SKILLS AND FUNCTIONS OF MANAGEMENT

According to established academic theory, the work of the administrator could be

synthesize in the functions that make up theadministrative process: planning
organization, direction and control.

The administrator is the person in charge of theplanning, organization,

direction and control of activities in an institution, optimally manages the
material, human, financial, and technological resources that are entrusted to them, with
the purpose of achieving the objectives that the institution has previously set.
fixed. (Juárez, p.21)

While it is true that these activities are inherent to the act of managing,
they turn out not to be the activities that administrators carry out on a daily basis.

Drucker (1963, p.54) when asking the question What is the work of
administrator? found that:

The administrator's job consists of directing resources and efforts of the

organization towards the opportunities that will allow it to achieve results
economically significant. It sounds clichéd and it is. But, every analysis of
effective allocation of resources and efforts that I have seen or done, in various
businesses clearly showed that most of the time, work, attention
and the money goes first to the 'problems' instead of to the opportunities, and,
second place, to the areas where even extraordinarily successful performances
they will have a minimal impact on the results.

Mintzberg (1975, pp. 4-8) identified 10 roles through which he describes work.
of the administrator, the activity of the administrator while performing these roles is
find between reflection (think, evaluate, analyze) and action (participate, assign,
deciding), relating to others, internally and externally within the organization,
the business unit, the area or the department, depending on its level. These roles are
they are integrated into 3 categories: interpersonal, informational, and decisional.

a. Interpersonal roles. There are three roles of the administrator that arise.
directly from the formal authority and involve interpersonal relationships
basics:
1. The administrator as the visible head of the organization. As
head of an organizational unit, every administrator must carry out
some ceremonial functions. The president welcomes the
tourism dignitaries. The foreman attends the wedding of a worker. The
The sales manager lunches with an important client. These duties
They can sometimes be routine, do not involve decision-making.
important nor overly formal communication. However, they are
important for the proper functioning of an organization and not
can be ignored.
 2. The administrator as a leader. Administrators are responsible for
work of the people in your unit. Their actions in this regard
they constitute the role of leader. Some of these measures imply leadership
directly, for example, in most organizations the managers are
usually responsible for hiring and training their own
personal. Furthermore, there is the indirect exercise of the leader's function. For
for example, each manager must motivate and encourage employees, the
reconciliation in some way of their individual needs with the
organization goals.
3. The administrator as a link. In this role, the administrator acts
contacts outside the vertical chain of command. The managers go
so much time with his companions and other people outside of his units
as they do with their own subordinates and very little time with their
own superiors.
b. Informative roles. Processing information is a key part of the job of
administrator, acting as receiver, aggregator and/or transmitter.

4. The manager as a receiver of information. The manager,

As a monitor, it is constantly analyzing the environment to obtain
information, this largely occurs as a result of its network of
personal contacts. A good part of the information that the manager
accumulates in this role, it often comes verbally, often as gossip,
rumor or speculation.
5. The administrator as a disseminator of information. In the role of
disseminator, the administrator distributes privileged information
directly to the subordinates, who otherwise would not have
access to it. When subordinates do not have the ability to
easily contact each other, the manager serves as a bridge between
they.
6. The administrator as spokesperson. In the role of spokesperson, the
administrator sends information outside the organization. A
the president gives a speech to advocate for an organizational cause,
a supervisor suggests a supplier a modification of a product or
of the delivery conditions.
c.Decision-making roles. Decision-making is intrinsic to the work of
administrator, the other four roles revolve around it.

7. The manager as an entrepreneur. As a businessman, he seeks to improve.

your unit (or the organization as a whole), to adapt it to the
changing conditions of the environment. This occurs through the development of
new products, new ways of carrying out key processes,
reorganizations of a department or corporate restructurings,
mergers or acquisitions and public relations campaigns, among others.
8. The manager as a controller of disturbances. The
problems, crises, are factors that must be taken into account and
must know how to manage. In this role, the administrator seeks to make the
challenges and problems faced by the organization or its area are taken
 in the best way for your team and that the transitions are so positive
as they may be.
9. The administrator as a resource allocator. In this role, he will decide
who will receive what, in terms of resources, human, financial and
any other type, including its own time.
10. The manager as a negotiator. Whether trying to achieve a
new client, a new employee or try to terminate a contract with a
supplier, the administrator will always be negotiating in the search
for the best for your unit, your department, your branch or the
whole organization.

1. Set goals. The manager sets targets for each area,

communicate to those people whose participation is required to achieve them
and decide what needs to be done to fulfill them.
2. Organize. The administrator analyzes the activities, decisions, and relationships.
necessary. Classify the work, divide it into manageable activities and the
classify into manageable jobs. Group these units and positions
to work in an organizational structure. Also, select people
for the management of these units and for key job positions.
3. Motivate and communicate. The manager turns their people into a team. They do it
through practice and in their relationships with the people with whom
works; it does so through its 'decisions about people', decisions about
compensation, location, and promotions; it does so through communication
constant, from and to their subordinates, from and to their superiors, and
from and to their colleagues.
4. Measure. The administrator sets criteria and indices; few factors are as
important for the performance of the organization and those who
make up. It is responsible for ensuring that each person knowsthe measurements of
performanceof the entire organization and, at the same time, those of its function and
this helps him to fulfill them. Analyzes, evaluates, and interprets performance and how
in all the other areas of his work, communicates the meaning of the measures
and its results to their subordinates, to their superiors, and to their colleagues.
5. Develop your people and yourself. With the rise of the worker of
knowledge, this task has gained greater importance. In a
knowledge economy, people are the most important asset of the
organization and it is up to the administrator to develop them.
 SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Katz (pp. 6-18) proposed the existence of three types of essential skills for
for the administrator to effectively carry out the administrative process:

1. Technical skill. It consists of using knowledge, methods, techniques

and equipment necessary for the execution of their specific tasks through
of his instruction, experience, and education.
2. Human ability. It consists of the capacity and discernment to
working with people, understanding their attitudes and motivations and applying a
effective leadership.
3. Conceptual ability. It consists of the ability to understand the
complexities of global organization and in the adjustment of behavior
of the person within the organization. This skill allows for the
a person behaves according to the goals of the total organization and
not just in accordance with the goals and needs of your group
immediate.

4. Political skill. Ability to improve personal position, establish a

power base and establish the right contacts. Managers who have
good political skills are usually better for obtaining resources than
those who do not possess them. They also receive higher evaluations and
achieve more promotions.

1. Control the organization's environment and its resources. Ability to

take action and lead the way to make changes in the environment.
It involves grounding decisions related to resources within a framework of
clear, up-to-date, and accurate knowledge of the organization's objectives.
2. Organize and coordinate. It consists of organizing things around tasks.
And from there, they coordinate interdependence relationships between tasks.
when it proceeds.
3. Manage information. It includes the use of communication channels and
information to identify problems, understand changes in the environment and
make good decisions.
4. Facilitate growth and development. Through constant learning.
the administrator fosters their personal growth and development as well as the
of their people.
5. Motivate employees and manage conflicts. Through reinforcement.
positively generate in their people the desire to carry out their work andremoving
conflictsthey inhibit possible problems that underminethe motivation.
6. Solve strategic problems. They take responsibility for their
decisions and ensure that subordinates properly apply their
decision-making skills.

The American Management Association (p.2)ha established 4

key skills/competencies that the administrator must have:
1. Critical thinking and problem solving. The ability to take
decisions, solving problems, and taking appropriate measures;
2. Effective communication. Ability to synthesize and convey your ideas,
both in written and oral form;
Collaboration and teamwork. The ability to work effectively.
effective with others, including those from diverse groups and with different viewpoints
opposites;
4. Creativity and innovation. The ability to see what is not there and make it happen.
that something happens.