How to Become an Effective Manager

Effective business operations have managers with strong sense and individuality in their operating styles. One’s management style is an outgrowth of one’s basic philosophy regarding how things should be done and how they implement their philosophy in the workplace.

Throughout history, there has been no definite type of management approach, thus resulting in five known management perspectives – the classical approach, the behavioral approach, the management science approach, the contingency approach, and the systems approach.

The classical approach emphasizes the use of organizational efficiency to increase success; the behavioral approach seeks to increase organizational success by focusing on the human variable; the management science approach values the use of the scientific method and quantitative techniques to increase organizational success; the contingency approach highlights that what managers do in practice depends on a given set of circumstances or situations; and lastly the systems approach values on the idea that to fully understand the operation, the entity must be viewed as a whole.

No two management styles will be exactly the same, even though the same elements may exist. Overall management can be classified either as closed or open. Closed continuum is classified as formal, directive, autocratic, authoritarian, inflexible, and cold; open continuum is classified as informal, informative, participative, cooperative, flexible and warm.

An organizational structure is necessary in order to create an organized procedure for meeting company objectives. To be effective, a number of factors must be taken into account as an organizational chart is developed. These elements are vertical and horizontal dimensions, chain of command, line and staff, authority and authority levels, responsibility and accountability, power and departmentalization.

There may be times and situations in which so-called staff positions may also exert direction and authority on others. This will depend in part upon the management style of the manager and how he and she delegates authority and responsibility. Management attitudes regarding organization charts need to be open and flexible enough to allow for change as need dictates.

The private sector has found it essential that the various media functions connected with education and training activities be carefully organized and operated in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Certainly, well-trained employees are essential in today’s highly competitive and complex world if a company is to secure a fair share of the market.

Just as an entity must have an organizational structure, so must it also have controls to guide directions, operations, and activities if the entity is to achieve anything. In the management of today’s service organization, the company must develop a personal awareness, create organizational knowledge, and provide operational methods to administer and accommodate the needs of the center in its relationship. The company can easily address this element by establishing rules, procedures and policies.

Lastly, managers at any level are basically concerned with four management activities: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. All four functions require the application of decision-making knowledge and skills. Decision making is part and parcel of the manager’s job, for problems come in all sizes and share and arrive at most opportune times.

Most managers are in their jobs because they like making decisions. To be an effective manager, it follows that a successful program is characterized by system, direction, and leadership. Order will eliminate otherwise inevitable confusion, duplication of effort, waste of time and money.