ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT

MMB 533
LECTURE 3 – FUNCTIONS OF A MANAGER

LECTURER:
Dr L. SEBONI
OFFICE: 247/475
[email protected]
 FUNCTIONS OF A MANAGER
LECTURE AGENDA

Management styles

Management
responsibilities and tasks
Delegation Process
 Management Styles

 A management style is a term that refers to the

nature of the relationship between managers and
non-managerial employees.

 There are many different management styles.

 Mazda has identified seven management styles:

Administrators, Time servers, Climbers, Generals,
Supporters, Nice Guys and Bosses. [Homework 1]

 The different styles arise because of the difference in

the personality of the managers concerned.
 Management Styles
 Experienced managers have learned to vary their style
to suit the situation.

 It is, however, difficult to adopt a style that is

diametrically opposite to one's own personality. Why?

 Different management styles would be required to

handle different situations, e.g. the means of dealing
with a disciplinary matter will differ from that used in
problem-solving activities.

 Management style required for routine day to day

activities is also said to differ from the one needed for
project management and design activities.
Management Responsibilities and Tasks

Adapted from Mazda (1998, pg. 22)

Management Responsibilities and Tasks
 1. Responsibility to shareholders
 Return on their investments in terms of dividends.

 2. Responsibilities to employees
 Rewards for their labour.
 Good working conditions (health and safety).
 Job that meets career aspirations.

 3. Responsibility to customers
 Receive the goods they need at the right place at the right time
 Both internal and external customers. Internal customers rely
on the manager and his team to provide a product or service to
which they can add value enroute to the customer (value
chain). See diagram below for internal customers.
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
 4. Responsibilities to suppliers
 In time information.
 Prompt payment on goods delivered.

 5. Responsibilities to the community

 Sustainable Development.
 Sustainable and maintained employment.
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
 Management Tasks:

 Management tasks are many and varied, but they can

be for simplicity grouped together as planning,
organizing, integrating and monitoring.

 Planning:
 Define long term goals, objectives and policies (strategy).
 Corporate goals are later broken down up to individual
goals as shown in the diagram below.
 Establishment of processes and setting of performance
standards to be used in the measuring stage.
 Budgets, covering expenses, capital and human resources
are determined here.
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
The formulation of a plan

Adapted from Mazda (1998, pg. 25)

Management Responsibilities and Tasks
 Budgets, covering expenses, capital and human resources are
determined here.
 The business need for change and the process of change is
discussed here and continually evaluated as circumstances
change.

 Organizing:
 Prime activity here splitting work into manageable tasks.
 Allocation of tasks to groups and or individuals.
 Ensuring tasks are coordinated and there is no duplication of
activities by sanctioning of the work.
 Recruitment and training of people to carry out the set tasks
is also done here.
 Customer needs should be thoroughly understood and
continuously communicated to the teams delivering the job.
 Effective delegation should be practiced since the manger
cannot do everything.
Management Responsibilities and Tasks

 Integrating:
 Phase that takes the longest time since this is where the
plan of action is carried out.
 Multiple decisions needs to be taken within very short
periods of time with little time to think the decisions
through.
 It is important here for managers to be able to see and
know the whole picture in order not to take wrong
decisions (needs to separate wood from trees).
 Longer the time decisions can be left to be made the better,
but too long delays missed opportunities arise and problem
gets worse.
 Should act as acknowledged leaders of their groups and
provide direction.
 Good communication skills are very important in this
stage, with facts following up and down the group, also
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
 being able to filter information so as to avoid
misunderstandings to the group.
 Dispute management skills will also be very important
here.
 The manager should also ensure that the team can see
and is focused on the eventual goals that are meant to be
achieved.

 Measuring:

 Measures should be taken continuously on the project not

only towards the end of the project to check if costs are
according to plan.
 Several items needs to be measured and controlled during
the project such as:
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
 Salaries, expenses and capital.
 Availability of skills and specialized equipment.
 Project progress in terms of milestones and deliverables.
 The quality of the product being produced.

 Methods for taking measures are many and these could

include:
 Formal weekly charts, to show progress against set agreed
deliverables.
 Management by Walking About (MWA) to see first hand what is
going on.

 Some common mistakes that are commonly made during

the measuring phase include:
 Measures are put in place but not fully understood and
accepted by employees and line managers.
Management Responsibilities and Tasks

 Productivity is poor at very low levels of

supervision (A), since the tasks are not then clearly
defined and some minimum guidance is needed .
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
Management Responsibilities and constraints

Adapted from Mazda (1998, pg. 21)

Management Responsibilities and Tasks
Management Responsibilities and constraints

 Competitors:
 Loss of market share and revenues

 Government:
 Direct constraint..? (Health and safety; taxes on
profits; prevention of monopolistic behaviour)
 Indirect constraint..? (government action which
can affect exchange rates and international
business).
 Natural Environment:
 Acts of God..?
 Fire that can close down the factory
 Snow disrupts logistics
 Opportunities can also arise from the natural
environment…?

 Labour Market:
 Shortage of skilled labour
Management Responsibilities and Tasks
Management Responsibilities and constraints

 Pressure Groups/Environmental Groups/Trade

and User:
 Environmental management systems (e.g. ISO
14001)

 Creditors
 Need for short term returns on their lendings
and high interest rates.
 Delegation Process
 Delegation: True delegation involves where
subordinates are given a high level of autonomy to
act as they think best, to achieve the results agreed
with the leader. Monitoring of the activity by the
leader would normally occur at agreed points only,
unless the subordinate requested help from the
leader earlier.

 It does not mean when a task is allocated to a

subordinate but the manager retains responsibility
and requires frequent interaction with the
subordinate as the task progresses. Where the
subordinate has less freedom to act, needing to agree
the method of tackling the job with the leader.

 How to Delegate?

 What tasks; to who, and to what level?

 Delegation Process
What delegation level…?

 1. Leaders instruct subordinates to do the task, but

to check with them before taking any decisions. This
is not really delegation but task allocation.

 2. Leaders instruct subordinates to do the task and

to keep them fully informed.

 3. Leaders request subordinates to carry out the

task, holding weekly reviews with them.

 4. Leaders delegate the task and say 'let me know if I

can help.'

 5. Leaders abdicate the task by saying: 'Here you are;

do this and let me know when finished.'
 Delegation Process
Which tasks and subordinates?

 Tasks that can be clearly defined together with their

expected results and outcomes are the candidates for
delegation.

 Subordinates who will receive these tasks should be analyzed,

to determine whether they require any special training or
coaching.

 The content and expected results of the delegated task should

be agreed with the subordinate and also the delegation process
and level to be used.

 Trust should then be exercised on the subordinate to deliver,

no micro management, depending on the level agreed.

 If the subordinate achieves the results then provide reward,

such as praise, promotion, bonus or a bigger assignment.
 Delegation Process
What managers should know and do during delegation:

 1. Giving to subordinates some of their own responsibility,

usually for specific tasks and relevant decisions.

 2. Give subordinates sufficient authority to match the

responsibility which has been delegated, to help them achieve
the agreed targets, though some boundaries may be set (e.g.
spending expenditures).

 3. Ensure that subordinates accept accountability for success

or failure of the delegated task, although leaders carry the
ultimate responsibility to the organization for all activities
under them.

 4. Be available to help with advice if called on by subordinates.

It is important to appreciate that they have not abdicated their
responsibility, but only delegated it.
 HOMEWORK 1

Mazda’s seven management styles