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The profile of an effective manager

a lack to motivate others or to delegate tasks to subordinates, rarely

advance far up the organizational hierarchy because they will be

blocked by low performances of a large number of subordinates.

. Need for power: Since managers are primarily concerned with directing

and influencing subordinates, they should be characterized by a high

need for power. We could refer to the above chapter about leadership

and power.

. Capacity for empathy: The capacity for empathy is ”the ability to cope

with the emotional reactions that inevitably occur when people work

together in an organization” (Livingstone S. 1971). Managers who are

perfectly capable to learn from their job experience, or who are able

to apply management techniques successfully, often fail because their

affinity with others is entirely intellectual or cognitive. They are

emotionally blind. They are not capable to deal with the emotional

reactions that are crucial in gaining the willing cooperation of

subordinates. It is very difficult to teach people how to cope with

human emotions.

So we could conclude that there should be a combination of inborn

characteristics and acquired knowledge and experience to become an

effective manager. There are people wit a higher needs for managing and

power and having a bigger capacity for empathy than others. But these

features are no guarantee for success. They should be combined with

technical and conceptual skills acquired during management education and

job experience.

But the effective manger is one, who is able to adapt his personality,

skills, knowledge and relationships in such a way that it fits the demands

of their specific situation.

3. Can we learn how to become an effective manager?

Last decades, many visions thought that we could learn how to become an

effective manager. We could refer to the success of many institutions where

MBA programs are offered. Many young high intelligent business men are

taught how to become successful. Nevertheless the success of these business

schools, there is a lack of correlation between scholastic standing and the

success in business. Clearly, what a student learns about management in

graduate school, does not equip him to build a successful career in

business.

For Livingstone S. (1971) the reason for this failure could be found in the

fact that[48]:”they don’t learn from their formal education what they need

to know to perform their job effectively. The tasks that are the most

important in getting results usually are left to be learned on the job,

where few managers ever master them simply because no one teaches them

how.”

Formal management education programs typically emphasize the development of

skills which enables the future manager to solve problems and to make

decisions (‘respondent behaviour). But little attention is given to the

development of skills required to find the problems that need to be solved

(‘operant behaviour’). Furthermore, the problem solving in the classroom is

seen as an entirely rational process, while in reality human emotions make

it hard to deal with the problems objectively.

As the research of Norman H. Mackworth revealed[49], the distinction

between the problem-solver and the problem-finder s vital. He concluded

that managers not only should be able to analyze data of financial

statements or other written reports, but even more important they should be

able to scan the business environment for less concrete clues that a

problem exist. These perceptual skills are extremely difficult to develop

in the classroom and must be developed on the job.

We should ask our self the question: Are there people who have more

managerial skills than others, because they are able to learn from their

experience what they need to know to manage effectively. Livingstone S

(1971) found three characteristics of men who learned to manage

effectively.

. Need to manage: to be able to manage effectively, you should have a

strong desire and satisfaction to influence the performance of others.

Many of those who aspires high- level positions are driven by the

expectations of high salaries or high status, but are not motivated to

get effective results through others. Those managers don’t learn how

to develop an effective managerial career, because there is a lack of

willingness to manage. They are not able to devote enough time and

energy to find a suitable way to manage. So the need to manage is a

crucial factor in determining whether a person will learn and apply in

practice what is necessary to get effective results on the job. For

example, managers who are outstanding individual performers, but with