MANAGEMENT SKILLS
As you can see from the preceding discussion, a manager's job is varied and complex. Managers need certain skills to perform the duties and activities associated with being a manager. What types of skills does a manager need? Research by Robert L. Katz found that managers needed thre essential skills. Technical skills include knowledge of and proficiency in a certain specialized field, such as engineering, computers, accounting, or manufacturing. These skills are more important at lower levels of management since these managers are dealing directly with wmployee doing the organization's of work. Human skills involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group. Because managers deal directly with good human skills are able to getthe best out of their people. They know how to communicate, motivate, lead, and inspire enthusiasm and trust. These skils are equally important at all leveos of management. Finally, conceptual skills are the skills, managers must be able to see the oranization as a whole, understand the rilationships among varous subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader environment. These skills are most important at the top management levels. Exhibit 1-5 shows the relationship of these skills and the lobvels of management.
A professional association of practicing majnagers, the American Management Association, has also identified important skills for managers that encompass conceptual, communiction, efectiveness, and interpersonal aspects. See a complete list of these skills in Exxhibit.
In today's demanding and dynamic workplace, employees who are invaluable to an organizaton must be willing to constantly upgrade their skills and take on extra work outside their own specific job areas. There is no doubt that skills will continue to be anh important way of describing what a manager does. In fact, understanding and diveloping management skilols are so important that we and most experts believe are important elements of the four management functions. A matrix showing the relationship between these skills and the management functions is shown in exhibit. Note that many of the skills are important to more than one frnction. As you study the management functions in more depth in later chapters of this book, you will have the opportunity to practice some of the key skills that are part of doing what a manager does. A;tjpitj mp slo;;-building exercise can make youan instant expert in a certain area, these modules can provide you with an introductouy understanding and apprecciation of some of theskills you will ned to master in order to be an efective manager.