Management Skills

33:620:302

Please fill out a name-card and have it in front of you in

Goal of This Class

Increased managerial and teamwork effectiveness

(in other words, to make you better at whatever job
you do!)

Activity #1

Whats the WORST class youve

ever taken, and why?

Where To Find Me
Instructor:
Dr. Terri R. Kurtzberg
Management & Global Business Department,
RBS
Office: 100 Rock, Rm. 2155
Phone: 848-445-4458 (email preferred)
Email: tk@business.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 5-6pm
Tuesdays 12:15 to 1:15
(make appointment to ensure time to
speak)

Where To Find You

HERE IN CLASS!
ATTENDANCE
ATTENDANCE
ATTENDANCE
!!!!!!!!!

AND NO TECHNOLOGY IN CLASS

Why No Technology?
Distraction is an ever-present problem in todays
world
Students LEARN BETTER when hand-writing notes
Even on open-note tests!!
If I see a screen in class, I will take it for the remainder
of the class.
If I see it more than once, I will lower your grade
accordingly.

What is Management?
-What does a good boss do?
-What does a bad boss do?

Management Defined
Classic Definition: The act of coordinating the efforts
of people to accomplish desired goals and objectives
using resources efficiently and effectively
Or put more simply

Getting the right work done well.

The Right Work (301)

Identifying tasks: What to do?
Communicating tasks and goals: Does everyone know
what to do?
Designing, implementing, monitoring and improving the
flows of work of the organization: How should it be done /
Is it being done effectively?
Creating an organization that is innovative and socially
responsible: Are we a good place?

This is important stuff, but is it

everything?

Is Knowing WHAT to Do Enough?

NO! It is also important to do the right work WELL!
Not doing so can have all sorts of negative consequences.

Lower Trust
Lower Morale & Job Satisfaction
Lower Commitment
Decreased Employee Productivity
Decreased Firm Performance
Decreased Shareholder Value
Increased Theft
Increased Turnover

Why Do People Quit Jobs?

Three reasons:
They hate their bosses
They dont feel a sense of connection with their
coworkers
They dont feel a sense of connection with the
mission of the organization

NOTICE that generally, people dont leave a job

because of the work itself. They leave because of
the people.

Thats Not Me
But isnt this whole managing people
thing really just
common
sense?
(If it were, why does basically every
person have a long list of bad boss /
bad team / bad coach stories?)
According to the U.S. Department of
Labor, American adults spend nearly
HALF of their waking hours at work:
LETS GET IT RIGHT!!

What Skills Are Important?

Who Would You Rather Work For / With?

Competent
Jerk

Lovable Fool

Lovable stars are rare, and incompetent jerks get

weeded out, so all too often, these are our choices!

Thoughts and Feelings

Research shows:
People initially SAY they would rather work for or
team up with the most competent people
possible
When it comes to getting the job done, competence
trumps likability. or I can defuse my antipathy
toward the jerk if hes competent, but I cant train
someone whos incompetent.

In practice, however, personal feelings play a

much bigger role in peoples actual choices
that they are willing to acknowledge

Googles Quest (for management skills)

Google made more than 10,000 observations about their own
managers
Results feel personal and not like a generic management model (though
findings are consistent with other research)

Google found that what employees valued most were those

who:
Were even keeled (i.e., emotionally intelligent)
Made time for them
Were good at problem solving and helping them puzzle through problems
(rather than dictating answers)
Took an interest in their lives and careers

Technical expertise or competency was ranked DEAD LAST

Why Management Skills, for YOU?

Research shows that management skills (soft skills), not just
technical skills, matter for many organizations (and whom they
choose to hire!)
2013 Survey of US employers (Chronicle of Higher Ed./American Public
Media )
- Widespread discontent with recent college graduates
- Graduates NOT seen as lacking technical skills
- Rather, seen as severely lacking in written and oral communication skills,
adaptability & managing multiple priorities, and making decisions and
problem solving

2012 global study of 25,0000 employers

- 9 out of 10 felt college graduates unprepared for the workplace
- Problems with collaboration, interpersonal skills, the ability to deal with
ambiguity, flexibility, and professionalism.

Management Skills:
Where Research Meets the Real World

Emotional
Intelligence:
knowing yourself
and understanding
others
Self-Awareness
Self-Regulation
Motivation
Empathy
Social Skills

Recruiters Want
Willingness to
Learn; Flexible
Integrity; Empathy
MANAGEME
NT
SKILLS

Self-Motivated
Problem-Solving
Ability to Work in a
Team
Communication

EQ1: Self-Awareness
Goleman
(1998)

Definition
Having a deep understanding of ones emotions, needs, strengths,
weaknesses, values and goals and their impact on others
Characteristics:
Self-confidence
Realistic self-assessment, willingness to learn and change
Self-deprecating sense of humor
Example:
A manager knows tight deadlines bring out the worst in him so he
plans his work out well in advance to get it done.

EQ2: Self-Regulation
Goleman
(1998)

Definition
Controlling or re-directing disruptive emotions or impulses
Characteristics:
Trustworthiness
Integrity
Comfort with ambiguity and change
Example:
When a team botches a presentation, its leader resists the urge to
scream and instead considers the possible reasons for the failure,
explains the consequences to the team, and explores solutions with
them.

EQ3: Motivation
Goleman
(1998)

Definition
Being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement
Characteristics:
A passion for the work itself and for new challenges
Restless with status quo
Optimism in the face of failure
Example:
A portfolio manager at an investment company sees his funds tumble for
consecutive quarters and major clients leave. Instead of blaming external
circumstances, she decides to learn from the experience and engineers a
turnaround.

EQ4: Empathy
Goleman
(1998)

Definition
Considering others feelings especially when making decisions
Characteristics:
Expertise in attracting and retaining talent
Ability to develop others
Sensitivity to cross-cultural differences
Example:
A manager was under tremendous pressure and was requiring his team to stay
late repeatedly. Noticing the tense expressions of his employees, he suddenly
thought to himself, If I were one of them, I would utterly resent being forced to
work late like this without any say into the matter and decided to include
them in the decisions of how and when to complete the work.

EQ5: Social Skills

Goleman
(1998)

Definition
Managing relationships to move people in desired directions
Characteristics:
Effectiveness in leading change
Persuasiveness
Extensive networking
Expertise in building and leading teams
Example:
A manager wants his company to adopt a better Internet strategy so he finds
kindred spirits and assembles a team to create a website prototype. He persuades
allies in other divisions to fund the companys participation in a relevant convention
and his company forms an Internet division and later puts him in charge of it.

EQ:
A Key Driver of Leadership Success
Goleman
(1998)

Golemans research involving executives and

business leaders shows
- Emotional intelligence (EQ) twice as important as technical
skills and other cognitive abilities (IQ) for jobs at all levels
- The higher the rank of a person considered a star
performer, the more likely EQ was to be cited as a reason
for their effectiveness

- Take the EQ Quiz at home to see how you do!

302 Course Content

Five Themes
Building & Managing
Effective Teams

Skill-Development
-

Establishing norms
Identifying roles
Creating a work structure

Developing self-awareness and self-control

Appreciating personality
Managing diversity
Communicating well
Acting in line with values

Motivational and influence techniques

Developing power bases

Individual and Group Decision-Making

Identifying problems
Generating ideas

Managing interpersonal and intra-group

conflict
Managing reactions to conflict
Negotiating in a business context

(Week 2 / 8)

Understanding the Self &

Others
(Weeks 3-5)

Mobilizing the Self & Others

(Weeks 6-9)

Problem-Solving
(Weeks 10-11)

Reaching Agreement
(Weeks 12-13)

Grading
Class Participation and Preparation
30%
- Attendance and participation (5%)
- Written Work (25%)
- 6 Case Study Questions
- Values assignment
- Team Skills Workshop Assignment

Team Project (Multiple assignments)

30%
Midterm Exam
20%
Final Exam

Activity #2 Marshmallow Challenge

Supplies: 20 sticks of spaghetti, 1 yard of masking tape, 1
yard of string, 1 marshmallow & scissors
Goal: In 18 minutes, build the largest free-standing
structure.
Instructions:

Entire marshmallow must be on top

Use as much or as little of kit as desired (but cannot use paper bag)
Feel free to break up the spaghetti, string, or tape
When time is called, teams cannot hold on to the structure when
time runs out
The winning team is the one that has the tallest structure measured
from the table top surface to the top of the marshmallow
Prize!

Challenge Debriefing
What worked in the process? What hindered the process?
How did you plan your structure?
Did you observe leadership in the group?
What role did you personally play in the exercise? Did
everyone participate?
Did you learn anything about yourself or others?
From this activity, could you identify a set of STEPS that you
would want to take to approach another ambiguous task like
this one (in a group)?

Kindergartners
Trying things out and getting feedback

Marshmallow Challenge Takeaways

Like most successful
ventures, building a good
marshmallow structure
depends on close
collaboration, shared
purpose, brainstorming,
questioning assumptions,
developing a plan, learning
from mistakes, revising
plans, and trying again.
Seems deceptively easy but
it is very difficult.

Thus, teams need:

Shared goal (vision set way to get
there)
Clarity on roles and responsibilities
These shift as people get acquainted

Clear and effective communication

processes
Ability to challenge assumptions and be
open to new ideas

GET REAL FEEDBACK early and often

First try is not always final best choice
Best solutions are often a combination
of ideasno one right answer
Those with learning orientation far
outperform others

THE BEST LEADERS / TEAMS are those who can adjust

as they go

Activity #2: Silicon Creations

1. Read and prioritize the 12 items
individually.
2. Meet in small groups (2-3 people) to
agree to the TOP 3 PRIORITY items.
3. In these small groups, draft an ACTUAL
RESPONSE to your top item on paper to
give to me.
Then think through: What can you tell about how work
gets done in this organization?

Silicon Creations Lessons

Managers need to be able to:
Set the tone
Power of apology / appreciation / appropriate expectation setting
Empower people to handle their own issuesno one is an island
Avoid over-centralization; rely on help (John Manners needed a
TEAM!)
Distinguish problems with people from problems with work
structure (look across issues for patterns and links)
Distinguish URGENCY vs. IMPORTANCE
Beware of overload: we are tired by the time we get to items
10, 11, and 12 and so less likely to prioritize those
Distinguish between need for action and need for more
information

What You Get From This Course

Practice and experience with:
Communicating with teammates
Offering ideas, even if it feels uncertain or intimidating
Helps build a base of information that can solve a problem

Seeing that teams can achieve things that individuals

could not

A series of skills-building exercises

Explore strengths and weaknesses
Get feedback from others and analyze yourself

Next Week
Read:
- ***Case: Harry & the Learning Team (HBS Case)
- Understanding Work Teams
- Look over Team Handbook

Due:
- Case Question for Harry & the Learning Team (up to one
page)
- Team Handbook (came with Course Packet)BRING TO
CLASS NEXT WEEK
- EQ and MTBI Assessments before week 3 (see syllabus for
links)