There are three management levels as discussed earlier. Managers are effective if they know the right skills to use at the right time. This makes managerial skills very important. The article discussed five management skills required by managers.
What are management skills
Management skills are required to help managers propel the performance of subordinates and adapt to changes in the ever-changing dynamics of the business environment. There are many skills required by managers but they can be summarised into conceptual, design, human, technical, and analytical skills.
What are levels of management
Levels of management are the hierarchy of managers in an organisation that reflects the chain of command and how various activities are performed. Executive, senior, and operational managers are the three management levels that are visible in every organisation.
The level of management has an impact on what skills are required the most by a manager. A supervisor will require more of a particular skill than an executive manager. A knowledge of the required skills will help managers perform their roles effectively.
Types of managerial skills
Technical skills
These are knowledge of methods, processes, and procedures. They are needed to achieve daily tasks. For example, the process involved in cash handling by a cashier and the head of operations in a bank. Accountants are expected to have some technical skills such as software applications, Microsoft Excel, and Data analytics.
Design skills
Design skills mean skills required from the art of creativity. Doing a job well is one thing, but doing it in a creative way that makes it unique from others is a design skill.
Human skills
Human skills include: leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence. It is the ability to relate with humans to achieve daily operational tasks, objectives and goals.
Analytical skills
Analytical skills are the ability to analyse and interpret data to solve organisational problems. Here managers should be able to collect data, conduct research, process the data and interpret it to solve problems. This can be referred to as problem solving skill.
Conceptual skills
The ability to see the big picture is a conceptual skill. A change in the business environment requires conceptual skill. That is, examining how the changes will impact the company and deciding on how to manage the change.
Management skills and different levels of managers
Executive managers, middle-level managers, and supervisors require one or more managerial skills in handling their roles. Top-level managers require more conceptual skill than other management levels. They also need some human, analytical, and design skills.
Middle-level management needs analytical, human, and design skills more than executive and operational managers. They also need some conceptual skills to be effective at their job.
Technical skills are required by supervisors. This is the primary skill needed by them to perform their responsibilities. They also need human skills since they coordinate subordinates more than other management levels.