Professional Project Proposal, Research Proposal Example

Introduction

The group chosen for this work study is managers of organizations, starting from operational level managers, the middle level managers, the top managers and the chief executive officers in the organizations. The managers of the organization are the most important people that are used to define and differentiate each organization from another. This group of people is very important in the business arena for they determine the direction of the business activities and shape the goals and objectives within the organization. The subject of management is as old as the medieval period; managers had been there even before man ventured into formal business. Management as an operational tool in organization relies on information for effective delivery of value to the target customers, every aspect of management needs information for success. In the contemporary world, where change characterizes every operation within the organization, information need is very paramount for managers to execute their duties effectively and to ensure that an organization procures a good competitive edge over its rivals. Information determines what the business stands offer and what is expected from its managers (Chumbler, 2007).

The need for information by the managers is very impetus for their operations in the organization and in their daily to daily activities. Drawing from a reservoir of studies on the subject of management, managers need information for them to know where the organization is and where the organization is heading to (Cullen, 2000).

Needs assessment

Information for managers entail the search for information that one needs to know about managers, how to become a manager and what type of manager does one aim to be. Studies show that any function within the organization requires a manager and therefore the information needs for individuals within the functions will revolve around the issues of management concepts such as planning, organizing, controlling and coordinating. Managers need to understand how their roles within the organization affect the affect the entire organization.

Managers need information on the various elements of the organization; this includes information about people, structure, systems, products and services produced by the organization. Managers in both profit and non profit organization needs to work towards the achievement of the goals set by the organization (Dollar, 1999).

Some authors tend to argue that managers are leaders by the virtue of their duties in the organization, however other views from other authors posit that leaders are not necessarily managers because leaders can still lead without the fundamental skills that managers poses such as technical knowledge.

Most authors agree that both managers and leaders exert influence on other people in an entity to ensure the achievement of the set goals and objectives. However information needs for the leaders managers may differ depending on the roles or duties that they partake. Managers are only effective if they have information on the type of skills and the work ethics that are expected from them, they need to have interpersonal skills to enable them interact with other people, they need technical skills that relate to the job specific requirements, and they need conceptual skills to be discern the systems and structure of the organization (Dollar, 1999).

Most managers need information from the above areas and for the top level managers such as the chief executive officers will need information that is derived from the macro environment such as political factors, economic factors, social factors and technological changes.

Some management theorists have also posited that middle level managers are not necessary for the organization. the assertion according to these theorists argue that middle level managers receive directions from the top and they in turn transmit them to the lower level employees in the organization, these decisions can be transmitted directly to the employees without a third party coming in between. Thus this level of management should be scrapped off to reduce unnecessary beaurocracy in the business. Operational managers at the operational level can make decisions by consulting across the other functions and the top managers.

Despite the above argument, middle level managers in the organization play a very a pivotal role of ensuring that both operational and tactical decisions are implemented in the organization. The managers receive decisions that are strategic in nature from the managers above them. They receive directions and devise strategies on how the resources used in the organization for the production of goods and services have to be used. They ensure that strategic decisions from the managers at the strategic level are converted into operational plan that guides the day to day operations in the organization. Strategic decisions focus on the theory of what is to be done, while tactical decision does what should be done.

Managers need to understand information need forms the basis of every project, information flow within the organization is determined by them from the lowest level managers to the top ranked managers of the organization. Information about their roles, skills, work ethics, organization system and the environment at large is important for their operations and for understanding them as a group people that are touched by work. The accuracy of such information stands the chance of providing good results for the research.

Information across all the levels of management plays a role in scheduling of activities and operations, budgeting for resources to ensure proper utilization of the organizations resources, proper budgeting ensures a well balanced resource endowment to the various sections within the organization. Managers and especially their counterparts in the middle of the ladder should have proper training and have good skills to ensure that these are handled properly.

Based on the facts above, it was impetus t to look at the middle level managers and their roles in the need for information. They are among the most important managers that connect the top of the organization with its lower end. (Brown, 2005).

Data collection instruments

The data was collected mainly by the application of qualitative methods such as questionnaires, interviews and surveys. Qualitative method stood the chance of enabling the researcher to ascertain the attitude, beliefs and behavior of the middle level managers on information need. Questionnaires were deemed as the most appropriate as it ensured the privacy and confidentiality of the respondents, as this enabled them to easily give information. The questionnaires enabled easy understanding of the research objectives by the middle level managers. The data collected, tabulated and analyzed (Andersen, & Borum, 2005).

The willingness of the middle level managers was very positive and they expressed that their informational needs should not rely only on particular elements that affect the organization and technical operations, but they needed more information the environmental aspects that affect their professions as managers. Most of middle managers needed information pertaining to professional bodies that they can belong to as middle level managers, despite their functional differences. A big number of these managers needed information that pertains to how they can improve their work skills and more importantly information pertaining to career development and capacity building.

Project objectives

The objectives of this project were based on the above problem statement. The project was conducted to highlight the plight of middle level managers in different organizations. The specific objectives entailed the following.

• Identify the roles played by middle level managers in the organization.
• Identify the need for information among the middle level managers in different organizations.
• The need for career development among the middle level managers
• The need for information on the external environment

There was need to conduct a pre-test of the research on a selected number of middle level managers. The pre-test was a call to asses the response of the respondents and ascertain whether to proceed with the research or not. Most middle level managers are aware of the important roles that they play in the organization, however most of them do not know how they can join professional management bodies where they can be recognized as professionals, most of them are also willing to develop their careers and are engulfed in confusion on how to go about, with other willing to divert to other areas of study and a majority willing to specialize in their professional fields. Apart from the normal training provided by the organizations, most middle managers had the desire to train themselves and attend seminars and forums that enhance capacity development during their free time.

Materials and labor

The project required the involvement of the middle level managers and the various organizations that they work for. Research shows that most middle managers who attend training are very productive and stand the better chance for promotion within the organization. The achievement of the project objectives involved financial involvement, labor commitment, equipment supplies and time. The elements needed for the project entailed the cost for training the middle level managers, the cost for traveling and attending seminars, the cost for registration with professional bodies and management. The equipment needed for training include projectors, computers, black boards, and printed materials. Most of these were provided by the organizations. Although most of the middle level managers preferred to take the training during their part time, organization had to provide training leave for some of them hence consuming the time that could have been used for production (Duff, & Wendy, 2001).

Implementation plan

After allocating the above resources to the project, there was need to implement the plan. The implementation process entailed the following steps.

• Recognition of the individuals to be involved in the implementation of the plan in this case the top organization human resources department had to ensure that the middle level managers undertake their training.
• The human resources department had the duty of designing the training program.
• There was need to ensure that any variations that emerge during the implementation plan were resolved.
• Communication and cooperation among the implementation members was also very important during the implementation process as this enabled them to share information on the emerging issues.
• The process also entailed integrating the training program for middle level managers with the usual training programs in the organizations.
• There was need to revise the organizational training needs and goals
• There was need to review the progress and processes of training.

The above steps enabled successful implementation of the plan and thus ensuring that the plan had the potential to achieve the desired objectives. A successful implementation needed proper communication between the members involved.

Evaluation plan

Evaluation process entailed the identification of the gaps for training among the middle level managers in the organization. The plan was aimed at assessing the capability of the proposed changes to achieve the desired results in ensuring that middle level managers in various organizations had the opportunity to attend training and attain career development. The identified goals for the project were reviewed against the plan to realize areas of improvement (Duff, & Wendy, 2001).

Conclusion

Managers are the most important players of the organization since their decisions determine the fate and destiny of the business. The need for information among managers not ensures achievement of the organizational goals but also enhances their efficiency in the organization. Middle level managers remain among the important people that organizations need for the efficient operations. These managers weave the top level managers with the employees in the lower echelon of the organization; they ensure free flow of information from top to the bottom. They are the very people that ensure that organizational activities are carried out as required.

Middle level managers need information not only about the organization but also for their career development. They need information about managerial skills, work ethics, and organization’s systems and structures; they need information about their profession. Middle level managers determine the flow of strategic decision from the top managers and work together with the operational level managers to put the decisions. The middle managers need information in order for them to able to discern specific issues that surround their duties (Brown, 2005).

References

Brown, (2005). “The Freedom of Information Act in the Information Age: the Electronic Challenge to the People’s Right to Know.” American Archivist 58: 202-211.

Chumbler, (2007). Access to Government in the Computer Age: An Examination Of State Public Records Laws. Chicago: ABA

Cullen, (2000). Lynch and J. Rothenberg. Authenticity in a Digital Environment. Council on Library and Information Resources,.

Dollar, (1999). Authentic Electronic Records: Strategies for Long Term Access. Chicago, IL: Cohasset Associates, Inc.,

Duff, & Wendy. (2001).Issues of Authenticity, Social Accountability, and Trust with Electronic Records. The Information Society 17 229-231.

Andersen, & Borum. 2005. On the Art of Doing Field Studies: An Experience- Based Research Methodology (Copenhagen Studies in Economics and Management). Handelshojskolens Forlag.