Critically evaluate the relevance of the three skills identified by Katz to the work of first-line managers.
Provide evidence, theoretical analysis and refer to academic journals to support your essay discussion.
In a constantly evolving business environment, it’s no surprise that the job of a first line manager has changed. As such this essay will be covering 3 main aspects. Firstly, it will identify the work of the first line manager followed by Katz’s 3 skills and their relevance and lastly, whether other skills are applicable to the work of the first line managers.
Managers are defined as people who coordinate and oversee the work of other people so that organisational goals can be accomplished (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter,
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He must be able to communicate with the employees to make them feel like an integral part of the organisation where their opinions and views matter. Katz (1974) does this by encouraging workers to participate in the planning and carrying out of those things that directly affect them. By involving the employees, they would feel more motivated to work for the company and thus worker productivity increases, resulting in faster attainment of production goals. By being sensitive to the needs and motivations of the employees (Katz 1974), employees will not be afraid to voice their opinions and problems they face to them. By ensuring that there is a good relationship that is maintained between him and his workers, feedbacks can be gathered from either side, contributing to a better working environment and hence, more efficiency and productivity. For instance, employee’s opinions regarding to work-related issues can be brought up to the supervisor with no hesitation. Like wise, first line managers can also respond via criticising product quality, progress of the work and yet instill work discipline among the employees. First line managers also act as the link between employees and the higher management, as (Kraut, Pedigo, McKenna & Dunnettenn, 1989) state that they provide information on the work progress of the area of production to the higher level managers who depend on it. Middle managers need constant feedback on the
What is Management? This is in itself is open to debate in various cultures and practices as there are a number of different managers across all areas of life from a shift manager, upper, lower and middle management to a football club manager. To me a manager is an individual who is in charge of a certain group of tasks, or a certain subset of a company. A manager often has a staff of people who report to him or her, but can also just be held
Secondly, employees should take the opportunity to open the communication lines with their manager by discussing the job, the goals, the expectations, and the rewards. Third, employees should realize it is necessary to work hard until the outcomes are earned (Wang, 2004).
As a first line supervisor I fill in the blanks when the plans and processes have been identified. I recognize the overall need to establish goals and objectives that are clear and measurable but as a first line supervisor I usually find myself making suggestions and providing raw data which is manipulated and interpreted above my position.
A leader does not always have all the answers so in their hiring, they chose individuals with different qualities, such as in their knowledge and their skills, so as they use the Participative style and work together to share ideal and give their feedback to help make a more productive and stress free work environment. When the communication between the boss and the employer is not positive it can bring the moral of the employee down causing a slack in work and absenteeism. Therefore, it is vital that communication is acknowledged in the work place to make it a great experience.
Managers perform many functions and play many roles. They are responsible for handling many situations and these situations are usually different from one another.
Two ways that a supervisor can promote productivity improvement for staff members is to provide employees with the necessary resources to effectively perform their work duties and to foster a work environment of open communication and trust. If a supervisor can provide the necessary training and resources to maintain employee training, employee productivity would maintain at a constant rate or productivity would improve. Well trained and knowledgeable employees translate into a productive work environment. Employees that are well versed in their roles and have the necessary training and resources are more effective and productive within their work environment. An open communication environment would also help employees maintain or increase productivity. If employees feel like they have a voice or their opinion matters, employees tend to be happier within the workplace. If a supervisor’s team of employees is unhappy or feel like there are no open lines of communication, quality of production may suffer or decrease. A supervisor could potentially promote productivity improvement whining his or her team by providing the necessary resources for success and maintain an open environment of communication. Both providing necessary resources for success and open lines of communication promote improvement and maintain higher levels of
This is safe to say that when managers who exhibit this approach might include this as hiring conditions. Moreover, they also introduced environmental influences as a factor which affects management performance. In managerial situation, external factors would work as inputs and have impacts on effectiveness of organizations. For example, communication between staffs had been discussed as an element which can lead to better working performances and benign circle of management by receiving feedback and making improvement.
Line manager’s involvement is inevitable, as during the day to day running of the department they can be called upon by a member of their team. As Clutterbuck and Megginson (2005) wrote ‘Line managers are crucial if coaching is to become ‘the predominant style of managing and working together’ However, as Howe (2008) notes ‘there are
Having open and honest communication with individuals and teams is another method of motivating employees. In order for employees to be engaged in achieving departmental goals they must feel as though they are appreciated and their thoughts and ideas are valued. A manager must have effective communication skills with staff to build these relationships. According to Kruse (2012), communication is critical because it forms the backbone for all other engagement efforts. It is important for managers to create a system of two-way communication and not just a method of broadcasting information as found in many organizations. Suggestion for effective communication include: being an active listener, using a variety of personal communication tactics, communicate what the goals
The world of business has undergone radical and dramatic changes in the last decade changes that present extraordinary challenges for the contemporary manager. A manager is an organizational member who is responsible for planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the activities of the organization so that the goals can be achieved. According to a widely referenced study by Henry Mintzberg, managers serve three primary roles: interpersonal, informational, and decision-making. Management is process of administrating and coordinating resources effectively and efficiently in an effort to achieve the goals of the organization.
Employees require motivation, reward and encouragement for maximum productivity. Punishment to workers not performing is also mandatory to prevent cases of poor performance. Ethical considerations must be looked at and employees must follow rules and company policies for plans made by management to be successful. Workers and management relate like a family and this has enabled the company perform to its expectation. These plans are aimed at ensuring total customer satisfaction and delight.
Management involves the tactical aspect of day to day functions and who keeps control of the work environment to make sure the organization is moving forward and in the same direction of the company’s vision. Managers are faced with many responsibilities each day, one of which is managing people. The goal of a successful manager is to achieve the highest productivity of the organization by way of the people he/she manages. A manager is more of a problem solver and takes care of work areas relating to people management, time management, decision making etc.
If the leaders and managers of the company let communication trickle down through the business the relationship between the managers and employees can become hostile and negative. If the managers make the effort to be transparent to the employees and get to know them individually they are more likely to reciprocate the effort and follow improvement strategies.
Managers are expected to do a multitude of things. A manager has to be a visionary and adaptive to meet the current demands of what is required of them at all level
Management can also refer to the person or people who perform the act(s) of management.