Part 1: Management Practice

CONTINUING CASE: STARBUCKS

Part 1: Starbucks—Introduction

Discussion Questions with Answers:

P1-1 What management skills do you think would be most important for Howard Schultz to
have? Why? What skills do you think would be most important for a Starbucks store
manager to have? Why?

Step 1: Project Outline:

1.0 Introduction:

2.0 Technical Skills:

2.1 Definition:

2.2 Technical Skills vs First-line manager:

3.0 Interpersonal Skills:

3.1 Definition:

3.2 Interpersonal Skills vs all manager:

4.0 Conceptual Skills:

4.1 Definition:

4.2 Conceptual skills vs Top managers

5.0 Other Important skills:

Step 2: 1st Draft:

1.0 Introduction:

What types of skills do managers need? Robert L. Katz proposed that managers need
three critical skills in managing: technical, human, and conceptual.

Exhibit 1-6 shows the relationships of these skills to managerial levels.

EXHIBIT 1-6: SKILLS NEEDED AT DIFFERENT MANAGERIAL LEVELS

2.0 Technical Skills:

2.1 Definition:
Technical skills are the job-specific knowledge and techniques needed to proficiently
perform work tasks.

2.2 Technical Skills vs First-line manager:

These skills tend to be more important for first-line managers because they typically
manage employees who use tools and techniques to produce the organization’s products
or service to the organization’s customers.

Often, employees with excellent technical skills get promoted to first-line manager.

3.0 Interpersonal Skills:

3.1 Definition:

Involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group.

3.2 Interpersonal Skills vs all manager:

Because all managers deal with people, these skills are equally important to all levels of
management. Managers with good human skills get the best out of their people. They
know how to communicate, motivate and lead and inspire enthusiasm and trust.
4.0 Conceptual Skills:

4.1 Definition:
Conceptual skills are the skills managers use to think and to conceptualize about abstract
and complex situations.

4.2 Conceptual skills vs Top managers

Using these skills managers see the organization as a whole, understand the relationships
among various subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader
environment.

These skills are most important to top managers.

5.0 Other Important skills:

Other important managerial skills that have been identified are listed in Exhibit 1-7.
Exhibit 1-7: Important Managerial Levels

In today’s demanding and dynamic workplace, employees who want to be valuable assets
must constantly upgrade their skills, and developing management skills can be
particularly beneficial.
Step 3: Insert Theory from a minimum of 3 textbooks:

1.0 Introduction:

What types of skills do managers need? Robert L. Katz proposed that managers need
three critical skills in managing: technical, human, and conceptual.

Exhibit 1-6 shows the relationships of these skills to managerial levels.

EXHIBIT 1-6: SKILLS NEEDED AT DIFFERENT MANAGERIAL LEVELS

2.0 Technical Skills:

2.1 Definition:
Technical skills are the job-specific knowledge and techniques needed to proficiently
perform work tasks.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

2.2 Technical Skills vs First-line manager:

These skills tend to be more important for first-line managers because they typically
manage employees who use tools and techniques to produce the organization’s products
or service to the organization’s customers.

Often, employees with excellent technical skills get promoted to first-line manager.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

3.0 Interpersonal Skills:

3.1 Definition:
 Involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

3.2 Interpersonal Skills vs all manager:

Because all managers deal with people, these skills are equally important to all levels of
management. Managers with good human skills get the best out of their people. They
know how to communicate, motivate and lead and inspire enthusiasm and trust.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

4.0 Conceptual Skills:

4.1 Definition:

Conceptual skills are the skills managers use to think and to conceptualize about abstract
and complex situations.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

4.2 Conceptual skills vs Top managers

Using these skills managers see the organization as a whole, understand the relationships
among various subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader
environment.

These skills are most important to top managers.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:
5.0 Other Important skills:

Other important managerial skills that have been identified are listed in Exhibit 1-7.
Exhibit 1-7: Important Managerial Levels

In today’s demanding and dynamic workplace, employees who want to be valuable assets
must constantly upgrade their skills, and developing management skills can be
particularly beneficial.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:
Step 4: Insert Info from the case study inside the textbooks:

1.0 Introduction:

What types of skills do managers need? Robert L. Katz proposed that managers need
three critical skills in managing: technical, human, and conceptual.

Exhibit 1-6 shows the relationships of these skills to managerial levels.

EXHIBIT 1-6: SKILLS NEEDED AT DIFFERENT MANAGERIAL LEVELS

2.0 Technical Skills:

2.1 Definition:
Technical skills are the job-specific knowledge and techniques needed to proficiently
perform work tasks.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

2.2 Technical Skills vs First-line manager:

These skills tend to be more important for first-line managers because they typically
manage employees who use tools and techniques to produce the organization’s products
or service to the organization’s customers.

Often, employees with excellent technical skills get promoted to first-line manager.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

3.0 Interpersonal Skills:

3.1 Definition:

Involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

3.2 Interpersonal Skills vs all manager:

Because all managers deal with people, these skills are equally important to all levels of
management. Managers with good human skills get the best out of their people. They
know how to communicate, motivate and lead and inspire enthusiasm and trust.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

4.0 Conceptual Skills:

4.1 Definition:
Conceptual skills are the skills managers use to think and to conceptualize about abstract
and complex situations.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

4.2 Conceptual skills vs Top managers

Using these skills managers see the organization as a whole, understand the relationships
among various subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader
 environment.

These skills are most important to top managers.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

5.0 Other Important skills:

Other important managerial skills that have been identified are listed in Exhibit 1-7.
Exhibit 1-7: Important Managerial Levels

In today’s demanding and dynamic workplace, employees who want to be valuable assets
must constantly upgrade their skills, and developing management skills can be
particularly beneficial.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

Step 5: Insert Info from the Internet:

1.0 Introduction:

What types of skills do managers need? Robert L. Katz proposed that managers need
three critical skills in managing: technical, human, and conceptual.

Exhibit 1-6 shows the relationships of these skills to managerial levels.

EXHIBIT 1-6: SKILLS NEEDED AT DIFFERENT MANAGERIAL LEVELS

2.0 Technical Skills:

2.1 Definition:
Technical skills are the job-specific knowledge and techniques needed to proficiently
perform work tasks.
(Robbins:2016)

Textbook 1:
(DAFT:2017)

Textbook 2:
(George & Jones: 2015)

Textbook 3:

2.2 Technical Skills vs First-line manager:

These skills tend to be more important for first-line managers because they typically
manage employees who use tools and techniques to produce the organization’s products
or service to the organization’s customers.

Often, employees with excellent technical skills get promoted to first-line manager.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:
 Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

Example from the Internet:

3.0 Interpersonal Skills:

3.1 Definition:

Involve the ability to work well with other people both individually and in a group.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

3.2 Interpersonal Skills vs all manager:

Because all managers deal with people, these skills are equally important to all levels of
management. Managers with good human skills get the best out of their people. They
know how to communicate, motivate and lead and inspire enthusiasm and trust.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

4.0 Conceptual Skills:

4.1 Definition:
Conceptual skills are the skills managers use to think and to conceptualize about abstract
and complex situations.

Textbook 1:
 Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

4.2 Conceptual skills vs Top managers

Using these skills managers see the organization as a whole, understand the relationships
among various subunits, and visualize how the organization fits into its broader
environment.

These skills are most important to top managers.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:

Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

5.0 Other Important skills:

Other important managerial skills that have been identified are listed in Exhibit 1-7.
Exhibit 1-7: Important Managerial Levels

In today’s demanding and dynamic workplace, employees who want to be valuable assets
must constantly upgrade their skills, and developing management skills can be
particularly beneficial.

Textbook 1:

Textbook 2:
Textbook 3:

Example from the Case Study: (Robbins 2016)

Example from the Internet on Starbuck

Suggestion and Recommendation

Summary

What management skills do you think would be most important for Howard Schultz to
have? Why? What skills do you think would be most important for a Starbucks store
manager to have? Why?

As chairman and chief global strategist of Starbucks Corporation, Howard Schultz

needs to have strong skills in each of the areas identified by Robert L. Katz: technical
skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. Conceptual skills are especially important for
Schultz to effectively lead his company. These skills enable him to make strategic plans
that guide the global growth of Starbucks, predict future product trends, and take
advantage of opportunities in the external environment.

To manage an individual Starbucks location successfully, each Starbucks store

manager, as well as the top manager of Starbucks Corporation, needs to possess the
skills identified by Katz. Your students should recognize that the most important skills in
this level of management would likely be related to human skills. This particular skill
category equips a store manager to effectively utilize his/her most valuable resource—
the employees, or "partners"—to achieve the goals and objectives of the individual
store as well as the corporation as a whole.

Theory: from the textbook:

Management Skills
 Managers need certain skills to perform the challenging duties and activities
associated with being a manager.

1. Robert L. Katz found through his research that managers need three essential
skills (see Exhibit 1-6).

a. Technical skills are job-specific knowledge and techniques needed to

proficiently perform specific tasks.
b. Human skills involve the ability to work well with other people individually and in
a group.
c. Conceptual skills involve the ability to think and to conceptualize about abstract
and complex situations.
d. Other skills are listed in Exhibit 1-7. These skills will be highlighted in a feature
at the end of each chapter.

2. Developing management skills are important for aspiring managers. To help aid
students in this respect, the authors have put together several skill-building
modules in mymanagementlab. These skills reflect a broad cross-section of the
important managerial activities that are elements of the four management
functions.

EXHIBIT 1-6
SKILLS NEEDED AT DIFFERENT
MANAGERIAL LEVELS

Exhibit 1-7
Important Managerial Levels
Insert theory from a minimum of 3 textbooks:

As chairman and chief global strategist of Starbucks Corporation, Howard Schultz

needs to have strong skills in each of the areas identified by Robert L. Katz: technical
skills, human skills, and conceptual skills. Conceptual skills are especially important for
Schultz to effectively lead his company. These skills enable him to make strategic plans
that guide the global growth of Starbucks, predict future product trends, and take
advantage of opportunities in the external environment.

Insert info from the case study on Starbuck: (textbook)

Insert info from the internet on Starbuck:

To manage an individual Starbucks location successfully, each Starbucks store

manager, as well as the top manager of Starbucks Corporation, needs to possess the
skills identified by Katz. Your students should recognize that the most important skills in
this level of management would likely be related to human skills. This particular skill
category equips a store manager to effectively utilize his/her most valuable resource—
the employees, or "partners"—to achieve the goals and objectives of the individual
store as well as the corporation as a whole.

Insert info from the case study on Starbuck: (textbook)

Insert info from the internet on Starbuck: