Operations are an integral part of all types and sizes of businesses. The functioning of an organization largely depends on its operational activities. Business operations therefore need to be administered efficiently for the successful functioning of an organization.
If you are interested in taking up a job as an operations manager, read on to find out all you need to know!
What is operations management?
The aspect of management concerned with administering business practices in order to produce efficient results is known as operations management. Operations management involves business functions that cater to planning, organization, coordination and controlling available resources.
Key responsibilities of operations manager
Within an organisation, an operation manager has many duties including:
- Operations management professionals supervise the resources available in an organization. They take care of the operational inputs, processing, outputs and feedback in order to build strategies. It is also their responsibility to ensure quality services are delivered by teams.
- They are responsible for supervising the financial management operations within an organization. Budgeting, minimizing costs, managing capital and cash flow are all part of an operations manager’s job role.
- Activities such as talent acquisition, managing the operations of human resources and enhancing their efficiency are also included in the job responsibilities of an operations management professional.
What are the major challenges faced by operations managers?
From driving efficiency to managing budgets, operations managers take on many tasks in an organization. However, with many responsibilities, comes many challenges for operations managers.
Some of the challenges operations managers may come across in their work life include:
- Productivity: One of the primary responsibilities of operations managers is to drive the productivity of an organization. Enhanced productivity is essential for an organization to generate profits. They need to push employees to work efficiently and deliver results within set deadlines. Performance trackers are put in place to help operations managers track the progress of individual employees, which eventually contributes to the successful functioning of an organization.
- Customer satisfaction: Customers are an integral part of success for any organization. Operations managers are responsible for ensuring that the customers’ demands and grievances are addressed efficiently. This helps in retaining old customers and acquiring a new customer base. It is crucial that an operations manager spearheads the customer engagement drive, to resolve issues that might impact the business.
- Conflict resolution: It is natural for conflicts to arise when you are managing a range of interconnected processes within an organization. The decisions and goals of an organization might not be in line with each individual department’s vision. Moreover, there might be conflicts between two or more departments. In this scenario, an operations manager has to show strong conflict resolving skills in order to prevent it from hampering business functions.
- Talent acquisition: Operations managers may be required to get involved in the hiring process as they have in-depth knowledge about the processes and can choose the right fit for a role. However, talent acquisition may not be an easy task to accomplish and it can be made even more tedious when an organization is increasing in size. Operations managers therefore need to execute a well-drafted process to carry out this task efficiently.
People skills:
They have to interact and deal with employees on a daily basis. Sometimes, it can become challenging to manage people, especially if it is a diverse crowd with different cultures and personalities. Operations managers must possess great communication skills to manage a diverse set of employees.
What is the career path as an operations manager?
To become an operations manager, you must have a prerequisite set of educational skills and personal traits. The operations manager skills that are essential to take up the role are:
Educational skills:
You must have a diploma in Business Management.
Personal Traits:
- People Skills: People skills are imperative for professionals assuming the role of an operations manager. Employees are a valuable resource for an organization, and an operations manager must be capable of managing them. It is essential to encourage employees to share their ideas and opinions to enhance communication within the organization. People skills also mean that operations managers can provide constructive criticism that will help employees’ professional growth.
- Leadership skills: It is essential for operations managers to possess leadership skills as they are responsible for leading many processes within an organization. Good leadership skills will enable them to keep employees motivated and increase productivity.
- Supply chain management: The responsibility of operations managers revolves around optimizing profits, minimizing risks and responding to constantly changing market demands. Hence, they should have a deep understanding of supply chain management.
- Quality: Operations managers are responsible for the quality of tasks delivered by the departments under them. They have to ensure that the teams are driven by quality as well as quantity. This means that teams should work efficiently and meet goals within the stipulated time.
What is the pay scale of an operations manager?
According to payscale.com, the average operations manager salary is about $45,310. However, this may vary depending on the experience and skill set of an individual.
Since operations managers are critical to all business, irrespective of the type of industry, the job opportunities in this field are high. Many institutions have come up with management courses that include operations management as a vital part of the course structure. Toronto School of Management (TSOM) is offering a Diploma in Business Management Co-op to help students understand business dynamics and operations management.
If you are interested in becoming an operations manager, then hurry and sign up for the course now!
