“command”, they say a manager must “motivate” or “direct” and “lead”
other workers.
Henri Fayol’s definition of a manager’s functions is useful.
However, in most companies, the activities of a manager depend on the
level at which he/she is working. Top managers, such as directors, will
be more involved in long planning, policy making and the relations of the
company. These strategy decisions are part of the planning function
mentioned by Fayol.
One the other hand, middle management is help an organization to
run efficiently. It is urgent order or sorting out a technical problem.
Managers at this level spend a great deal of time communicating,
coordinating and making decisions affecting the daily operation of their
organization.
Managers in the lodging industry perform five basic operations.
. Firstly, managers set objectives. They decide what these
should be and how the organization can achieve them. For this
task they need analytical ability.
. Secondly, managers organize. They must decide how the
resources of the company are to be used, how the work is to
be classified and divided. Furthermore, they must select
people for the jobs to be done. For this, they not only need
analytical ability but also understanding of human beings.
. The third task is to motivate and communicate effectively.
They must be able to get people to work as a team, and to be
as productive as possible.
To do this, they will be communicating effectively with all levels
of the
organization – their superiors, colleagues and subordinates. To succeed
in this task, managers need social skills. The fourth activity is
measurement. Having set standards, managers have to measure the
performance of the organization and of its staff in relation to those
standards. Measuring requires analytical ability. Finally, managers
develop people more productive and to grow as human beings. They make
them bigger and richer persons.
VI. In carrying out management functions, such as planning,
organising, motivating and controlling, a manager will be continually
making decisions. Decision-making is a key of management responsibility
and career.
Some decisions are of the routine kind. They are decisions which
are made quickly. Because a manager is experienced, he knows what to do
in certain situations. He does not have to think too much before taking
action.
Other decisions are often intuitive ones. They are not really
rational. The manager may have a gut feeling that a certain course of
action is the right one.
Many decisions are more difficult to make since they involve
problem-solving. Very often they are strategic decisions which will
affect the future direction of the enterprise. To make good decisions the
manager should be able to select rationally a course of action. In
practice, decisions are usually made in circumstances which are not
ideal. They must be made quickly, with insufficient information. It is
probably rare that a manager can make an entirely rational decision.
When a complex problem arises, the manager has to collect facts
and weigh up courses of action. He must be systematic in dealing with the
problem. A useful approach to this sort of decision-making is as follows:
the process consists of four phases:
a) Defining the problem;
b) Analyzing and collecting information;
c) Working out options;
d) Deciding on the best solution.
As a first step, the manager must identify and define the problem.
And it is important that he does not mistake the symptoms of a problem
for the real problem he must solve. At this early stage the manager must
also take into account the rules and principles of the company which may
affect the final decision. These factors will limit the solution of the
problem.
The second step is to analyze the problem and decide what
additional information is necessary before a decision can be taken.
Getting the facts is essential in decision-making. However, as already
mentioned, the manager will rarely have all the knowledge he needs. This
is one reason why making decisions involves a degree of risk. It is the
manager’s job to minimize that risk.
Once the problem has been defined and the facts collected, the
manager should consider the options for solving it. This is necessary
because there are usually several ways of solving a problem. The
enterprise might be modernized or service might be improved, for example.
Before making a decision, the manager will carefully access the
options, considering the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Having
done this, he will have to take a decision. Perhaps he will compromise
using more than the option.
VII. Communications in excellent companies are different from those
in other companies. Excellent companies have “open communications”.
People working in them keep in contact with each other regularly. The
companies do everything possible to ensure that staff meets easily and
frequently.
One problem with communication is that we do not, in fact,
communicative as effectively as we think we do. This is important for
managers. It suggests that, when giving instructions, managers must make
sure that those instructions have been understood and interpreted
correctly.
A breakdown in communications is to happen if there are some
kinds of social distance between people. In organizations people may have
difficulty communicating if they are different in status, or if one
person has a much higher position than the other. It is risky to tell the
truth to someone higher up in the hierarchy – they may not like what they
hear and hold it against you. For this reason staffs often “filter”
information.
One way of reducing social distance – and improving communications
– is to cut down on status symbols. It is possible, for example, to have
a common dining-room for all staff.
Physical surroundings and physical distance limit or encourage
communication. The physical layout of an office must be carefully
planned.
Another important barrier to communication is selective
perception. This means that people perceive things in different ways. The
world of the sender is not the same as the world of the receiver. A
manager will say something but the employee will interpret his meaning
incorrectly.
Communication problems will arise, from time to time, in the best-
run companies. However, to minimize such problems, managers must remember
one thing. Communication should be a two-way process. Managers should
encourage staff to ask questions and to react to what the managers are
saying. The most useful question a manager can ask is “Did you understand
that?”
VIII. In the lodging industry it is important that managers should
be effective. They must be able to achieve their objectives. The problem
is that there are so many pressures on managers, reducing their
efficiency. The managers find that they do not have enough time to devote
to the really important jobs. They find that other people take up a lot
of their time, so that they have little time of their own.
Effective managers learn how to manage their time. They cut out
unproductive activities. They never forget that time cannot be replaced.
Before being able to control his time, the manager must find out
how he is actually using it. He must know where it goes. The best way to
do this is to record how he uses time. One way of logging time is to note
down all the activities and indicate how long they took. The manager can
ask questions such as: Are some of the things I am doing wasting time?
Should I be spending more time on certain activities? Knowing how to
spend time is an essential skill of a manager.
IX. People entering the lodging industry frequently wonders whether
it is better to begin their careers in a small or large hotel. What
branch of hotel operation is the best to start in after graduation? Where
you start is probably less important than how well you work and whether
you make the most of opportunities. It is important to learn something
about all phases of hotel operation. You may prefer to work first in
those departments you know least about. Then with some exposure to all
areas, you can begin to focus on your areas of interest.
X. We must not forget that the successful managers are necessarily
people who set high standards. Good managers need not be geniuses, but
must bring “character” to the job. They are people of integrity, who will
look for that quality in others.
Questions:
1) Is the lodging industry the most important element of the social
sphere?
2) Must the manager bring “character” to the job?
3) Why is the hotel distinguished by the additional service among
other hotels?
4) What main methods of the management can we number in the lodging
industry?
5) Is the administrative method based on the directive instructions or
is the economic one?
6) What kind of operations do managers perform in the hospitality
business?
7) How must the manager use his time?
8) Why do the communication play the main role in the manager’s
career?
9) Is the decision-making the key of the manager’s career?
10) How can one start his manager’s career?
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