A. Who are managers?
B. What is management?
C. What do managers do?
WHO ARE MANAGERS?
A. The changing nature of organizations and work has blurred the clear lines of distinction between managers and nonmanagerial employees. Many workers’ jobs now include managerial activities. Definitions used in the past no longer work.
B. How do we define a manager? A manager is an organizational member who works with and through other people by coordinating their work activities in order to accomplish organizational goals. However, keep in mind that managers may have other work duties not related to integrating the work of others.
C. Managers can be classified by their level in the organization, particularly for traditionally structured organizations (those shaped like a pyramid). (See Exhibit 1.1)
1. First-line managers are the lowest level of management. They’re often called supervisors.
2. Middle managers include all levels of management between the first-line level and the top level of the organization.
3. Top managers include managers at or near the top of the organization who are responsible for making organization wide decisions and establishing the plans and goals that affect the entire organization.
WHAT IS MANAGEMENT?
A. Management refers to the process of coordinating and integrating work activities so that they’re completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people.
B. The management process is the set of ongoing decisions and work activities in which managers engage as they plan, organize, lead, ...