Section 2 Manager

1.2.1 Who are the Managers

Managers are those individuals who are responsible for coordinating the activities of others so as to make contributions to the organization's accomplishment of its expected mission in the process of collaboration.Generally,managers consist of two parts:Firstly,there are persors who decompose the target task into many manageral activities,task and are responsible for the final push to complete the goal.This kind of person is the core of the organization or senior leaders.Secondly,there are organization's key members who execute all aspects of concrete managerial activities such as planning,organizing,controlling,etc.Managers are an important group in an organization.

The efficient managers devote themselves to completing the tasks,achieving the goals and coordinating activities of others with various managerial work.Managerial work refers to various activities that managers conduct to enable themselves to contribute to the completion of organization's expected tasks during the process of coordinating others'work.

1.2.2 Types of Managers

From the vertical angle or the different levels that managers belong to,the managers can be divided into three types:basic-level managers,middle-level managers and senior-level managers.The number of managers at every level decreases from base to top to form a pyramid.Basic-level managers are responsible for directing and coordinating the non-management employees'activities and never command other managers.The middle-level managers are responsible for directing and coordinating the activities of the subordinate managers,and sometimes command non-management personnel directly.Top or senior-level managers coordinate the activities of the entire organization through commanding middle-level managers,and they are not subject to the command of others within an organization.

From the horizontal angle or according to the different fields of management,managers can be divided into two types:comprehensive managers and functional managers.Comprehensive managers are generally senior managers who are responsible for the management of certain types or the whole in an organization such as the general manager.Functional managers are generally middle-level or basic-level managers who are only responsible for the activities of certain managerial functions such as personnel,finance,marketing and so on.

According to different types of positions,managers can be divided into chairman,general manager,department manager,project manager,etc.

1.2.3 Roles of Managers

The management expert Henry Mintzberg found out that managers usually play ten kinds of different but highly relevant roles through his study.

(1)Roles of interpersonal relationship:It refers to the roles the managers are playing when they bring about all kinds of contact with various people.This kind of role is people-centered by means of association,leadership and contact,which can be roughly divided into three different roles:①Figurehead.②Leader.③Link man.

(2)Roles of information delivering:It refers to the managers'roles in acquisition,processing,transmission of various information resources.This kind of roles focuses on information communication by means of information gathering,processing and transmission,which can be roughly divided into three different roles:①Listener.②Spreader.③Spokesman.

(3)Roles of decision-making:Roles of decision-making refer to the managers who make decisions and take measures toward a series of major or sudden problems in the managerial process.This type of roles takes decision-making as the center by means of promoting transformation,clearing troubles,allocating resources and negotiating,which can be roughly divided into four roles:①Entrepreneur.②Victor of chaos.③Distributor of resource.④Negotiator.

In reality,the focuses of these ten types of roles that the managers play at different levels in the organizations are different because of different types of organizations.That is the conversion of roles of managers.

1.2.4 Requirements of Managers'Skills

Generally speaking,managers should possess three kinds of skills:technical skills,personnel skills and decision-making skills.

(1)Technical skills:Technical skills are the ability to complete organization's missions by using technique.The managers need to understand and grasp the basic technical knowledge in the special fields of management in order to execute effective management.

(2)Personnel skills:The managers must be able to recognize each individual,give each individual a post,unite all the members,organize the members and arouse the enthusiasm of the members to achieve organizational goals.

(3)Decision-making skills:Decision-making skills are namely the ability of analyzing,judging and decision-making.The higher the level the manager belongs to,the more complicated the environment and the problems the manager is facing,and the more decision-making skills are needed.

The above three kinds of skills demand differently for different levels of managers.The managers at relatively lower levels mainly need technical skills and personnel skills.The managers at relatively higher levels mainly need personnel skills and decision-making skills.For the managers at the highest level,decision-making skills are the most important part.

1.2.5 Managers'Mental Models

Mental model is the basically stable thinking methods and behavioral habits which are shaped by one's past experiences,knowledge and values.A person will consciously or unconsciously understand and think about the problems that occur from a fixed angle,and use the customary manner to solve them once his/her mental models formed.Everyone has his or her own particular mental model as the result of education which is also formed in specific living and working environment.

Managers'mental models will decide in the large degree the thoughts and behaviors of themselves and eventually directly affect the efficiency and effectiveness of managerial activities.So what the mental models of the managers especially the excellent managers are?

(1)Foresight and sagacity:It includes:①The ability of mastering the latest information about scientific and technological knowledge.②Systematic method of thinking.③Progressive values.

(2)Sound psychological quality:Psychological quality refers to the basic characteristics which are everlasting and stable manifested in the process of certain individual's activities and personality.Among a number of outstanding psychological qualities,the following characteristics are very important:①Self-awareness and confidence.②Emotions and feelings.③Wisdom,courage and insight.④Tolerance and patience.

(3)Excellent personal characters:Excellent personal characters are important elements and bases for a person to develop sound habits.Manager's mental model can not form without his/her excellent personal characters,which include:①Bold and enterprising.②A sense of mission.③Hard-working and studious.④Optimistic and enthusiastic.⑤Honest and alert.

1.2.6 The Structure of Managers'Abilities

Managers must possess some abilities to complete the managerial process,and this kind of abilities is the assemble of various abilities.The key abilities include the following aspects:

(1)Innovative ability:It is based on a person's sense of innovation and is the most important ability of excellent managers.The managers with innovative ability usually have the following main features:broad interests,keen insights,systematic thinking,dialectical thinking,independent thinking,self-confidence,the courage to face difficulties and so on.

(2)Conversion ability:It refers to managers'abilities to transform the idea into workable and concrete work plan.No one can become a real manager without the experience of practical managerial working.Conversion ability often manifests as the abilities of integrating,transplanting,reforming and innovating.

(3)Adaptability:It mainly manifests as the abilities of innovating and scheming in coping with the changing situations.It means that the managers can consider the situations,adjust to the changing circumstances,discern the direction of the change and persevere.

(4)Organization and coordination ability:During the process of input-transformation-output of an enterprise,the ability of organization and coordination is particularly important.If there is no organization and coordination,there is no management.The managerial ability to organize and coordinate is concentrating on fostering team spirit to optimize the operation of the organization's work,and strengthening the coordination and feedback between the individual and the whole.

1.2.7 Managers'Ethics and Social Responsibilities

1.Four Different Moral Values

Administrative ethics are principles or standards for judging the managerial behaviors.With regard to moral standards there are four different points of view:

The first one is the utilitarian view.It is a point of view of processing managerial problems completely in accordance with the outcomes or results.

The second one is the view of power.It is the point of view relating to the respect for and protection of individual's freedoms and privileges.

The third one is the view of fairness.It means that the managers act according to the principles of fairness or justice.

The fourth one is the view of social contract.It means that the managers should make decisions according to various industries'and enterprises'existing standards of ethics.

In practice,most people adopt the utilitarian view,because it is consistent with the efficiency and profit targets.Utilitarianism takes it as the right thing to do for the majority by sacrificing the interests of the minority,emphasizes the new trend of social rights and social justice,so it means that managers need the rules of ethics based on the standard of non-charity.It is a challenge for today's managers because it is more ambiguous to make decisions according to the standards of the individual rights and social justice than to make decisions according to the utilitarian standards such as efficiency and profits.Thus it leads to moral managerial dilemma faced by the managers.

2.The Influencing Factors of Managerial Ethics

Whether a manager's behavior is ethical is the result of the complicated interactions among the developing stages of the managers'moral management and individual characteristics,the design of organizational structure,organizational culture,the intensity of most problems.

3.How to Improve Moral Behaviors

Moral behaviors can be improved from the following aspects:selecting the staff with higher moral qualities,building up moral standards and decision-making rules,advocating moral rules by the leaders,specifying work targets,doing moral training,evaluating comprehensive performance,doing social audit,providing a formal protection mechanism.

4.Social Responsibilities of Enterprises

Enterprises'social responsibilities are a kind of obligations to pursue a long-term beneficial target of the society.Enterprises'social responsibilities have become an important factor of managers'consideration.There have always been two viewpoints about whether an enterprise should bear the social responsibilities:

Favoring views include:①Responsing to the public's expectation.②Conforming to the long-term interests.③Being driven by moral obligations.④Meeting the requirements for building public images.⑤Creating better atmosphere.⑥Resolving the conflicts with the government.⑦Good for favorable balance of responsibilities and rights.⑧Being driven by the interests of shareholders.⑨Meeting the needs of reasonable occupancy and resource utilization.⑩Preventing social problems.

Opposing views include:①Violating the principle of profit maximization.②Undermining the company's mission.③Increasing the cost of doing business.④Expanding the power of the enterprise.⑤Enterprises cannot take a lot of responsibilities.⑥No broad social authorization.⑦Lacking public support.

Society provides the soil for the survival and development of the enterprises,and the enterprises are existing by depending on the society.Only through full implementation of social responsibilities can the enterprise eventually win praise of the society,establish sound images and enhance its competitiveness.

5.How Do the Enterprises Take Social Responsibilities

Social responsibilities taken by enterprise can be divided into two categories:One is the enterprises'impacts on society,the other is enterprises'responsibilities toward social problems.For the former responsibilities that the enterprises must assume,specifically three approaches can be taken:①To undertake the social responsibilities by taking actions to eliminate the adverse effects.②To convert these social influences into enterprises'developing opportunities.③To restrict the impact of enterprise on the society through the formulation of various laws and regulations.For the other kind of responsibilities,the most effective way is to take social innovation,namely to convert a social problem into a kind of new,profitable business opportunity,make the enterprise obtain social benefits in solving social problems and also get significant economic benefits at the same time.

6.The Embodiment of Social Responsibilities

The responsibility of the enterprises to the environment:Enterprises are influenced by the environment and are also affecting the environment.Therefore,enterprises shall take the responsibilities of protecting the environment:Enterprises should play a leading role in protecting the environment.Enterprises should take green products as the object of research and development.Enterprises should promote the application of environmentally friendly technology and the governance of environment.

The responsibility of the enterprises to the employees:Do not discriminate employees,organize staff training,create a good working environment,and take other measures to treat employees decent.

The responsibility of the enterprises to the customers:Provide safe products,give correct information of products,offer after-sales service and necessary technical guidance,give customers the right to choose.

The responsibility of the enterprise to the competitors:Form orderly competition,correctly deal with the relationship with the opponents,not only compete but also cooperate in competition,avoid unfair competition.

The responsibility of the enterprises to the investors:Bring high returns for investors,provide accurate and timely information to the investors.

The responsibility of the enterprises to the community:Provide employment opportunities,create social wealth,and make more contributions to the community.