The process approach
Scientific management led to the development of the ‘process’ approach. This approach is crucial to our understanding of task management in modern organizations. One of the simplest ways of explaining the process approach is through the diagram known as the transformation model (or the input/output diagram). The basic transformation model is provided in Figure 1. [...]
Scientific Management
Many management techniques are rooted in an approach to management that focuses on the careful control of tasks. Historically, this was referred to as ‘scientific management’ because it was felt that the manager’s role was like that of a scientist, to control, or at least intervene in, processes in order to change them. For the [...]
Time saving and time planning
One approach to saving time is to identify the main wasters of time in your working life – and eliminate them. Some major time-wasters are: giving a higher priority to new email than is necessary accepting all telephone interruptions encouraging people to discuss their problems with you encouraging visitors holding meetings which are unnecessary, badly [...]
Work shedding
By work shedding we mean: stopping doing some tasks changing the task method to one taking less time reducing the quality of some work transferring tasks to other people Getting rid of some of your work is an obvious solution. The problem for some managers is that they don’t know how to, or are unwilling [...]
Managing your time
For many managers the most difficult and stressful problem they have to deal with is shortage of time: the work simply will not fit into the time available. Many courses and books are available on time management to train people in techniques for managing their time. As with so many management techniques, there is no [...]
Reducing stress
Methods of reducing stress that work for the manager are also likely to be effective for the work team: less stress among direct reports will reduce demands on the manager. Possible actions include: Promoting collaborative working approaches. If you are careful to involve members of your team in making decisions about matters that affect them, [...]
Symptoms of stress
It is common for managers to seek work or responsibilities even though they know this will increase the pressure on them. The stimulus of responsibility, of achieving work or personal targets, and of working against deadlines provides much of the interest and satisfaction in their work. However, this pressure can become counter-productive if it is [...]
Causes of stress
The most common causes of stress are: Demand For the manager, demand will include responsibilities such as: responsibility for the work of others and having to reconcile overlapping or conflicting objectives – between group and organization, between individuals and group, and between one’s own objectives and those of other managers responsibility for innovative activities, especially [...]
Recognizing and avoiding stress
Most people would agree that a certain amount of pressure is tolerable, even enjoyable. Different people, of course, react in different ways to pressure. Some people tolerate more than others do. But we are often at our best when the adrenalin is flowing and when we are working under pressure to achieve good results within [...]
Making the transition into management
Seven stages of transition have been identified which apply to management and indeed many other life and work transitions, especially when a transition has been quite sudden (Adams et al., 1976). These are set out below. Immobilization: the initial ‘frozen’ feeling when you do not know what to make of your new role. Minimization: you [...]
Transition into management
Ironically, the same skills that help individuals to become managers may prevent them from becoming an effective manager. One of the most common reasons for promoting someone to managerial status is that he or she has excelled as a ‘player’. Most sales managers have been successful salespeople, most production managers have worked well on the [...]
Characteristics of effective managers
Which special characteristics, if any, do effective managers possess? What makes a manager effective in one organization, one situation, at one time, can be ineffective in another organization, situation or time. There are few universals in management. But some researchers do claim to have identified a range of characteristics that are common to the more [...]
