Practice Being a Manager
FINDING A MANAGEMENT JOB
Management is a wide ranging and exciting area of work. One way to gain a sense of the possibilities is to
study the advertisements for management job openings. Companies advertise their management openings
in a variety of ways, including print advertisements in such newspapers as The Wall Street Journal
(especially its Friday career section) and online ads at job sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com.
Step 1: Find a job you’d like to have. Search through the newspaper and online ads and locate several
detailed job descriptions for management positions. Select the one that you find most appealing—a job
Step 2: Share your job description. In class, your professor will assign you to a pair or group of three.
Write your name on your selected management job description, and exchange your job description with
your partner(s). Each member of the pair or triad should now have a job description other than their own.
Step 3: Think like a hiring manager. Read the job description you received from your partner. Imagine
that you are the manager responsible for hiring someone to fill this position. A human resources specialist
Step 4: Take turns interviewing. Each member of the group should be briefly interviewed (5–10
minutes) for the job they selected.
Step 5: Debrief. Discuss your experiences with your partner(s). What was it like to be interviewed for
Step 6: Discuss with the class. Share your interview experiences and brainstorming ideas with the class.
Do you hear any similarities across the pairs/triads? What ideas or questions are most significant to you as
you consider management job interviews?
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Develop Your Career Potential
INTERVIEW TWO MANAGERS
This assignment is designed to raise students’ awareness about the day–to-day realities of managerial
work. Consequently, this is an excellent assignment to discuss in class. If finding managers to interview
Here are the questions that students were to ask their interviewees:
1. Briefly describe your current position and responsibilities.
2. What do your subordinates expect from you on the job?
3. What are the major stresses and challenges you face on job?
Organizing the Discussion
Eight questions is a lot of material to review, so here are some suggestions for organizing class
Another way to organize discussion is by the kind of manager that your students interviewed. Ask
students who interviewed top-level managers to raise their hands. This will probably be the smallest
group. Then form groups of students who interviewed middle managers, then first-level managers, and
then team leaders. Depending on your time constraints, have groups form answers to each question or to
a limited number of questions—questions 1, 3, 6, and 7 provide good comparisons across the different
kinds of managerial jobs.
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Reel to Real – Biz Flix
Because they are so short, the Biz Flix videos are best used to supplement your lesson plans. They are
designed to illustrate the content rather than convey all of the chapter concepts.
Video: In Good Company
Segment Summary:
When a sports magazine gets taken over by a media conglomerate, a seasoned and successful ad sales
executive named Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) is stunned by this demotion. Carter Duryea (Topher
Discussion Questions from Text:
1. Which management skills discussed in this chapter does the character Mark Steckle seem to lack?
The four management skills discussed in this chapter include technical skills, human skills,
conceptual skills, and motivation to manage. Based on the video clip, Mark Steckle appears to lack
2. The sequence shows three people who represent different hierarchical levels in the company. Based
on this scene, which of the four kinds of managers do you think each of them might be?
The four types of managers include top managers, middle managers, first-line managers, and team
3. Which of the characters in this scene exhibited the strongest human skills?
Human skills include the ability to work well with others, be sensitive to others’ needs, and encourage
Additional Discussion Questions:
1. Which type of interpersonal role did Carter adopt during his confrontation with his boss, Mark
Steckle?
The three types of interpersonal roles include figurehead, leader, and liaison. A figurehead role is the
2. What common mistake did Mark make in his confrontation with Dan and Carter?
According to the chapter, the top three most common mistakes include (1) insensitivity, abrasiveness,
According to the chapter, this is the most common mistake made by derailing managers.
Reel to Real – Management Workplace
Management Workplace videos can support several in-class uses. In most cases you can build an entire
50-minute class around them. Alternatively, they can provide a springboard into a group lesson plan.
The Management Workplace video for Chapter 1 would be a nice companion to your introduction to the
course on the first day of classes.
Video: Camp Bow Wow
Innovative Management for a Changing World
Summary:
Sue Ryan, a Camp Bow Wow franchisee from Colorado, knows the ins and outs of managing a care
center for pets. To help launch her business a few years ago, Ryan recruited experienced pet care worker
Discussion Questions from Text:
1. Identify three skills that companies look for in managers and explain which might be most needed for
the Camp Bow Wow leaders highlighted in the video.
The three general categories of management skills are conceptual skills, human skills, and technical
skills. Conceptual skill, which is the most important skill category for top managers, is the cognitive
2. Which activities at Camp Bow Wow require high efficiency? Which activities require high
effectiveness?
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Effectiveness is the degree to which the organization achieves a stated goal; efficiency refers to the
amount of resources used to achieve an organizational goal. A high performance company is one that
3. List two activities that leaders at Camp Bow Wow perform daily, and identify which of the
managerial roles discussed in the chapter figure prominently for each.
Answers will vary, but Candace Stathis performs the interpersonal roles of figurehead and liaison
operate the new business.
Workplace Video Quiz
Video Segment 1
Video segment title
Management Skills and Positions
Start time (in sec)
0:00
Stop time (in sec)
1:54
Quiz Question 1
In this clip, Camp Bow Wow general manager Candace Sladlace
emphasizes the importance of the following managerial skills:
Option a
Conceptual skills
Option b
Human skills
Option c
Technical skills
Option d
Time management skills
Correct option
b: Human skills
Quiz Question 2
Camp Bow Wow franchise owner Sue Ryan states that managers need to
understand the “big picture” aspects of their jobs. This requires the
following managerial skills:
Option a
Conceptual skills
Option b
Human skills
Option c
Technical skills
Option d
Time management skills
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Correct option
a: Conceptual skills
other, and to recognize how the company fits into or is affected by its
external environment.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. Conceptual skills are the ability to see the organization as a
whole, to understand how the different parts of the company affect each
other, and to recognize how the company fits into or is affected by its
external environment.
Quiz Question 3
Camp Bow Wow owner Sue Ryan explains that she established her
business with a flat leadership structure but began promoting people to
higher management positions within the organization. This speaks of the
different:
Option a
Functions of management
Option b
Roles of management
Option c
Kinds of management
Option d
Challenges of management
Correct option
c: Kindsof management
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. The different kinds of managers in an organization occupy
different levels of the organization and have different responsibilities.
Feedback for option c
Correct. The different kinds of managers in an organization occupy
different levels of the organization and have different responsibilities.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. The different kinds of managers in an organization occupy
different levels of the organization and have different responsibilities.
Video Segment 2
Video segment title
Management Roles
Start time (in sec)
1:54
Stop time (in sec)
3:40
When Sue Ryan describes the inner-workings of Camp Bow Wow in this
Option a
Monitor
Option b
Leader
Option c
Liaison
Correct option
d: spokesperson
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. In the spokesperson role, managers share information with
people outside of their departments and company.
other, and to recognize how the company fits into or is affected by its
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Feedback for option b
Incorrect. In the spokesperson role, managers share information with
people outside of their departments and company.
Feedback for option c
Incorrect. In the spokesperson role, managers share information with
people outside of their departments and company.
Feedback for option d
Correct. In the spokesperson role, managers share information with people
outside of their departments and company.
Quiz Question 2
According to Sue Ryan, a staff position at Camp Bow Wow is designed to
cover multiple roles – taking care of dogs, answering phones, providing
customer service, making reservations, etc. What managerial role is Sue
fulfilling in designing these jobs?
goals, outcomes, resources, and raises.
Feedback for option b
Correct. In the negotiator role, managers negotiate schedules, projects,
goals, outcomes, resources, and raises.
Feedback for option c
Incorrect. In the negotiator role, managers negotiate schedules, projects,
goals, outcomes, resources, and raises.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. In the negotiator role, managers negotiate schedules, projects,
goals, outcomes, resources, and raises.
Quiz Question 3
When a manager at Camp Bow Wow has to deal with an unsatisfied
customer or a particularly troublesome dog, which managerial role is she
fulfilling?
Option a
Disturbance handler
Option b
Monitor
Option c
Entrepreneur
Option d
Figurehead
Correct option
a: disturbance handler
Feedback for option a
Correct. In the disturbance handler role, managers respond to pressures and
problems that need immediate attention.
Feedback for option b
Incorrect. In the disturbance handler role, managers respond to pressures
and problems that need immediate attention.
Feedback for option c
Incorrect. In the disturbance handler role, managers respond to pressures
and problems that need immediate attention.
Feedback for option d
Incorrect. In the disturbance handler role, managers respond to pressures
and problems that need immediate attention.
Video segment title
Balancing Effectiveness and Efficiency
Start time (in sec)
3:40
Stop time (in sec)
6:02
Option a
High quality interactions with clients
Option a
Entrepreneur
Option b
Negotiator
Option c
Disturbance handler
Option d
Resource allocator
Correct option
b: negotiator
Feedback for option a
Incorrect. In the negotiator role, managers negotiate schedules, projects,
Option b
Low quality interactions with clients
Option c
No interactions with clients
Option d
Longer wait times for pet pick-up
Correct option
b: Low quality interactions with clients
the door faster, they would have less interaction with those customers.
Quiz Question 2
Based on the contents of the video, a strong emphasis on effectiveness in
customer service matters would result in
Option a
High quality interactions with clients
Option b
Low quality interactions with clients
Option c
No interactions with clients
Option d
Shorter wait times for pet pick-up
Correct option
a: High quality interactions with clients
Quiz Question 3
Camp Bow Wow owner Sue Ryan learned to balance management
efficiency and effectiveness by:
Option a
Working longer hours
Option b
Cutting job duties
Option c
Providing fewer pet services
Option d
Delegating responsibilities to a management team
Correct option
d: Delegating responsibilities to a management team
Review Questions
1. Explain the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
Efficiency is getting work done with a minimum of effort, expense, or waste. By itself, efficiency is
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2. What are the four management functions?
Henri Fayol’s classic management functions are known today as planning, organizing, leading, and
3. What are the main differences in the responsibilities of top managers versus middle managers?
• Top managers lead the company toward an overall direction. They make the big-picture, most
4. What distinguishes a first-line manager from a team leader?
• First-line managers manage the work of entry-level workers. They must constantly motivate
and manage the activities of many different people. Examples of first-line managers are shift
5. Describe the three principal managerial roles identified by Henry Mintzberg and give examples of
each.
Managers play interpersonal roles, decisional roles, and informational roles.
Interpersonal roles: Managers must be able to work with people across the organization. They must
be:
• Figureheads who perform ceremonial duties or otherwise represent the areas they manage;
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6. How do companies determine that employees would be good managers?
• Technical skills are the ability to apply the specialized procedures, techniques, and
knowledge required to get the job done. For example, the manager of product development at
7. How important is competence in the core managerial skills for the different types of managers?
• Technical skills are especially important for first-line managers who supervise the workers
who produce products or serve customers. Team leaders and first-line managers need
technical knowledge and skills to train new employees and help employees solve problems.
8. List the mistakes that managers commonly make. What distinguishes an arriver from a derailer?
The top ten mistakes made by first-year managers are:
• Insensitive to others: abrasive, intimidating, bullying style
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9. Describe how managers typically change in their first year on the job.
At first, most new managers make the mistake of using formal authority and acting like a “boss” and
of seeing their jobs as managing tasks instead of people. After a few months in management, they
10. How does the way a company is managed affect its competitive advantage?
An organization’s most important resource is its people, and how this resource is utilized will
Additional Activities and Assignments
Out-of-Class Project: “Career Skills Requirements.” This activity is a companion to the Assignment
in the Group Work lesson plan. For this project, each student in a group should research a career in which
they are interested. The research should focus on the skills necessary to succeed in this career: technical,
human, and conceptual skills. Students can use secondary sources or interview people who currently have
these careers. Students should then share what they’ve found with their group members in class.
Management Skills. Go to the web site of Palm, Inc., the maker of the Palm Pilot series, at
Management Levels and Types. Go to the web site of Stephenville, Texas, at
Competitive Advantage Through People. Go to the web site of Fortune Magazine at
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companies. Among the list, select one company and skim the various articles about the company. What
criteria were used to judge companies? Why do you believe this company made this list? What specific
management issues makes this company so admired?
Management Consulting. Go to the web site of the Boston Consulting Group, one of the world’s leading
Management Careers. Search the Internet for five different management careers. These careers can
include: human resource manager, strategic planner, operations manager, marketing manager, engineering
manager, etc. Write a paragraph describing the duties that each of these careers might involve.