Managerial Skills | Management Optional Notes for UPSC PDF Download

Managerial Skills Demystified

Not everyone can be a manager. Certain skills, or abilities to translate knowledge into action that results in desired performance, are required to help other employees become more productive.
These skills fall under the following categories:

• Technical Skills:
  • Essence: Involves using special knowledge to perform specific tasks.
  • Examples: Accountants, engineers, market researchers, and computer scientists.
  • Acquisition: Initially gained through formal education, refined through training and job experience.
  • Crucial Phase: Most essential at lower management levels.
• Human Skills:
  • Core: Demonstrates the ability to collaborate effectively with others.
  • Indicators: Seen in fostering trust, enthusiasm, and genuine engagement in interpersonal relationships.
  • Managerial Trait: Effective managers possess self-awareness and empathy.
  • Development: Natural aptitude or improvement through classes and experience.
  • Universal Significance: Critical for all managers due to the highly interpersonal nature of managerial work.
• Conceptual Skills:
  • Nature: Involves analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
  • Capabilities: Breaking down problems, understanding relationships, and recognizing implications.
  • Evolution: Initially gained through formal education, further developed through training and job experience.
  • Hierarchy Impact: Grows in importance at higher management levels, especially when dealing with ambiguous, long-term consequence problems.

Essential Skills for Managers Simplified

• Technical, Human, and Conceptual Skills:
  • Importance Shift: Varies based on managerial responsibility levels.
• Focus on Skill Acquisition:
  • Educational Emphasis: Business and management educators aim to cultivate technical, human, and conceptual skills.
  • Additional Emphasis: Development of competencies, specialized skills contributing to high managerial performance.
• Key Skills Recommended by AACSB:
  • Leadership: Influencing others to perform tasks.
  • Self-Objectivity: Realistic self-evaluation.
  • Analytic Thinking: Interpreting and explaining patterns in information.
  • Behavioral Flexibility: Modifying personal behavior objectively for organizational goals.
  • Oral Communication: Clear expression of ideas verbally.
  • Written Communication: Clear expression of ideas in writing.
  • Personal Impact: Creating a positive impression and instilling confidence.
  • Resistance to Stress: Performing well under stressful conditions.
• AACSB's Educational Focus:
  • Encouraging Business Schools: To help students develop these skills and characteristics.
• Practical Skills Highlighted:
  • Leadership: Influencing others positively.
  • Self-Evaluation: Realistic assessment of oneself.
  • Analytical Thinking: Understanding and explaining patterns.
  • Adaptability: Adjusting behavior for organizational goals.
  • Communication Skills: Clear expression verbally and in writing.
  • Personal Impact: Building a positive impression.
  • Stress Management: Performing effectively under stress.