies University of Exeter Business School Morgen Witzel 4). The industrial revolution experienced in the nineteenth century changed the management field drastically. During this period, the field of management expanded as the manager became more important in the industries. This led to research and scholarly development in management, which in turn led to the development of the scientific theory. As times changed and as the economy changed from focusing on industry to service, more theories of management were developed.

Personality

Personality refers to a combination of traits that classifies someone’s behavior. Personality tends to affect the perceptions that people have, their behavior, as well as their attitudes in life (Lussier and Achua 34). Therefore, people are different in terms of having diverse personalities. This also applies in the case of management, as no two managers are the same. Companies are different and they all have specific requirements when it comes to hiring managers. One company will hire someone with excellent communication skills who gets along with people while others will be more concerned with a person’s ability to develop a strategic vision for the company and with his ability to do the assigned task. Despite these differences, effective managers tend to share some common characteristics.

Managers are confident, dependable, emotionally stable, and organized (Pearce). Managers make important decisions for the company and they represent their work places in different settings. Therefore, they should project the image that they know what they are doing. Their position as a liaison between the company owners or president and the rest of the workers means that they have to be reliable and dependable. They should be emotionally stable despite the challenges they face. Being a manager means having to deal with people frequently. Therefore, a person’s personality is a major determinant on whether a person will succeed in management. People who do not get along with others will have a hard time in management.

Education and Retraining

The field of management has become saturated as many people head in that direction. Although a bachelor’s degree is often required, one has to undertake additional training, especially if he is considering high-level positions. Many managers require degrees in business administration or business management. The courses equip the person with knowledge in diverse areas such as accounting, human resources, organizational behavior, theory of management, and communication skills among others. Managers who have already received formal training may find that they will need to retrain to equip themselves with new skills. They may also find that they need additional training that focuses on specific areas such as technology. Retraining ensures that the manager remains relevant in his field. In addition, people in management need to be aware of the changes in the industry. Therefore, they need to conduct a lot of research and network with others in the industry. Getting a masters degree increases a person’s chance of being hired because of the high competition in the market.

Duties and Responsibilities

Managers set the objectives for their company. They determine the goals that the workers should attain. They can do this individually or as part of the executive team, depending on the type and size of the company. They establish targets and they measure results. They determine the units of measurement and take the necessary actions to ensure that the company is moving in the right direction. Managers are responsible for organizing tasks and determining the right role for the right people. They ensure that the employees remain productive and they work efficiently. They motivate the employees and encourage them to achieve more. Managers are not only concerned wither performing tasks but they also deal with people, as they are responsible for the workers in the organization. They develop them and they provide opportunities for their growth by enabling them to acquire additional training. They also manage other company resources and they ensure that the resources are used for the benefit of the company. Managers act as the link between the executive and the workers. They ensure that communication flows in all directions. They take messages and direction from the company president and executive officers to the workers.

Advantages and Benefits

The field of management has several advantages. It gives people the chance to become managers and leaders in their respective industries. This enables them to improve their status and social standing, as they become recognized and influential members of the society. A career in management offers one much flexibility in determining where to work. People have more experience and high qualifications are on high demand and they can choose where they want to work. Managers get the chance to exercise their skills in different areas. Management is an exciting field because managers can work in different sectors and industries. Some of them get the chance to work in multinational corporations and they can work in other countries. They get a chance to influence and inspire others.

 They become role models in their society and other people in lower positions look to them for counsel. Managers in many sectors receive good pay and they have good benefits. Being in executive management can be especially rewarding. However, one has to make many sacrifices to attain high-level positions. Managers derive a great deal of satisfaction when they manage to improve the standing of their company and make positive contributions that lead to its growth. This gives them contentment because they feel that they have used their knowledge and skills in the right way.

Salary and Working Conditions

Management salaries are dependent on several factors including the type and size of organization and industry, the location, job responsibilities and duties, training, and level of experience among others. The working conditions will also depend on the company. However, since managers are in positions of authority and they have power in the company, they can change unfavorable working conditions in their companies. Furthermore, managers are responsible for ensuring that the company follows all the labor rules and regulations, and this includes ensuring that all the workers are able to work in a good environment. They are responsible for managing the company’s resources and they can use this to their advantage to improve their work environment. In addition, they can use their performance to determine the salary they get. People who manage to increase the revenues and profits of a company and expand it to greater heights can demand an increase in their salaries based on what they have managed to achieve.  

Challenges and Disadvantages

Being a manager has several challenges and disadvantages. Whenever a company fails to perform as expected, everyone places the blame on the manager. The manager takes the blame since he or she is responsible for guising the workers and ensuring that they perform as expected. Moreover, he is supposed to provide the direction that the company should take. Therefore, if the direction he chose was not profitable or economically feasible, or if his workers performed below par, he has to take the responsibility. In addition, the job can be emotionally draining because of the tough decisions that the manager has to make. Managers have to confront problematic employees and they have to make the decision whether to terminate someone’s employment. Such decisions can have a negative effect on the manager, especially if he has bonded with the workers. Managers have to dedicate most of their time and energy to the company. They work long hours and this means that they have little time for other activities. Management is a high-level position and the company expects managers to work harder. Management affects a person’s social life. A manager is not as free with employees as he would want to be. Managers can become lonely socially and they feel that they can only socialize with other managers.

It is clear that working in the field of management is a very rewarding experience. Managers receive tangible and intangible benefits. However, one has to work hard and make many sacrifices to succeed. Managers have to deal with the challenges they encounter and they do not always have solutions to the problems they face. Sometimes they make mistakes that can have dire consequences. They need to have a clear vision, invest in education and training, know how to interact with others, and be willing to work hard.

Works Cited:

Center for Leadership Studies University of Exeter Business School Morgen Witzel. Management History: Text and Cases. Oxford: Routledge, 2010. Print

Lussier, Robert and Christopher, Achua. Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skill Development. New York: Cengage Learning, 2015. Print

Pearce, Kennedy. What Personality Traits do you need to be a Great Manager? 19 June 2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2015