Doing a job rather than supervising it.

Being unable or unwilling to make decisions. Managers often feel uncomfortable with the ambiguity of their role, fear doing something wrong, or fear that they won't be liked if they make an unpopular decision.

Competing with employees. Some managers wrongly believe that success as a supervisor is linked to the ability to remain the technical expert in the work group.

Hiring weak people. Some managers hire people who are technically less skilled than others.

Wanting to be recognized as a powerful person. Some managers make the mistake of forcing employees to acknowledge and respect the manager's power, rewarding those who do and punishing those who don't.

Being unable or unwilling to delegate decision making. To be sure that the right decisions are made, some managers retain ultimate control over all decisions.

Avoiding rather than dealing with conflict. Some managers are so concerned with being well liked by their employees that they ignore potential threats to the tranquillity of the work group.

Providing insufficient praise. Managers get lower productivity from their workers if they neglect the need for praise or are not capable of giving it.

 

Unit 3

Text «Learning to Be a Manager»

I. Read, translate the text and memorize the symptoms of non- managerial thinking.

II. Suggest the Russian equivalents to the following word expressions:

a good technician; management training;

the basic management functions;

significantly different process;

to think like a doer; to feel uncomfortable;

to make an unpopular decision;

competing with employees; the technical expert;

hiring weak people; less skilled;

to be to be unwilling to do smth.; to delegate

decision making;

to retain control over decisions;

to avoid conflict;

to deal with conflict;

to be concerned with;

to ignore potential threats;

tranquility of work group;

to provide insufficient praise;

to get lower productivity from the workers;

to neglect the need for praise; to be capable of doing smth;

III. Find in the text English equivalents for the following:

обучение менеджменту;

непопулярное решение;

конкурирование с подчиненным персоналом;

быть менее квалифицированным, чем кто-либо;

удерживать контроль над принятием всех решений;

заниматься чем-либо; быть озабоченным чем-либо;

получать менее низкую производительность от чего-либо; быть способным что-либо сделать;

IV. Write questions to these answers:

1. __________________________________________

Yes, there is, at least, one individual who wants to be a first-line manager.

2. ____________________________________________

The company provides the new manager with management training.

3. ___________________________________________

Being a manager involves more than just learning the basic management functions.

4. ____________________________________________

Managers must plan, organize, staff, direct and control.

5. ____________________________________________

I think managers must learn to think like a manager.

6. ____________________________________________

There are some symptoms of non-managerial thinking.

7._____________________________________________

Yes, managers often fear doing something wrong.

8. ____________________________________________

Some managers force employee to acknowledge and respect the manager’s power.

9. ___________________________________________

Some managers retain control over all decisions.

10. ___________________________________________

If managers neglect the need for praise, they will get lower productivity

from their workers.

 

V. Give your comprehension of the main idea of the following word expressions

(approximately 2-3 sentences):

concerning management and manager’s job:

Management training.

Management functions.

Manager’s job.

Thinking like a manager.

The difficulties of learning to be a manager.

Making decisions by managers.

Wiring weak people.

A manager as a powerful person.

Being unable to delegate decision making.

Dealing with conflicts.

 

WHY STUDY MANAGEMENT?

Management is the process undertaken by one or more individuals to coordinate the activities of others to achieve results not achievable by one individual acting alone. The work of management is to make people productive. To regain the competitive edge in the inter­national arena, society must have managerial competence.

Learning about management is important for two reasons.

First, our society depends on specialized institutions and organizations to provide the goods and services we desire. These organizations are guided and directed by the decisions of one or more individuals designated as "managers". Managers have the authority and responsibility to build safe or unsafe products, seek war or peace, build or destroy cities, clean up or pollute the environment. Managers establish the conditions under which we are provided jobs, incomes, lifestyles, products, services, protection, health care, and knowledge. It would be very difficult to find anyone who is neither a manager nor affected by the decisions of a manager.

Second, individuals not trained as managers often find themselves in managerial positions. Many individuals presently being trained to be teachers, accountants, musicians, salespersons, artists, physicians, or lawyers will one day earn their living as managers. They will manage schools, accounting firms, orchestras, sales organizations, museums, hospitals, and government agencies. Our country is an organizational society, and its organizations must have managers.

The future success of the Russian Federation in the international arena, or "global village," lies in managing productivity, being able to cope with environmental changes, and properly managing the work force. Russia must match competitors in the ability to manage and to create a work environment that encourages worker efficiency, innovativeness, and creativity.

 

Text: «Why study management?»

I. Read, translate and retell the text.

II Answer the questions to the text:

1). What is management?

2). What is the work of management?

3) What are the reasons of studying management?

4) Are the organizations guided and directed by managers?

5) Is it easy to find anyone who is neither a manager nor affected by the decisions of a manager?

6). Do individuals often find themselves in managerial position?

7). Can anybody earn their living as a manager?

8). What can individuals manage?

9). Is it important for different organizations to have managers?

10). Does the future success of Russia in “global village” lie in managing productivity?

III Find in the text the equivalents of the English (A) and Russian (B) words and word combinations (B):

A). to undertake; achievable; to regain; edge; to desire; authority; to seek;

to clean up; to pollute; environment; to establish; in come; lifestyle;

health care; to learn; to cope with; to match; to create; to encourage;

efficiency; innovativeness;

 

B). зависеть от кого-либо/чего-либо;

международная арена;

рабочая обстановка;

на высоте конкурентoспособности;

обеспечивать товарами и услугами;

власть и ответственность; разрушать города;

загрязнять окружающую среду;

поставить условия;

оказаться на месте менеджера;

зарабатывать себе на жизнь;

руководить правительственными организациями;

организационное общество;

будущий успех;

изменения в окружающей среде;

справиться с изменениями в окружающей среде;

способность руководить и созидать;

рабочая обстановка;

поощрять рабочих к эффективному труду, новаторству и созиданию;

быть в состоянии конкурировать;

решения менеджера;

IV. Choose one from given below topics and be ready to speak on it:

1. “Why study management”.

2. “The work in management”.

3. “The future success of Russia in “global village”.

 

(3) After Years of Bureaucracy, Can Soviet Managers Be Trained to Be Managerial Leaders? (From 1990-s. Point of view of American scientists on Soviet Management)

 

Until recently, managers in most companies in the Soviet Union were given strict guidelines concerning production quotas, production processes, pricing schedules, and marketing. Because of such control, managers did not have to worry about cutting costs, conserving scarce resources, or showing any type of initiative to uphold productivity or quality. In fact, much of the leadership ability that Western managers are hired for was simply not required of their Soviet counterparts.

Now, under Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet government is trying to breathe new life into industries by promoting khozraschot or increased local company control. This is a unilateral transfer of control back to the individual companies in all areas of production, human resource management, and marketing. Can managers who lack essential training and experience in areas such as market planning, production management, international finance, and organizational development effectively turn their companies around? They are certainly trying. The government is supporting education abroad, executive education programs, and private management consult­ing firms in an attempt to foster improved management practices. One such education program is a Western-style school of business called the East-West Management Institute in Budapest, Hungary.

How will Soviet managers pilot the industrial revolution? By doing what they had never been asked to do before, lead. They need to be creative and effective in gaining the trust and support of subordinates so that they can pull the industrial sector back on its feet.

When competent managers are deprived of planning for the future and are not allowed to lead their subordinates, they can only concentrate on other functions of management such as organizing and controlling. In this case, the success of the industrial turn-around in the Soviet Union depends on how well the government can introduce leading into the management equation.

 

Text: «After Years of Bureaucracy, Can Soviet Managers Be Trained to Be

Managerial Leaders?» (From 1990-s. Point of view of American

Scientists on Soviet Management)

I. Read the text and make sure you understand it.

II. Questions to the text:

What was the position of managers in the Soviet Union?

Did managers show any type of initiative to uphold productivity or quality?

What was the role of Mikhail Gorbachev in trying to breathe new life into industries?

Was the Soviet Government supporting education abroad in early 1990-s?

Why could soviet managers concentrate on such functions of management as organizing and controlling?

III. Explain the meaning of the following word expressions:

market planning; international finance; conserving scarce resources; strict guideline; pricing schedules; cutting costs; any type of initiative; to uphold productivity and quality; soviet counterparts; the leadership ability; to breathe new life info …; unilateral transfer of control; human resource management; to turn smth. around; private management consulting firms; to pilot industrial revolution; to lead one’s subordinates; to be derived of planning for the future; to concentrate on other functions; industrial turn-around; management equation;

IV. Find in the text English equivalents of the Russian words and make up your own sentences with them;

производcтвенные процессы; поддерживать качество; сокращать расходы; установление цен; вдохнуть новую жизнь в что-то;

промышленная революция; быть лишенным чего-либо; частные консалтинговые фирмы по менеджменту; промышленный переворот; сосредоточиваться на чем-либо;

V. Search more information about such Russian phenomenon as: “Perestroika” in the early 1990-s and discuss this theme in your group.