The New Manager’s Handbook for a New World of Work

Monica Murphy (PhD)

Introduction

Covid-19 has changed so much of how we do business. Working from home or some other remote location as distinct from a physical office space has become the norm. This has required some specific skills of people in operational, management and leadership roles. It has demanded that we examine work practices and work design, plus forced us to question all the concepts we assumed to be true regarding obtaining the best possible results with others.

The labour market has become more global as people can work from anywhere offering new markets for organisations across time zones. If it hasn’t done so already, this will lead to more interactions with different cultures, new people, new ideas and new ways of thinking, allowing us to fully appreciate the diversity of life.

While so much has changed in a relatively short space of time, much has also stayed the same when it comes to the role of a manager. People still want to be recognised, respected and rewarded for their work. Organisations still want to make a profit and offer valuable products and services to their customers. Customers still want to be delighted with how they are treated and to be listened to when things go wrong.

The term ‘manager’ has had some negative press in recent years, as the poor relation to the word ‘leader’. Managers are often thought of as strict enforcers who have nothing to offer by way of vision or foresight—seen perhaps as ‘pen-pushers’ who inadvertently prevent people from doing their work by focusing on reports, schedules and other data.

This book is aimed at celebrating the managers of today. By and large, they do have a challenging job. They are often caught in the middle between the senior leaders of an organisation who define the strategy and general direction of the company and the front-line workers who do the day-to-day, week-to-week tasks to realise that strategy.

Please note: I am aware that the word ‘leader’ can be used to refer to team supervisors, leaders and managers as well. In this book, ‘manager’ and ‘leader’ will be used interchangeably to refer to that person who has responsibility for achieving results with others who report into them.

I hope you enjoy this book.

Monica Murphy (PhD).

To pre-order, please email Kerri at info@moneredevelopmentservices.com and let us know how many copies you would like.

The book is €14 which includes postage costs.