Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
Solutions Manual
Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Chapter Objectives........................................................................................................2
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................3
Discussion Questions....................................................................................................8
Apply Your Skills: Personal Engagement Exercise...................................................12
Manager Strengths................................................................................................................................... 12
In-Class/Online Application....................................................................................................................14
Apply Your Skills: Small Group Breakout................................................................14
Your Best and Worst Managers............................................................................................................... 14
Apply Your Skills: Ethical Dilemma..........................................................................15
Brendendorff Avionics.............................................................................................................................15
What Would You Do?......................................................................................................................... 16
Apply Your Skills: Case for Critical Analysis............................................................17
Dottie Dee’s Hair Salon........................................................................................................................... 17
Questions:............................................................................................................................................18
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 1
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to understand what a manager is and what role they play in a business.
Regardless of how managers’ behavior has changed, the basic functions of business must still be
performed for an organization to succeed. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are the functions
of the management process. Organizational goals must be met efficiently and effectively to succeed.
Managers need a mix of skills—technical, human, and conceptual. Management failure, as well as the
process of moving into management, are both discussed. Time management is a valuable skill. It enables
a manager to fulfill the informational, interpersonal, and decisional roles.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1.1 Explain five new manager competencies, including how they are impacted by the trend
toward artificial intelligence and hybrid work in today’s organizations.
1.2 Define the four management functions and the type of management activity associated with
each.
1.3 Explain why managers make a difference in performance and the difference between
efficiency and effectiveness.
1.4 Describe technical, human, and conceptual skills and their relevance for managers.
1.5 Identify the variety of personal challenges faced by new managers and ways of overcoming
them.
1.6 Define the management types and roles that managers perform in organizations.
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
Replaced discussion of bosslessness with discussions on artificial intelligence and hybrid work
Updated discussion on efficiency and effectiveness for managers
Removed the specific discussion of a manager’s role in nonprofit organizations
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The following outline organizes activities (including any existing discussion questions in PowerPoints or
other supplements) and assessments by chapter (and therefore by topic), so that you can see how all the
content relates to the topics covered in the text.
I. Management Competencies for Today’s World (LO 1.1, PPT Slides 4–11)
a. Icebreaker Activity: 15 minutes total
i. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” -
Peter F. Drucker, acclaimed management consultant
ii. Reflect on the above statement, either individually or with another student.
Then think through the following questions:
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 2
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
Are good managers good leaders? Are good leaders good managers?
Think about a situation in which you were a good manager or leader.
(Share this story with your student partner.)
b. Management is the attainment of organizational goals effectively and efficiently through
planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources.
c. There are two important ideas in this definition: (1) the attainment of organizational goals
efficiently and effectively, and (2) the four functions of planning, organizing, leading,
and controlling.
d. Instead of being a controller, today’s effective manager is an enabler who helps people do
and be their best.
e. There are rapid environmental shifts such as technology, artificial intelligence, the move
to a knowledge economy, global market forces, the COVID-19 pandemic, and shifting
expectations.
f. The extraordinary impact of artificial intelligence (AI)
i. AI: computer systems that mimic the analytical style of human intelligence by
interpreting volumes of information
ii. Uses patterns to make decisions
iii. Gen AI: creates high-quality text, images, etc., based on the nature and volume
of data fed into it
iv. Results can be a good starting point.
v. Dull or repetitive tasks might be delegated to AI.
g. Lasting impact of remote work
i. Remote work: Doing jobs from a location different than a central office can
lead to cost savings for the company and greater employee satisfaction.
ii. After a few years, issues arose, leading to a hybrid workplace: work part-time
at the office, part-time remotely
II. The Basic Functions of Management (LO 1.2, PPT Slides 12–14)
a. The five tasks fall into four fundamental management functions.
i. Planning is the management function concerned with identifying goals for
future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and use of
resources needed to attain them.
ii. Organizing involves assigning tasks, grouping tasks into departments,
delegating authority, and allocating resources across the organization.
iii. Leading is the use of influence to motivate people to achieve the organizational
goals.
iv. Controlling means monitoring employees’ activities, determining whether the
organization is moving toward its goals, and making corrections as needed.
III. Organizational Performance (LO 1.3, PPT Slides 15–17)
a. An organization is a social entity that is goal-directed and deliberately structured. A
social entity means two or more people. Goal-directed means the organization is
designed to achieve some outcome or goal, such as making a profit. Deliberately
structured means tasks are divided, and responsibility for their performance is assigned to
organization members.
b. The manager’s responsibility is to coordinate resources effectively and efficiently to
accomplish the organization’s goals.
i. Organizational effectiveness is the degree to which the organization achieves a
stated goal or succeeds in accomplishing what it tries to do.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 3
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
ii.
Organizational efficiency refers to the amount of resources used to achieve an
organizational goal. It is based on how much raw material, money, and people
are necessary for producing a given volume of output. Efficiency can be
defined as the amount of resources used to produce a product or service.
iii. Polling Activity 1: 5 minutes total
If organizational performance indicates how well a manager is doing
their job, is it more important for a manager to focus on efficiency or
effectiveness?
IV. Management Skills (LO 1.4, PPT Slides 18–25)
a. A manager’s job requires a range of skills, which can be placed in three categories:
conceptual, human, and technical.
b. The application of these skills changes dramatically when a person is promoted to
management.
c. Discussion Activity 1: 5 minutes total. If you are a middle-level manager, your
proficiency in which of the three management skills is likely to contribute most to your
success?
How does your answer change, if at all, if you are a top manager?
If you are a line manager?
d. Technical skill is the understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific
tasks. This includes mastery of the methods, techniques, and equipment involved in
specific functions such as engineering, manufacturing, or finance. Technical skill also
includes specialized knowledge, analytical ability, and competent use of tools and
techniques to solve problems in that specific discipline.
i. Technical skills are most important at lower organizational levels and become
less important than human and conceptual skills as managers are promoted.
e. Human skills encompass the manager’s ability to work with and through other people and
to work effectively as a group member. It is demonstrated in the way a manager
motivates, facilitates, coordinates, leads, communicates, and resolves conflicts.
i. Human skills include many effective behaviors used by good managers.
f. Conceptual skill is the cognitive ability to see the organization as a whole system and the
relationships among its parts. It involves knowing where one’s team fits into the total
organization and how the organization fits into its environment. It means the ability to
think strategically—to take the broad, long-term view—and to identify, evaluate, and
solve complex problems.
i. Conceptual skill is especially important for top managers. Many of the
responsibilities of top managers, such as decision making, resource allocation,
and innovation, require a broad view.
g. During turbulent times, managers must use all their skills and competencies to benefit the
organization and its stakeholders.
h. The number one reason for manager failure is ineffective communication skills and
practices.
i. Polling Activity 2: 5 minutes total. You are a bright, hard-working, entry-level
manager who fully intends to rise through the ranks. Your performance evaluation gives
you high marks for your technical skills, but low marks when it comes to people skills.
Which of the following scenarios would you choose?
Improve people skills through behavioral classes and role playing
Focus on technical skills as the priority rather than improving people skills
Learn people skills through modeling others’ excellent examples
Rethink your career path
V. Challenges Facing New Managers (LO 1.5, PPT Slides 26–29)
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 4
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Solutions Manual
Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Chapter Objectives........................................................................................................2
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................3
Discussion Questions....................................................................................................8
Apply Your Skills: Personal Engagement Exercise...................................................12
Manager Strengths................................................................................................................................... 12
In-Class/Online Application....................................................................................................................14
Apply Your Skills: Small Group Breakout................................................................14
Your Best and Worst Managers............................................................................................................... 14
Apply Your Skills: Ethical Dilemma..........................................................................15
Brendendorff Avionics.............................................................................................................................15
What Would You Do?......................................................................................................................... 16
Apply Your Skills: Case for Critical Analysis............................................................17
Dottie Dee’s Hair Salon........................................................................................................................... 17
Questions:............................................................................................................................................18
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 1
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to understand what a manager is and what role they play in a business.
Regardless of how managers’ behavior has changed, the basic functions of business must still be
performed for an organization to succeed. Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are the functions
of the management process. Organizational goals must be met efficiently and effectively to succeed.
Managers need a mix of skills—technical, human, and conceptual. Management failure, as well as the
process of moving into management, are both discussed. Time management is a valuable skill. It enables
a manager to fulfill the informational, interpersonal, and decisional roles.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1.1 Explain five new manager competencies, including how they are impacted by the trend
toward artificial intelligence and hybrid work in today’s organizations.
1.2 Define the four management functions and the type of management activity associated with
each.
1.3 Explain why managers make a difference in performance and the difference between
efficiency and effectiveness.
1.4 Describe technical, human, and conceptual skills and their relevance for managers.
1.5 Identify the variety of personal challenges faced by new managers and ways of overcoming
them.
1.6 Define the management types and roles that managers perform in organizations.
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
Replaced discussion of bosslessness with discussions on artificial intelligence and hybrid work
Updated discussion on efficiency and effectiveness for managers
Removed the specific discussion of a manager’s role in nonprofit organizations
[return to top]
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The following outline organizes activities (including any existing discussion questions in PowerPoints or
other supplements) and assessments by chapter (and therefore by topic), so that you can see how all the
content relates to the topics covered in the text.
I. Management Competencies for Today’s World (LO 1.1, PPT Slides 4–11)
a. Icebreaker Activity: 15 minutes total
i. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” -
Peter F. Drucker, acclaimed management consultant
ii. Reflect on the above statement, either individually or with another student.
Then think through the following questions:
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 2
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
Are good managers good leaders? Are good leaders good managers?
Think about a situation in which you were a good manager or leader.
(Share this story with your student partner.)
b. Management is the attainment of organizational goals effectively and efficiently through
planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources.
c. There are two important ideas in this definition: (1) the attainment of organizational goals
efficiently and effectively, and (2) the four functions of planning, organizing, leading,
and controlling.
d. Instead of being a controller, today’s effective manager is an enabler who helps people do
and be their best.
e. There are rapid environmental shifts such as technology, artificial intelligence, the move
to a knowledge economy, global market forces, the COVID-19 pandemic, and shifting
expectations.
f. The extraordinary impact of artificial intelligence (AI)
i. AI: computer systems that mimic the analytical style of human intelligence by
interpreting volumes of information
ii. Uses patterns to make decisions
iii. Gen AI: creates high-quality text, images, etc., based on the nature and volume
of data fed into it
iv. Results can be a good starting point.
v. Dull or repetitive tasks might be delegated to AI.
g. Lasting impact of remote work
i. Remote work: Doing jobs from a location different than a central office can
lead to cost savings for the company and greater employee satisfaction.
ii. After a few years, issues arose, leading to a hybrid workplace: work part-time
at the office, part-time remotely
II. The Basic Functions of Management (LO 1.2, PPT Slides 12–14)
a. The five tasks fall into four fundamental management functions.
i. Planning is the management function concerned with identifying goals for
future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and use of
resources needed to attain them.
ii. Organizing involves assigning tasks, grouping tasks into departments,
delegating authority, and allocating resources across the organization.
iii. Leading is the use of influence to motivate people to achieve the organizational
goals.
iv. Controlling means monitoring employees’ activities, determining whether the
organization is moving toward its goals, and making corrections as needed.
III. Organizational Performance (LO 1.3, PPT Slides 15–17)
a. An organization is a social entity that is goal-directed and deliberately structured. A
social entity means two or more people. Goal-directed means the organization is
designed to achieve some outcome or goal, such as making a profit. Deliberately
structured means tasks are divided, and responsibility for their performance is assigned to
organization members.
b. The manager’s responsibility is to coordinate resources effectively and efficiently to
accomplish the organization’s goals.
i. Organizational effectiveness is the degree to which the organization achieves a
stated goal or succeeds in accomplishing what it tries to do.
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 3
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Solutions Manual: Daft, Management, 15e, ©2026, 9798214042367; Chapter 1: Leading Edge Management
ii.
Organizational efficiency refers to the amount of resources used to achieve an
organizational goal. It is based on how much raw material, money, and people
are necessary for producing a given volume of output. Efficiency can be
defined as the amount of resources used to produce a product or service.
iii. Polling Activity 1: 5 minutes total
If organizational performance indicates how well a manager is doing
their job, is it more important for a manager to focus on efficiency or
effectiveness?
IV. Management Skills (LO 1.4, PPT Slides 18–25)
a. A manager’s job requires a range of skills, which can be placed in three categories:
conceptual, human, and technical.
b. The application of these skills changes dramatically when a person is promoted to
management.
c. Discussion Activity 1: 5 minutes total. If you are a middle-level manager, your
proficiency in which of the three management skills is likely to contribute most to your
success?
How does your answer change, if at all, if you are a top manager?
If you are a line manager?
d. Technical skill is the understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific
tasks. This includes mastery of the methods, techniques, and equipment involved in
specific functions such as engineering, manufacturing, or finance. Technical skill also
includes specialized knowledge, analytical ability, and competent use of tools and
techniques to solve problems in that specific discipline.
i. Technical skills are most important at lower organizational levels and become
less important than human and conceptual skills as managers are promoted.
e. Human skills encompass the manager’s ability to work with and through other people and
to work effectively as a group member. It is demonstrated in the way a manager
motivates, facilitates, coordinates, leads, communicates, and resolves conflicts.
i. Human skills include many effective behaviors used by good managers.
f. Conceptual skill is the cognitive ability to see the organization as a whole system and the
relationships among its parts. It involves knowing where one’s team fits into the total
organization and how the organization fits into its environment. It means the ability to
think strategically—to take the broad, long-term view—and to identify, evaluate, and
solve complex problems.
i. Conceptual skill is especially important for top managers. Many of the
responsibilities of top managers, such as decision making, resource allocation,
and innovation, require a broad view.
g. During turbulent times, managers must use all their skills and competencies to benefit the
organization and its stakeholders.
h. The number one reason for manager failure is ineffective communication skills and
practices.
i. Polling Activity 2: 5 minutes total. You are a bright, hard-working, entry-level
manager who fully intends to rise through the ranks. Your performance evaluation gives
you high marks for your technical skills, but low marks when it comes to people skills.
Which of the following scenarios would you choose?
Improve people skills through behavioral classes and role playing
Focus on technical skills as the priority rather than improving people skills
Learn people skills through modeling others’ excellent examples
Rethink your career path
V. Challenges Facing New Managers (LO 1.5, PPT Slides 26–29)
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 4
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
