Different levels of Business Management
There are many levels that make up business management. But what are the differences in each level of business management? Here Phillip Thow explores the various levels and their differences.
General Managers
A general manager (GM) helps with ideas and the decision-making process as it relates to the overall company and the direction in which it is going to go. The GM of a company generally will manage the other managers in the company who in turn manage the employees.
Phillip Thow says that with the majority of companies, the GM oversees many aspects of the business, including hiring, firing, and the promotion (or demotion) of employees. The GM takes into account the ideas and thoughts from all of the other managers of the company and makes strategic business-related decisions based on those combined ideas and thoughts. The GM will assign most of the daily jobs and tasks of running the business to the manager. Phillip Thow says a company’s GM will also be involved in the strategic planning for future business decisions.
Senior Manager
The general manager is above the senior manager. The senior manager reports directly to a GM. Supervising employees and planning the day to day tasks of those employees to keep the business running smoothly and the employees busy is the job of a senior manager. Being sure that employees are working diligently and effectively is a large part of a senior manager’s job description. Phillip Thow says that smaller business usually do not require a senior manager, but large corporations and businesses with more than 50 employees would greatly benefit from having this additional level of management within their company.
When a senior manager is part of a company’s management structure, they will usually take over the task of hiring, firing and the promotion (or demotion) of employees from the general manager.
Manager
Becoming a manager is most people’s initial step into the world of business. The manager not only reports to upper management but also is reported TO by lower management and employees. There is a lot resting on the task list of manager. Daily planning for the business and it’s individual employees is the biggest task.
An effective manager will be great at managing their employees and keeping things running smoothly during the day to day operations of a business, including making decisions on whether or not to establish corporate credit for the company. A desicion to establish business credit can help a company's available funds to operate significantly. A manager is the first stop for client complaints, employee inquiries and complaints, employee requests, hiring, firing and the overall overseeing of the daily company operations. Phil Thow says that with a smaller company, the manager will take over the task of hiring, firing, promotions and demotions, but in a larger company setting, the manager doesn’t usually handle these tasks. They do however, have some input since they work directly with the company employees at an individual level.
Phil Thow says being manager means delegating tasks and overseeing employee job performance. A manager will also be the person to determine which tasks need to be done on any given day and of those daily tasks, which employee will handle which tasks.
Supervisor
The supervisor of a company is the first step up from being an employee with general tasks. Each division within a company structure will have its own supervisor. The supervisor will oversee the day to day tasks of their specific division and the employees within that division. A supervisor is in charge of a making sure that a division or group is effective and productive when handling day to day tasks assigned to them.
Phil Thow notes that in general, a supervisor will report a problem-employee to a manager only if after an attempt to repair the issue, they have no success. A supervisor will oversee the division and their tasks but in general, will not decide which employees will handle which tasks; this is a job left to the manager.
Phil Thow reminds us that there are numerous tiers in business management. Each tier has its function and promotes to the smooth running of the business. By working together, these tiers of managers create an effective, productive and profitable company.