Managers work in organizations
Organizations: A deliberate collection of people brought together to accomplish some
specific purpose
Common characteristics of organizations
1. Goals
2. People
3. A deliberate structure
Non-managerial employees vs managers
Non managerial:
- work directly on tasks
- not responsible for overseeing others’ work
Managers:
- direct and oversee the activities of others
- may have work duties not related to overseeing others
Management levels:
- Top managers: near the top of an organization who make decisions about the direction of
the organization and establish policies and philosophies that affect all organizational
members. Titles include: president, vice president, chancellor, managing director, or chief
executive officer.
- Middle managers: fall between the lowest and highest levels of the organization. They
often manage other managers and sometimes non-managerial employees, and are
responsible for translating the goals set by top managers into specific detailed tasks that
lower-level managers oversee. Titles include: agency head, unit chief, division manager,
or project leader.
- First-line managers: are responsible for directing the day-to-day activities of non-
managerial employees. Titles include: supervisor, shift manager, or unit coordinator.
- Team leaders: are a special category of lower-level managers that have become more
common as organizations have moved to using employee work teams to do work. They
typically report to a first-line manager.
Management:
- The process of getting things done effectively and efficiently, with and through people
- Effectiveness: doing the right things
- Efficiency: doing things right
Ways to look at what managers do
- Four functions approach
- Management roles approach
- Skills and competencies
Organizations: A deliberate collection of people brought together to accomplish some
specific purpose
Common characteristics of organizations
1. Goals
2. People
3. A deliberate structure
Non-managerial employees vs managers
Non managerial:
- work directly on tasks
- not responsible for overseeing others’ work
Managers:
- direct and oversee the activities of others
- may have work duties not related to overseeing others
Management levels:
- Top managers: near the top of an organization who make decisions about the direction of
the organization and establish policies and philosophies that affect all organizational
members. Titles include: president, vice president, chancellor, managing director, or chief
executive officer.
- Middle managers: fall between the lowest and highest levels of the organization. They
often manage other managers and sometimes non-managerial employees, and are
responsible for translating the goals set by top managers into specific detailed tasks that
lower-level managers oversee. Titles include: agency head, unit chief, division manager,
or project leader.
- First-line managers: are responsible for directing the day-to-day activities of non-
managerial employees. Titles include: supervisor, shift manager, or unit coordinator.
- Team leaders: are a special category of lower-level managers that have become more
common as organizations have moved to using employee work teams to do work. They
typically report to a first-line manager.
Management:
- The process of getting things done effectively and efficiently, with and through people
- Effectiveness: doing the right things
- Efficiency: doing things right
Ways to look at what managers do
- Four functions approach
- Management roles approach
- Skills and competencies
