Course Reflection: Managing People in Organizations Report

This report is a reflective analysis of a course focused on managing people in organizations. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the importance of effective people management in ensuring organizational success, especially in competitive business environments. The report differentiates between leadership and management, emphasizing the need for managers to develop leadership skills. It then delves into essential managerial skills, including organizational, controlling, decision-making, planning, communication, and interpersonal skills, along with problem-solving and technical skills. The report discusses the development of these skills, emphasizing interpersonal and decision-making abilities. It also explores the characteristics of a good manager, such as creativity and flexibility, and how these traits aid in normal operations and change management. The author concludes that managing people requires both leadership and management skills, developed through theoretical foundations and hands-on experience, and highlights the importance of continuous learning for effective management. The report reflects on the author's personal learning experiences throughout the course and how they have impacted their understanding of management principles.

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Running head: MANAGING PAOPLE IN ORGANIZATION
Managing People in Organizations
Name
Course
Institution
Lecturer
Date

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Executive Summary
Managing people in organizations is not a new concept, though it has gained more popularity
with modernity. The modern business world is characterized by intense competition, pressuring
managers to ensure sustainability of businesses. Effective management of individuals in
organizations is therefore crucial in ensuring that the productivity of employees is enhanced.
When people are managed properly, the probability of an organization’s success even during
economic recessions is increased. Subsequently, the profitability and the sustainability of the
organization are ensured. The concept ‘manager’ encompasses several tasks and directions an
individual can trail in order to become successful as a manager in the specific environment. The
name ‘manager’ epitomizes quite a general term to indicate a person’s profession. Nonetheless,
such general approach does not relate to the quintessence of the profession itself. The present
paper sums up my experience during this cause, offering an insight on what I have learnt. During
the course, I was able to distinguish the difference between effective management and effective
leadership. I learnt that not all leaders are managers and not all managers are leaders. For
managers to be effective, they have to develop the leadership skills necessary in leading
organizations.
In addition, the paper focuses on the managerial skills necessary in managing people. These
skills include organizational, controlling, decision making and planning and leading skills. The
four skills enhance a manager’s work since they aid in organizing, making the best
organizational goals and monitors. Managers also require communication and interpersonal
skills. Communication skills aid in passing required instructions to the employees and messages
to the superiors. Interpersonal skills on the other hand ease the interaction of the managers with
people from different backgrounds. Other managerial skills identified in this paper include
problem solving skills (aid in conflict resolution) and technical skills (acquired in the classroom
based on the professional career the person decides to venture).
Further, the paper discusses how some of these problems can be developed to improve the
effectiveness of a manager in running an institution. Interpersonal skills develop from childhood
and improve as we grow up. Decision- making skills, on the other hand have to be developed
during our daily activities. The paper also incorporates the characteristics of a good manager
which include creativity and flexibility. The two characteristics help the managers both in
managing normal activities in an organization and also in change management.
To summary, undertaking this course has enabled me to realize that managing people in
organizations requires both leadership and management skills. This course has helped me to
realize that such skills must be developed on theoretical foundations using our daily life as active
hands-on experience. I believe that all the skills and knowledge acquired during this venture will
enhance my work as a manager in future. An effective manager should however be ready to learn
and develop their managerial skills thorough out their life.

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Introduction
People management in organizations is becoming more critical in the modern
world in a bid to maximize productivity and attain efficacy. Managers are therefore faced with
the responsibility of managing workers so as to improve the value of their companies. The
concept ‘manager’ encompasses several tasks and directions an individual can trail in order to
become successful as a manager in the specific environment. The name ‘manager’ epitomizes
quite a general term to indicate a person’s profession. Nonetheless, such general approach does
not relate to the quintessence of the profession itself. The present paper is a reflection of what I
have learnt throughout my management course.
Are managers also leaders?
Before undertaking this course, I was a bit confused on the role of a manager as a leader.
Like most people, I have always used the term leader to synonymize the term manager. In my
teenage years, I worked for various organizations part time. The duties and responsibilities of a
manager seemed to be similar in all organizations. Growing up as a learner, I associated the role
of management to the teachers. To me, the teachers acted as ‘commanding officers’ who ensured
that everything in the classroom ran smoothly. They taught, gave us homework and were in
charge of enrolling newcomers. It never occurred to me that one could actually become a leader
before ‘attaining’ the title manager. Are there managers who are not leaders? That was the first
question I asked myself.
A manager need not only be a good technician, but should also focus on the workers
instead of concentrating on tasks. Managers are thus expected to rely on other individuals instead
of relying solely on themselves (Chun, 2012). My perspective lies with Chi et al. (2017) that

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managers are required to be team ‘artists’ since management is ‘independent and nuanced’. They
further argue that team spirit is one of the most important qualities for a manager to possess.
According to Virgil (2015) there is no difference between management and leadership. He
defines a manager as a leader who works at his own organization level. However, some
researchers claim that there is a difference between managers and leaders. Hervey and Fuimano
(n.d.) argue that managers and leaders have different skill sets, and only few individuals possess
both. He further argues that leaders are accountable for selecting the course of the organization
and the setting the goals. A leader can therefore employ a manager to help in the
accomplishment of such tasks. In my opinion, a leader is a manager with the ability to secure the
trust of his employees and motivate them to undertake their responsibilities. Managing
individuals relates to managing their actions, consequently aiding them in contributing towards
the organization’s objectives. Managers should therefore aim at developing their leadership skills
if they have to run successful organizations since effective management can only be achieved
after attaining effective leadership qualities.
Management Skills
During our various discussions throughout the course, we came several books and articles
centered on management. For instance, According to Nicoleta Valentina (2014), a good manager
puts organizational goals first. All the authors we came across identified models of managerial
amalgams. Although managerial skills vary depending on the type of organization, most skills
are basically the same.
Decision making and planning, organizational and leadership skills are some of the most
important skills each that managers should possess. According to Louise and Clayton (2013)
decision making and planned encompasses composition of organizational goals and choosing the

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best approaches that can be employed to achieve them. Organizing presumes that a manager has
the ability to choose and involve essential resources and individuals into accomplishing the
objectives. Leading presumes that the manager has the ability to team up individuals to
accomplish the objectives while controlling skills allow the manager to monitor progress of the
projects.
Communication skills are also vital in managing people. Communication is an important
tool in the accomplishment of organizational goals. A manager should have excellent
communication skills coupled with interpersonal skills. Communication skills enable managers
to explain organizational goals to the employees and to inform shareholders CEOs of the
performance of the organization. Interpersonal skills on the other hand allow managers to
interact with people from various backgrounds, motivate them and involve them in decision
making. Other managerial skills include technical skills, time-management and conflict
resolution skills. Interacting with various classmates has allowed me to realize that managers
should involve their employees in decision making to boost their motivation, contrary to my
overly controlling behavior each time I am given a leadership position. I realized that I also had
to work on my interpersonal skills if I was to make a successful manager in future.
Development of Managerial Skills
Nobody is born with managerial skills. We develop different skills as we grow and
interact with different individuals. For instance, technical skills can only be gained in school,
where one accumulates professional knowledge in their preferred situations. Developing
managerial skills is vital for people who have a vision to become managers in future.

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As earlier stated, it is important for managers to possess interpersonal skills. Interpersonal
skills are developed from childhood and advance as we grow up. Nonetheless, it is essential to
extricate a set of important interpersonal skills for our future professions. Communication is one
of the main necessities in managerial work since it helps in developing relationships and
interacting with different individuals. Development of communication skills starts through
communication with members of your family, peers and tutors. In my opinion, these individuals
belong to different organizational levels and thus are worth experimenting with. It therefore
becomes important to evaluate our daily communication with individuals, our challenges and
success in order to improve interpersonal skills.
It is also important for managers to develop decision-making skills. Decisions affect not
only our professional work but also our daily lives. Decision making skills enables us as
individuals to analyze the problem at hand to come up with the best solutions. For best solutions,
it is essential to apply basic analytical skills to weigh solutions and consider the best alternatives.
I have always realized that my decision making skills are wanting. For instance, I tend to
succumb to peer influence when it comes to making weekend plans. This course has helped me
to learn that to be a good manager; I have to start making firm decisions by applying my
analytical skills rather than deciding unconsciously.
Characteristics of a Good Manager
Good managers are defined by certain characteristics. One such characteristic is
creativity. Cattani (2017) defines creativity as the ability to come up with unique ways of
accomplishing different tasks. Creativity is especially important in change management. During
one of my part-time jobs, I realized that managers are met by resistance in times of change. Such
resistance prompts conflict, creating new problems for managers to solve on a daily basis. I was

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therefore determined to learn about change management before applying for a managerial
position. Creativity enables a manager to come up with different solutions to solve conflicts
amongst employees. In addition, a creative manager is able to encourage employees to think
creatively, thus increasing the firm’s productivity. One important aspect to remember is that
involving employees in decision making helps reduce resistance in times of change since it gives
them a sense of belonging.
Another characteristic that helps in managing people in organizations is flexibility.
Managers who are flexible can easily adapt to new situations as they occur. For instance, when
faced with tough economic times, a flexible manager is able to change the product line. In my
opinion, flexibility allows managers to work effectively in any environment. Employees, on the
other hand, tend to emulate their superiors. A flexible manager can therefore easily lead
employees through a change process (James, 2015).
Conclusion
Managing people in organizations requires both leadership and management skills. This course
has helped me to realize that such skills must be developed on theoretical foundations using our
daily life as active hands-on experience. An effective manager should however be ready to learn
and develop their managerial skills thorough out their life.

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References
Cattani, G. (2011). Project-Based Organizing and Strategic Management. Bingley, U.K.:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Chiu, C. (., Balkundi, P., & Weinberg, F. J. (2017). When managers become leaders: The role of
manager network centralities, social power, and followers' perception of leadership. The
Leadership Quarterly, 28(Dynamic viewpoints on Implicit Leadership and Followership
Theories), 334-348. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2016.05.004
Chun, K. H. (2012). Whose Interests Should the Managers Serve - Insights from the Recent
Korean Cases on LBO Transactions null [article]. Asian Business Lawyer, 63.
Hervey, P., & Fuimano, J. (n.d). Essential skills for managers' success. Becoming an outstanding
leader & manager: understanding the differences between managing & leading.
James W., B. (2015). “Resistance to Change—A New Perspective: A Textbook for Managers
Who Plan to Implement a Change” by Daniela Bradutanu. Acta Universitatis Danubius: ,
Vol 9, Iss 2, Pp 127-129 (2015), (2), 127.
Louise K., C., & Clayton, W. (2013). Developing Decision-Making Skills for Uncertain
Conditions: The Challenge of Educating Effective Emergency Managers. Journal Of
Public Affairs Education, (1), 53.

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Nicoleta Valentina, F. (2014). THE IMPACT OF HR MANAGERS’ ROLES ON
IMPLEMENTING BEST HR PRACTICES AND ATTRACTING AND RETAINING
BEST EMPLOYEES. Management & Marketing, Vol XII, Iss 2, Pp 190-204 (2014), (2),
190.
VIRGIL, P. (2012). SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND
LEADERSHIP. Analele Universităţii Constantin Brâncuşi Din Târgu Jiu : Seria
Economie , Vol 2, Iss 2, Pp 126-135 (2012), (2), 126.