The Importance of Interpersonal Skills

* Understanding OB helps determine manager effectiveness * Technical and quantitative skills important * But leadership and communication skills are CRITICAL

* Organizational benefits of skilled managers * Lower turnover of quality employees * Higher quality applications for recruitment * Better financial performance

What Managers Do * They get things done through other people. * Management Activities: * Make decisions * Allocate resources * Direct activities of others to attain goals * Work in an organization * A consciously coordinated social unit composed of two or more people that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

Four Management Functions

* PLAN: A process that includes defining goals, establishing strategy, and developing plans to coordinate activities.

* ORGANIZE: Determining what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made.

* LEAD: A function that includes motivating employees, directing others, selecting the most effective communication channels, and resolving conflicts.

* CONTROL: Monitoring performance, comparing actual performance with previously set goals, and correcting any deviation.

Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles

Ten roles in three groups (Exhibit 1-1) * Interpersonal * Figurehead, Leader, and Liaison * Informational * Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson * Decisional * Entrepreneur, Disturbance Handler, Resource Allocator, and Negotiator.

Katz’s Essential Management Skills * Technical Skills * The ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise * Human Skills * The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both