(1) «The Work of Management»

All modern managers essentially face three managerial tasks:

1. Managing work and organizations.

2. Managing people.

3. Managing production and operations.

No matter what an organization engages in, its managers will face these three tasks. Thus, managing is more than solving behavioral problems; it is more than solving technical problems; it is more than managing individual work; it is more than planning a department's future. The work of manage­ment is all of these. Learning to be a manager requires knowledge and skills relevant to each of these three tasks.

Managing Work and Organizations. Whether the organization is small or large, private or public, management must make sure the work of the organization gets done and the organization itself is managed. For example, a college dean must make sure the work of the school gets done. Programs must be planned and classes scheduled; students must be advised; classes must be taught; faculty must be hired and evaluated. However, the college as an organization or entity also must be managed. Decisions must be made regarding the organization of the college, the number of departments, the development of job descriptions, aid the assignment of tasks and authority. Decisions also must be made regarding changing educational needs and their im­pact on the present work of the college. Enrollments must be projected, new buildings planned, and funding needs identified. In all kinds of organizations, both the work and the organization itself must be managed.

Managing People. The popular saying that management is "getting work done through other people," although an oversimplification, underscores the importance of the managerial task of managing people. There are no "peopleless" organizations, so managers must know how to motivate, lead, and communicate, and they must understand interpersonal relations and the behavior of groups of people.

The organizations in our society are far more than instruments for providing each of us with goods and services. They also create the settings in which the majority of us spend our lives. In this respect, they have profound influence on our behavior.

Managing Production and Operations. Every organization does something. It may manufacture automobiles, cure the ill, educate, protect, govern, or entertain. The process used to produce the organization's output also must be managed. The term production focuses on manufacturing technology and on the flow of materials in a manufacturing plant. In fact, the production function in a manufacturing organization is specifically concerned with the activity of producing goods: the design and operation of a system of people, materials, equipment, money, and informa­tion to produce a product or group of products.

The term operations is broader in scope and is used for the production activity in any organization—goods-producing, service-producing, public, private, profit, or nonprofit. Operations management is similar to production management except that it focuses on a wider class of problems. It includes organizations whose technologies may be quite different from those of a manufacturing firm.

UNIT 5

Text «The work of management»

Assignments:

I. Words to remember:

to engage in – нанимать, занимать

behavioral problems –проблемы поведения

behavio(u)r – манеры, поведение

managing work and organizations – управление работой и организациями

managing people – управление людьми

managing production and operations – управление производством и технологическими операциями

to hire – нанимать (на работу)

to evaluate – оценивать

relevant – уместный, относящийся к делу

impact – n 1. удар, толчок, импульс;

2. столкновение, коллизия

3. влияние, воздействие

v 1. плотно сжимать,

2. плотно укреплять

to entertain – v 1. принимать, угощать, занимать, развлекать;

2. питать (надежду, сомнение)

manufacturing technology – производственная технология (технология производства)

flow of materials – движение материалов

production function – производственная функция

to motivate – побуждать, служить мотивом (причиной);

мотивировать

interpersonal relations – межличностные отношения

the settings – окружение, окружающая обстановка;

регулирование, установка

scope – n 1. диапазон, размах, охват

2. пределы, рамки, границы

II. Read and translate the text “The work of management”.

Try to understand the main idea and be ready to retell the text.

3. Answer the following questions to the text.

1. What are managerial tasks?

2. Do managers often face all three managerial tasks?

3. How do you understand the expression “managing work and organizations”?

4. Do you agree with the saying that “management is getting work done through other people”?

5. What is the role of the organizations in our society?

6. Who is providing each of us with goods and services?

7. Have the organizations profound influence on our behavior?

8. Can the process of goods production be managed?

9. What does the term “production” focus on?

10. What does the term “operations” determine? Is this term broader in scope?