The chapter covers the following aspects as extracted from previous studies:

• Unrelenting pace of managing

• Variety of Activities
• Fragmentation and Discontinuity of Job
• Action Oriented
• Informal and oral communication preference
• Lateral Nature of Job
• Controlling is more covert than overt

Myth 1: Manager is reflective and systematic Planner

Reality 1: Managers work at unrelenting pace; they have a variety of activities to perform
and are action oriented.

Work of managers is one damn thing after another, Foreman can go 48 seconds over one
activity, middle managers work once for half an hour without interruptions every two weeks
and CEO can last 9 minutes without interruptions.

Managing is a job with perpetual preoccupation, managers can never forget the work
and can never have the pleasure of knowing that no work is left.

There is no trend or pattern to be found in managerial work such as that of a programmer

or a salesperson. Managers can be working on administrative tasks early in a week or the day
and will be dealing with external and political tasks later on. The activities are significant
and are not dispersed in a particular order thus manager needs to be able to shift moods
quickly and frequently. They normally cut longer meeting and are often surrounded by
smaller tasks and events.

Managers do not stop the free flow of information by being untolerating towards
interruptions and often become accustomed to the variety in their work. They become
conditioned and show sensitive appreciation for the opportunity cost and the benefits they
have forgone by doing one task rather than another.
Having a large set on their plate of diverse task, managers must prioritize accordingly.
Regardless of what they are doing managers are plagued with what they might do or what
they must do.

Managers prefer actions and activities that include moving, changing, flowing. Actions
that are tangible and current and apart from their normal routine. They don’t spend a
lot of time debating abstract issues rather focus on more concrete things.

Managers prefer current information, and gives it the top priority. This information can be
invalid as compared to the information that has been analyzed and settled down, however
managers are willing to take this cost in order to stay up to date. In a managerial environment
the pressures do not encourage development of reflective planners rather breeds adaptive
information manipulators who prefer live and concrete situations.

MYTH 2: Manager depends on aggregated and formal information.

Reality: Managers prefer informal information especially oral, meetings and emails.

Managers tend to communicate more via spoken words rather than written communication.
Manager does not leave telephone, meeting or emails to tend to pending tasks as these are
the core of their work. Manager is not involved in producing a product, selling it or writing
reports regarding it rather their productivity depends largely on the information that is obtained
or transferred. Talk is the technology of leadership.

Gossip, hearsay and grapevine information are a solid part of a managers information
diet. This is because todays gossip can become tomorrow’s fact and a manager needs to stay
up to date with any information available.

Formal information can be definitive and comprises of hard facts and numbers. But, informal
information is richer even if it is less reliable. Telephone calls can help understand tone of
voice, similarly, meeting can give body language, facial expressions and tone. Email is just
words but a lot faster than mail in most regards. Thus, they provide more timely and subtle
information.

The real data banks are managers brain as they don’t write down large amount of
information as it can be time consuming. This can be seen from their emails where they
prefer small and concise communication rather than a comprehensive debrief.
MYTH 3: Management is about hierarchal relations between superior and subordinate.

Reality: Managing is as about lateral relationship between colleagues and associates as

about hierarchal relations.

Managers position is like a neck of an hourglass consisting of outside contacts and internal
units to be managed. Manager receives abundant information both from outside and inside
which needs to be transmitted accordingly on both sides.

MYTH 4: Managers maintain tight control of their time, activities and units.

Reality: Manager is neither conductor nor puppet, they control to the extent that is
possible. This process is more covert than overt as they create obligations which manager
later attends and turn them to their advantage.

Often times manager receive a large amount of work however, the amount of work a manager
receives may be perceived as per the status manager has established for himself, while the
abundance of information they receive may be portrayed as their success in the effective
communication channels.

Managers are neither puppets nor conductors they exercise control regardless of constraints by
making initial decisions that define their other upcoming commitments and they adapt their
activities in which they must engage. Thus, they create some obligations and take advantage
of others.

Thus, effective managers are not those with most degrees of freedom but those who use
to advantage whatever degree of freedom they can find. It can be said that managers don’t
just do the job, but they make the job.
THE IMPACT OF INTERNET

Internet is one of the advancements that has greatly affected the work of managers. It has led
to an increased amount as well as increased speed of information being provided to the
managers.

Internet may or may not have affected the work of managers, In one way by reinforcing the
managerial work that has been carried out for years and in another way by driving some
practices of management over the edge.

Internet has allowed managers to easily communicate across the globe and expand their
information networks by quickly communicating and to a large group. It has developed better
informed managers who are able to communicate more quickly and can develop faster moving
and competitive enterprises. This is possible as long as these mangers are able to handle the
changes as some may be more prone to conform and act more before thinking.

Media and Messages

With communication being improved via internet different aspects are emerging.

Email is like conventional mail, as it is restricted by poverty of words. Managers are unable to
determine tone, emotions, gestures and presence of others. Even using images can be tiresome.
Emails may limit a user’s ability to support emotional and complex interactions. This gives a
false illusion of increased control and of remaining in touch while the only thing being touched
is the keyboard.

In contrast to this on telephone people can interrupt, grunt, pounce in a conversation or in

meeting all this and nods and facial expressions as well as body language is available to give
non verbal communication. This is more suitable as managers can pick on such clues and better
understand the information. As compared to email, in oral communication emotions are more
difficult to hide.

Global Village Community

Internet is enhancing networks and weakening communities within and outside

organizations.
Pace and Pressure

Email increases pace and pressure of managing and likely interruptions as well.

Many people send emails in batches while mangers due to their preference for instant
information they may send or receive frequent brief spurts of information.

Orientation to Action

Managers typically are oriented towards action; however, it is an irony that email has removed
the aspect of action, but enhances the action orientation of managing. As managers sit on their
seats Infront of a screen all day responding to emails.

Oral Nature of Managing

Managing consists of being an oral communicator, however the email has led to more words
typed than spoken.

Lateral Nature of Job

The new medium makes it easy to establish new contacts and keep in touch with the ones
already established. They spend less time on making meaningful interactions with their lateral
and internal network. This leads to improving their external network at the expense of their
internal network.

Control of the job

How internet effects control of mangers depends on them. If one is mesmerized and
overwhelmed by it can allow the internet to control them. However, if one understands the
benefits and the dangers of the internet, they can adequately manage it.

Over the edge

Internet is not changing the practice of management fundamentally; however, it is reinforcing

the characteristics that have been seen for decades. In other words, the changes are in same
direction, degree but not of the same kind.

Also, the internet may be driving much of management practices over the edge by making it
too frantic, dysfunctional, superficial, disconnected and conformist.