Tomorrow’s Manager

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<h2>VT90ATomorrow’s Manager</h2>
The one big thing that will distinguish the successful manager of tomorrow is the way in which the ‘system’ is managed. The ‘system’ here, of course, will be the management information system.
A ‘system’ can be defined as a set of elements, such as people, things, and concepts, which are related to achieve the common goal. The common goal, so far as the manager is concerned, is to preserve the organisation and help it to expand and prosper.
How is the manager to achieve this common goal? To answer this question we should identify the areas in which the manager will be working. First, there are the people working in the organisation. Human behaviour is slow to change and changes in the social structure are long-term rather than short-term. So tomorrow’s manager must work within the constraints of today’s manager, strive to get full co-operation from the work force, give praise where due and encourage a sense of pride in the organisation and enhance self-esteem through good workmanship.
The manager’s personal style will, to a large extent, be responsible for the harmonious relationships within the organisation and the degree of personal productivity of the work force.
The second general area in which the manager can work for the common goal is in managing, with greater efficiency, the existing physical systems within the organisation. Accelerating changes in technology allow for better production techniques and help changes in selling, transporting and delivering goods. Inventory control is no longer the nightmare it used to be, thanks to the computer. Much of the drudgery has been taken out of office work by the introduction of new technology. The ‘state of the art’ office machinery used in offices today would stagger our grandparents.
Tomorrow’s manager will operate the physical systems by remote control or by push-button, high technology devices, which will convey and obey instant commands.
The third and most dramatic change in achieving the common goal will be in the area of the conceptual framework that underlies all organisation and physical operations. This change will be in the development of system concepts.
All aspects of the organisation will be integrated into a total management information system so that instant information is available about the work force and the physical systems.
The management information system will give the manager better quality information which is readily accessible in a number of arrangements, and is timely and accurate.
The manager’s job is to plan, organise, direct and control the major activities of the organisation. To initiate action based upon sound judgement. The management information system is a facilitating system for making decisions in planning, organising, directing and controlling others, and initiating action.
This facilitating ability gives purpose to the management information system.
The management information system should be designed in such a way that decisions can be made by decision rule so that the decision follows the policy, procedure or rule of the organisation. Such decisions are therefore likely to be made faster, more accurately, and with better economic results. Computer programming is a good example of decision rule, especially in the areas of payroll, inventory control and billing.
Information is the arrangement of data in such a way as to be meaningful when making decisions. The management information system will enable such information to be available at once, and in such a manner that the manager can make sensible and well thought-out decisions for the advancement of the common goal of the organisation.
The management information system integrates or incorporates all the sub-systems within the organisation and is characterised by its synergy. That is, all sub-systems or elements work more efficiently in the system than if they were working on their own.
It is doubtful if a holding company today having interests in diverse operations in different places could operate efficiently without a management information system. Think how difficult it would be for a holding company with interests in mining, manufacturing, transport and finance to operate without an efficient management information system. Managers of conglomerates could hardly cope with the decision making process without a management information system.
Tomorrow’s manager is faced with an explosion of information, new technology, government legislation (especially as it pertains to environmental issues), and the sheer complexity of business activity generally.
The rate of change and degree of complexity of business activity is impossible to calculate, but a fair calculation of the information explosion is that it is doubling every few years and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep abreast of all that is published in any subject.
Hand in hand with the information explosion is the technological revolution. The rate of technological change is impossible to calculate but what is certain and obvious is the increased rate of change and the urgent need to keep abreast of change.
So that the management information system will supply the required information it must be well designed, creative, adaptable to change, theoretical, empirical and pragmatic. These characteristics will ensure that the information produced is timely and accurate.
At first glance these requirements might seem to be difficult to meet, but once the decision is made within an organisation to implement an efficient management information system, the design and implementation can be left to the specialists in each field. Tomorrow’s successful manager is the one who will be able to use the end result and be able to identify the problems to be answered by the system.
Tomorrow’s managers realise that more sophistication is needed in management techniques. That information must be planned for and made available to managers as needed. And that the management information system ties planning and control by managers to operation systems of implementation.
The common goal of the organisation will be furthered by the manager who uses a systems approach to solving problems, rather than solving problems by intuitive guesswork, on the spot decisions based on inadequate information, or by decisions based on old-fashioned ‘seat of the pants’ experience.

According to the article the one thing that will distinguish the successful manager of tomorrow is:

satisfactory interpersonal relationships with the staff
the achievement of the common goal
the way in which the ‘system’ is managed
leadership style

The management information system will provide information which is timely, accurate, and:

highlights inefficiencies in the organisation
accessible
can be shared by all the executives
will enable the manager to cut costs

In this article the manager’s job is defined as one of planning, organising, directing, controlling, and:

managing the finances of the organisation
reporting to the board of directors of the organisation
initiating action
job not defined in the article

In this article synergy means:

a winding down of the operation
a winding up of the operation
a working together of all the sub-systems
term not used in the article

The holding company had interests in:

mining, newspapers, manufacturing and finance
retailing, shipping, manufacturing and building
mining, manufacturing, transport and finance
none of the above

Tomorrow’s manager is faced with an explosion in information, new technology, and:

industrial disputation
communication breakdowns
government legislation
racial tension in the work force

The characteristics of a management information system are that it is well designed, theoretical, empirical, pragmatic, creative, and:

functional
not too complicated
has a back-up system
adaptable to change

The common goal is more likely to be furthered by managers who:

use a systems approach
rely on intuitive guesswork
make decisions based on years of experience
seek advice from specialists in the field

Case studies mentioned in the article show that organisations which fail to use modern techniques:

do not succeed in the long run
have staff difficulties
cause financial hardships to others
no case studies mentioned in the article

Management information systems have been in operation since:

the early 1940’s
the mid 1960’s
the invention of the computer
date not mentioned in the article

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