| General Managers (GMs) are a part of middle
management and play a key role in organisations. Depending on the size of the
organisation a GM can be, for example, a senior manager responsible for a
division or a subsidiary company or a less senior manager in charge of a
department or section. They are a link or a less senior manager in charge of a
department or section. They are a link between top management, who make policy
decisions, and junior managers, who carry out these policies. Top management
work through GMs and they can make the difference between good and bad policy
and a motivated or demotivated workforce. The relationships GMs have with their
bosses, subordinates and each other are very important for the success or
failure of an organisation. GMs within the same organisation need to have good
working relationships with each other in order to apply policies in the same way
throughout the organisation. At the same time, GMs are also required to make
broad policies into plans that suit their particular divisions or
departments. In a company conflicts between the activities of various departments will inevitably arise, and it is the job of the GM to act as a link between the departments. Research has shown that the personality of a GM is very important in helping to resolve these departmental problems. The research has also shown that (as far as the personalities of GMs are concerned) GMs are ambitious people who have balanced temperaments and are good with people. In addition, good GMs combine these personality traits with a detailed knowledge of their business. They work hard to fit into and be accepted by the culture of their particular organisation. It has also been demonstrated that high performing GMs have three sets of skills. First, they need agenda-setting skills, so that they can identify and convince others of the most important objectives of a project. Second, GMs need to develop networking skills. Good GMs deliberately attempt to develop contacts-within and outside the organisation. Such a network of contacts means that the GM is aware of issues and can act on them quickly. To develop agenda-setting and networking skills, it is essential for a GM to be skilful in dealing with people. This is particularly important as they spend such a large amount of time working with employees at all levels of a company. In terms of work, tasks and attitude, the research has shown that managerial work is done in short bursts, with managers Working on many simultaneous projects, which can sometimes have conflicting aims. GMs discuss a wide range of subjects in an unconnected way and tend to ask questions rather than give orders. They require large amounts of information which they pass on to top management to help them to make decisions. In order to collect this information, they must learn to work in uncertain and changing environments. As a result, both the approach and style of a GM change to adapt to the setting in which they are operating. They must be flexible to succeed. |