INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT

Management:
Definitions:
1. The organization and coordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and in achievement of defined objectives. Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials, and money. To the management guru Peter Drucker, the basic task of a management is twofold: marketing and innovation. Practice of modern management owes its origin to the 16th century enquiry into low-efficiency and failures of certain enterprises, conducted by the English statesman Sir Thomas. As a discipline, management consists of the interlocking functions of formulating corporate and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organization's resources to achieve the policy's objectives.

2.The directors and managers who have the power and responsibility to make decisions to manage an enterprise. The size of management can range from one person in a small organization to hundreds or thousands of managers in multinational companies. In large organizations the board of directors formulates the policy which is then implemented by the chief executive officer. Some business analysts and financiers accord the highest importance to the quality and experience of the managers in evaluating an organizations current and future worth.

INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT

Management by objectives (MBO)

Definition
A management system in which the objectives of an organization are agreed upon so that management andemployees understand a common way forward. Management by objectives aims to serve as a basis for (A) (B) (C) greater efficiency through systematic procedures, greater employee motivation and commitment throughparticipation in the planning process, Planning forresults instead of planning just for work. In management by objectives practice, specific objectives are determinedjointly by managers and their subordinates, progresstoward agreed-upon objectives is periodically reviewed, endresults are evaluated, and rewards are allocated on the basis of the progress. The objectives must meet fivecriteria: they must be (1) Arranged in order of their importance, (2) expressed quantitatively, wherever possible, (3) Realistic, (4) Consistent with the organizations policies, (5) Compatible with one another.

Management by objectives
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Management by Objectives (MBO) is a process of defining objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they need to do in the organization. The term "management by objectives" was first popularized by Peter Drucker in his 1954 book 'The Practice of Management. It aims to increase organizational performance by aligning goals and subordinate objectives throughout the organization. Ideally, employees get strong input to identify their objectives, time lines for completion, etc. MBO includes ongoing tracking and feed back in the process to reach objectives. Management by Objectives (MBO) was first outlined by Peter Drucker in 1954 in his book 'The Practice of Management'. In the 90s, Peter Drucker himself decreased the significance of this organization management method, when he said: "It's just another tool. It is not the great cure for management inefficiency... Management by Objectives works if you know the 90% of the time you don't."

The essence of MBO is participative goal setting, choosing course of actions and decision making. An important part of the MBO is the measurement and the comparison of the employees actual performance with the standards set. Ideally, when employees themselves have been involved with the goal setting and choosing the course of action to be followed by them, they are more likely to fulfill their responsibilities.

Features and Advantages

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The basic principle behind Management by Objectives (MBO) is for employees to have a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities expected of them. They can then understand how their activities relate to the achievement of the organization's goal. MBO also places importance on fulfilling the personal goals of each employee. Some of the important features and advantages of MBO are: 1. Motivation Involving employees in the whole process of goal setting and increasing employee empowerment. This increases employee job satisfaction and commitment. 2. Better communication and Coordination Frequent reviews and interactions between superiors and subordinates help to maintain harmonious relationships within the organization and also to solve many problems. 3. Clarity of goals 4. Subordinates tend to have a higher commitment to objectives they set for themselves than those imposed on them by another person. 5. Managers can ensure that objectives of the subordinates are linked to the organization's objectives.

Domains and levels

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Objectives can be set in all domains of activities (production, marketing, services, sales, R&D, human resources, finance, information systems etc.). Some objectives are collective, for a whole department or the whole company, others can be individualized.

Practice
Objectives need quantifying and monitoring. Reliable management information systems are needed to establish relevant objectives and monitor their "reach ratio" in an objective way. Pay incentives (bonuses) are often linked to results in reaching the objectives.

Limitations
There are several limitations to the assumptive base underlying the impact of managing by objectives, including: 1. It over-emphasizes the setting of goals over the working of a plan as a driver of outcomes. 2. It underemphasizes the importance of the environment or context in which the goals are set. That context includes everything from the availability and quality of resources, to relative buy-in by leadership and stake-holders. As an example of the influence of management buy-in as a contextual influencer, in a 1991 comprehensive review of thirty years of research on the impact of Management by Objectives, Robert Rodgers and John Hunter concluded that companies whose CEOs demonstrated high commitment to MBO showed, on average, a 56% gain in productivity. Companies with CEOs who showed low commitment only saw a 6% gain in productivity. 3. Companies evaluated their employees by comparing them with the "ideal" employee. Trait appraisal only looks at what employees should be, not at what they should do. When this approach is not properly set, agreed and managed by organizations, selfcentered employees might be prone to distort results, falsely representing achievement of targets that were set in a short-term, narrow fashion. In this case, managing by objectives would be counterproductive.

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The use of MBO must be carefully aligned with the culture of the organization. While MBO is not as fashionable as it was before, it still has its place in management today. The key difference is that rather than 'set' objectives from a cascade process, objectives are discussed and agreed upon. Employees are often involved in this process, which can be advantageous. A saying around MBO -- "What gets measured gets done", Why measure performance? Different purposes require different measures -- is perhaps the most famous aphorism of performance measurement; therefore, to avoid potential problems SMART and SMARTER objectives need to be agreed upon in the true sense rather than set.

Arguments Against

MBO has its detractors, notably among them W. Edwards Deming, who argued that a lack of understanding of systems commonly results in the misapplication of objectives.[3] Additionally, Deming stated that setting production targets will encourage resources to meet those targets through whatever means necessary, which usually results in poor quality.[4] Point 7 of Deming's 14 Points encourages managers to abandon objectives in favor of leadership because he felt that a leader with an understanding of systems was more likely to guide workers to an appropriate solution than the incentive of an objective. Deming also pointed out that Drucker warned managers that a systemic view was required [5] and felt that Drucker's warning went largely unheeded by the practitioners of MBO.

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Managerial Focus
MBO managers focus on the result, not the activity. They delegate tasks by "negotiating a contract of goals" with their subordinates without dictating a detailed roadmap for implementation. Management by Objectives (MBO) is about setting you objectives and then breaking these down into more specific goals or key results.

Main Principle
The principle behind Management by Objectives (MBO) is to make sure that everybody within the organization has a clear understanding of the aims, or objectives, of that organization, as well as awareness of their own roles and responsibilities in achieving those aims. The complete MBO system is to get managers and empowered employees acting to implement and achieve their plans, which automatically achieve those of the organization.

Where to Use MBO

The MBO style is appropriate for knowledge-based enterprises when your staff is competent. It is appropriate in situations where you wish to build employees' management and leadership skills and tap their entrepreneurial creativity, tacit knowledge and initiative.

Setting Objectives
For Management by Objectives (MBO) to be effective, individual managers must understand the specific objectives of their job and how those objectives fit in with the overall company objectives set by the board of directors. The managers of the various units or sub-units, or sections of an organization should know not only the objectives of their unit but should also actively participate in setting these objectives and make responsibility for them. The review mechanism enables leaders to measure the performance of their managers, especially in the key result areas: marketing; innovation; human organization; financial resources; physical resources; productivity; social responsibility; and profit requirements.

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Use S.M.A.R.T. goals to launch management by objectives plan:

Management by Objectives, or MBO as it is affectionately called, is a concept expressed byPeter Drucker more than 50 years ago. This strategy for managing people, which focuses on managing teams based on their ability to complete individual and team goals, has been used in larger organizations since its inception. Small to midsize organizations, however, can also benefit from adopting this strategy, particularly if you also take on the S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timebased.) method of implementation.

Making the case for MBO

MBO works because it helps to align the individual efforts of broad teams around the organizations collective objectives. MBO works in the same way that a laser works. A laser is, at its heart, just light. We have light all around us whether through the light bulbs overhead or the computer screen that we rereading this article from. However, that light is diffused. It is scattered, going in every direction. As a result it doesn't cut through the things that it strikes. Similarly, unless the light is very bright and/or extremely focused, it isn't generally noticeable. Lasers, however, take a relatively small amount of light and focus it into a narrow beam which is very noticeable and at sufficient size can cut metal. Management by Objectives does the same thing. Organizations today are often diffused light sources with each member of the organization focusing on different, often personal, objectives. So instead of being able to cut through the market and capture more market share, or command higher prices, organizations are lucky to make steady growth. The MBO process starts with the organization defining its objectives. The process of strategic planning, goal setting, or visioning generates from its process a set of objectives that the organization should strive to achieve. From there it is up to the individual departments to form their objectives, most if not all of which should align and support the organizational objectives. Individual objectives are then established to support the departmental objectives. Setting goals at the employee level that align with company goals is the key. Here's how you can use the S.M.A.R.T. system for establishing those goals.

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First step Once youve decided that you're going to give managing by objectives a try there are two important steps that you'll have to take. First, you must explain to your employees what you're doing and why you're doing it. The second step, setting the actual objectives, can be challenging in its own right as you seek to find the right balance.

Communicating the message

MBO is designed to improve the management process and maximize the effectiveness of the members of individual teams. You need to explain that the MBO process is focused on helping team members understand the individual roles they play and how their jobs contribute to company success. By focusing on the message that MBO is meant to help the employee assess and prioritize efforts to make certain those efforts are focused on the bottom line and organizational values. The process also helps your team understand what the organization doesn't value and what it may not need to do any more. The so called "Activity Trap" is one where we get so busy doing things that we forget to ask whether what we're doing are the right things. This is an important concept for everyone in an organization to understand. Helping to explain how the activity trap happens and how MBO is designed to help avoid it will help your employees understand the goal of making the work that they do more effective. There's a natural resistance to change that occurs even when there is an understanding that the intent is right and fair. In order to combat this natural resistance, consider making smaller (more tactical) objectives and measure them on a shorter basis than you normally might (quarterly or half a year instead of atypical one-year pattern.

Setting S.M.A.R.T. objectives

The objective setting process is a difficult one for most individuals, particularly those whove never been asked to set objectives. The process seems daunting. However, it doesnt need to be. The process can be as simple as sitting down with the departmental objectives and asking the question, "How can I best help to meet these objectives?" From that answer comes the core for setting the individuals objectives. For example, if the departmental objective is to improve the customer satisfaction score, the team can work on providing more self-service information to reduce the number of calls and call wait-time or offer tools to improve customer service levels by clarifying how to communicate with customer. The S.M.A.R.T. methods one way to help you remember how to walk through the process of setting your first MBO objectives.
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S for Specific: There are several key factors which should be present in the objectives that are set in order for them to be effective. They should be specific. In other words, they should describe specifically the result that is desired. Instead of "better customer service score," the objective should be "improve the customer service score by 12 points using the customer service survey." M for Measurable: The second example is much more specific and also addresses the second factormeasurable. In order to be able to use the objectives as a part of a review process it should be very clear whether the person met the objective or not. A for Achievable: The next important factor to setting objectives is that they be achievable. For instance, an objective which states "100 percent customer satisfaction" isn't realistically achievable. It's not possible to expect that everyone must be 100 percent satisfied with their service. A goal of "12 percent improvement in customer satisfaction" is betterbut may still not be achievable if it's assigned to the database developer. They aren't likely to have enough influence over the customer interaction process to improve satisfaction by 12 percent. R for Realistic: This leads into the next factorrealistic. Realistic objectives are objectives that recognize factors which cannot be controlled. Said another way, realistic goals are potentially challenging but not so challenging that the chance of success is small. They can be accomplished with the tools that the person has at their disposal. T for Time-based: The final factor for a good objective is that it is time-based. In other words, it's not simply, "improve customer service by 12 percent," it's "improve customer service by 12 percent within the next 12 months." This is the final anchor in making the objective real and tangible. This final factor is often implied in MBO setting. The implied date is the date of the next review, when the employee will be held accountable for the commitments that they've made through their objectives.

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Motivating people by aligning their objectives with the goals of the organization.

For many people working in modern business environments, it's hard to remember a time when non-managerial employees weren't involved with, and interested in, corporate strategy and goals. We are regularly reminded about the corporate mission statement, we have strategy meetings where the "big picture" is revealed to us, and we are invited to participate in some decisions. And we're aware of how our day-to-day activities contribute to these corporate goals. This type of managing hasn't been around forever: It's an approach calledManagement by Objectives; a system that seeks to align employees' goals with the goals of the organization. This ensures that everyone is clear about what they should be doing, and how that is beneficial to the whole organization. It's quite easy to see why this type of managing makes sense when the parts work in unison the whole works smoothly too.
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And by focusing on what you're trying to achieve, you can quickly discriminate between tasks that must be completed, and those that are just a waste of valuable time.

Background:
Management by Objectives was introduced by Peter Drucker in the 1950s and written about in his 1954 book, The Practice of Management. It gained a great deal of attention and was widely adopted until the 1990s when it seemed to fade into obscurity. Partly, the idea may have become a victim of its own success: It became so much a part of the way business is conducted that it no longer may have seemed remarkable, or even worthy of comment. And partly it evolved into the idea of the Balanced Scorecard, which provided a more sophisticated framework for doing essentially the same thing. Using Management by Objectives Peter Drucker outlined the five-step process for MBO shown in figure 1, below. Each stage has particular challenges that need to be addressed for the whole system to work effectively.

These steps are explained below: 1. Set or Review Organizational Objectives MBO starts with clearly defined strategic organizational objectives (see our article onMission and Vision Statements for more on this.) If the organization isn't clear where it's going, no one working there will be either.

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2. Cascading Objectives Down to Employees To support the mission, the organization needs to set clear goals and objectives, which then need to cascade down from one organizational level to the next until they reach the everyone. To make MBO goal and objective setting more effective, Drucker used the SMART acronym to set goals that were attainable and to which people felt accountable. He said that goals and objectives must be: Specific Measurable Agreed (relating to the participative management principle) Realistic Time related Notice the "An" in SMART is "agreed." This is sometimes referred to as "achievable" but, with MBO, agreement about the goals is a critical element: It's not enough for the goals and objectives to be set at the top and then handed down. They must flow, or trickle, down through various stages of agreement. The only goal that is going to be met is one that is agreed on. How much easier is to get buy in when the person responsible for achieving the goal had a hand in developing it? For each objective, you need to establish clear targets and performance standards. It's by using these that you can monitor progress throughout the organization. These are also important for communicating results, and for evaluating the suitability of the goals that have been set. 3. Encourage Participation in Goal Setting Everyone needs to understand how their personal goals fit with the objectives of the organization. This is best done when goals and objectives at each level are shared and discussed, so that everyone understands "why" things are being done, and then sets their own goals to align with these. This increases people's ownership of their objectives. Rather than blindly following orders, managers, supervisors, and employees in an MBO system know what needs to be done and thus don't need to be ordered around. By pushing decision-making and responsibility down through the organization, you motivate people to solve the problems they face intelligently and give them the information they need to adapt flexibly to changing circumstances. Through a participative process, every person in the organization will set his or her own goals, which support the overall objectives of the team, which support the objectives of the department, which support the objectives of the business unit, and which support the objectives of the organization. In an MBO system, employees are more self-directed than boss-directed. If you expect this type of independent performance from employees, you have to give them the tools they need.

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Once you have established what it is that someone is accountable for, you must provide the information and resources needed to achieve results. You must also create a mechanism for monitoring progress towards the goals agreed. 4. Monitor Progress Because the goals and objectives are SMART, they are measurable. They don't measure themselves though, so you have to create a monitoring system that signals when things are off track. This monitoring system has to be timely enough so that issues can be dealt with before they threaten goal achievement. With the cascade effect, no goal is set in isolation, so not meeting targets in one area will affect targets everywhere. On the other hand, it is essential that you ensure that the goals are not driving adverse behavior because they have not been designed correctly. For instance, a call Centre goal of finishing all calls within seven minutes might be useful in encouraging the staff to handle each call briskly, and not spend unnecessary time chatting. However, it might be that customers' calls were becoming more complex, perhaps because of a faulty new product, and call Centre operators were terminating the call after 6 minutes 59 seconds in order to meet their target, leaving customers to call back, frustrated. In this situation, the monitoring process should pick up the shift in the goal environment and change the goal appropriately. Set up a specific plan for monitoring goal performance (once a year, combined with a performance review is not sufficient!) Badly-implemented MBO tends to stress the goal setting without the goal monitoring. Here is where you take control of performance and demand accountability. Think about all the goals you have set and didn't achieve. Having good intentions isn't enough; you need a clear path marked by accountability checkpoints. Each goal should have mini-goals and a method for keeping on top of each one. 5. Evaluate and Reward Performance MBO is designed to improve performance at all levels of the organization. To ensure this happens, you need to put a comprehensive evaluation system in place. As goals have been defined in a specific, measurable and time-based way, the evaluation aspect of MBO is relatively straightforward. Employees are evaluated on their performance with respect to goal achievement (allowing appropriately for changes in the environment.) All that is left to do is to tie goal achievement to reward, and perhaps compensation, and provide the appropriate feedback. Employees should be given feedback on their own goals as well as the organization's goals. Make sure you remember the participative principle: When you present organization-wide results you have another opportunity to link individual groups' performances to corporate performance. Ultimately this is what MBO is all about and why, when done right, it can spur organization-wide performance and productivity.

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When you reward goal achievers you send a clear message to everyone that goal attainment is valued and that the MBO process is not just an exercise but an essential aspect of performance appraisal. The importance of fair and accurate assessment of performance highlights why setting measurable goals and clear performance indicators are essential to the MBO system.

Repeat the Cycle

Having gone through this five-stage process, the cycle begins again, with a review of the strategic, corporate goals in the light of performance and environmental monitoring. When you reward goal achievers you send a clear message to everyone that goal attainment is valued and that the MBO process is not just an exercise but an essential aspect of performance appraisal. The importance of fair and accurate assessment of performance highlights why setting measurable goals and clear performance indicators are essential to the MBO system. Tip 1: Implemented on a team level, MBO shows itself in clear team briefing, in effective goal setting, in successful use of reviews, in effective delegation and in the giving and receiving of feedback. These are many of the key techniques needed for effective team management. Tip 2: Implemented on an organizational level, MBO needs the full commitment of the organization, and an underlying system for tracking goals and performance. Because goals must be transmitted from level to level with agreement, goal transmission can inevitably be slow. Full implementations of MBO can therefore be slow and difficult, particularly if non-accounting-based goals are included. This is perhaps why MBO has evolved into the idea of the Balanced Scorecard: MBO on its own may too-easily slip into being nothing more than a financial management mechanism. Tip 3: MBO is essentially a managerial process. Don't use it as a substitute for goodleadership: The two should work together! Tip 4: There's so much more to motivating people than using MBO! Take our How Good Are Your Motivation Skills? Self-test to find out which aspects of team motivation you can improve on.

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Key Points
Management by Objectives is a powerful tool for aligning employees actions with an organization's goals. Its overarching premise is that of employee empowerment. By empowering employees to take responsibility for their performance and allowing them to see how their achievements impact the organization as a whole, you increase people's motivation, dedication, and loyalty. When you bring that full circle and link performance to evaluation and appraisal, you have a strong system that supports and values employees and facilitates great performance.

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Manager:
A person who controls the activities, business dealings, and other aspects of the career.

Definition
An individual who is in charge of a certain group of tasks, or a certain subset of a company. A manager often has a staff of people who report to him or her. As an example, a restaurant will often have a front-of-house manager who helps the patrons, and supervises the hosts; or a specific office project can have a manager, known simply as the project manager. Certain departments within a company designate their managers to be line managers, while others are known as staff managers, depending upon the function of the department.

Types of Managers:
TOP-LEVEL MANAGERS: Top-level managers, or top managers, are also called senior management or executives. These individuals are at the top one or two levels in an organization, and hold titles such as: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operational Officer (COO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), and Chairperson of the Board, President, Vice president, and corporate head. Often, a set of these managers will constitute the top management team, which is composed of the CEO, the COO, and other department heads. Top-level managers make decisions affecting the entirety of the firm. Top managers do not direct the day-today activities of the firm; rather, they set goals for the organization and direct the company to achieve them. Top managers are ultimately responsible for the performance of the organization, and often, these managers have very visible jobs. Top managers in most organizations have a great deal of managerial experience and have moved up through the ranks of management within the company or in another
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firm. An exception to this is a top manager who is also an entrepreneur; such an individual may start a small company and manage it until it grows enough to support several levels of management. Many top managers possess an advanced degree, such as a Masters in Business Administration, but such a degree is not required. Some CEOs are hired in from other top management positions in other companies. Conversely, they may be promoted from within and groomed for top management with management development activities, coaching, and mentoring. They may be tagged for promotion through succession planning, which identifies high potential managers.

MIDDLE-LEVEL MANAGERS: Middle-level managers, or middle managers, are those in the levels below top managers. Middle managers' job titles include: General Manager, Plant manager, Regional manager, and Divisional manager. Middle-level managers are responsible for carrying out the goals set by top management. They do so by setting goals for their departments and other business units. Middle managers can motivate and assist first-line managers to achieve business objectives. Middle managers may also communicate upward, by offering suggestions and feedback to top managers. Because middle managers are more involved in the day-to-day workings of a company, they may provide valuable information to top managers to help improve the organization's bottom line. Jobs in middle management vary widely in terms of responsibility and salary. Depending on the size of the company and the number of middle-level managers in the firm, middle managers may supervise only a small group of employees, or they may manage very large groups, such as an entire business location. Middle managers may be employees who were promoted from first-level manager positions within the organization, or they may have been hired from outside the firm. Some middle managers may have aspirations to hold positions in top management in the future. FIRST-LEVEL MANAGERS:
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First-level managers are also called first-line managers or supervisors. These managers have job titles such as: Office manager, Shift supervisor, Department manager, Foreperson, Crew leader, Store manager. First-line managers are responsible for the daily management of line workersthe employees who actually produce the product or offer the service. There are first-line managers in every work unit in the organization. Although first-level managers typically do not set goals for the organization, they have a very strong influence on the company. These are the managers that most employees interact with on a daily basis, and if the managers perform poorly, employees may also perform poorly, may lack motivation, or may leave the company. In the past, most first-line managers were employees who were promoted from line positions (such as production or clerical jobs). Rarely did these employees have formal education beyond the high school level. However, many first-line managers are now graduates of a trade school, or have a two-year associates or a four-year bachelor's degree from college.

What are different types of managers in an organization: In a manufacturing company you would have: Sales Managers - responsible for making sales Marketing Manager - responsible for advertising Purchasing Managers - responsible for buying raw materials Production Managers - responsible for making the product Finance Managers - responsible for the money Cost Accountants - responsible for analyzing costs IT Manager - responsible for computing Human Resources manager - responsible for staff training and welfare Product Development Managers - responsible for new product design.

The Six Different Types of Managers and How to Work with Their Styles:
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Over a period of severalyears we have researched the different types of managers in Corporate America,and we have identified the following six types of bosses and their leadershipstyles. Read through the descriptions below to find your own manager and discover the beststrategies for dealing with his/her particular management style. We encourage you to read through all the types, as it is most likely that your boss will be heavily identifiedwith one type, but may have some characteristics and influences of the others.

The Control Freak:

This person needs to have everything that is going on in the palm of her/his hand. She doesnt like subordinates making any decisions, no matter how small or innocuous, without first consulting his opinion. Control Freaks will also tend to hoard information. They may assign you to work on a task, but then not tell you everything you need to know to complete the task. You could spend hours working on the task only to find out that half the information you needed was sitting on your boss desk and that he already knew it. Things a Control Freak would never dream of doing:

Running into you in the hall and not asking about the status of a project Let you enjoy your lunch in peace without interrupting to get the latest update on what you are working on

Allowing you to make a decision without being involved Coaching you on handling a problem independently Delegating responsibility How to get along with Control Freak need constant information. The best way to deal with a Control Freak is to status report them to death. This can be a time-consuming pain, but continuously keeping him in the loop is one of the surest ways to keep him off your back. For example, if you are working on a presentation for a Control Freak and you decide to change the background color to better match your corporate color scheme, send him an e-mail just to let him know before sending him the updated presentation. Another way to keep yourself sane while working with a Control Freak is to ask lots of questions about assignments or projects him may give you. Control Freaks use information as power. As long as he has the information, he has the power. As discussed above, Control Freaks have been known to withhold information that was critical to the success of a project. Asking questions will help you to get a better feel for what he knows. Keep in mind that Control Freaks do not withhold information to make you fail. They do it because it assures them that you will return to them for more
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information/ assistance, etc. When you return it gives them a sense of importance, being needed, and most importantly, still being in control. Unfortunately, Control Freaks do not trust anyone easily. They tend to live in fear of what if. For example, What if my boss asks me a question and I dont know the answer? He might think Im incompetent and so forth. So they use manipulative tactics to keep others pandering to them and to ensure that they will be involved in everything that is going on in their department. The trick to keeping your own sanity is to surrender to the knowledge that you cant change your boss. However, delivering what they want and gaining their confidence and trust are critical for your success while working with them. Give him his status reports daily, even hourly if thats what it takes. Send him drafts of your emails and memos. Know that it will take twice as long to complete projects because you will have to wait in line with everyone else to have him review your work. Therefore, keep several projects going concurrently so you can switch back and forth between them while you are waiting to hear back on other projects.

The Autocrat:
This manager has one objective, his own. He does not care about his employees, and nothing anyone ever does is good enough to satisfy him. He is impossible to get along with and is convinced that he is the only competent person working in the company. Things an Autocrat would never dream of doing:

Ask how you think a problem should be solved Admit to making a mistake Tell you what a great job you did Tell you how much he appreciates your efforts

Empower you to make appropriate decisions at your level How to get along with an Autocrat: Autocrats are tough, no doubt about it. They typically have one objective. If you can get them to share that objective with you, it will make your job that much easier, because what you want to do is make their objective your objective. For example, if your boss objective is to be promoted to vice president, then you need to do everything in your power to help him achieve that objective. You might even be promoted along with him. If not, at least you will have made your life easier while coping with him or her. While there is a lot out of your direct control, such as what your boss boss thinks of him, you can demonstrate to your boss that you are a team player (and on his team), and as he
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starts to see you working for his benefit, he will hopefully begin to gain some confidence and respect in you. Just dont expect him to verbally express as much. You will know that your plan is working when he makes you his go to person with any problem that arises. Autocrats and Control Freaks have a lot in common, but the difference is that Autocrats are usually pretty clear about what they want. Control Freaks are less definite about what they want, so they try to control everything in order to keep their options open if they need to change direction at a later date. That being said, there are many tactics that will work for both, such as keeping them apprised of the status of your projects and clearing any decisions you may be making with them before moving ahead. One critical difference between the two is that an Autocrat will respect you if you take a clear position on a problem or situation. Even if the Autocrat does not agree with you, they will typically recognize you for your position. However, if you take a position but are not clear or are unsure about yourself look out. The Autocrat will smell your insecurity and crush you for it. Control Freaks, on the other hand, will not appreciate you having your own opinions, unless, of course, it is completely in line with his or hers.

The Blame Fixer:

This type of boss makes it his/her job to make everyone else responsible for fixing his/her problems. He/she takes no responsibility for his own employees, department, or results. He/she is however, the first to take credit for something which went well. Things a Blame Fixer would never dream of doing:

Standing up at a meeting and accepting full responsibility for a problem Accepting responsibility for the mistake of one of his/her employees Actually getting something accomplished Creating an environment of creativity and openness on his team Sharing the credit with his team on a successful project How to get along with a Blame Fixer Blame Fixers are great at going around an organization and finding all the problems in everyone elses job, department, team, project, etc. The problem is that all they do is point out the problems and then wipe their hands of any responsibility to fix them. There is a Dilbert cartoon that shows Dilbert, his boss and co-workers sitting around a table having a meeting. Every time one of the characters mentions an issue, Wally pipes up and says, Someone should fix that problem or Someone should do something about that. Wally is a Blame Fixer.
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Blame Fixers will also be the first to point out any potential problems with an idea someone has. Nothing will ever work because any potential solution has problems that the Blame Fixer will say are insurmountable. The important thing to remember is that fixing blame and responsibility does not ever fix the problem. It is easy to get sidetracked by a blame fixer because we all want to take pride in our work and we get offended when someone tries to blame us for something that went wrong. Everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect. The Blame Fixers strategy is to get ahead by making everyone else look bad. But the strategy never really works, and the people who get ahead are the ones who actually solve the problems and get the team behind them. So in a situation like this, try fixing the problem, not the accusation. While it isnt exactly fun to have a Blame Fixer for a boss, we suggest that you do. Make an effort to document everything that occurs between you and your boss, particularly on projects, task, assignments and goals. This way, if your boss screws up his work, you will have your own alibi. Be aware than in the event of an extreme blow up, he or she will try to evade accountability, and may try to blame you. However, if you have documented what you were told to do and how to do it, you will be more likely to come through unscathed.

The Soft Heart:

When you first meet this person you will at first think that you have just met the sweetest, most wonderful boss in the world. You will initially get the warm fuzzes and youll believe that its going to be a great job. Do not be fooled. This person is actually spineless. They will tell you exactly what you want to hear, then turn around and do the exact opposite. He or she will leave you hanging out to dry and will be anything but supportive. Things a Soft Heart would never dream of doing

Giving you honest and direct feedback Being up front and open with you Consistently aligning their words and actions Being sincere Openly vacillate about a decision How to get along with a Soft Heart How to get along with a Soft Heart

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Soft Hearts are generally good people, they usually just dont have the intestinal fortitude to be a manager, or they have just been promoted to the position. Being a manger takes guts to tell people what they need to hear, regardless of whether or not the employee likes it. Soft Hearts want their employees to like them, so they try to act nice and supportive. Unfortunately, it is impossible to be a good manager and not piss your employees off every once in a while. Good managers have to make tough decisions, like asking employees to work overtime or to change their behavior. The best way to deal with a Soft Heart is to let them know up front that you would rather they be frank with you instead of telling you what they think you want to hear. Every once in a while, challenge his or her praises on you. Ask why he really believes everything is fine and beautiful. Share your concerns and your perception of reality. Demand that when receiving feedback, he or she also gives you your areas for development and how you can overcome them. Do take note that once you have asked for your boss to be up front and honest with you, you will then need to back up your request by listening to what they have to say and respecting it. If you fail to back up your words by not listening to your boss, you will destroy any chance of having the Soft Heart be honest with you in the future.

The Politician:
This person is charismatic and is always the life of the party. Always fun to be around, the Politician always has something positive to say. The problem is that there is rarely any truth or substance behind it. This person has no real competence; they got to where they are by schmoozing the right people. Your companys organizational culture and values weigh heavily on whether these types of individuals can flourish and thrive, but be assured that you will always find one of these kinds at any employer. Politicians depend on individuals who are competent to make them look good, then turn on them and make them a scapegoat when the employee gets tired of being used. Things a Politician would never dream of doing:

Actually being competent at their job Telling the whole truth Having achievement orientation on their own Working their way up the corporate ladder Not blaming a problem on a disgruntled employee How to Get Along with a Politician: Politicians are naturally gregarious people. When Bill Clinton went on the Arsenio Hall
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Show and played the saxophone, everyone loved him for it. Bill Clintons ability to be the President had nothing to do with playing the saxophone. However, it did make for great entertainment, just like his presidency. Politicians need someone to make them look good. Politicians may never admit to their weak spots but they do know the value of covering their ass with someone who makes them look the part. You need to be that person. The Politician will recognize you for it and take you with them as they get promoted and move through an organization. The best part about working for a politician is that they know everyone, as well as knowing how to talk to them. Use this opportunity for networking potential. Since you will be the Politicians right hand man, you will get the chance to meet everyone he/she meets. Get their business cards and get to know them yourself. This network will be invaluable to you in the event your relationship with the politician sours. The worst part about working for a Politician is that you will never really get the full spotlight for your accomplishments. The Politician will always be center stage. And if he/she does share the spotlight with you, believe us when we tell you that they will make sure you know that its his/her spotlight and that you are only there because they allowed it. Once you get tired of being the brains in the Politicians organization, put that network to use and find another job or boss within your current company.

The Team-Builder:
This is the kind of manager we all want to work for. They are competent at what they do, they know how to be open, and they solicit ideas and creativity from their employees. They are a pleasure to work with. They know how to make the tough decisions, but can do it in a way that is respectful and professional to all involved. Things a Team-Builder would never Dream of Doing

Blocking a subordinates promotion/transfer Ignoring what an employee had to say

Not keeping his word on a promise Telling a lie or withholding the truth Being disrespectful to an employee Taking credit for something one of his team members did How to get along with a Team-Builder. Team-Builders are truly the best kind of manager to work for. They know that their success is your success and vice versa. They give you the tools you need to succeed and enough rope to hang yourself if you want to. However they will also be there to
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catch you when you fall. Team-Builders will coach you while letting you grow at your own pace. The best way to work with a Team Builder is to be open with them. Dont hold anything back. Tell them what you want and what you think. Dont be afraid to share your ideas and creativity. They may not always agree with you, but know that they will respect any idea you bring to the table. Ask them for help when you need it. Dont expect them to fix your problems for you, but know that they will be there to help you think through problems and provide you with additional resources so that you can solve them. Be aware that Team Builders delegate and empower their team members, and in exchange they expect commitment and involvement. Like in a football team, they will make sure that a player who isnt doing his/her part will be addressed. Make sure you understand your role in the team and know what is expected of you. You need to work well with both, if you only focus on your boss and not the team, this type of behavior will bite you back sooner rather than later.

The Types of Managers:

Ever wonder what types of managers are there? Well, wonder no longer, because here they are:

1. Micromanagers: A micromanager is a manager who assigns specific tasks to each employee. Each task is already broken down into specific steps that must be followed precisely; therefore employees do not need to think for themselves. These types of managers are known to scrutinize the output of each task.
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Furthermore, these managers are sometimes known for verifying each step of each task too. Hence, the term "micromanager" implies a manager for each small step or "micro" detail. 2. Teacher: The teaching manager directly works with employees on each task assigned to the employee for two reasons. First, the manager can explain in detail each decision or step in each task. This helps ensure to the manager that the employee understands all aspects of the task. Second, the manager can ask employees for suggestions and possible enhancements to the process. 3. Supporter: Once employees understand their tasks, supporting managers tend to share responsibilities and decision making with their employees as long as the managers are kept in the loop whenever tasks fall out of the normal variance. 4. Task Manager: A task manager delegates all responsibilities and decisions to their employees. This is more of a "hands-off" approach; when employees only ask for advice from their managers with unforeseen circumstances that could be critical to the business. Note that not all managers fall into a single category. For instance, how a manager handles a new employee versus an employee who been in the same position for years will vary greatly. A new employee may need a micromanager. An experienced employee may need a teaching or supporting manager. An employee who may one day become a manager would need more of a task manager.

Different Types of Operations Managers

Operation Managers are an integral part of any company or business. This is because an Operations Managers job encompasses a lot of different roles in the organization. From planning the budget of the company to recruiting new employees, Operations Managers have a large scope of responsibility. So it comes as no surprise that there are variations of the Operations Manager position that covers one or some of the roles that

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would be a part of an Operation Managers job description. Lets take a look at some of the different types of Operations Managers in companies:

Material Manager:

The role of a Materials Manager is to supervise and store the products through the production process. The Materials Manager ships these between departments, warehouses and finally to the customer. In short, a Material Manager would have to make sure that the right thing is bought for the right price at the right time. A traffic manager, logistics manager, materials manager and warehouse manager are some types of Material Managers.

Purchase Manager:

Procuring the raw materials or services like that of a lawyer or insurance company is done by this Manager. The quantity, price, quality and time of delivery are coordinated by the Purchase Manager. The other variations that are part of this job are: purchasing agents, buyer and expediter.

Industrial Production Manager:

As the name suggests, this Manager is common among manufacturing industries. An Industrial Production Manager coordinates all the departments of production in manufacturing businesses. Production scheduling, quality control, staffing, inventory control, equipment maintenance and control and other such roles are a part of the Industrial Production Managers responsibilities. A line supervisor, production planner and manufacturing supervisor are different types of Industrial Production Managers.

Quality Assurance Manager:

A Quality Assurance Manager would work on preventing deficiencies in the production of goods. This is done by preventing any defects, detecting any defects if any and correcting those defects. The standards of the finished product laid out by the company are met. Sampling and inspecting the finished product is part of the job profile of a Quality Assurance Manager. Other offshoots of this job are that of a Quality assurance inspector and quality control technician.
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Logistics Manager:

The Logistics Manager is responsible for managing the supply chain of the product or service. The main aim of a Logistics Manager is to increase the efficiency of improve the efficiency of receiving and shipping the goods. These are some of the different types of Operations Managers that are present in the global marketplace.

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