Changes Affecting Manager’s Jobs and why they are Significant
Managers are constantly confronted with new and complex challenges within today’s highly diverse work force. Managers everywhere are dealing with security threats, corporate ethics scandals, global economic and political uncertainties, and technological advancements, change is constant (Robbins & Coulter, 2007). All of these changes create so much frustration and stress for today’s managers. Many managers would love to return to the stability of the past, but that is not an option. One of the most important things managers can do to compete effectively in today’s market is to arm themselves with knowledge. Managers must be able to adapt to the ever-changing uncertainty of the environment surrounding them.
Today’s workforce looks dramatically different from the workforce of 15 years ago. Recent decades have witnessed two major structural changes that are impacting the jobs of managers. These two changes are the intensification of a socio-cultural work force and the pervasive dispersal of computer-based technologies (Hosie, P., Sevastos, P., & Cooper, C., 2006). The increasing globalization of the work force and the introduction of modern technology have changed the way modern business is conducted. This has forced managers to deal with problems that have never occurred before and figure out new ways of doing their jobs.
Changes Affecting Managers 3
The globalization of organizations has caused a rise in the cultural diversity of the current work force. Today’s work force is dramatically different from those in the past. To work effectively with a group of diverse people, managers need to understand how their culture, geography, and religion have shaped their values, attitudes, and beliefs (Robbins, et al., 2007). This means managers must address cultural diversity and adjust their management style accordingly. Today, both men and women are equally represented and
References: Braithwaite, T. (2002). Securing E-buisness Systems: A Guide for Managers and Executives. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Hosie, P., Sevastos, P., & Cooper, C. (2006). Happy-performing Managers: The Impact of Affective Wellbeing and Intrinsic Job Satisfaction in the Workplace. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing. Robbins, S. & Coulter, M. (2007). Management, 9th edition (pp.208-222). Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall. Successful Management of a Diverse Workforce. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2008, from http://ezinearthicles.com/?Successful-Management-of-a-Diverse-Workforce&id=243128