How Well Do MANAGERS MANAGE THEIR TIME? Objectives To see how time is allocated in a top management position. To start to think about how you might spend your time in a top management position. To see what you think about this kind of job and what functions are performed. Introduction Managers must allocate their time appropriately. If as a manager you continuously misallocate your time in terms of work coordination, your company will not reach its goals, or at the very least, you will not achieve your own goals and may become a liability to the organization. So, you must understand how to allocate your time wisely. Instructions The following is from Charles Handy's Understanding Organizations: A senior manager's diary: One senior division manager sat down to review what he regarded as the major responsibilities of his job. He listed six key areas for himself: 1. Relations with head office: communicating with the top managers. 2. Long-term and strategic planning: the plans that position the company over time. 3. Operational responsibilities for particular ongoing activities: the day-to-day activities of the company. 4. Co-coordinating function: working with other parts of the company to complete a task or tasks. 5. Standard setting, performance, morale priorities: setting up quality standards and other types of standards, operationalizing performance appraisals, and developing a climate where employees want to work. 6. External relations: working with customers, watching what competitors are doing, dealing with pressure groups, and working with suppliers. As a group, estimate in percentages how you think this senior manager allocated his time to these six key areas. (The senior manager's percentages are included at the end of this exercise.) 4. - percent 1. percent 2. percent 3. percent 5. percent 6. percent