Depending on the UNESCO definition of 1958, there are several types of illiterate people. A person is illiterate if he cannot read or write (basic level of illiteracy), passing through other levels (functional, language, computer, existential). According to these contents, a managerial illiterate (functional) is one who knows the classic administrative concepts but who no longer serve him to face the new challenges that are happening in the business field, because he has not worried about his own update in the managerial field.
The illiterate manager, since his appointment, stands out for a clear definition of his hierarchical position, with which he subdues workers. Its source of power is given by an autocratic structure and the models and methods used by it are no longer the ones that will effectively lead it to achieve a competitive position. He is satisfied with the acquired knowledge and cannot be creative, because the changes have already left him without any capacity.
The business world is dynamic, not static, it is subject to the effects of the constant changes that occur at every moment. In this sense, the manager must act accordingly, he cannot remain stagnant with what little he knows. You cannot wait to become a functional illiterate, you must overcome that danger.
The manager must be able to face the challenges of the new economy that requires higher levels of training. You must have the ability to study the future to understand it and be able to influence it. Hence, it is necessary to have a global, systemic, dynamic and open vision that explains possible futures, not only based on data from the past but fundamentally taking into account the future evolution of the variables (quantitative and above all qualitative) as well as the behaviors of the actors involved, so as to reduce uncertainty, illuminate the present action and provide mechanisms that lead to an acceptable, convenient or desired future.
In this 21st century, society is in a new stage of industrial development different from that of the last century, where knowledge and information are the engine of scientific and technological advances that require a fundamental basis for the global adoption of said order.
En la década y media que ha transcurrido del siglo XXI, se han disparado todos los conceptos gerenciales en los cuales se han apoyado, hasta el presente, los directivos de la mayoría de las empresas. Un entorno competitivo apoyado por la globalización, está haciendo necesario que las empresas se sientan obligadas a trabajar bajo modelos gerenciales que busquen dotarlos de la capacidad de marcar la diferencia y de poner en práctica estrategias que le garanticen la supervivencia en un mercado donde la intervención y decisión directa de los clientes promueven la urgencia de establecer en las organizaciones competencias orientadas al desarrollo de las mejores prácticas.
These necessary competences could establish new paradigms in managerial management in the coming years, and although their names may seem the same or similar to those we have always known, their context has varied substantially; that is to say, each one of them has incorporated new scopes and contents into their concept, therefore their development implies a new experience that is born from a process of updating that allows the development capacity of these competences within organizations.
Adaptation to change and a strategic vision become mandatory and practically decisive. "Do the same" or "stay the same" are banished expressions of business argumentation.
Certainly, many opportunities to innovate or to develop new business opportunities consist of focusing business processes, the way of doing things, in a different way, different from the conventional ones.
The new management schemes are a reflection of the way the organization thinks and operates, requiring, among other aspects: a worker with the knowledge to develop and achieve business objectives; a flexible process before the changes introduced by the organization; a flat, agile structure, reduced to the minimum expression that creates a work environment that satisfies those who participate in the execution of organizational objectives; a reward system based on the effectiveness of the process where success and risk are shared; and a participative work team in the actions of the organization.
It seems that the managers of this century are similar, in appearance, to those of the last decade of the last century, but not the same. Preparation is different and the ways of working vary. Languages, studies, computer skills and communication skills are some of the aspects to consider for a 21st century manager.
The skills that have been possessed are useful, but each time you feel the need to increase the arsenal of managerial tools to be a manager of this time. The manager must be a strategist, organizer and leader, but in order to organize he needs to know where he is going. The Manager should be aware that as time progresses, in addition to being presented with useful new tools to cope with any adversity, black spots will also appear that will overshadow the panorama.
For this reason, management personnel of the 21st century must become familiar with the new skills that modern business management requires today. These skills will help you carry out your work more efficiently and properly manage teams, negotiate with internal and external customers and suppliers, improving the performance of your area or organization.
In this century, organizations, and especially their managers, must not only coexist and be sufficiently satisfied with the successes of the present, but must continue visualizing and planning their vision for a more promising future. Today's successes will not be tomorrow's successes. Organizations will always have to be renewed; It is not enough to formulate a strategic plan, it is not always the total solution, you must have a vision and adequate prospective of the environment.
For some scholars, the skills that new managers must acquire and that will make a difference in the 21st century are:
- Develop and generate business environmental skills. The aim is to promote cleaner and less polluting production in organizations, which must now be supported by the development of business environmental competencies that promote behavior in the organization that goes beyond the minimum behavior of respect for the environment. Develop influence and persuasion in specific contexts according to the needs of the work teams. Situational leadership allows rotating the responsibility, invites to empower the team, making the result collegial in such a way that it begins to recognize that the leader is not synonymous with the boss or supreme authority, it is the recognition of the knowledge underlying the work team. Creative thinking.The manager must have the capacity to foster and awaken creativity within the organization, to find new solutions and opportunities for the company through new ways of thinking that are socially, financially and environmentally sustainable. Global mindset, role of the professional in the world, global professional development. The manager must understand that solutions, opportunities and the field of professional activity are global today and have tools, attitudes and values to take advantage of them. Digital immersion. Personal branding in the digital world, new activities and ways of understanding productivity in the business world. In personal life, we are already used to interacting naturally with the digital world, we have incorporated it into our leisure, domestic life spaces,of interaction with our family and friends. Watching TV at the same time that you browse a social network, play with an App or send messages through WhatsApp is natural. Recognize individual skills and competencies, but aiming to achieve corporate purposes. Talking about empowered teams means that their power comes from within, generating the synergy required so that each of its members contributes the best of themselves in the execution of tasks. Identify communication models capable of successfully dealing with conflicts in the organization. Assertive communication allows generating spaces to also listen to those who think differently without disqualifying them and in this way find valuable alternatives for action.Promote initiatives that allow "making things happen" in new organizational environments. This is based on the discovery of new scenarios that are not yet reality but that are possible and probable, based on prospective models that allow you to intuit variables that can make a difference for your organization. Establish a framework for action that contributes to a management that allows sustainable development for the benefit of society. It is about identifying in organizations the ability to value their environments and therefore, recognizing that their business management involves customers, suppliers, their shareholders, collaborators and also the communities in which their organization is present, be it by actual physical presence or brand impact. Promote the change process.The change in a map that the collaborators must learn to read and it will be they who will identify that the organization is stagnant and requires rapid and necessary movements, there is an urgency to create strategies that ensure the long term of the organization, we know by heart history of companies that were successful a couple of years but after that nothing new appeared. Integrate in daily management the ability to lean on technological resources and tools to promote connectivity in the organization. It is necessary to be aware of new technologies. A company that does not have a website is an organization that does not exist, social networks have gone from being spaces dedicated to leisure and fun to powerful market penetration strategies, to low-cost advertising. The e-mails,Laptops, mobile communications and all the plethora of alternatives that we are not even able to name are rapidly taking over managerial management and forcing us to change the way and style of doing business. Evidence with their behaviors and actions the legality and legality beyond all belief in order to operationalize corporate values. Promulgated and promoted values sometimes appear as occasional ghosts that are wielded when accountable. The values do not admit curved lines, in this sense it is necessary that the management has clarity of the testimony that it offers with its acts to the clients and collaborators, especially;The aim is to review the coherence between saying and doing in such a way that organizational praxis has guiding principles that support corporate identity. Develop skills aimed at strengthening character and knowledge in behaviors and relationships with suppliers and customers. Costs can go up or down for the organization if trust is strengthened in relationships with customers, suppliers and collaborators. The bridge of trust is linked to that of credibility, almost we can say that the one conditions the other, in this sense it is necessary to increase the levels of credibility in people, teams and the organization. To learn another language.Learning another language can be highly beneficial for our professional environment since it allows us to be in contact with all kinds of people. Knowing several languages opens up a range of possibilities for successful international business. And, in addition, another language develops our learning system at the brain level and keeps us constantly thinking.
These competencies are just one among many, so those with managerial responsibilities should review, in a judicious way, the content of each of these competences, which will undoubtedly be and in some cases already are, part of the new dynamics. management that will mobilize organizations towards new realities, that will govern the corporate destiny.
New management is required to define and strengthen innovative organizational structures that exceed classical models of managerial thinking. Managers must promote the construction of models according to the new realities. Therefore, updating becomes an inescapable necessity to take on the challenges imposed by the competitive environment that surrounds them.
Bibliography
- Fano, Francisco Javier. Management skills in the XXI century. January 2014. Michelin, François. Company and responsibility, Encuentro, Madrid, 1999. Mirow, Michael. The challenges facing the Business Strategy in the 21st Century. University of Berlin. Challenges to the Business Strategy of the 21st Century. Management Magazine. The Leader of the XXI Century. 5th. Edition, 1999.
