Effective vs. Successful Managerial Activities - Management Process

Luthans (1988), on the basis of his study, found that all managers engage in four managerial activities.


1. Traditional management— This activity consists of planning, decision making, and controlling. The average manager spent 32 percent of his or her time performing this activity, whereas successful managers spend 13% and effective managers spend 13% of their time in this activity.


2. Communication—This activity consists of exchanging routine information and processing paperwork. The average manager spent 29 percent of his or her time performing this activity while successful manager spends 28% and effective managers spend 44% of their time in this activity.


3. Human resource management—This activity consists of motivating, disciplining, managing conflict, staffing, and training. The average manager spent 20 percent of his or her time performing this activity, while successful manager spends 11% and effective managers spend 26% of their time in this activity.


4. Networking—This activity involves socializing, politicking, and interacting with outsiders. The average manager spent 19 percent of his or her time performing this activity, while successful manager spends 48% and successful manages spend 11% of their time in this activity.


It was found that successful managers spent more time and effort in socializing, interacting and networking. They did not spend much time to the traditional management activities or to the human resource management activities (Luthans, 1988).