Being a Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Being a Manager - Essay Example Their rises through the ranks are discussed at length from their points of view as expressed during the interviews and in summary; it is found that the management escalator model fits with their career advancements. In any organizations, the role of management is crucial in ensuring the smooth running of activities and day to day operations, it is for these purpose that certain individuals; by virtue of their academic qualification, experience or both occupy management positions in most firms either formerly or informally (Reh, n.d). Specific duties of managers vary in different firms; nonetheless, managers are generally tasked with the responsibility of planning, monitoring and directing the efforts of a group of individuals place under him/her. They may direct works through supervisors or do it directly, however for one to be an effective manager, they needs must be familiar not only with the workers or supervisors, but also with the jobs, which they do. This is not to say they mus t be the best at any, or all the duties carried out by their subordinates many, who are specialists, however, they should have some understanding of the working of the different departments to be able to synchronize their activities as well as to direct the efforts. Managers specialize in is in knowing how to manage the resources at their disposal in their particular organizations and departments, and this mostly means human resource, however they also oversee the use of other resources such as money and equipment (York 2009, 185). In many organizations, managers emerge from the teams therein especially individuals who prove they have not only the requisite skills and experience but also leadership skills. Thus it is possible a specialist or technician to escalate to the top of the ranks and become a manager, they will apply not only their technical skills but acquired experience and judgment as well as familiarity with firm procedures to run their respective departments (Richard 20 01, 17). In this essay, focus will be on management and based on how the managerial escalator (Rees and Porter, 2001) applies to the career experiences of two managers who have made it to management levels from the bottom. The term managerial escalator refers to the progression of responsibilities in a firm gradually from technical or specialist to managerial positions gradually through time to help employees acquire the managerial skills while honing their technical skills. Initially, specialists spend a major fraction of their time in the organization engaged in their fields of specialization, however , the more competent specialist or those who show leadership potential gradually acquire supervisory duties, albeit informally at times. This is because leadership skills are necessary in a manager, these can be seen in their behavior and attitudes, and they are used to determine if he/she is capable of taking charge and responsibility of a team (Wilson et al, 2006, 21). The promotio n of the best performers can often be attributed to the fact that most organizations run on a reward system, however employees who gain academic credentials such as master’s degree substantial improve their chances of â€Å"escalation†. The transition from technician to management is takes time and this can be as much as 5 to 10 years or as little as one year, depending on the organization’s structure. Specialist may begin to acquire more responsibilities than their peers and even seniors based on their competence