Managerial Skills in the 21st Century

Managers in the 21st Century

Managers nowadays do not actually do what a manager really should do back in the eighties. Changes that occurred in the new economy, the increasing use of technology in business, and the effects of globalisation towards business world have led management into a whole new dimension. New managers are expected to be able to manage on an international scale, act strategically, utilize technology, establish values, and of course, act responsibly as well. (Crainer, 1998) Henry Mintzberg once asked, "What do managers do?" After conducting his research based on a study of five CEOs, he concluded that managerial work involves interpersonal role, decisional role and informational role. And the fact is that, managers get things done through other people. Therefore, managers are required to possess certain skills and competencies which allow them to play these roles effectively and efficiently throughout the four functions of management. (Mintzberg, 1998)

Technical Skills

First and foremost, effective managers are of course, required to have the basic management skills in order to be able to manage an organisation. Any managers has to possess certain technical skills which allow them to perform specialised task, particularly those first-line managers as they spend more time helping employees to solve work-related problems and they are mostly involved in supervising individual performance and instructing subordinates, for instance, ensuring that the products and services are being delivered to customers on a daily basis. (Robbins and Coulter, 2005) In other words, managers are required to possess "the ability to utilise tools, techniques, and procedures that are specific to a particular field." (Lewis, Goodman, and Fandt, 2004:12) In fact, managers are the first to look up for whenever employees encounter problems. (Griffin & Ebert, 2004)

Geoff Castledine, for instance, who holds the post of manufacturing plant manager at the Uncle Ben's plant in Wodonga, Victoria, needed different technical skills in order to be able to make good judgment and decision about putting in a new cooker for the pet food. Thus, he encourages integration of different technical skills where his team of managers could make a sound decision on dealing with the problems they faced. (Samson & Daft, 2003)

Human Skills

Any managers in an organisation would need skills that enable them to understand and get along with other people while getting the most out of them, for instance, their subordinates or colleagues in order to be able to get the jobs done and attain the organisational goals and these involves human skills.(Griffin & Ebert, 2004) An effective manager's job is not just giving orders or supervising the employees, their responsibilities actually involve integrating themselves into the culture of their employees in the sense that they get to know the path to effective delegations, the ways in dealing with conflicts within the organisation, and of course, be a team player and comprehend the way to work efficiently with people from different backgrounds. This is because managers are in fact, the ones who determine the behaviours and morale of employees in an organisation by managing group moral force while promoting cooperation and resolve conflicts. (Gomez-Mejia, et al, 2005) Human skills of managers are crucial in making employees feel valued and inspired, which in turn, promotes a close working relationship that are fun. (Samson & Daft, 2003)

Atiq Raza, CEO of high-tech firm Raza Foundries, for instance has used human skills daily to communicate effectively with his employees. He developed his human skills so well that his employees are almost fanatically committed to him. Manager like Atiq Raza will not only being liked but as well received full supports from his team of employees. By producing a closely-associated workforce, there's nothing much but high efficiency and productivity. (Griffin & Ebert, 2004)

Conceptual Skills

To be an effective manager, one must possess conceptual skills as well. Managers have to be able to think in the abstract, examine different situation and see beyond the present situation to recognise new market opportunities and threats. Conceptual skills also aid managers in determining the consequences and outcomes from their decisions. Conceptual skills are specifically needed in the success of executives in e-commerce business. For instance, the ability to anticipate how a particular business application will be affected by the Internet is clearly conceptual in nature. (Griffin & Ebert, 2004) Besides that, conceptual skills also enable top level managers to look at their organisation at large and recognise how work groups and departments associated to and affect each other. (Lewis, Goodman, and Fandt, 2004) In brief, wise and tough decisions are made only through conceptualising. (Nohria & Berkeley, 1998)

Motorola CEO Bob Galvin has set a good example of being conceptualistic in revolutionising the whole organisation. In 1983, Galvin was aware of the rumblings throughout the company that the organisational structure is not working well due to bureaucracy and he knew that Motorola was slow in responding to changes. He spread the news of a large-scale change initiative, which he neglected to say, was how. In effect, the whole organisation's officers were unsure of what they should and should not do. Thus, creativity comes in. They came up with numerous structural changes and product innovations, which in turn, Motorola emerged as the most powerful player in the cellular industry. Through his strategical and panoptic thinking, Galvin has created an innovative and forward-looking culture within the organisation. (Nohria & Berkeley, 1998)

Global Management Skills

Due to the globalisation boom since decades ago, an effective manager must provide him/herself with the ability to compete in a global environment. As businesses becoming more diversified, an effective manager should possess certain capabilities in understanding international operations and most significantly, cultural differences. As a manager who is in charge of MTV's operations in China, Li Yifei is a manager who understood both conservative Chinese television regulators and China's young urban elite. She has successfully brought MTV into China as she is familiar with the China market and she is also, a global manager who understands foreign markets and cultural differences. This