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MANAGER’S ROLE
Our society is made up of all kinds of organisations, such as companies, governments, unions, hospitals, universities, libraries, and the like. They are essential to our existence, helping to create our standard of living and our quality of life. In all these organisations, there are people carrying out the work of a manager although they do not have that title. The vice-chancellor of a University, the president of a student’s union or a chief librarian are all managers. They have a responsibility to use the resources of their organisation effectively and economically to achieve its objectives.
Peter Drucker, an American management consultant, suggested an interesting modern view of management. He explained what managers do. In his opinion, managers perform five basic functions. Firstly, managers set objectives. They decide what these should be and how the organisation can achieve them. For this task, they need analytical ability. Secondly, managers organize. They must decide how the resources of the company are to be used, how the work is to be classified and divided. Furthermore, they must select people for the jobs to be done. For this, they not only need analytical ability but also understanding of human beings. Their third task is to motivate and communicate effectively. They must be able to get people to work as a team, and to be as productive as possible. To do this, they communicate effectively with all levels of the organisation – their supervisors, colleagues, and subordinates. The fourth activity is measurement. Having set targets and standards, managers have to measure the performance of the organisation, and of its staff, in relation to those targets. Measuring requires analytical ability. Finally, Peter Drucker says that managers develop people, including themselves. They help to make people more productive, and to grow as human beings. They make them bigger and richer persons.
In Peter Drucker’s view, successful managers are people who command the respect of workers, and who set high standards. Good managers should not be geniuses but must bring character to the job.
BUSINESS ETHICS
There are several do’s and don’ts for a successful manager.
Rules of Leadership
1. Set a good example. Your subordinates will take their all from you. If your work habits are good, these are likely to be, too.
2. Give your people a set of objectives and sense of direction. Good people seldom like to work aimlessly from day to day. They want to know not only what they are doing but why.
3. Keep your people informed of their development at the company and how they'll affect them. Let people know where they stand with you. Let your close assistants be involved in your plans at an early stage. Let people know as early as possible of any changes that'll affect them. Let them know of changes that won't affect them but which they may be worrying.
4. Ask your people for advice. Let them know that they have a say in your decisions whenever possible. Make them feel a problem is their problem, too. Encourage individual thinking.
5. Let your people know that you support them. There's no greater moral killer than a boss who resents a subordinate's ambition.
6. Don't give orders. Suggest, direct, and request.
7. Emphasize skills, not rules. Judge results, not methods. Give a person a job to do and let him or her do it. Let an employee improve his or her own job methods.
8. Give credit where credit is due. Appreciation for a job well done is the most appreciated of "fringe benefits".
9. Praise in public. This is where it'll do the most good.
10. Criticize in private. Criticize constructively. Concentrate on correction not blame. Allow a person to retain his or her dignity. Suggest specific steps to prevent recurrence of the mistake.
11. Forgive and encourage desired results.
12. Make it know that you welcome new ideas. No idea is too small for a hearing or too wild for consideration. Make it easy for them to communicate their ideas to you. Follow thought on their ideas
Company Culture
Interact Consulting Group is a successful insurance company in Switzerland.
Read the list of the company rules below and decide which of the five headings below matches the rules (1-5).
| CUSTOMER SERVICE APPEARANCE “EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH” PERFORMANCE OF STAFF MEMBERS CONDUCT AND OFFICE PROCEDURES |
| 1)_______________ Men mustn’t have facial hair. Men have to wear a suit and a tie. Women have to wear skirts. No tattoos or piercing is allowed. Women mustn’t wear too strong perfume. Smart dress means a smart mind. 2)_______________ You must keep your desk tidy. No smoking. No food or drink in the office. A short break is a good break. No personal telephone calls. All data (including disks, tapes, paper printouts etc) must be locked away when not in use No personalised or derogatory comments about a customer, colleague or any other third party (spoken or written). 3)_______________ All phones should be answered within three rings. Introduce yourself. Sound interested and happy to speak to the client. Use the client’s name as often as possible. Promise something before you hang up. Each employee is personally responsible for a number of clients. Each employee makes his or her decisions. Absence is bad news for you and your clients. Take messages for workers who are out of the office or unavailable. 4)_______________ All staff take an exam after three months in the job. All staff have to write detailed reports on the work they do each day. All staff have regular performance evaluations. 5)_______________ If you win this award you will: · Have a picture and nomination posted on the company website and a news release posted in local newspapers. · Have your picture on the company flag in front of the building · Have a special reserved parking space in front of the main door. |
Exercise 1. Find words and expressions in the text (including the headings) that mean:
1. insulting
2. the way you look
3. systems at work
4. behaviour
5. in good order/well organised
6. an interview to talk about your progress
7. a special prize
8. a place to put your car
9. co-worker
10. appraisal
Exercise 2. Answer the following questions.
1. Which rules at Interact Consulting Group do you agree or disagree with?
2. Why do you think the Managing Director has created these rules?
3. Would you be prepared to work for a company with all these rules?
4. Is it a good idea to have in-company competitions and prizes to increase motivation? Are there better ways of motivating employees?
5. Are there anything like “Employee of the month” award in your institution/country?
6. Imagine you are the Managing Director of a company. What rules would you introduce immediately?
Reading
A
Read the text below. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D below. There is an example at the beginning (0).
| Many multinational organisations today are finding that a hierarchical (authoritarian) (0) __B__ of management, where managers (1) _____ the details of what workers do, no longer works. They are (2) _____ it with team management. Team management facilitates the (3) _____ power of workers. It allows employees to acknowledge and act on their own (4) _____, and it (5)_____ self-expression. Team management offers employees freedom, but they must be (6) _____ for their actions. Moran and Harris think that team management is better for the global, multicultural (7) _____ because it allows for synergy, or cooperative action. They give some background on the causes and (8) _____ of team management (also called (9) _____ management) and offer some guidelines for evaluating (10) _____ the of management teams. |
0 A conditions B style C image D manner
1. A use B control C check D examine
2. A replacing B renaming C removing D exchanging
3. A own B personal C individual D sole
4. A government B leadership C authority D power
5. A makes B raises C encourages D updates
6. A granted B redundant C accountable D countable
7. A workplace B workstation C place D desk
8. A acts B influences C deeds D effects
9. A table B matrix C regenerating D restructuring
10. A kindness B virtue C effectiveness D activeness
B
Read the text below. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D below. There is an example at the beginning (0).
| Changing technology and markets have (0) __B__ the team approach to management. Inflation, (1) _____scarcity, reduced (2) _____ levels, budget cuts, and similar constraints have all underscored the (3) _____ for better coordination and synergy in organisations. Team management (4) _____ for this coordination and synergy. Team management calls for new skills if personnel potential is to be (5)_____ realized. Although a team may be (6) _____ of knowledgeable people, they must learn new ways of relating and working together to (7)_____ cross-functional problems and to attain synergy. When teams consist of (8) _____ employees from hierarchical organisations who have been conditioned to traditional organisational culture, synergy may not occur (9) _____ – it may need to be created. Furthermore, the issue is not just how the team can (10) _____ more synergistically, but how it integrates with the overall organisation or society that it supposedly serves. |
0 A founds B stimulated C advertised D included
1. A minerals B nature C resource D source
2. A job B work C personal D personnel
3. A need B risk C use D deeds
4. A gives B provides C has D is
5. A fully B folly C totally D whole
6. A combined B redundant C composed D countable
7. A work B solve C decide D make up
8. A primary B useful C known D experienced
9. A naturally B artificially C purposely D suddenly
10. A effect B action C do D function
Date: 2015-02-16; view: 1075
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