MANAGERS IN THE NEW WORKPLACE

In an article entitled Putting People First for Organizational Success Jeffrey

Pfeffer and John F. Veiga argue forcefully that organizations perform better when they
treat their members better. They also point out that too many organizations fail to
operate in this manner and, as a consequence, suffer performance failures. Pfeffer uses
the term toxic workplaces to describe organizations that treat their employees mainly
as costs to be reduced. True high performing organizations are very different. They treat
people as valuable strategic assets that should be carefully nurtured.
Management and the New Workplace
The New Workplace
The Old Workplace
Characteristics
Resources
Work
Workers
Forces on Organization
Technology
Markets
Workforce
Values
Events
Management Competencies
Leadership
Focus
Doing work
Relationships
Design

Bits- information
Flexible, virtual
Empowered employees,
Free agents

Atoms- physical assets

Structured, localized
Loyal employees

Digital
Global including internet
Diverse
Change, speed
Turbulent, more frequent
crises

Mechanical
Local, domestic
Homogeneous
Stability, efficiency
Calm, predictable

Dispersed, empowering
Connection to customers,
employees
By teams
Collaboration
Experimentation, learning
organization

Autocratic
Profits
By individuals
Conflict, competition
Efficient performance

What is a Manager?
Manager is a person who supports and is responsible for the work of others.

What do managers do?

One good answer to this question comes from the late Peter Drucker, whose
name that stands out above all others in the century-long history of management
studies. He divided the job of the manager into five basic tasks.
1. Sets objectives. The manager sets goals for the group, and decides what work
needs to be done to meet those goals.
2. Organizes. The manager divides the work into manageable activities and selects
people to accomplish the tasks that need to be done.
3. Motivates and communicates. The manager creates a team out of his people,
through

decisions

on

pay,

placement,

promotion,

and

through

his

communications with the team. Drucker also referred to this as the integrating
function of the manager.
4. Measures. The manager establishes appropriate targets and analyzes,
appraises, and interprets performance.
5. Develops people. With the rise of the knowledge worker, this task has taken on
added importance. In a knowledge economy, people are the companys most
important asset, and it is up to the manager to develop that asset.
Levels of Managers

Top managers are responsible for the performance of an organization as a

whole or for one of its major parts. Particularly, they are responsible for setting
organizational goals, defining strategies for achieving them, monitoring and
implementing the external environment, decisions that affect entire organization.
They have such titles as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), president, chairman,
division president and executive vice-president.

Middle managers are in charge of relatively large departments or divisions.

Examples of middle managers are department head, division head, and director
of the research club. The responsibilities of middle managers include translating

executive orders into operation, implementing plans, and directly supervising

lower-level managers.

Project managers also have general management responsibility, because they

coordinate employees across several departments to accomplish a specific
project.

Team leaders or supervisors are in charge of a small work group of nonmanagerial workers.

Responsibilities of team leaders

Plan meetings and work schedules.
Clarify goals and tasks, and gather ideas for improvement.
Appraise performance and counsel team members.
Recommend pay raises and new assignments.
Recruit, develop, and train team members.
Encourage high performance and teamwork.
Inform team members about organizational goals and expectations.
Inform higher levels of work unit needs and accomplishments.
Coordinate with others teams and support the rest of the organization.
Types of Managers

Line managers are responsible for work activities that directly affect
organizations output. For example, the president, retail manager, and
department supervisors of a local department store all have line responsibilities.
Their jobs in one way or another are directly related to the sales operations of the
store.

Staff managers use technical expertise to advise and support the efforts of line
workers. In a department store, the director of human resources and chief
financial officer would have staff responsibilities. A staff manager looks after
people.

Functional managers are responsible for more complex units that include many
functional areas. They supervise employees with specialized skills in a single
area of operation such as accounting, personnel, payroll, finance, marketing,
advertising and manufacturing.

General managers are responsible for more complex units that include many
functional areas. An example is a plant manager who oversees many separate
functions, including purchasing, manufacturing, warehousing, sales, personnel
and accounting.

Administrators work in public and non profit organizations. Examples include

hospital administrator, public administrator, and human-service administrator.

Managerial Performance
All managers help people, working individually and in groups, to achieve
productivity while using their talents to accomplish organizational goals.

Accountability is the requirement of one person to answer to a higher authority

for relevant performance results.

Effective managers fulfil performance accountability by helping others to achieve

high performance outcomes and experience satisfaction in their work.

Quality of work life (QWL) is the overall quality of human experiences in the
workplace.

QWL indicators:
Fair pay
Safe working conditions
Room to grow and progress in a career
Opportunities to learn and use new skills
Protection of individual rights
Pride in work itself and in organization

High performance managers...

Build working relationships with others

 Help others develop their skills and performance competencies

Foster teamwork
Create a work environment that is performance-driven and provides
satisfaction for workers

References:
Management, Schermerhorn Ninth Edition, pp. 13-16
Management: The New Workplace, Richard L. Daft, Dorothy Marcic
https://books.google.com.books/about/Management
The Dynamic: New Workplace http: www. wiley.com/schermerhorn
General Manager Definition http/ www.investopedia.com/terms/g/generalmanager.asp#ixzz4GMnuF9H8