Fundamental Management Skills and the Science and Art of Management  

BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and  leadership classes offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.management training courses, leadership classes, business short courses

Fundamental Management Skills and the Science and Art of Management

Given the complexity inherent in the job of a manager a reasonable question to be asked is whether management is a science or an art.  In fact, effective management is a blend of both science and art in its application.  And successful executives recognise and value the importance of combining both the science and the art of management as they practice their craft.

BOTI’s management training courses, leadership classes and business short courses offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.

 

The Science of Management

Many management problems and issues can be approached in ways that are rational, logically thought out , objective, and systematic.  Managers can gather data, facts and objective information. They can use quantitative models and decision-making techniques to arrive at “correct” decisions.

They also need to take a decidedly scientific approach to solving problems whenever possible, especially when they are dealing with relatively routine and straightforward issues. For example, when the multinational, Starbucks, considers entering a new market, its managers look closely at a wide variety of objective details as they formulate their plans. Technical, diagnostic, and decision-making skills are especially important when practicing the science of management.

 

The Art of Management

Even though managers may try to be as scientific as possible, they often need to make decisions and solve problems on the basis of intuition, experience, instinct as well as personal insights.  By relying heavily on conceptual, communication, interpersonal, and

Time management skills, for example, a manager may have to decide between multiple courses of action that look equally attractive.  In many cases even “objective facts” may prove to be wrong. When Starbucks was planning its first store in New York, market research clearly showed that New Yorkers preferred drip coffee to more exotic espresso-style coffees.  After first installing more drip coffee makers and fewer espresso makers than in their other stores, managers had to backtrack when the New Yorkers lined up clamouring for espresso.  Starbucks now introduces a standard menu and layout in all its stores, regardless of presumed market differences, and makes necessary adjustments later down the line. Thus, managers must blend an element of intuition and personal insight with hard data and objective facts.

To carry out these management functions properly, managers rely on a number of specific skills.  The most important management skills are technical, interpersonal, conceptual, diagnostic, communication, decision-making, and time-management skills.  BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and leadership classes cover all the essential management skills.

BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and leadership classes offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.

Technical Skills

Technical skills are the skills necessary to accomplish or understand the specific kind of work being done in an organisation.  Technical skills are especially important for first-line managers.  These managers spend much of their time training subordinates and answering questions about work-related problems.  First-line managers must know how to perform the tasks assigned to those they supervise if they are to be effective managers.

 

Interpersonal Skills

Managers spend a considerable amount of time interacting with people both inside and outside the organisation.  Therefore, for obvious reasons, managers also need interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate with, understand, and motivate individuals and groups.  As a manager climbs the organisational ladder, he or she must be able to get along with subordinates and peers, as well as those at higher levels of the organisation.  Because of the multitude of roles managers must attend to they must also be able to work withsuppliers, customers, investors and others outside of the organisation.

BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and  leadership classes offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.

Conceptual Skills

Conceptual skills depend on the manager’s ability to think in the abstract.  Managers need the mental capacity to understand the overall workings of the organisation and its environment, to grasp how all the parts of the organization fit together, and to view the organisation in a holistic manner.  These skills enable them to think strategically, to see the bigger picture and to make broad-based decisions that serve the organisation overall.

BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and  leadership classes offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.

Diagnostic Skills

Successful managers also possess diagnostic skills, or skills that enable them to visualise the most appropriate response to a situation.  A physician diagnoses a patient’s illness by analysing symptoms and determining their probable cause.  Similarly, a manager can diagnose and analyse a problem in the organisation by studying its symptoms and then developing a solution.

BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and leadership classes offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.

Communication Skills

Communication skills refer to the manager’s ability to both effectively convey ideas and information to others and effectively receive ideas and information from others. These

skills enable a manager to transmit ideas to subordinates so that they know what is expected of them, to coordinate work with peers and colleagues so that they work well together and to keep higher-level managers informed about what is going on. In addition, communication skills help the manager listen to what others say and to understand the real meaning behind e-mails, letters, reports and other written communication.

 

Decision-Making Skills

Effective managers also have good decision-making skills.  Decision-making skills refer to the manager’s ability to correctly recognise and define problems and opportunities and to then select an appropriate course of action to solve problems and capitalise on opportunities. No manager makes the right decision all the time.  However, effective managers make good decisions most of the time.  And when they do make a bad decision, they usually recognise their mistake quickly and then make good decisions to recover with as little cost or damage to their organisation as possible.

BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and  leadership classes offer you the opportunity to improve your skills at all management levels.

Time-Management Skills

Finally, effective managers usually have good time-management skills.  Time management skills refer to the manager’s ability to prioritise work, to work efficiently and to delegate appropriately.  As already noted, managers face many different pressures and challenges.  It is easy for a manager to get bogged down doing work that can easily be postponed or delegated to others.  When this happens, unfortunately, more pressing and higher-priority work may get neglected.  BOTI’s management training courses, business short courses and leadership classes offer you the opportunity to expand your management skills in all disciplines.

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