SKILLS and LEVELS of MANAGEMENT

SKILLS OF MANAGEMENT

In modern business the job management has become very difficult. Several skills are required to manage successfully a large organization in a dynamic environment. Managerial skills are what the manager uses to assist the organization in accomplishing its goals. Specifically, a manager will make use of his or her own abilities, knowledge base, experiences, and perspectives to increase the productivity of those with whom they manage. These skills of managers have been classified into four categories, namely technical, human, diagnostic and conceptual skills.

 1.Technical Skills

Technical skills refer to the ability and knowledge in using the equipment, technique and procedures involved in performing specific tasks. These skills require specialised knowledge and proficiency in the mechanics of particular job. Ability in programming and operating computers is, for instance, a technical skill. There are two things a manager should understand about technical skills.

In the first place, he must know which skills should be employed in his particular enterprise and be familiar enough with their potentiality to ask discerning questions of his technical advisors.

Secondly a manager must understand both the role of each skill employed and interrelations between the skills.

2. Human Skills

Human skills consists of the ability to work effectively with other people both as individual and as members of a group. These are required to win cooperation of others and to build effective work teams. Such skills require a sense of feeling for others and capacity to look at things from others point of view. Human skills are reflected in the way a manager perceives his superiors, subordinates and peers. An awareness of the importance of human skills should be part of a managers orientation and such skills should be developed throughout the career. While technical skills involve mastery of ‘things’ human skills are concerned with understanding of ‘People’.

 3.Conceptual Skills

Conceptual skills comprise the ability to see the whole organization and the interrelationships between its parts. These skills refer to the ability to visualise the entire picture or to consider a situation in its totality. Such skills help the manager to conceptualise the environment, to analyse the forces working in a situation and take a broad and farsighted view of the organisation. Conceptual skills also include the competence to understand a problem in all its aspects and to use original thinking in solving the problem. Such competence is necessary for rational decision-making. Thus technical skills deal with jobs, human skills with persons and conceptual skills with ideas. These types of skills are interrelated.

Technical skills are most important at the supervisory or operating level where a close understanding of job techniques is necessary to guide workers. As one moves up the management hierarchy, technical skills become less important. Higher level managers deal with subordinate managers and specialised technical knowledge is comparatively less important for them. Conceptual skills are very important for top management in formulating long-range plans, making broad policy decisions, and relating the business enterprise to its industry and the economy. Thus, the relative importance of conceptual skills increases as we move to higher levels of management. This would be self evident as management is the process of getting things done through people. Human skills are equally important at all levels of management because every manager has to deal with people.

4. Diagnostic Skills

Diagnostic skills include the ability to determine by analysis and examination the nature and circumstances of particular conditions. It is not only the ability to specify why something happened but also the ability to develop certain possible outcomes. It is the ability to cut through unimportant aspects and quickly get to the heart of the problem. Diagnostic skills are probably the most difficult ones to develop because they require the proper blend of analytic ability with common sense and intelligence to be effective.

LEVELS OF MANAGEMENT

Managers are leaders who play an integral role in the organizations for which they work. Managers of larger organizations have specific functions they fulfill within the management hierarchy. Within this hierarchy, managers typically have varying levels of power and responsibility. In most organizations, this hierarchy consists of three primary levels.

Top Level Management

The top level management is generally occupied by the ownership group. In a joint stock company, equity shareholders are the real owners of the company. Thus, they elect their representatives as directors, form a board, known as board of directors, which constitutes the top level of management. Besides the board, other functionaries including managing director, general manager or Chief executive to help directors, are included in this level. It is the highest level in the managerial hierarchy and the ultimate source of authority in the organisation. The top level managers are accountable to the owners and responsible for overall management of the organisation. The major functions of the top level management are as under:

1.  To make a corporate plan for the entire organisation covering all areas of operations.
2.  To decide upon the matters which are vital for the survival, profitability and growth of the organisation such as introduction of new product, shifting to new technology and opening new plant etc.
3.  To decide corporate goals.
4.  To decide structure of organisation, creating various positions there in.
5.  To exercise overall managerial control through the process of reviewing over all financial and operating results.
6.  To make decisions regarding disposal and distribution of profits.
7.  To select key officials and executives for the company.
8.  To coordinate various sub-systems of the organisation.
9.  To maintain liaison with outside parties having a stake in business such as government, trade union and trade associations etc.
10. To formulate basic policies and providing direction and leadership to the organisation as a whole.

Middle Level Management

In order to fill up the gap which exists between functional and operative level, some managerial positions are created at the middle level of management. Middle level management consists of departmental managers, deputy managers, foreman and administrative officers etc. These executives are mainly concerned with the over all functioning of their respective departments. They act as a link between top and lower level managers. The activities of middle level managers centres around determining departmental goals and devising ways and means for accomplishing them. The main functions performed by these managers are as under:

1.  To prepare departmental plan covering all activities of the department within the basic framework of the corporate plan.
2.  To establish departmental goals and to decide upon various ways and means for achieving these goals to contribute to organisational goals.
3.  To perform all other managerial functions with regard to departmental activities for securing smooth functioning of the entire department.
4.  To issue detailed orders and instructions to lower level managers and coordinate the activities of various work units at lower level.
5.  Middle level managers explain and interpret policy decisions made at the top level to lower level managers.

Lower Level or Supervisory Level Management

Lower-level management is known as supervisory management, because it is concerned mainly with personal oversight and direction of operative employees. It consists of factory supervisors, superin-tendents, foremen, sales supervisors, accounts officers etc. They directly guide and control the performance of rank and file workers. They issue orders and instructions and guide day to-day activities. They also represent the grievances of the workers to the higher levels of management.

Supervisory management performs the following functions:

1.  Planning of day to day work
2.  Assignment of jobs and issuing orders and instructions
3.  Supervising and guiding workers
4.  Maintaining close personal contacts with workers to ensure discipline and team-work
5. Evaluating operating performance
6.  Sending reports and statements to higher authorities
7.  Communicating the grievances and suggestions of workers to higher authorities.

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