Are Managers and Where
Do They Work?
Managers may not be who or what you might expect! Managers can be under the age of 18 to over age 80. They run large corporations as well as entrepreneurial start-ups. They 're found in government departments, hospitals, small businesses, not-for profit agencies, museums, schools, and even such nontraditional organizations as political campaigns and music tours. Managers can also be found doing managerial work in every country on the globe. In addition, some managers are top-level managers while others are forestine managers,
men. However, the number of women in top-level manager positions remains low-only 27 women were CEOs of major U.S. corporations in 2010." But no matter where managers are found or what gender they are, the fact is managers have exciting and challenging jobs!
Who Is a Manager?
It used to be fairly simple to define who managers were: they were the organizational members who told others what to do and how to do 1it. It was easy to differentiate managers from non managerial employees. Now, it Isn't quite that simple. In many organizations, the changing nature of work has blurred the distinction between managers and nonmanagerial employees. Many traditional nonmanagerial jobs now include managerial activities.
"For example, at General Cable Corporation 's facility in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, managerial responsibilities are shared by managers and team members. Most of the employees at Moosic Jaw are cross-trained and multi-skilled. Within a single shift, an employee can be
team leader, equipment operator, maintenance technician, quality inspector, or improvement planner.
So, how do we define who managers are? A manager is someone who coordinates and oversees the work of other people so that organizational goals can be accomplished. A
manager's job is not about personal achievement-it's about helping others do their work.
That may mean coordinating the work of a departmental group, or it might mean supervising a single person. It could involve coordinating the work activities of a team with people from different departments or even people outside the organization, such as temporary employee's or individuals who work for the organization's suppliers. Keep in mind, also, that Sincere who coordinates and oversees the won of other people so that organizational gets can be accomplished managers may have work duties not related to coordinating and overseeing others' work.
For example, an insurance claims supervisor might process claims in addition to coordinating the work activities of other claims clerks.
Is there a way to classify managers in organizations? In traditionally structured organizations (which are often pictured as a pyramids because more employees are at lower organizational levels than at upper organizational levels), managers can be classified as first-line, middle, or top. At the lowest level of management,
first-line managers:
manage the work of nonmanagerial employees who typically are involved with producing the organization s products or servicing the organization's customers.
First-line managers may be called supervisors or even shift managers, district managers, department managers, or office managers. Middle managers manage the work of first-line managers and can be found between the lowest and top levels of the organization. They may have titles such as regional managers, project leader, store manager, or division manager. In our chapter-opening dilemma, Lisa is a middle manager. AS the general manager, she's responsible for how her restaurant performs, but also is one of about 60 general managers company-wide who report to someone at corporate headquarters. At the upper levels of the organization are the top managers, who are responsible for making organization-wide decisions and establishing the plans and goals that affect the entire organization. These individuals typically have titles such as executive vice president, president, managing director, chief operating officer, or chief executive officer
Not all organizations get work done with a traditional pyramidal form, however. Son organizations,
For example, are more loosely configured with work being done by ever-changing teams of employees who move from one project to another as work demands arise. Although it's not as easy to tell who the managers are in these organizations, we do know that someone must fulfill that role-that is, there must be someone who coordinates and oversees the work of others, even if that "someone" changes as work tasks or projects change.
Where Do Managers Work?
It's obviously that managers do their work in organizations. But what is an organization? It's a deliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purpose. Your college or
university is an organization; so are fraternities and sororities, government departments purchases, Facebook, your neighborhood grocery store, the United Way, the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, and the Mayo Clinic. All are considered organizations and have
three common characteristics. First, an organization has a distinct purpose. This purpose is typically expressed through goals that the organization hopes to accomplish. Second, each organization is composed of people. It takes people to perform the work that's necessary for the organization to achieve its goals. Third, all organizations develop some deliberate structure within which members do their work. That structure may be open and flexible, with no specific job duties or strict adherence to explicit job arrangements. For instance, at Google, most big projects, of which
there are hundreds going on at the same time, are tackled by small focused employee teams that set up in an instant and complete work just as quickly. Or the structure may be more
traditional-like that of Procter & Gamble or General Electric-with clearly defined rules, regulations-job descriptions, and some members identified as "bosses" who have author it's over other members. Many of today's organizations are structured more like Google, with flexible work arrangements, employee work teams, open communication systems, and supplier alliances. In these organizations, work is defined in terms of tasks to be done. And workdays have no time boundaries since work can-and is-done anywhere anytime.
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