LABORATORY MANAGEMENT

MLS 324 – Saint Louis University

Lecture Transcript #1

MODULE 1 – UNIT 1 OBJECTIVES iii. The company fails if the people

fail.
• Define management and the conditions 2. As a servant
necessary for its success. a. This is a secondary role.
• Identify the roles and skills associated with b. Patients and clients are the reasons for
being a manager. the organization’s existence.
• Describe the management process and the c. As a manager, the staff should be the
functions of the management. top priority of the organization. We
support our staff and clients.
LESSON PROPER
3. As a representative
➢ BASIC DEFINITIONS a. Responsible for supplying the needs of
those they supervise.
Management – It is the implementation of the b. Presenting team concerns to the
following conditions in order to succeed: mission, owners.
authority, resources, accountability (M.A.R.A.).
➢ SKILLS OF A MANAGER
• Who qualifies to be a manager? 1. Organizational Skills – The ability to
• Is management different from supervision and conceptualize and apply the management
administration? processes. It also involves systematic workflow
o Supervision: The process of watching that involves making decisions and
and directing what someone does or communicating these to co-workers.
how something is being ran. 2. People Skills – The basic understanding of the
o Administration: A group of people who human needs; works with motivation to
manages the way an organization accomplish goals.
function. 3. Financial Management Skills – The effective
use of and accounting for the monetary assets
Manager – A person who is in charge of a business,
of the company.
department, etc. They direct the performances and
4. Technical Skills – Involves the synthesis of the
professional career of their employees.
first three skills; involves the management of
• Managers become more dependent on skills physical process into operational parameters.
(i.e., detailed knowledge becomes less
important). ➢ SUMMARY OF MANAGEMENT PROCESS
• Managers are above in the hierarchy.

Mission of an Organization: To produce material goods PLANNING

or services.

➢ ROLES OF A MANAGER
1. As a person.
a. The manager is first and foremost a CONTROLLING ORGANIZING
person.
b. Understand the management process.
i. Planning
ii. Organizing DIRECTING
iii. Directing
iv. Controlling
c. Developed only through proper
1. PLANNING
training program.
a. Identifying goals
i. Some people may appear as
b. Evaluate current situation
natural leaders with in-born
c. Establish time-frame
skills, but without
d. Set objectives
understanding the
e. Forecast resource needs
management process, the
f. Implement plan
manager soon fails.
g. Obtain feedback
ii. Managers are made not born.

S A M J E F F R E Y T I O N G C O | P a g e 1|3
 2. ORGANIZING ▪ Leader – hires, trains,
a. Formal hierarchy motivates, and encourages
b. Informal relationship staff.
3. DIRECTING ▪ Liaison – Deals with people
a. Leadership other than subordinates and
b. Time allocation supervisors.
4. CONTROLLING o Informational
a. Instructions ▪ The most important aspects of
b. Follow-up a manager’s job.
c. Modifications ▪ Monitor – The ‘nerve center” of
the internal and external
➢ CHARACTERISTICS OF A MANAGER information of the
• Managers work with and through other people. organization.
• Managers are analytical thinkers (must be able • Seeks and receives
to break a problem down to its components for wide variety of special
analysis and solution making.) information.
• Managers balance competing goals and set • Makes the manager the
priorities. best-informed member
• Managers are conceptual thinkers (more of their group.
important; view the entire task in the abstract ▪ Disseminator
and relate it to other tasks) • Distribute information
• Managers are responsible and accountable. received from
outsiders or
➢ ANALOGIES TO A MANAGER subordinates
• Symbols – These are actions that express or ▪ Spokesperson
represent a particular idea or quality. • Transmit information
• Mediators • Serve as experts on
• Politicians – Elected officials who are “very organization’s industry.
active.” o Decision-Making Roles
• Diplomats – Person who has skills in dealing ▪ Entrepreneur
with other people. • Searches organization
• Make Difficult Decisions and its environment for
opportunities and
➢ DUTIES OF A LABORATORY MANAGER initiates “improvement
• Managing overall lab operations. projects” to bring about
• Developing procedures. change.
• Designing and performing test procedures. ▪ Disturbance Handler
• Analyzing requests for tests and equipment. • Respond to problems
• Tending to administrative and management beyond their control.
matters. ▪ Negotiator
• Consulting with principal investigators • Responsible for
• Assisting in budgeting. representing the
organization at major
Gist: The laboratory manager supervises the day-to- negotiations.
day activities of the laboratory. ▪ Resource Allocator
• Responsible for the
“The jobs of many managers are quite similar.” – Henry
allocation of
Mintzberg
organizational
• All managers have formal authorities over their resources of all kinds
own organizational units and derive status and, in effect, making
from that authority. or approval of all
• Managers exhibit organized set of behaviors: significant
o Interpersonal organizational
▪ Figurehead – This person decisions.
performs ceremonial duties as
the head of the unit ➢ MANAGEMENT SKILLS

S A M J E F F R E Y T I O N G C O | P a g e 2|3
 o Technical Skills – Ability to use procedures, • Low-Level: emotional intelligence & coaching
techniques, knowledge of a specialized for performance
field. o Focus on controlling and directing
o Human Skills – Ability to work with, o Less conceptual skills; more on human
understand, and motivate other people as and technical skills
individuals or as a group. o Examples: Supervisors, section heads
o Conceptual Skills – Ability to see the (assign co-faculty in day-to-day
organization as a whole; to understand activities; ensure quality and quantity
how its parts depend on one another; to of production; give recommendations
anticipate how any changes to its parts and suggestions)
affect the whole organization. o Provide
▪ Basic supervision
➢ MANAGEMENT LEVELS – Hierarchy of Authority ▪ Motivation
▪ Career planning
▪ Performance feedback
Top SUMMARY

Skills
Level Functions
Technical Human Conceptual
Middle Controlling
Low > > <
Directing
Organizing
Middle < > <
Directing
Top Controlling < > >
Low-Level

• Makes policies and objectives of the

enterprise
• Top-Level: executive coaching, change Top
• Responsible toward shareholders
management, leadership, delegation and
• Appoints executives
empowerment
• Make plans for subunits of organization
o Responsible for controlling and Middle
• Hire and train personnel
overseeing the entire organization
• Assigns job and various workers
o More on conceptual and human skills, • Ensure discipline of employees
less on technical skills Low
• Instruct workers day-to-day
o Develop goals, strategic plans, • Front liners of the enterprise
company policies, and make plans on
the direction of the organization
o Play an important role in the LEADER MANAGER
mobilization of roles • Decisive • Organizational Skills
o Accountable to shareholders and the • Charismatic • Delegation Skills
general public • Can communicate
• Middle-Level: problem solving, team building, • Creative the expected result
talent development, performance from employees
management • Has vision • Get things done
o More on human skills • Influential • Negotiator
o Organizational and directional
functions
o Design and implement effective group
and intergroup work and informational
systems
o Executing organizational plans in
compliance with organization’s plans
o Accountable to help the top
management for their department’s
functions.
o Examples: Department managers,
branch managers

S A M J E F F R E Y T I O N G C O | P a g e 3|3