Business Operations Manager as a Field of Study Report (Assessment)

Introduction

While the job of a business operations manager is demanding and challenging, it is also rewarding. These specialists are responsible for hiring and training employees, supervising the work process, monitoring various activities and assessing their effectiveness, and developing policies to make the employees’ work more efficient. The present paper aims to explore the specifications of this profession based on scholarly literature and statistical data. The major topics included in the research are education requirements and salary, people and time management, and the professional skills that successful business operations managers require. In addition, some of the basic challenges facing these professionals will be outlined.

Education Requirements and Salary

Qualification as a business operations manager calls for a level of education that will allow the individual to earn a good salary in the future. Typically, those aiming to become managers will pursue a course of study at a business school to receive the necessary training. However, according to Schoemaker, today’s ambiguous and changing business environment cannot be managed with the traditional business school’s focus on reductionism and analytical models (119). After remarking on the historical and ever-present problem of business teachers having to choose between academic accuracy and practical pertinence (Schoemaker 119), the researcher suggests that universities preparing business managers should regularly update their curricula in order to keep pace with the real-life events happening in the business world.

Currently, the Master of Business Administration comprises the basic education requirement for business operation managers. This degree is sufficient for a decent position and salary. As of 2016, the average salary of a business operations manager constituted about $99,310 (“How Much Do Business Operations Managers Make?”). Still, as Schoemaker points out, in order to provide their students with the greatest competitiveness in the job market, it is crucial for business schools to make substantial changes in their approaches (119–120).

The Necessary Professional Skills

Apart from a good education, becoming a business operations manager presupposes possessing certain professional skills that will lend themselves to competent and beneficial decision-making. One of the most important skills is the ability to arrange and sustain effective capability–performance relationships (Feng et al. 77). Another vital skill for a business operations manager is integrity (Jeanpert and Paché 16). Having the ability to integrate processes, the manager will have no problems unifying various systems, arranging a productive investment in strategies and technologies, standardizing data, and minimizing organizational obstacles (Jeanpert and Paché 16). The next important skill for a manager is the ability to resolve conflicts. This talent allows a manager to facilitate cooperation between employees and customers, as well as between different departments within a company (Jeanpert and Paché 13). Apart from these skills, in order to achieve the organization’s goals, an excellent manager must be a good leader, know how to arrange work for a team, and be ambitious.

People Management and Time Management

Besides a good education and outstanding professional skills, a successful business operations manager should have excellent time- and people-management proficiency. These abilities allow the manager to arrange decision-making, as well as other important processes, at the highest level (Schwab et al. 88). Managing various processes within the organization as well as arranging collaboration with external firms requires much talent on the part of a manager. Successful people management involves empowering employees, preventing and resolving conflict situations, and making sure that each person in the company is satisfied with his or her working conditions. Fulfilling these requirements will lead to a high retention level, thus minimizing employee turnover.

Challenges Faced by Operations Managers

As well as in any other sphere of business relations, the work of operations managers involves certain challenges. Schoemaker identifies five major types of obstacles in business operations managers’ work (123–125). The first challenge is sustaining a balance between strong commitment and keeping some positions open (Schoemaker 123). By doing so, the manager will make sure that supplementary funds will be available. The second challenge involves pioneering business ideas (Schoemaker 123). While the majority of winners are pioneers, these are also the people who frequently fail.

The next challenge is separating the company while leveraging competencies (Schoemaker 124). It is crucial for the manager to sustain the necessary degree of involvement. The fourth challenge is balancing competition and collaboration (Schoemaker 125). Although it is highly important to occupy a stable position in the business sphere, it is vital not to neglect any opportunities that may emerge from cooperation with other firms. Finally, the last challenge requires managers to concentrate on their organization, while at the same time, they should always be aware of the processes happening on the periphery (Schoemaker 125). Keeping these challenges in mind, the manager will be able to reach the best outcomes for his or her company.

Conclusion

The work of a business operations manager is both demanding and rewarding at the same time. These professionals need special education if they want to succeed in their field and receive a good salary. Operations managers should possess a variety of skills in order to be considered proficient, such as integrity, conflict resolution, decision-making, collaboration, and more. Despite the existence of some challenges, a business operations manager will succeed if he or she pays appropriate attention to the market’s details and consistently works on self-development.

Works Cited

Feng, Hui, et al. “Firm Capabilities and Growth: The Moderating Role of Market Conditions.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 45, no. 1, 2016, pp. 76-92.

Jeanpert, Sophie, and Gilles Paché. “Successful Multi-Channel Strategy: Mixing Marketing and Logistical Issues.” Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 37, no. 2, 2016, pp. 12-19.

“How Much Do Business Operations Managers Make?” Money, n.d., money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/business-operations-manager/salary. Accessed 11 Aug. 2018.

Schoemaker, Paul J. H. “The Future Challenges of Business: Rethinking Management Education and Research.” California Management Review, vol. 50, no. 3, 2008, pp. 119-139.

Schwab, Leila, et al. “Sustainable Business Growth: Exploring Operations Decision-Making.” Journal of Global Responsibility, vol. 8, no. 1, 2017, pp. 83-95.