MANAGEMENT SKILLS MANAGEMENT SKILLS Managers at all levels

MANAGEMENT SKILLS

MANAGEMENT SKILLS • Managers at all levels of a business will need to possess certain basic skills. • These are referred to as management skills and consist of leadership, motivation, and communication.

LEADERSHIP A Leadership Story: • A group of workers and their leaders are set a task of clearing a road through a dense jungle on a remote island to get to the coast where an estuary provides a perfect site for a port. • The leaders organise the labour into efficient units and monitor the distribution and use of capital assets – progress is excellent. The leaders continue to monitor and evaluate progress, making adjustments along the way to ensure the progress is maintained and efficiency increased wherever possible. • Then, one day amidst all the hustle and bustle and activity, one person climbs up a nearby tree. The person surveys the scene from the top of the tree.

LEADERSHIP • And shouts down to the assembled group below… “Wrong Way!” • “Management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things”

LEADERSHIP • Guide and Influence: • Leadership involves guiding and influencing the people below you in an organisation. • Direction: • Leadership involves giving direction to an organisation in order to achieve objectives • Delegation: • Leadership involves delegating tasks to others

TYPES OF LEADERS There are generally three types of leaders: • Autocratic • Democratic • Laissez-faire

AUTOCRATIC LEADER • Likes to be in control • Delegates little authority to others • Does not consult others very much before making decisions • Uses fear to control and motivate staff • Places little trust in employees

DEMOCRATIC • Shares power and control with others • Delegates authority to subordinates • Seeks opinions and ideas from others before making decisions • Persuades rather than gives orders • Builds up trust with other members of staff

LAISSEZ- FAIRE • Lets subordinates set their own goals to a great extent • Delegates almost all of the authority to subordinates • Interferes very little in how the work is done • Places a great deal of trust in the abilities and decisions of subordinates

CLASS ACTIVITY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Identify the main types of leadership style • Demonstrate an ability to apply different leadership styles and characteristics to different business situations • Demonstrate an understanding of the problems associated with leading change in an organisation • Show an understanding of the process by which individuals and groups cope with change • Demonstrate an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different leadership approaches to a problem

MOTIVATION • Motivation is the willingness of people to work hard • What motivates you in life? • Write down 10 factors that motivate you to succeed in your personal, sporting, social, school or work life? • Prioritise these factors in order from 1 to 10.

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS • How can Maslow’s theory be used by managers? 1. Examine the signs 2. Identify the need level 3. Decide on the action to take Task: Think of three ways in each hierarchy that a manager can meet the physical needs safety needs, social need, selfesteem need, self-actualisation need for their employees.

DOUGLAS MCGREGOR THEORY X AND THEORY Y Theory X Assumptions Theory Y Assumptions • Workers have an inherent dislike of work –will avoid it if at all possible • Must be coerced, controlled, directed, or threatened with punishment • Prefer direction, avoid responsibility, little ambition, want security • Only way to motivate is with bribes or punishment. • Do not dislike work • Self direction and self control • Seeks responsibility • Managers will treat workers with freedom and respect, knowing that workers naturally wish to do a good job • Tend to delegate more, and are more popular with employees

THEORY ‘X’ • Top-Down management approach

THEORY ‘Y’ • Bottom-Up management approach

CLASS TASK • Working in pairs, take a free page in your copy and divide it into two halves. At the top of one put 'Theory X Manager' and at the top of the other put 'Theory Y Manager‘ • Imagine that you are a Theory X manager, that you believe workers are basically lazy. Try to list as many different ways that you can think of to get people to do the jobs you need doing. • Now put your Theory Y manager's hat on and try and think about what motivation strategies you could use if you believe workers enjoyed work and wanted to do their jobs without threat. • Compare your answers to those in the rest of your class.

‘MOTIVATION’ VIDEO

CLASS ASSIGNMENT ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and Mc. Gregor’s Theory X and Theory Y ideas are overly simplistic in their assumptions. Management theory today, be it in business or in general life, is far more complex. ’ Discuss. • 300 word assignment (typed or otherwise) due Thursday 24 th November.

EXAM QUESTIONS - 2011

EXAM QUESTIONS - 2009