Traits of a Functional Manager Essay Example for Free

Traits of a Functional Manager Essay A managers role in any organization is the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of human and other resources to achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively. (Jones,2011,pg. 4). Now that we have all of the hoopla out of the way and we have a word for word description of what management is, we will now discuss exactly what a managers role is as far as the employee goes and then maybe touch on what a manager should do, and how he should act to be effective. Management of 25 years ago has changed drastically throughout the years. Management, especially upper management, ruled the roost and usually had a reputation for being feared or somebody who could administer discipline with no remorse. This is the management of long-ago. Even though we describe the role of the manager in a typical organization today, there are still certain traits that a manager should have and with these traits a manager will excel in applying the four functions of management. A managers role in a company or organization is spelled out above, but in laymans terms a manager is expected to directly control or lead employees by example and organization to make sure that the job is done right. This would include directing certain employees or subordinates to make sure there is plenty of material available to aid in production of a product. A manager must also make sure that an employee running the machine has the raw material available and that the machine is set up within specs to put out a salable, prime product. After the product is manufactured a manager must also make sure that the product is delivered to either the next process, quality inspection, or shipping. This will depend on the type of product being made and exactly what is being produced. A manager is also required to make sure that the hours of the employees are accounted for and remunerated accordingly. Depending on what type of management, a human resources manager would be concerned with making sure that the organization has employees that are correctly skilled to the right level to aid in the manufacture of the organizations product. A manager can have many roles in an organization, this is why there are different levels of management ranging from first line managers, middle managers, top managers, and the CEO or owner of the organization. If all the management and employees work together as one, an organization or company should run like a well oiled machine. One of the traits that I think that a manager should possess and will excel him at his job is agreeableness. In order to be a decent manager you must be high on the level of agreeableness. If you attain this level you will be well-liked, and get along very well with others including other managers. This would be a big plus while maintaining the four functions of management. In the planning stage of any project is definitely a lot better to deal with people if you had a question concerning that project. People will be more apt to talk with you in depth about planning a project or even a company from the base stages and so on if you were a likable person. If you werent well-liked, well I know if I dont like somebody I am very less likely to even talk with the person let alone answer questions in depth. Thats just plain old psychology 101. In all stages of business management you are a well-liked person that people like to talk to, the organizing, leading, and controlling of employees and resources in any organization will flow like water. The reason for this is in all the stages of management there are other employees and even other managers that you will have to deal with in order to organize, lead, or control a situation in the organization. It is much better to deal with these people with a happy face as the text states, The great leaders of tomorrow realized that putting on a human face and communicating with their employees isnt easy if you have a reputation as a subdued, distant or intimidating person. (Walmsley,2003,para. 8). Another management trait that is way up there in my opinion is conscientiousness. This is the tendency to be careful, scrupulous and persevering. (Jones,2011,pg. 80). Of course this is what the text says but how I would describe it would be a person who sees the job through with a keen eye for detail and organization. Managers who have a high level of conscientiousness are a big plus for any organization due to the fact that any tasks that are given to them will be seen through completely to the end with meticulous detail. In the four stages of business management, conscientiousness would be a plus for every stage individually. The planning stage goes without saying because a person who is meticulous and pays attention to details will leave no rock unturned when it comes to planning any stage of an organization. This rings true in the organizing part of management also. An organized manager is one who will have all his ducks in a row, that is knowing exactly where every timecard or order form is. He will know every step of the production process and make himself available. Being very scrupulous according to definition is a big plus in any organizing tasks. In leading employees, a manager should be very careful in how they make statements or handle employees. The careful part of the definition would take care of this to a T because in being a manager one must always be careful when dealing with employees or subordinates due to the fact that you never really know whats going on in another persons life. Body language and demeanor can be read but being careful what you say or how you lead will get the job done. This would be the same instance in controlling the situation and organization, whether it be a person, subordinate, or even another manager, if you are careful how you attack the situation you will surely persevere. The final trait that I would like to propose that all management should possess is extroversion. If a person is highly extroverted they have a tendency to experience positive emotions and moods and feel good about oneself and the rest of the world. (Jones,2011,pg. 47). In other words a person who is an extrovert or has a high level of extroversion has a tendency to be outgoing, friendly, and socially forthcoming. He would be the one you would like to talk to a party, but in the same instance he would also be the one you would like to discuss a work related problem with. Communication is the horse in which all extroverts ride. He is a manager who will be there when he is needed and even discuss personal problems when queried. A manager who is highly extroverted will be a highly skilled communicator, capable of problem solving. Extroverts dont necessarily have to be intelligent due to the fact that upper-level extroversion is based on positive emotions and moods. Extroverts will also exhibit a high level of agreeableness due to the fact that they are usually well-liked. In regards o the four functions of management, the extrovert would probably be the first one to the management planning meeting and have nothing but great things to say as the outcome. An extrovert will be the first one to congratulate you on a job well done. He would be the one that brought a boost to the moods of anybody else in the meeting. Even though an extroverted manager may bring light to different situations when it comes to social interactions such as meetings or company dinners, they may or may not be organized but in my opinion they would have a high level of control over their subordinates or employees in which they manage. An extroverted manager would be a great leader because of their feel-good attitude and positive emotional imprints. They would definitely possess traits that people would follow and in turn would disperse a feeling of satisfaction with the job. And according to many texts but primarily Singh Ashish, Satisfaction with job has always been an area of concern for both practicing managers and academicians, primarily because of the reason that job satisfaction significantly affects major organizational outcomes, such as individual performance, organizational productivity, employee absenteeism and employee turnover. (Singh,2011,para. 1) This sounds like a very positive reason to have someone capable of spreading a high level of job satisfaction. There are many other personality traits that would be positive in a managers role. Even though we describe the role of the manager in a typical organization today, there are still certain traits that a manager should have and with these traits a manager will excel in applying the four functions of management. Other than those described previously, self-esteem, locus of control whether by internal or external and openness to experience are a few that, depending on which side of the scale you are on, would be positive as a manager trait also. The three that I feel are the most relevant are listed above as agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extroversion. If a manager possessed all three of these traits, some in moderation of course, I would for sure have a tendency to hire him or her as fully competent in fulfilling the job of a management position.