Recognizing and Avoiding Common Management Mistakes - Essay Example

Experience and current education are not mutually exclusive but rather complement each other. As a person puts in years of experience and simultaneously keeps himself retrained in the current developments as explained above, his/her experience becomes that much richer and hence valuable to an organization. This fact is borne by several examples in all fields of employment such as machinists or accountants or front-office executives or management staff etc. Current education is important at all levels since developmental changes occur everywhere all the time - a new machine may have the most up-to-date electronic controls; an accounting software may be upgraded to take care of current laws; a front-office executive may be asked to handle additional tasks; a manager may be slated for a higher post with a significantly changed role, etc. Hence investment in knowledge addition should be considered as adding to the resource base of any organization.

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In existing employees, the personal records will reflect the existing skills and the need for additional skills. In new recruits, the selection process through skill tests and interviews will determine the candidate’s credentials. In exceptional cases, if one has to trade off the experience with current education, preference will be given to experience provided the candidate displays a positive attitude towards skill gradation.

Question 2: Common management mistakes

A management mistake leads to underperformance by a resource – the resource may be an employee, process/procedure, or equipment. Common management mistakes can be identified as a) not matching needs with the means b) deploying under-paid and unskilled employees c) insufficient role clarity d) insufficient delegation e) failing to identify skill gaps and training needs f) lack of succession plans etc. These are just a few of many such shortcomings in management (dummies.com, 2010).

Every organization must have clear-cut objectives in both product/service offerings and financial performance. To achieve these goals, the means employed must match the needs. Usually, management displays unwarranted enthusiasm while drawing business plans but fails to correctly assess the investment needs in terms of manpower, equipment, or technology.

Another common mistake occurs when to economize on manpower costs, persons with inadequate skills, education, or training are employed. Such short-term savings can prove to be very costly in the long term.

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It is also important that every employee knows as clearly as possible the role he/she is expected to perform. Managers often fail to prepare clear job descriptions and this leads to confusion, conflict, and lack of accountability.

Each level of employment must be allowed to perform duties with a sense of responsibility and a feeling of achievement. Insufficient delegation is a common mistake that leads to the waste of precious human resources at all levels and causes demoralization.

No job is static and change is a fact of life. Identification of skill gaps and drawing up training programs is an area that many managers neglect under the pressure of current tasks.

To conclude, common management mistakes occur due to a false sense of economizing operations or not devoting sufficient attention to the medium and long-term growth needs of a business. Examples of these types of mistakes can be seen in small and medium-sized, family-run businesses that also fail to provide for a proper succession plan. Such businesses invariably fail as seen by the statistical evidence maintained by government departments.