Virtually every study of managers in action has found that they “switch frequently from task to task, changing their focus of attention to respond to issues as they arise, and engaging in a large volume of tasks of… He found, for instance, that they averaged 36 written and 16 verbal contacts per day, almost every one of them dealing with a distinct or different issue.

Most of these activities were brief, lasting less than nine minutes. Kotter studied a number of successful general managers over a five-year period and found that they spend most of their time with others, including subordinates, their bosses, and numerous people from outside the…

executive managers — Generally, a team of individuals at the highest level of management of an organization. middle management — The managers in an organization at a level just below that of senior executives. Decisional role — One of the three major roles that a manager assumes in the organization. first-line management — The level of management directly managing nonmanagerial employees.

Be able to describe and explain how Mintzberg defines the manager’s job; describe and explain the different levels of management; describe and explain the three types of managerial skills and how they relate to each level of management.