Management Skills. Skills Task Force Research Paper 3.

A task force was convened to identify the nature, extent, and pattern of skill needs and shortages for managerial occupations in the United Kingdom (UK). The task force began by examining the key challenges facing managers in the UK. The following factors were among those considered: economic policies promoting liberalization and deregulation; increasingly fragmented and global product markets; and technological transformations arising from developments in microelectronics. The demand projections for managers and skills shortages (as demonstrated through recruitment problems for higher-level occupations) were reviewed along with the new skills and competencies demanded of managers. Skills related to the following management roles were detailed: managing operations, managing finance, managing people, and managing information. Each key role was subdivided into units of competence that were in turn subdivided into elements of competence. Performance criteria and range indicators were provided for each element of competence. The following key management roles were added to the original four: manage energy, manage quality, and manage projects. Existing management standards were reviewed and modified to reflect the new roles. Management training and development in schools and small and medium enterprises were discussed along with criticisms that have been leveled against competency-based management development. (Contains 112 references.) (MN)