Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
Instructor Manual
Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671;
Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Chapter Objectives........................................................................................................2
What’s New in This Chapter........................................................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................3
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 1
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of management and the various types of managers
within organizations. It explains the four basic functions of management—planning, organizing, leading,
and controlling—while outlining the essential skills required for effective management. This chapter
explores management as both a science and an art, and delves into the evolution of management thought,
from classical to contemporary perspectives, including systems and contingency views. It also addresses
the key challenges and opportunities faced by managers today, emphasizing the skills necessary for
success in an ever-changing business environment.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1-1 Describe management and the kinds of managers found in organizations.
1-2 Explain the four basic management functions.
1-3 Describe the fundamental management skills and the concept of management as both science and
art.
1-4 Explain the importance of history and theory to managers.
1-5 Explain the evolution of management thought through the classical, behavioral, and quantitative
perspectives.
1-6 Discuss the key contemporary management perspectives represented by the systems and
contingency perspectives.
1-7 Identify the major challenges and opportunities faced by managers today.
[return to top]
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
[return to top]
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 2
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
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. An Introduction to Management (LO 1-1, PPT Slides 4–13)
i. An organization is a group of people working together in a structured and
coordinated fashion to achieve a set of goals.
ii. Managers are responsible for using the organization’s resources to help achieve
its goals.
iii. Management can be defined as a set of activities (including planning and
decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at an
organization’s resources with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an
efficient and effective manner.
iv. Successful organizations are both efficient and effective.
v. Today’s managers face myriad interesting and challenging situations.
vi. The manager’s job is unpredictable and fraught with challenges, but it is also
filled with opportunities to make a difference.
vii. Good managers can propel an organization into unprecedented realms of success,
whereas poor managers can devastate even the strongest of organizations.
a. Kinds of Managers
i. Levels of Management: One way to classify managers is in terms of their level in
the organization.
(1) Top managers create the organization’s goals, overall strategy, and
operating policies.
(a) Titles found in this group include president, vice president (VP),
and chief executive officer (CEO).
(2) Middle managers are primarily responsible for implementing the policies
and plans developed by top managers and for supervising and
coordinating the activities of lower-level managers.
(a) Common middle-management titles include plant manager,
operations manager, and division head.
(3) First-line managers supervise and coordinate the activities of operating
employees.
(a) Common titles for first-line managers are supervisor,
coordinator, and office manager.
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 3
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
ii. Top managers make decisions about activities such as acquiring other
companies, investing in R&D, entering or abandoning various markets, and
building new plants and office facilities.
iii. In contrast to top and middle managers, first-line managers typically spend a
large proportion of their time supervising the work of their subordinates.
b. Managing in Different Areas of the Organization
i. Managers may work in various areas within an organization, including
marketing, financial, operations, human resources, administrative, and others.
ii. Marketing managers work in areas related to the marketing function—getting
consumers and clients to buy the organization’s products or services.
iii. Financial managers deal primarily with an organization’s financial resources,
responsible for activities such as accounting, cash management, and investments.
iv. Operations managers are concerned with creating and managing the systems that
create an organization’s products and services.
v. Human resources managers are responsible for hiring and developing employees,
including human resource planning, recruiting, training, and performance
appraisals.
vi. Administrative managers tend to be generalists, with basic familiarity with all
functional areas of management rather than specialized training.
vii. Many organizations have specialized management positions in addition to those
already described.
(1) Public relations managers, for example, deal with the public and media
for firms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Unilever to protect and
enhance the image of their organizations.
(2) R&D managers coordinate the activities of scientists and engineers
working on scientific projects in organizations such as Google, Shell, and
NASA.
II. Basic Management Functions (LO 1-2, PPT Slides 14–17)
a. Planning and Decision Making
i. Planning means setting an organization’s goals and deciding how best to achieve
them.
ii. Decision making, a part of the planning process, involves selecting a course of
action from a set of alternatives.
iii. Planning and decision making help managers maintain their effectiveness by
serving as guides for their future activities.
b. Organizing
i. Once a manager has set goals and developed a workable plan, their next
management function is to organize people and the other resources necessary to
carry out the plan.
ii. Organizing involves determining how activities and resources are to be grouped.
c. Leading
i. Leading is the set of processes used to get members of the organization to
work together to further the interests of the organization.
ii. Some people consider leading to be both the most important and the most
challenging of all managerial activities.
d. Controlling
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 4
accessible website, in whole or in part.
Instructor Manual
Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671;
Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Chapter Objectives........................................................................................................2
What’s New in This Chapter........................................................................................2
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................3
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 1
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of management and the various types of managers
within organizations. It explains the four basic functions of management—planning, organizing, leading,
and controlling—while outlining the essential skills required for effective management. This chapter
explores management as both a science and an art, and delves into the evolution of management thought,
from classical to contemporary perspectives, including systems and contingency views. It also addresses
the key challenges and opportunities faced by managers today, emphasizing the skills necessary for
success in an ever-changing business environment.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1-1 Describe management and the kinds of managers found in organizations.
1-2 Explain the four basic management functions.
1-3 Describe the fundamental management skills and the concept of management as both science and
art.
1-4 Explain the importance of history and theory to managers.
1-5 Explain the evolution of management thought through the classical, behavioral, and quantitative
perspectives.
1-6 Discuss the key contemporary management perspectives represented by the systems and
contingency perspectives.
1-7 Identify the major challenges and opportunities faced by managers today.
[return to top]
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
[return to top]
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 2
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
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. An Introduction to Management (LO 1-1, PPT Slides 4–13)
i. An organization is a group of people working together in a structured and
coordinated fashion to achieve a set of goals.
ii. Managers are responsible for using the organization’s resources to help achieve
its goals.
iii. Management can be defined as a set of activities (including planning and
decision making, organizing, leading, and controlling) directed at an
organization’s resources with the aim of achieving organizational goals in an
efficient and effective manner.
iv. Successful organizations are both efficient and effective.
v. Today’s managers face myriad interesting and challenging situations.
vi. The manager’s job is unpredictable and fraught with challenges, but it is also
filled with opportunities to make a difference.
vii. Good managers can propel an organization into unprecedented realms of success,
whereas poor managers can devastate even the strongest of organizations.
a. Kinds of Managers
i. Levels of Management: One way to classify managers is in terms of their level in
the organization.
(1) Top managers create the organization’s goals, overall strategy, and
operating policies.
(a) Titles found in this group include president, vice president (VP),
and chief executive officer (CEO).
(2) Middle managers are primarily responsible for implementing the policies
and plans developed by top managers and for supervising and
coordinating the activities of lower-level managers.
(a) Common middle-management titles include plant manager,
operations manager, and division head.
(3) First-line managers supervise and coordinate the activities of operating
employees.
(a) Common titles for first-line managers are supervisor,
coordinator, and office manager.
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 3
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Griffin, Fundamentals of Management, 11e, 2026, 9798214042671; Chapter 1: Understanding the Manager’s Job
ii. Top managers make decisions about activities such as acquiring other
companies, investing in R&D, entering or abandoning various markets, and
building new plants and office facilities.
iii. In contrast to top and middle managers, first-line managers typically spend a
large proportion of their time supervising the work of their subordinates.
b. Managing in Different Areas of the Organization
i. Managers may work in various areas within an organization, including
marketing, financial, operations, human resources, administrative, and others.
ii. Marketing managers work in areas related to the marketing function—getting
consumers and clients to buy the organization’s products or services.
iii. Financial managers deal primarily with an organization’s financial resources,
responsible for activities such as accounting, cash management, and investments.
iv. Operations managers are concerned with creating and managing the systems that
create an organization’s products and services.
v. Human resources managers are responsible for hiring and developing employees,
including human resource planning, recruiting, training, and performance
appraisals.
vi. Administrative managers tend to be generalists, with basic familiarity with all
functional areas of management rather than specialized training.
vii. Many organizations have specialized management positions in addition to those
already described.
(1) Public relations managers, for example, deal with the public and media
for firms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Unilever to protect and
enhance the image of their organizations.
(2) R&D managers coordinate the activities of scientists and engineers
working on scientific projects in organizations such as Google, Shell, and
NASA.
II. Basic Management Functions (LO 1-2, PPT Slides 14–17)
a. Planning and Decision Making
i. Planning means setting an organization’s goals and deciding how best to achieve
them.
ii. Decision making, a part of the planning process, involves selecting a course of
action from a set of alternatives.
iii. Planning and decision making help managers maintain their effectiveness by
serving as guides for their future activities.
b. Organizing
i. Once a manager has set goals and developed a workable plan, their next
management function is to organize people and the other resources necessary to
carry out the plan.
ii. Organizing involves determining how activities and resources are to be grouped.
c. Leading
i. Leading is the set of processes used to get members of the organization to
work together to further the interests of the organization.
ii. Some people consider leading to be both the most important and the most
challenging of all managerial activities.
d. Controlling
a
© 2026 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 4
accessible website, in whole or in part.
