The managerial work is an extremely critical part of any organization. It is the principal organ in any organization. This is because; it is through the organization that every activity in the organization is defined. All issues in the organization are handled through the management of the organization. Therefore, this is a fundamentally sensitive part of an organization where every individual needs to commit their respect. Following researches that had been conducted by earlier business researchers and economists, management roles were entrusted to seniors in every department in a company known as managers. There are unique roles that were defined for these leaders which have been followed by almost all companies in defining instructions for managers in every company today. The roles that had been defined include; organization, coordination, planning and controlling.
However, these roles of managers are extremely significant and may be useful in the daily running of activities in a company. It is extremely true to outline that not all managers understand these roles as they are stipulated in the management course. This is because these roles only exist in theory, but practically they are nonexistent. The stipulations of these roles are extremely difficult and out of application in the world that businesses exist. There are extremely many forces that interfere with how businesses are run since the world do not understand the rules and principles of business. The theoretical part of the management education has made it difficult to prepare managers to the right manner of thought and ideas through which they are supposed to administer businesses to ensure that they are able to balance the efforts of all individuals in the organization to the profits being anticipated in the organization (Hales, 1986).
There are several issues that have been misinterpreted in the management, which upon research have proven that they are not practical. The theoretical approach has blindfolded individuals to following fruitless strategies that would only land companies into ditches of poor management.
People have always misinterpreted the role of planning among managers. This is a role that has been defined as core among managers, but it has indeed been confusion to them rendering them useless in companies as they cannot attract any benefit to the organization. Planning is an extremely wide topic, which has been narrowed to keeping activities into order for future actualization.
Planning involves one of the most sensitive resources on the phase of the earth known as time. This is an element that most people have been unable manage as well as keep up with in the right manner. During planning in management people allocate time for different activities in an organization for a future date. This is according to the stipulations of the theory of management. It is true that most of the organizations which through their managers allocate time to future activities do not accomplish their plans.
The management science has ignored some facts which have been found in the practical management. Based on interviews, the most successful managers do not usually plan ahead. This is because they understand that businesses or organizations operate under forces, which are at some points uncontrollable by people. This makes it hard for them to plan for activities before the time for these activities is due. They believe that no man can be commander to time.
These types of managers believe in time and chances. To these managers this means that activities should be handled as they occur and not planning for them before they are due. They find allocation of time to activities long before they are due as wastage for other business activities (Hales, 1986). This is true because once an individual has already planned an activity for a given time they find no chance in their minds to think of another idea. Their minds are already occupied with one activity and have no room for a new opportunity.
Managers who do not emphasize on preplanning are always open to opportunities. In the modern management world, these kinds of managers are the most common. They have understood that being confined to certain principles as they were taught in schools does not define quality management in their businesses, as well as organizations. They have understood that they need to move out and define the course for their organizations (Tengblad, 2006). This is the main reason why individuals are learning how to manage even small businesses in the modern world. They have been adapted to undertaking activities as they come their way.
Businesses or organizations with unplanned time frame to take organizations are always exposed to quality work. This is because; they will look for individuals who are experts in certain fields at the specific time. This guarantees them success as they have to ensure maximum utilization of opportunity in their hands at the moment. Lack of room for change in an organization, in the name of planned activities stipulates poor time management and negligence of duties for managers which should be to seize opportunities on behalf of an organization (Hales, 1986).
It is obvious that organizations will always have activities which have to be coordinated for them to succeed. The manager has been assigned this most critical duty in most organization, in the name of the provisions of the theoretical management approach. In organizations, it is believed that unless certain activities are undertaken by the manager they cannot succeed. This has rendered managers as the most hardworking individuals in companies than any other individual in the organization (Tengblad, 2006). Most people have tried to challenge this issue, and it deserves an analysis and evaluation.
The coordination of activities in an organization should not be left to the manger alone. All people in the organization need to understand that they have roles in their organizations and need to overlook the manager to undertake the entire coordination of activities. The manger may not be at every point of a project in a company. This does not mean that businesses should not take place. All individuals in the places where there are projects to be undertaken in an organization must be willing to undertake the management capacities at those points to ensure that activities flow accordingly with no mess (Tengblad, 2006). This is nurtured through ensuring that people are taught the values of leadership and importance of being responsible even at points where one may not be expected to be responsible.
Managers need be influencers of activities that take place in their organizations. This may be achieved through giving people freedom of conducting certain activities within the organization. Managers should stop being competitive with their employees. Instead, they should be comfortable to share anything with the employees to make certain that they are not prone to massive stretch of their minds in search for solutions in certain basic activities. It is advisable for managers to form a pool or a think-tank with employees where they may brainstorm on certain issues concerning the company. Through this, the manager will gather adequate skills on how he or she should manage activities in the company (Sims, 1993). Some of the employees are more qualified than the manager, and without coordination with such employees the manager may not find the right avenue to share the skills with the manager.
Some managers will always view getting closer to their employees as an avenue for employees to hijack the managerial positions. Such managers want to operate in the mind of superiority, where the employees are in the extreme low side in terms of qualification. Organizations, which are run by such people are unlikely to perform or survive for long.
Managers influence the culture of different businesses. This means that if the conduct of the manager towards business is not up to standard the business is going to be nurtured in such manner. Managers are expected to nurture performance habit in any organization that they lead (Sims, 1993). It is no more on the undertaking of the core management duties. Their behaviors in terms of business activities in organizations are extremely fundamental. The aim of every organization is to make a profit, which may not be realized through mere business habits. Managers must be willing and capable to adopt strategies that will keep the company in motion towards the realization of the mission as well as surpass the barriers that may be poised to the organization by its competitors.
Managers are the busiest individuals in organizations. This may be elucidated by the amount of duties that are impounded on these individuals. They lack the time for self development in terms of skills. It is wise that some organizations have realized that managers are sometimes extremely busy such that they do not get time for themselves as well as their families. They have introduced assistant managers who assist the top managers in undertaking some roles. However, this has been a problem to other organizations. Some of the top managers find it hard to corporate with their juniors as they find them as competitors for the top position (Marshall & Stewart, 1981). This makes the managerial work a challenge as it becomes hard for the organization to determine what to do to resolve the issues that have come up in the organization.
Information is extremely critical in any organization. It is through information that an organization may run in the right manner. Information comes along with new ways of doing things in a company. Some companies have developed organization cultures that define the manager as the only source of information in the company. Although, it is right to equip them the role of gathering information for the company, it is erroneous to trust them with all information. Managers are extremely busy sometimes and may forget to relay critical information at the precise time. This is the reason why upon realizing the task behind managers, different organizations have developed data and information handling systems. These are systems favorably developed to nurture the data and information handling as well as disbursement within the office of the manager (Mintzberg, 1990). This relieves the manager the stress of handling information which he or she may easily loose through excessive tasks that he or she is expected to undertake.
At the beginning of management duties, managers face critical challenges. They are exposed to duties which they were not used to before and need the ability to acquire adequate skills to handle the duties ahead.
One of the main challenges that they face is confusion. Being the first time as manager, one does not understand how activities are undertaken in the organization. The procedure is not defined among new managers to help them carry out their duties. They are believed to possess necessary skills and ability to handle the new duties. The manager needs to gather the history of the company which confuses him or her more since he or she must cope with the procedure of the new company in terms of execution of duty as the manager (Marshall & Stewart, 1981). He or she must balance between the reputation of the organization and what he or she thinks is right to undertake as the manager.
Becoming a manager in a foreign land may be the most confusing state in management. This is because; it is likely that foreign management policies are different from the ones that the manager is used to at home. As an immigrant one needs training to eliminate the confusion that may render the manager jobless if the condition persisted and he or she causes loss for the company (Mintzberg, 1990). Therefore, managers should be extremely sober individuals to assist them in handling duties accordingly and ensure the soft management of the organization entrusted to them.
Managerial works change from time to time with the definition of new skills and roles for managers being brought into existence from time to time. Managers should be people who are ready to undertake new roles from time to time. They should be flexible enough to avoid preplanning which may lead to loss of new opportunities from time to time. They should incorporate the rest of the staff in the managerial role to avoid multitasking which may confuse them. They should be open-minded to adopt any positive change that may trigger success in their business activities.
References
Hales, C., 1986., What do managers do? A critical review of the evidence. Journal of Management Studies, 23(1), 89-112.
Marshall, J., & Stewart, R., 1981., Manager's job perception. Journal of Management Studies, 18(2), 177-189.
Mintzberg, H., 1990., The teenagers job: Folklore and fact. Harvard Business Review, 1(1), 163-176.
Sims, D., 1993., The fountain of top managers: a discourse analysis of five managerial autobiographies. British Journal of Management, 4, 57-68.
Tengblad, S., 2006., Is there a ‘New Managerial Work’? A Comparison with Henry Mintzberg’s Classic Study 30 Years Later. Journal of Management Studies, 43(7), 1437-1458.
