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Everything you need to know about the skills of an effective manager. Managerial skills are vital to attain the organisational goals. The management cannot be effective if the managers do not possess the right kind of skillset. For better management, every manager needs to possess three types of managerial skills – conceptual skills, human relations skills, and technical skills.

As the managerial cadre changes, the managerial skills required also changes. The nature of the organisation, whether it is manufacturing or service, decides the content of the managerial skills and this varies from organisation to organisation.

Some of the skills of a manager are:- 1. Conceptual Skill 2. Behavioural Skill 3. Technical Skill 4. Human Skill 5. Analytical Skill 6. Administrative Skill 7. Communication Skill 8. Decision-Making Skill 9. Computer Skill 10. Design Skills.

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Managerial Skills: Conceptual, Behavioural, Technical, Human, Analytical, Administrative, Communication and a Few Others

Skills of an Effective Manager – Conceptual, Behavioural and Technical Skills

The skills required for effective management are known as management skills. These skills are required for each and every level of management. The management skills are conceptual, human and technical. Even all these skills are needed for every level of management, but degree of these skills varies from level to level.

1. Conceptual Skill:

Conceptual skill comprises to mental ability of managers to co-ordinate and integrates between internal and external environment of the organization. During the formulation and implementation of plans and policies of the organization this skill is required. The conceptual skill analyzes the environmental opportunities, exploit them fruitfully and correlate them with internal system of the organization. Thus, conceptual skill is helpful in the decision-making regarding the organizational wealth and prosperity.

2. Behavioural Skill:

There are so many people’s working in the organization with different thinking and feelings. Thus, managers should have the ability to work with and understand people in the organization. Such ability is known as behavioral or human skill. The behavior plays a prominent role to work as a team and to cooperate with each other. Managers interact with their peers and superiors therefore, this skill is required to analyse and understand their behavior.

3. Technical Skills:

The ability to use tools, techniques and procedure in the area of specialisation is known as technical skill. The technical, skill is required to perform various jobs and give instructions for carrying out the procedures. Generally, this skill requires more practice before operating a machine.

Although these three skills are required for smooth and effective management, but the degree of these skills varies form level to level. As for as conceptual skill is much more needed at the top level management, less Human or behavioral and a little bit technical skill.

The Human or Behavioral Skill is more required at the middle level comparison to top and lower level of management. The lower level management is involved in the operations. Therefore, they are required technical skill more rather than behavioral and conceptual skills. Thus, we can say every level of management needs all type of skills. They only vary in the degree at different levels.

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Skills of a Manager – Conceptual, Technical, Human, Analytical and Administrative Skill

Skill is the ability in performing a particular task. Several skills are required to manage a large organization successfully in a dynamic environment.

An effective manager should possess the following skills:

1. Conceptual Skill:

Conceptual skill refers to the competence to understand a problem in all aspects and to use original thinking in solving the problem. This skill is needed by all the managers at every level of the organization. This skill helps in visualizing complexities of overall organization and develops a vision to deal with the situations. Such competence is necessary for rational decision-making. This skill helps in understand­ing the relationship between an organization and its external environment.

2. Technical Skill:

Technical skill refers to the ability to use tools, equipment, techniques, procedures, etc., in a specialized manner in performing specific tasks. These skills require specialized knowledge, training, and proficiency in performing a particular job or task. Normally, operating (or supervisory) managers require a high degree of technical skill to provide guidance and instructions to their subordinates. Higher the level of management, the need for technical skill decreases.

3. Human Skill:

Human skill refers to the ability to understand, lead, motivate, and work with other people in the organization. This skill includes interpersonal and behavioural skill of managers to solve problems of their subordinates. This skill requires a sense of feeling for others and capacity to look at things from others point of view. It helps in understanding subordinates and their needs, feelings, and problems. This skill helps in getting cooperation from subordinates and building up effective team work.

4. Analytical Skill:

Analytical skill refers to the ability to solve any problem by identifying and analysing its nature. This skill is a proper blend of analytical ability, common sense, and basic intelligence. This skill is required by every manager for solving complex problems. Managers having such a skill can quickly get into the depth of the problem.

5. Administrative Skill:

Administrative skill refers to the ability to get things done through others. This skill includes the abilities to lead, motivate, communicate, cooperate, and coordinate with others in order to get the things done through others. This skill makes managers professionally sound and pragmatic.

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Skills of an Effective Manager – Conceptual, Human Relations and Technical Skills

Managerial skills are vital to attain the organisational goals. The management cannot be effective if the managers do not possess the right kind of skillset. For better management, every manager needs to possess three types of managerial skills – conceptual skills, human relations skills, and technical skills.

As the managerial cadre changes, the managerial skills required also changes. The nature of the organisation, whether it is manufacturing or service, decides the content of the managerial skills and this varies from organisation to organisation.

1. Conceptual Skills:

The ability to visualise the organisation as a whole from integrated perspective is called conceptual skill. It comprises analytical, creative and initiative skills that help to identify the causes of the problems. These skills are a prerequisite for a manager to plan for every situation and solve the problems for the organisation. Top management requires relatively large portion of conceptual skills and this helps them to plan and organize for the organisation as a whole.

2. Human Relations Skills:

Working with people is not an easy process and it requires human relation skills to understand, communicate and work with others. Managers can lead, motivate and develop teams only if they possess human relations skills. Though apparently, these skills are vital for every level of management, the top and middle level managers in particular should be strong at human relations skills.

3. Technical Skills:

A technical skill is the ability to perform the given job on different machines and with necessary tools using the given procedures and techniques. The low-level managers are in-charge of the actual operations and hence they need to be very strong at technical skills.

Though the above skills are considered as broad categories of managerial skills, of late, specific skills such as – communication skills, administrative skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills have assumed a great deal of importance and these are focused in every training programme across organisations.

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Skills of an Effective Manager – Technical, Analytical, Conceptual, Human and Communication Skills

1. Technical Skills:

If an individual is a professional, e.g., engineer, accountant, lawyer, etc. it is clear that he has to have professional skills in his particular field. This is necessary irrespective of whether he wishes to remain a specialist or has ambitions of entering general management. In most companies, it is unlikely that an individual will be considered for broadening into general management unless he has proved his abilities and gained experience in his own specialist field.

Society as a whole and commerce and industry in particular have become so complex that it is no longer sufficient to have your own specialist skills even if you have no ‘generalist’ ambitions. Some knowledge of finance is essential. Numeracy or facility with numbers and familiarity with computing techniques are becoming increasingly necessary. The higher the individual wishes to rise in the organisation, the greater the breadth of skills he will need to master.

2. Analytical Skills:

The ability to break a problem into its component parts, to discern internal relationships, to identify the causes and effects, to detect pattern, to sift the available data and to reject the irrelevant detail are some of the steps that have to be gone through in a disciplined and rational manner if problems are to be solved.

It is necessary to be clear about what the real problem is. Frequently, we confuse the effect for the cause and the symptom for the malady. It is often more important to ask the right question than to look for the right answer.

Problem identification is a key step and when it has been accomplished, the solution may not be too difficult to find. Analytical skills are essential, although not always sufficient for problem-solving. Without these skills, there will be no alternative to intuitive or what is sometimes called ‘seat of the pants’ judgement. The latter has a place in management but it is likely to be very much; more effective if it is preceded by rigorous analysis.

3. Conceptual Skills:

If you are to run a large department, a division or a whole organisation whether in industry, Government or in public life, you need a kind of overview of the entire organisation and its environment. Without this conceptual framework, you cannot develop a comprehensive vision for the total organisation.

In one corporation this quality is known rather vividly as the ‘helicopter’ quality; it means that a manager should be able to view his problems or activities from a high vantage point from which he can get the total picture.

A useful analogy is to consider traffic control. The policeman at the junction can only see traffic within his immediate vicinity. He has little idea of how it is building up at the neighbouring junctions. If he is in radio contact with a traffic controller hovering above him in a helicopter the latter can give him the total picture of the buildup of traffic in a larger area and the policeman at the junction can react to his own problem with this improved vision.

An efficient manner is often described by others as being ‘on top of his job’. This is an almost exact description of the helicopter quality. Superficially, it means that he has mastered his job and is very good at it but that is not the full meaning. It implies that he has the total picture or literally an ‘overview’.

The analytical approach described earlier initially provides a view of the problem from within. By supplementing this through the overview, external influences and relationships can be superimposed and the problem subjected to deeper analysis.

This should lead, by the use of creativity and imagination to the development of a hypothesis and the construction of a ‘model’ of the problem which can be tested either intellectually or, if appropriate, in the field in order to validate it. If it goes well, you have a solution. Thus analysis, overview and imagination are all necessary ingredients of a recipe for problem-solving.

It is necessary to add that the phrase conceptual skill is somewhat wider even than the helicopter or overview approach. It means a vision of the entire business and indeed of society in the years to come in the context of all its linkages with the external and internal environment — economic, political, societal and international forces and trends, frontiers of science and technology, etc.

Budding Managing Directors need to develop strengths and sharpen their skills in this area by continuing effort, self-improvement and such outside help as may be available. This is a process which begins in Management schools but needs to continue throughout an individual’s working life.

4. Human Skills:

Life as much as business is all about people- working with people, through people or for people. Most managers have a boss, peers, and subordinates within the organisation. In addition, they have to deal with people in the external world- Government servants and regulatory agencies a particularly important group in the Indian environment, customers, distributors, suppliers, shareholders, financial institutions, trade unions, politicians, opinion leaders, social workers, special interest groups (e.g., environmental groups, consumer associations and the like and competitors).

It will be apparent that absolute power is an illusion and that even the chairman of the largest corporation cannot achieve his objectives without considerable interaction with people within his corporation and many more without.

With the passage of time and growing environmental complexity, all managers will need to develop greater skills in dealing with people within the organisation and outside it and the more senior they are the more time they will be devoting to this activity. Skills at manipulating people if they can be acquired and practised are unlikely to succeed for long since the victims are likely to see through them very quickly indeed. What is needed is the ability to communicate openly and effectively.

Managers have to be willing to listen to people, understand them and their motivations, put themselves in their place and communicate their ideas effectively. Managers also need leadership qualities if they aspire to the Boardroom since corporate objectives can be achieved only through people who have to be recruited, trained, motivated and led. This can be done only through the development of skills in human resources management.

One or two qualifications may be appropriate. It is doubtful whether an individual’s underlying personality traits can be changed. The most one can hope for is to develop a consciousness of one’s own personality characteristics, to smooth out rough edges and to avoid giving unintended offence. If an individual is essentially a loner and is uncomfortable with people, he may be better off in small business, in R&D or in a consultancy role where the ability to get on with people may be less critical.

It must be recognised, however, that hardly any activity with the possible exception of a Trappist monk can be carried out without interaction with people. Even in R&D where there is relatively more scope for loners, there is an increasing tendency at a cooperative, multidisciplinary approach involving groups of people.

5. Communication Skills:

If you have to deal with people, you have to communicate with them orally and in writing. Brevity is said to be the soul of wit and it is certainly essential in business since busy managers do not have the time or the patience to listen to or read long-winded presentations and memoranda.

The ability to prepare a position paper, an agenda for a meeting, minutes of a discussion, memoranda and budget proposals can be easily taught and learnt but is sadly greatly neglected. Communication is a two-way process; apart from learning how to communicate to others, it is necessary to learn how to listen, to see through curtains of social and other barriers, circumlocution and hidden meanings.

Operating Disciplines:

We now come to an omnibus group of skills which for want of a better term might be called operating disciplines.

They comprise:

i. Distinguishing between ‘study’ and ‘action’ phase of a programme,

ii. Goal setting, monitoring and critique,

iii. Time management,

iv. Work planning,

v. Completed staff work, and

vi. Management of meetings.

i. Study and Action Phases:

Experience suggests that Indian managers are strong in coming up with ideas, particularly so where implementation is the responsibility of others. They tend to be less strong in evaluating the ideas, prioritising them, making plans for their execution, monitoring progress and assessing at the end whether the project achieved what was expected and finally critiquing the experience, i.e., considering what lessons can be learnt for the future.

To make this process, effective, it is necessary to distinguish between a ‘study phase’, comprising exploration analysis and conceptual consideration, and a decision making, priority setting, planning for implementation, monitoring of progress and critique.

It is necessary to analyse the problem, consider and evaluate the options and reach a conclusion ‘freezing’ the solution; this should be done neither too soon, i.e., without adequate study nor too late, i.e., dithering or being indecisive. Having reached a decision, an implementation plan with appropriate resource allocation, monitoring of progress and a periodic critique to learn lessons for the future are essential.

Self-administered ‘critique’ is an important discipline for managerial effectiveness in all its facts.

ii. Goal Setting:

Having taken a decision, setting up goals for the organisation and for the individuals concerned is an important step without which monitoring of performance (preferably by the individuals themselves) and accountability are not possible. In a result-oriented organisation, goal and priority setting, followed by monitoring and critique will be well-established practices.

iii. Time Management:

Time is perhaps the most exhaustible and non-renewable resource. An effective executive needs to manage its use carefully. Planning your day, setting aside discrete segments of time for undistributed work, identifying the mode which brings out one’s creative faculties and effective delegation are some of the means of ensuring effective utilisation. This process requires considerable self-discipline.

iv. Work Planning:

To get the best out of an activity, it is usually necessary to plan for it, unless it is a case of unavoidable crisis management. There are repetitive tasks and events in a working year which take place at predetermined timings, e.g., annual budgets and review, meetings, performance appraisal interview, etc., which can be planned for.

Similarly, a manager should plan for a meeting he expects to attend. This would include pre-reading of the agenda and position papers, defining his own objectives collecting data and marshalling the necessary arguments, formulating tactics, discussing with other relevant participants points of mutual interest, etc.

After the meeting, the question should be asked whether the job objectives were achieved and what lessons, if any, could be learnt.

v. Completed Staff Work:

It is the easiest thing in the world for a manager with a problem to go to his boss and seek his advice. The chances are that the latter will quickly suggest a solution based on his experience, knowledge and haunch.

This approach is counter-productive for the organisation since the boss has possibly reacted without adequate study and the evaluation of all the available options. It is also counter-productive for the subordinate since it will have provided no learning experience and encouraged laziness and over dependence.

In the majority of cases the right course is for the subordinate to identify the problem, consider the options and their pros and cons, and come up with a workable solution. He should translate that into an action plan with all the relevant documentation.

He should then go to the boss, set out the conclusion, describe the options, pros and cons, etc., and present a document for the boss to sign. This is in essence ‘completed staff work’. It saves the boss a great deal of time and provides the subordinate with a valuable learning experience. Initially the boss may have other suggestions and may not accept the conclusion and action plan but with practice the plan is likely to be approved in the majority of cases if the subordinate is any good.

vi. Management of Meetings:

Whether one likes it or not, the larger the organisation the more the time spent on committees and meetings. An effective manager has to learn to manage and participate in meetings. To draw up an agenda, to prepare position papers, to formulate one’s own goals for the meeting, to direct the discussion into productive channels, to try to encourage creative interaction, to close the discussion at the appropriate time, to help reach a consensus and to record minutes are some of the steps that have to be mastered.

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Skills of a Manager – Technical Skills, Human Skills, Conceptual Skills, Analytical Skills and Administrative Skills 

The term ‘managerial skill’ means the personal ability put to use by a manager for the accom­plishment of organisational goals. The job of a modern manager has become very complex. He requires different types of skills to manage a large organisation in the fast changing environment.

R.L. Katz has given three types of managerial skills as follows:

(i) Technical skills

(ii) Human skills

(iii) Conceptual skills.

Some authors have added two more skills to the above list. These are analytical skills and admin­istrative skills.

(i) Technical Skills:

Technical skill implies proficiency in a specific kind of activity particularly the one involving methods, processes, procedures or techniques. We can visualise the technical skill of the surgeon, the musician, the accountant or the engineer, when each is performing his own special function. Such functions involve specialised knowledge, analytical ability within the specialised field, facility in the use of tools and the techniques of the specific discipline.

Technical skill is very important in managing. The first line supervisor in a manufacturing firm needs greater knowledge about the technical aspects of the job compared to his top boss. In a small manufacturing organisation, even the top boss who owns the company needs to have a lot of technical skills. However, in big organisations, technical skills are more important at the lower levels.

Managers need technical skills to guide and train subordinates. They cannot handle their subordi­nates if they do not know how the jobs are done. There are two things a manager should understand about technical skills. In the first place, he must know what skills should be employed in his unit. Secondly, the manager must understand the role of each skill employed and also the inter-relationships between different skills.

(ii) Human Skills:

Human skill is the manager’s ability to work effectively as a group member and to build coopera­tive effort within the team he leads. Every managerial level requires managers to interact with the subordinates working with processes and physical resources. Human relations skills are required to win cooperation of others and build effective work-teams. Such skills require a sense of feeling for others and capacity to look at things from others’ point of view.

Human skills are reflected in the way a manager perceives his superiors, subordinates and peers. A person with human skills is sufficiently sensitive to the needs and motivations of others in the organisation. With human skills, managers can resolve intra and inter-group conflicts. An awareness of the importance of human skills should be a part of every manager’s orientation.

(iii) Conceptual Skills:

Conceptual skill means the ability to see the organisation as a whole and it includes recognising how the various functions of the organisation depend on one another. It also makes the individual aware how changes in one part of the organisation affect the others. It extends to visualising the relationship of the individual business to the industry, the community and the political, social and economic forces of the nation as a whole. Thus, the manager gains insight into improving the overall effectiveness of the organisation.

(iv) Analytical Skills:

These refer to abilities to proceed in a logical, step-by-step and systematic manner, to examine the various aspects of specific issues and to understand complex characteristics of a phenomenon. It is also the ability to break down a problem into its components and to ‘clinically’ examine its dimensions. Analytical skills are needed for problem solving and decision making, to evaluate performance, and to manage complex situations.

(v) Administrative Skills:

These centre around ability to act in a pragmatic manner, get things done by implementing deci­sions and plans, to mobilise and organise resources and efforts, to co-ordinate diverse activities and to regulate organisational events in an orderly manner.

Skill Requirement at Different Management Levels:

The managers at each level will require technical, human and conceptual knowledge and skills to successfully carry out the tasks assigned to him. However, the mix of knowledge and skills required at each level will have to be different in tune with the tasks to be performed. At the supervisory level, technical skills are more important for the success of a supervisor’s job.

As he moves up the hierarchy, increasing demands are made for conceptual skills. Human skills are more or less equally important at all levels. Technical skills can be learnt easily, but conceptual skills can’t be attained unless an individual has the potential and capacity to learn them.

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Skills of a Manager – Classified as Technical, Conceptual and Human Relations Skills

Managerial skills are the skills needed to a successful manager. These can be viewed from the differing emphasis placed by different management thoughts. According to management science group is a decision maker and should use mathematical models and computers to help them in arriving at optimum decisions. Behavioral scientists emphasise on the leadership and motivational skills.

Managerial skills can be classified as follows:

1. Technical Skills:

He should have proficiency in handling methods, processes and techniques required for his job.

2. Conceptual Skills:

He should be able to see the entire company, and recognise inter-relationship among different functions and should be able to guide effectively to his subordinates for organisational goals. Technical skills are required more for lower level managers, while conceptual skills are required more from top management.

Conceptual skills are decision making skills and organisational skills. Decision making skill is the ability of a person to take timely and accurate decisions, while organisational skills help select and post different people at work best suited for them.

3. Human Relations Skills:

This is the ability of a manager to work effectively with others and build cooperation in his learn so as to achieve organisational goals. For this purple he should have communicating skills, motivating skills, and leadership skills.

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Skills of a Manager – 4 Categories of Skills of an Effective Manager: Technical, Conceptual, Human and Diagnostic Skills

The job of a manager has become very challenging several skills are, therefore required in order to be a successful manager.

The skills of an effective manager may be classified into four categories:

1. Technical skills

2. Conceptual skills

3. Human skills

4. Diagnostic skills

1. Technical Skills – Technical skills refer to the ability and knowledge in using the equipment, techniques and procedures involved in performing specific tasks.

2. Human Skills – Human skills consists of the ability to work effectively with other people both as individuals and as members of a group.

3. Conceptual Skills – Conceptual skills comprise the ability to see the whole organisation and the inter-relationships between its parts. Such skills help the manager to conceptualise the environment, to analyse the forces working in a situation and to take a broad and foresighted view of the organisation.

4. Diagnostic Skills – Diagnostic skills include the ability to determine, by analysis and examination, the nature and circumstances of a particular condition. It is the ability to cut through unimportant aspects and quickly get to the heart of the problem, i.e., logical thinking, analytical reasoning and creativity.

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Skills of a Manager – Technical, Human Relations, Analytical, Conceptual, Decision-Making, Computer Skills and Communication Skills

What are the skills associated with the managers of these levels? Or what are the skills required for these managers and in what degree? Or what is the degree of involvement of levels in the aspects of management process, viz., planning, organising, staffing and controlling?

The answers to these questions will tell us the type of skills required to be possessed by the managers at different levels. “A skill is an ability or proficiency in performing a particular task.” The skills like (i) Technical skill (ii) Human Relations skill (iii) Analytical skill (iv) Conceptual skill (v) Decision-making skill (vi) Computer skill, and (vii) Communication skill are to be possessed by the managers to effectively manage the organisation.

These skills are briefly analysed in the following paragraphs:

(i) Technical Skill:

This skill is required for first line managers. These managers will be in charge of direct production and hence should know the technical aspects of production and should be in a position to technically guide the subordinates. The “particular” knowledge has to be possessed by the operations manager. He should possess the ability to adopt techniques to have efficiency in production.

Similarly, the bottom line managers should possess skill in their area of work. Accounting supervisor should have accounting knowledge to maintain accounts in order. Every manager of specific function at each level should have knowledge about his area of operation and bottom line managers like supervisors or foremen or superintendents should have more knowledge, techniques and resources to perform well. The manager who works as production manager should possess specialised knowledge and expertise to execute work-related planning, programming and accounting.

(ii) Human Relations Skill:

Every manager has to work with human beings. Human resources form a vital part in the organisation. Unless the managers understand the people working with them (top and lower cadres), they cannot become effective managers. As things have to be got done by other people, the managers should be able to understand, communicate and work with them. The quality of leadership is determined by the types of human relations the managers maintain with their workers.

“Human relation skill is a reflection of manager’s leadership abilities.” The success of an organisation depends upon considerable human relations skill. Managements believe that employees have a basic desire to work with zeal and as members of a company they contribute their mite to society. They reward employees for good performance. They are honest in understanding their employees to the core. We can see alive human relations oriented philosophy in many companies and “TATA Group” practices this philosophy. This skill is their main stay, for success.

Thus, Human skills are the ones that develop cooperation within the team lead by the manager. This is more concerned with attitudes, perceptions, communication power of the individual, human resource management etc. These skills are more concerned with people and working with them.

(iii) Analytical Skill:

This skill is concerned with the analysis of a situation to take sound managerial decision. Every manager is posed with several problems. He should be quick in his action to solve these problems. Here is the need for analytical skill. The manager should locate the real problem, identify the disturbing elements and then adopt suitable solution to solve that problem. Without understanding the situation, an action plan to solve the problem cannot be prepared. The vision, creativity and intelligence of the manager will take the organisation in a successful path.

(iv) Conceptual Skill:

Every manager should have an integrated approach to run the organisation successfully. Conceptual skill demands that every manager should have an approach to look at the organisation as a whole. The manager should understand as to how the various segments of the organisation go together. “Integrated Systems Approach” is the core of conceptual skill that manager should possess. How the systems and sub-systems are interrelated and work for the common cause of the organisation is well explained by conceptual skill.

This skill “consist of the ability of a manager to see a big picture.” Many managers blend conceptual and analytical skill to develop a long range plan for their organisations. It is said that Chairman of matxushita, japan has developed a 250 year plan for his company by combining conceptual and analytical skills. He picks-up a solution which he feels better for solving the problem.

Thus, Conceptual Skills, involve the ability to understand the organisation as a whole. Policy making body should possess these skills to a greater extent to know how various functions of the organisation support one another how the organisation responds to the external environment and how changes in one operational function will affect the other, operational function.

Every manager should possess every type of skill. It is a challenging task. That is why managerial positions are occupied by challenging personalities who possess required skills to perform their tasks effectively.

(v) Decision-Making Skill:

Selection of solution determines the managerial skill of the manager. The decision he takes determines the quality of his thinking and ability. A good decision maker is a good analyst too. Every manager should be able to take sound decisions. They can develop this skill only when they are capable of analysing the situations well. Both analytical and conceptual skills of a manager help him in taking successful decisions.

Take for example the Reliance Industries. “Although dogged by controversies, the company continues to maintain its lead in the Indian Corporate world. In spite of huge profits it has remained zero tax payer and has now entered into the new sectors like power, telecom and infrastructure in a big way and the corporate ladder is gelling too short for this giant.” (ET 500 special issue). This is an example of good decision-making at a top level.

(vi) Computer Skill:

Today’s manager should have a first-hand knowledge about computers which provide fast information at finger tips. One should have the knowledge of computer terminologies like hardware, software, and should be able to adopt appropriate software for carrying out the tasks in the organisation. The manager, if need be, should develop a software fitting to his organisation activities. Today there is explosion of information technology and computers are widely used in all offices and industrial and service sectors. This acts as a sound decision-making tool, it increases the manager’s productivity.

(vi) Communication Skill:

This skill requires the ability of person (Manager) to tell, what he wants, to tell in an effective way. This enables the receivers of the message to carry it promptly. The manager who has to get things done by others should be proficient in oral and written communication. “The communication skill is critical to success in every field, but it is crucial to managers who must achieve results through the efforts of others.”

Frequent communication is the only way to build employee trust and co-operation which is essential for the success of the organisation. Therefore every manager should possess sound communication skill to find out whether his fellow workers have understood his thinking and decisions. This can be made out by getting a feedback from the employees.

Skill Difference at Different Levels:

The different types of skills vary from one managerial level to another. If technological skill is required more at the bottom line, the top managers need more conceptual and analytical skill. Every level manager needs communication skill at a reasonable degree.

Skills vary from one level to another. Top managers concentrate on decision-making skills which are assisted by conceptual, analytical and computer skills. They being the policy makers should be able to see the organisation as a whole. “Seeing the Big Picture” capacity should be possessed by them. The middle managers act as liaison officers and are a vital link between first level and bottom line.

This managerial position is found in complex organisation. They need more of analytical and human skills and have more computer and communication, skills too Bottom line managers are more concerned with production and should know of skills concerning production. Therefore they have more of computer and technical skills.

When a manager moves upwards from one level to another, technical skills become less important and conceptual skills become more important. This means as manager advances in his position, he or she will be involving more and more in guiding the organisation and less attention will be given to operational aspects.

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Skills of a Manager – Conceptual and Technical Skills (With Importance of Skills at Different Levels)

The job of a manager demands a mixture of many types of skills, whether he belongs to business organisation, an educational institution, a hospital or a club. We can broadly classify the skills required by managers into the following three categories – (i) Conceptual skills (ii) Human Relations skills, and (iii) Technical skills. Technical skills deal with jobs, human relations skills with persons and conceptual skills with ideas. The three types of skills are interrelated and they are required by all managers.

But the proportion or relative significance of these skills varies with the level of management.

(i) Conceptual Skills:

Conceptual skill is the ability to see the organization as a whole, to recognize inter-relationships among different functions of the business and external forces and to guide effectively the organizational efforts. Conceptualization requires extensive knowledge, imagination and ability to see the ‘big picture’ of the organisation.

Conceptual skills are used for abstract thinking, and for the concept development involved in planning and strategy formulation. Conceptual skills involve the ability to understand how the parts of an organisation depend on each other.

A manager needs conceptual skills to recognize the interrelationships of various situational factors and, therefore, make decisions that will be in the best interests of the organization achieve their cooperation. Human skills are the abilities needed to resolve conflicts, motivate, lead and communicate effectively with others.

Because all work is done when people work together, human relations skills are equally important at all levels of management. Every manager should be able to communicate effectively and also understand what thoughts others are trying to convey.

(ii) Technical Skills:

Technical skills refer to specialized knowledge and proficiency in handling methods, processes and techniques of specific jobs. These skills are most important at lower levels of management and much less important at upper levels- The production supervisor in a manufacturing plant, for example, must know the processes used and be able to physically perform the tasks he supervises.

The data processing supervisor must have specialized knowledge about computer software used in the system. In most cases, technical skills are important at the lower level because supervisory managers must train their subordinates in the proper use of work-related tools, machines and equipment.

Besides the above skills, the managers, particularly at upper organisational levels, must also have design skills. These involve competencies to solve organisational problems in the light of the prevailing external environment of the organisation. These are also known as diagnostic and analytical skills.

Diagnostic skills include the ability to determine by analysis and examination, the nature and circumstances of a particular situation. It is the ability to cut through unimportant aspects and quickly get to the heart of the problem, i.e., logical thinking, analytical reasoning and creativity. Diagnostic skills are probably the most difficult ones to develop because they require the proper blend of analytic ability with commonsense and intelligence.

Importance of Skills at Different Levels:

There are various levels of management; and the managers at various levels perform all the functions of management though in varying degrees. Thus, the level of skills required at different managerial levels varies. Conceptual skills are critical in top executive positions whereas technical skills are very essential for lower level management. Technical skills can be learnt easily, but other skills cannot be learnt unless an individual has the potential and capacity and an inner urge to learn them.

Conceptual skills are highly important for top management which is responsible for formulating long-range plans and policies for the whole business. Human skills are important at all levels of management. This should be obvious as management is the process of getting things done through and with people.

At every level, managers interact and work with other human beings. But technical skills are most important for the first line management which has to oversee the use of equipments, tools, processes and procedures. The relative importance of technical skills decreases as one move up to higher levels of management.

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Skills of a Manager – Conceptual, Analytical, Human Relation and Behavioual, Administrative and Technical Skills

Manager is a person who has to ensure the performance of tasks entrusted to various subordinates and then to workers. It is quite easy to do some job but it is equally difficult to get the job done by others, that too in a way one wants it. The manager has to do it. Naturally he must possess some qualities for the purpose.

Generally we are in habit of passing out remarks on other’s work (bad or good). In that, we generally say that so and so has managed the situation nicely. The same/time we unknowingly compare this person with some other and may remark that this another person would not have been able to handle the situation as the first.

When both the persons having same status of position are subjected to handling a particular situation, why can there be a difference or variation in the result? Logical and prompt answer to the question is, that the first one has more capabilities than the other.

A manager of any organisation is required to perform various jobs, most important of these is personnel management. This relates to handling of human resources. Finance is life blood of any organisation. Its management is also equally important. So is marketing management.

These jobs are required to be managed by getting the things done in better result oriented manner. This naturally requires certain qualities and capabilities. These capabilities are known as skills. Such qualities and capabilities that are required to be possessed by managers are known as ‘Managerial skills.’

These skills are required to be developed. They are not inborn. Some psychological and analytical qualities may be inborn, even then, managerial skills are to be developed.

Management, itself, is aimed at better results that suit the organisation. Academic knowledge of management is not sufficient for this result oriented process of management. The managers are required to use their own, conscious and abilities for this i.e. “the skills’. As discussed above these managerial skills are to be inherited and acquired. These skills are to be developed on the basis of some important factors. Thus managerial skills can be classified on the basis of these factors.

This classification is as under:

(1) Conceptual Skills:

These skills refer to application and interpretation of various concepts like management concepts, psychological concepts, social concepts etc. The manager is responsible for all the activities of the organisation right from performance, result, a clear foresight and future vision.

For this the manager is required to visualise the organisation as a whole system. Thus he cannot restrict his vision to any aspect singularly. If a manager is able to do this he becomes successful in coordinating various sub-systems and in relating them with complete system in effective manner and subsequently ensuring their smooth functioning.

Another use of conceptual skill is to develop the understanding and visualising the future in abstract form. This includes anticipated responsibilities of changing environment in near and/or distant future, discovering various opportunities that may be provided by such atmosphere, as well as spotting out problems and problem areas that may arise out of dynamic situations etc.

Such an anticipation and visualisation help the manager in relating them to strength and weakness of the organisation so that precautionary measures for problems and preparation for exploiting the opportunities can well be prepared.

The conceptual skills relate to the abilities of the manager to know different departmental or sectional objectives and integrate them in broad organisational objectives to formulate strategies.

Thus it is evident from the above discussion that the functions as mentioned above are almost the functions of top management and therefore “possessing conceptual skills” is of utmost importance for them, otherwise their efforts may not be translated in good results.

(2) Analytical Skills:

A manager has to foresee future events in abstract form. This future vision is based on present events and prevailing trends. As such a manager must be able to analyse the present events, situation, technology etc. to base his strategies. He must have that much intelligence by which he can read between the lines.

A manager has to face many problems, solutions to which are expected from him. Solution to any problem can be derived only after analytical understanding of problems. Here, also he requires analytical ability. An organisation has to perform complex and complicated tasks through its workers. Performance of such jobs is not possible unless they are divided in sections.

Division and subdivision of tasks can be done only after analytical study. Last but not the least a manager is supposed to evaluate the performance of his subordinates and has to assess existing moral among them. This is, also, based on analysis of behaviour. Thus analytical skill also, is important to be possessed by managers. Top level and second level managers must have analytical skill.

(3) Human Relation and Behavioual Skills:

Every manager has to get the work done by others. Performance of any job or worker is affected by the behavioural attitude of the work. If a manager wants good performance, he must have the capacity as well as capability to understand the behaviour of workers and he must be able to identify the factors which have affected it.

Human behaviour is directly correlated to the degree of satisfaction of needs. An unsatisfied soul cannot give satisfactorily results, therefore the manager must find out unsatisfied needs of the workers. Interest and values are also equally important for behaviour.

The manager, thus, has to establish rapport with the workers. He has to interact with them. He further has to develop warm relationship and conducive interpersonal relations. The manager has to guide, direct and lead the workers and finally motivate them.

All the things can well be done by the manager if he possesses human relation and behavioural skills. If this skill and analytical skill are used as supplementary to each other, good results are assured. Naturally middle level managers need this type of skill.

(4) Administrative Skills:

Top level management takes decisions, formulate policies aimed at accomplishment of organisational goals. These decisions and policies are communicated to lower level of management which is entrusted with their implementation. Such implementation is to be done by various people.

Thus it becomes a collective job related not only to members of a group but to various groups also. Naturally coordination becomes key factor. This is again administration. Administration includes coordination between various activities as well as groups, seeking effective utilisation of available and allocated resources and getting things done by subordinates.

This requires pragmatism in thought and action. The way and ability to administer is known as administrative skills. The work of administration and implementation is entrusted to lower level managers. Therefore this skill is most needed by them.

(5) Technical Skills:

Technique is nothing but the knowledge of methods, procedures to be adopted in handling jobs and situation. The employees have to perform jobs which can be divided in sub jobs. Each of these requires some method and procedure by which it can be performed.

Now- a-days, new and modern technologies are emerging very fast. If any organisation wants to stand in the changing environment of technologies, it is imperative on its part to adopt them. These technologies ensure revised and improved methods and procedures along with new modernised machines.

It is the managers who must get acquainted to these things as well as modernise his know how and thus has to acquire expertise. This is because, unless the manager / supervisor know, he cannot guide his workers in performing jobs.

Secondly the manager must know the details of all the jobs which include its sub-jobs, way of performing each of them, the sequence in which they are to be performed and the areas or stages where the actual performer may need his guidance. Unless the manager knows all these, he would not be in a position to give justice to his own job.

Thus the manager must have these technical skills.

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Skills of a Manager – 4 Basic Skills Required by a Manager: Conceptual, Human, Technical and Design Skills (With Effectiveness v/s Efficiency)

A manager is required to possess varied skills since the job he needs to perform is complex and multi-dimensional. He has to be creative, innovative and dynamic so that he can easily confront and resolve the challenges he has to face while his functioning sphere. A manager needs to possess foresightedness so that he can understand the future happenings and prepare himself well in advance for the challenges foreseen by him in future.

Or else, he will not only invite troubles for himself but also become victim of events. In managing an organization, the manager has to keep on having an effective planning and control over the management of Men, Machine, Material, Methods, Minute, Market, Morale, Money and Management of data to achieve the set organizational objectives and goals.

Basic Skills required by a Manager:

1. Conceptual Skills:

While talking about conceptual skills of a manager, we refer to his cognitive ability to consider the organization as a whole and develop deeper relations among its various parts. This category of skills gives a meek reference to mental ability of the manager to understand the ramifications of the complex situations.

Managers are responsible to identify problems, and evaluate alternatives to solve them and adopt strategies which suit the best in interest of the organization and its personnel. A technically and interpersonally competent manger may also not be able to perform his best if he does not possess the conceptual skills to rationally process and interpret information.

2. Human Skills:

Human skills possessed by a manager takes into account the ability of the manger to work with and through human capital of his organization. It refers to his abilities to work as a leader to his team of professionals involved in various functions.

Such skills are reflected by the manner in which a manager relates to his personnel in the sense of the motivation, facilitation, coordination, leadership he provides to his fellow colleagues and resolve internal conflicts, if any. No manager possessing extraordinary human skills will be able to perform effectively even if he has strong conceptual and technical skills.

3. Technical Skills:

A technical skill of a manager is the show case of his understanding and proficiency in the performance of a specific task. It includes his expertise over various methods, techniques and equipment employed to perform specific functions like engineering, banking, manufacturing, finance, and others.

The basket of technical skills also carries specialized knowledge, analytical ability and competence of a manager to use tools and techniques in order to solve different problems in the specific discipline of his concern.

4. Design Skills:

Design skills of a manager are shown by his abilities to workout optimum solutions for an organization which will work best in the interest of an organization. A manager equipped with design skills requires flexibility in thinking, an urge to be creative and different from others. He should also be self-disciplined, confident, having buoyant nature, some degrees of restlessness, positive attitude and an analytical mind.

Besides the skills explicitly mentioned above, the most important attribute of a manager as has been rightly said by Virgil, “For they can conquer who believe they can.” Thus what matters the most is equipping oneself with competencies that are a combination of knowledge skills, behaviour and attitudes that contribute to personal effectiveness.

Today’s dynamic and highly competitive work environment requires development of competence on a continual basis in line with the demands of the market in order to target personal and organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

All business enterprises have five dimensions- material, intellectual, emotional, volitional and spiritual. All these five dimensions do not work in isolation. Though they have five different areas of operation yet they are found to be highly interwoven in an organization. While material dimension refers to concern of physical life such as physical, equipment, comfort, safety, adequate pay and financial viability.

The intellectual dimension on the other hand takes care of the collective intelligence of employees along with their urge to develop and become learned, as well as the effective use of resources available and plan productively to stay abreast of the latest developments- to be on the “cutting edge” if technology in their fields.

The emotional dimension takes care of the work environment and look into how well people get along their colleagues in order to work in a team. Effective teams require members who are concerned with maintaining the needed skills, who can foster mutual trust, listen well and get and give positive feedback, along with an absence of defensiveness in their dealings.

In simpler terms, people having maturity in emotional development make effective teams. The desire and will to improve of people working in the organization contribute to the volitional dimension. The ability to change, demands the willingness to do things differently. Finally, the spiritual dimension deals with moral issues of people such as justice and respect. Each individual in work area should be empathetic and accept his fellows as unique and treat them with dignity.

However, most organizations focus on material and intellectual dimensions in order to bring about changes. Some may also lay emphasis on volitional change and emotional and spiritual aspects are left ignored. The resulting lack of balance almost guarantees only limited success at best and often failure.

Effectiveness v/s Efficiency:

While effectiveness may be understood as doing the right things, efficiency on the other hand may be doing things right. The effectiveness of management is not limited to application of ideas in business and industrial enterprise but its functional area is way wider.

It encompasses to all the organizations which work to achieve the pre-defined goals and objectives set by a chief executive or a manger with the help of a group of people. The pre-condition for efficiency is effectiveness. Efficiency without effectiveness may lead to wastage of resources deployed efficiently.

The manager’s functions can be briefly summed up as under:

i. Forming a vision and planning the strategy to realize such a vision;

ii. Cultivating the art of leadership;

iii. Establishing the institutional excellence and building an innovative organization;

iv. Developing human resources;

v. Team building and teamwork;

vi. Delegation, motivation and communication;

vii. Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps whenever called for.

Thus, Management may be understood as a process searching for excellence by aligning right people for right job and infuse commitment in them to achieve a common goal.

Next important question pondering each manger is the way to become effective in his job. The mantra for managerial success in displaying the qualities and expertise superior to all others in his competition which would make him stand higher than the one he is managing and competing with. In case he fails to do so, he will turn out to be just another face in the crowd in today’s highly competitive and challenging era.

The fast changing technological developments that have taken place during the last and a half decade, have totally changed the business environment and have posed various challenges along with opportunities to the managers. The most prominent change has taken place because of the internet.

As Business Week magazine describes it, “The Darwinian struggle of daily business will be won by the people and the organizations that adapt most successfully to the new world that is unfolding.”

Business world today is completely different than the one which was observed in pre-reform period. The buzz words altering the business environment are globalization, competition, internet, knowledge economy which is resulting in fast generation and multiplication of novel ideas.

Besides, collaborations across geographical borders have also contributed significantly. The introduction of highly advanced information technology in business world has made it mandatory for managers today to effectively manage management information system and related strategies but also acquire updated computerized communication skills to develop and manage business relationships over these wireless networks.

Besides this, managers are also entrusted to develop stronger business networks between a company and its stakeholders including partners, equity holders, suppliers, customers, government, etc. The globalised business world has posed serious challenges for each business entity irrespective of its size, location or scale of operation.

The element of competition and marketing has been strongly infused in the business world due to opening up of the gates of business for foreign players. Now the perspective has changed completely form becoming local leader to global leader by capturing world market share and becoming the best across the globe in the long run.

The essential needs for new, unique and practicable beneficial ideas are the most unexampled force for change in management horizon today. Gary Hamel has rightly put it as, “We have moved from an economy of hands to an economy of heads. Knowledge management would become a basic prerequisite for every organization. It would basically focus on tapping the organizational and intellectual resources of an organization – human assets; help people collaborate and learn, help people generate new ideas and harness these into successful innovations.”

This clearly indicates that organization introducing innovation and novice workable commercial ideas would only be the ones to survive the cut-throat competition in business world. Continuous introduction and implementation of smooth strategies is a must which demands collaboration within and outside in the business world.

Companies will have to introduce a conducive environment, so that productive communication among different departments, divisions, groups, etc. becomes a natural phenomenon. Similarly, effective communication and flow of information between the company and suppliers, customers, ad agencies, consultants, etc., has to result into collaborative efforts to come out with win-win situations.

Thus, the new and emerging era consisting of internet, globalization, knowledge management and importance of new ideas and above all collaboration across boundary-less society, have paved the way for new philosophies of management to effectively respond to the emerging challenges.

The leaders and managers of tomorrow have to manage situations amidst a highly dynamic environment. The rules of the game would necessitate a perfect balance between old models and philosophies of management and new emerging internet models.

The concept of effective management is all-pervasive and is not necessarily restricted to corporate entities which aim for achieving a well-defined worthwhile goal through the Chief Executive, also known as the leader, who finalizes efforts and energy of all team members. Therefore, management is a people driven process in search of excellence, so as to achieve a well-defined corporate goal by ensuring due benefit and value to the customer and society in general.

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