Forecasting

The second technique managers can use to assess the environment
is forecasting. Forecasting is an important part of
planning and managers need forecasts that will allow them
to predict future events effectively and in a timely manner.
Environmental scanning establishes the basis for forecasts,
which are predictions of outcomes. Virtually any component
in an organization’s environment can be forecasted. Let’s
look at how managers forecast and the effectiveness of those
forecasts.

Management Skills

Managing human capital
• Inspiring commitment
• Managing change
• Structuring work and getting things done
• Facilitating the psychological and social contexts of work
• Using purposeful networking
• Managing decision-making processes
• Managing strategy and innovation
• Managing logistics and technology

Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles and a Contemporary Model of Managing

Interpersonal Roles
• Figurehead
• Leader
• Liaison
Informational Roles
• Monitor
• Disseminator
• Spokesperson
Decisional Roles
• Entrepreneur
• Disturbance handler
• Resource allocator
• Negotiator

Who Is a Manager?

It used to be fairly simple to define who managers were: They were the organizational members
who told others what to do and how to do it. It was easy to differentiate managers from
nonmanagerial employees. Now, it isn’t quite that simple. In many organizations, the changing
nature of work has blurred the distinction between managers and nonmanagerial
employees. Many traditional nonmanagerial jobs now include managerial activities.9 For example,
at General Cable Corporation’s facility in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, managerial
responsibilities are shared by managers and team members. Most of the employees
at Moose Jaw are cross-trained and multi-skilled. Within a single shift, an employee can be
a team leader, equipment operator, maintenance technician, quality inspector, or improvement
planner.10
So, how do we define who managers are? A manager is someone who coordinates
and oversees the work of other people so that organizational goals can be accomplished. A
manager’s job is not about personal achievement—it’s about helping others do their work.
That may mean coordinating the work of a departmental group, or it might mean supervising
a single person. It could involve coordinating the work activities of a team with people
from different departments or even people outside the organization, such as temporary
employees or individuals who work for the organization’s suppliers