Developing administrative and management skills in mitigating their challenges and issues through diplomacy

Developing
Administrative &
Management Skills in
Mitigating Their
Challenges and Issues
Through Diplomacy
Oyewole O. Sarumi PhD., FCPDM, FCIPMN

Developing Administrative and
Management Skills in Mitigating Their
Challenges and Issues Through
Diplomacy
Oyewole O. Sarumi PhD, FCPDM, FCIPMN
Registrar, CIPDM, Lagos.
Tel: +234 803 304 1421 Email:
tlstrategies@gmail.com

Opening
Thought:
• “Increasingly, public administration
practitioners and academicians are
faced with demands from politicians
and citizens that government should
be operated like a business. By this
they mean it should be cost efficient”.
- Richard C. Box in his article
‘Running Government like a Business.
Implication for Public Administration.
Theory and Practice’.

Learning Objectives
• At the end of this session, participants
will be able to:
• Define administration, management,
leadership, and diplomacy.
• Describe challenges and issues in
management and administration;
• Explain administrative theory as a
political theory;
• Identify the types of administration
and management;

Learning
Objectives
• Differentiate between administration,
management, and leadership.
• Discuss the spectrum and intersection
of administrative and management skills;
• State the dimensions of varying
diplomatic tool/skills; and
• Apply diplomacy tools/skills to mitigate
administration and management
challenges and issues in organisations.

Introduction…1
• Organisation, private and public thrives when there
is a blend of management and administrative skills
in the right proportion.
• The fact is with adequate resources and personnel,
the absence of good management and
administration will spell doom for any organisation.
• Hence, the importance of both management and
administration in organisations cannot be over-
emphasised.

Introduction…2
• Just like life, there must be issues and challenges
especially when the organisation is a living and
learning one.
• The charge is to identify such issues and challenges
on time and map out strategies to address them to
avoid adverse effect on the overall bottom-line and
survival of the organisation.

Introduction…3
• One thing is certain: It’s not an easy task to locate
the sources of problem faced by administration
especially, but some of the problems may be
noted.
• In management, there are many issues and
challenges that are bugging organisations in this
contemporary times….

Introduction…4
• Many African and evolving democracies are still
grappling with the intricacies of blending strong
administrative system with tenets of democracy
without impinging of the rights of citizenry while
delivering good governance.
• There’s a huge and on-going development in the
administrative functions in the 21st century.

Introduction…5
• Result => steady increase in human and
instrumental resources in the public administration
worldwide.
• The emergence of new public interests and new
arenas of intervention have caused important
changes in the machinery and system of public
administration

The Crux of this Paper
• This paper seeks to focus on:
• developing administrative and management
skills to address the issues and challenges
that cropped up using diplomatic tools and
skills thereby
• assisting to build a strong organisation that is
not only effective but also efficient in the
delivery of good dividends to all stakeholders.

Define: 2 key Terms
• Let’s first define the 2 terms first:
• Issue – a topic of discussion, a matter in dispute or a
sensitive subject within an organization, industry, or
society
• Challenge - a difficult task or problem, or a
(the situation of being faced with) something that needs
great mental or physical effort in order to be done
successfully and therefore tests a person's ability
(Cambridge Dictionary)
• Synonyms for challenge include ‘objection, protest, test,
threat, demanding, interrogation, provocation and
ultimatum.’

Understanding Administration
• Administration department is backbone of an
organization.
• An effective administrator is an asset to an
organization.
• He or she is the link between an organization's
various departments and ensures the smooth flow
of information from one part to the other.
• Without an effective administration, an organization
would not run professionally and smoothly.

Meaning & Definition:-
• The word “ Administer derived from the
Latin word – “ad + ministraire” means
care for’ or look after people to manage
affairs.
• Management of the affairs of an
organization, such as a business or
institution
• the duties of an administrator

Administration…
• the body of people who administer an organization
• the conduct of the affairs of government
• term of office: often used of presidents,
governments, etc.
• the executive branch of government along with the
public service; the government as a whole
https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/administrative+system

Administration…
• (Property law)
• A. the conduct or disposal of the estate of a
deceased person
• B. the management by a trustee of an estate
subject to a trust
https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/administrative+system

Administration…
• ..is the range of activities connected
with organizing and supervising the
way that an organization or
institution functions.
• ..the arrangements and tasks need
ed to control the operation of
a plan or organization.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/administration
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/administration

Administration…
• Marx defines administration as - Administration is
determined action taken in pursuit of a conscious
purpose. It is the systematic ordering of affairs
and the calculated use of resources aimed at
making those happen which one wants to happen.
• Frederic k Lane defines administration as
organizing and maintaining human and fiscal
resources to attain a group’s goals.

Administration…
• “Administration is the organization & direction of
human & material resources to achieve desired ends.”
-Pfiffner & Presthus.
• “Administration is the direction, coordination an
control of many persons to achieve some purposes
or objectives.” - L.D. White

From Scientific point of view:
• Administration is regarded as:
• A directed coordination and organisation of an
object in the discussion towards targeted goals
• A scope of human activity which originated as a
result of division of labour to help people influence
technological, economic and social processes for
attainment of specific goals.

Administration…
• A process which provides necessary targeted
transformation of energy, substance and
information while maintaining working capacity and
fail-safe operation to achieve targeted goals.

Management
according to:
HAROLD KOONTZ
• “Management is the art of
getting things done
through others and with
formally organised
groups.”

• “Management is the art of
knowing what you want
to do and then seeing
that they do it in the best
and the cheapest
manner.”
Management
according to:
Fredrick W. TAYLOR

• “Management is a distinct
process consisting of
planning, organising,
actuating and controlling;
utilising in each both
science and arts, and
followed in order to
accomplish pre-
determined objective.”
Management
according to:
GEORGE R. TERRY

• “Management is a
multipurpose organ that
manage a business and
manages managers and
manages workers and
work.”
Management
according to:
PETER DRUCKER

Leadership: Meaning
and Importance

What is
Leadership?
• Leadership is an influence
process that enable managers
to get their people to do
willingly what must be done, do
well what ought to be done.
(Cribbin, J.J.]

What is
Leadership?
• Leadership is interpersonal
influence, exercised in a
situation, and directed, through
the communication process,
toward the attainment of a
specified goal or goals.
(Tannenbaum, Weschler &
Massarik)

What is
Leadership?
• Byrd defined leadership
as: “the leader's ability
to anticipate, envision,
maintain flexibility, and
empower others to
create strategic change
as necessary”.

What is
Leadership?
• Vecchio defined
leadership as: “the
process through
which leaders
influence the values,
behaviors, and
attitudes of others”.

The Meaning
of
Leadership
Art of motivating a
group of people.
Ability to influencing
a group toward the
achievement of
goals.
It is the skill of
influencing the
behavior of others.

60%
additional with effective leadership
40%
potentials with no leadership
Is Leadership important?

Diplomacy
Diplomacy… the established method of
influencing the decisions and behaviour of
foreign governments and peoples
through dialogue, negotiation, and other
measures short of war or violence.
Diplomacy is the principal substitute for the
use of force or underhanded means in
statecraft; it is how comprehensive national
power is applied to the peaceful adjustment
of differences between states.

Diplomacy
- the art and practice of conducting
negotiations and maintaining
relations between parties;
- skill in handling affairs without
arousing animousity – USA Dept of
State
- the art of dealing with people in a
sensitive and tactful way.

Diplomacy
Diplomacy is defined as “the
art and practice of
conducting negotiations
between nations” in order to
implement those polices
and pursue those interests.
Diplomacy is the instrument
of communication, not the
message communicated.-
Edward Marks

Diplomacy
• George Kennan said: “This is
the classic function of
diplomacy: to effect the
communications between
one’s own government and
other governments or
individuals abroad, and to do
this with maximum accuracy,
imagination, tact, and good
sense.”

Diplomacy
• The British diplomat Ernest
Sato, described diplomacy as
an application of intellect and
tact to conduct foreign affairs.
• In his view, Vladimir Petrovsk
said ‘a modern diplomat is
discreet, practical, careful, and
with a sense of responsibility’.

Diplomacy:
• The ability to assert your
ideas or opinions, knowing
what to say and how to
say it without damaging
the relationship by causing
offence.

Diplomacy
• Diplomacy is a skill set that enhances your
ability to manage internal and external
relationships in a job.
• Diplomatic skills equip you to navigate
conflicts and challenging conversations.
• Primary abilities that fall within the
diplomatic skills set include empathy and
compassion, emotional intelligence,
conflict resolution and tact.

Diplomacy is a Way of Life…
• The ability to be polite and not hurtful but cautious
in our dealings with others;
• Don’t upset relationships;
• Strive to live in harmony;
• Negotiate & resolve conflicts peaceably; and
• Speak with tact, wisdom and sense of decorum

Prerequisites for Successful use
of Diplomacy
➢Open mindedness
➢Consideration & tact
➢Compromise
➢Assertiveness
➢Rapport
➢Politeness
➢Reflection
➢ A high level of common sense
➢ Good judgement and practice
➢ Active listening
➢ Empathy and Compassion
➢ Conflict resolution & tact
➢ Emotional intelligence
• The effective use of diplomacy relies on the following key skills:

Diplomatic functions
in Organizations:
• Representation;
• Communication;
• Negotiation;
• Advocacy and mediation;
• Observation of situations;
• Reporting and feedback systems;
• Public relations; and
• International relations.

THE CHALLENGES AND
ISSUES IN MANAGEMENT
AND ADMINISTRATION

A. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
• There are two basic issues of Public
Administration today as surmised by Lugtu,
(2014);
• Policy issues: involve the core role public
administrators.
• Organization issues: are instrumental
aspects of management or factors involved in
internal administration.

POLICY ISSUES
• The range of policy issues the public
administrator has to deal with includes the
following:
• Welfare Policy
• Economic Issues
• Labor Policy
• Resource Policy

ORGANIZATION ISSUES
• Planning of Policies and Programs
• Centralization Arguments
• Lateral and horizontal allocation of responsibilities
and programs
• Lack of Coordination
• Decision Making and Program Management,
(controlling and evaluating performance)
• Confronting public management

OTHER SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
• Proactive management must investigate the future.
• Influence upon political and administrative decision
making is significantly powerful.
• More public interest groups will pursue collective
and community-oriented goals.
• The environment of society is fast changing; the
challenges are continuous; there are no permanent
solutions. (Lugtu, A., 2014)

MAJOR ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
AND CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA
• According to Walyben (2020), major administrative
problems in developing countries like Nigeria include
the following:
• Recruitment and promotion
• Remuneration
• Corruption and tribalism:
• Relationship between politicians and civil
servants
• Political instability

Other Challenges Of Public
Administration
1. Governance
2. Ensuring sustainable development.
3. Removing trust deficit between administration
and people.
4. Raising ethics and morality level in
administration.
5. Lack of independence
6. Infiltration of partisan politics
7. Lack of adequate funds for training
8. Weak Public Service

• “Robert Dahl noted the
difficulty of constructing
a science of public
administration that was
plagued by three
interrelated problems:
values, behaviour, and
culture

B. Issues And Challenges In
Management…
• There are two eternal truths: life is about change,
and managing people is never easy.
• To compound the issue, managers are now facing
new challenges.
• The changing economic world
• The pandemic
• Technological changes
• Many myriads of things influencing the work of
managers today

• 1. Responding to globalization
• 2. Managing with accountability
• 3. Action with responsiveness
• 4. Managing workforce diversity
• 5. Responding to changing environment
• 6. Improving quality and productivity
• 7. Stimulating innovation and change
The Issues and Challenges…

• 8. Improving ethical behavior
• 9. Managing institutional social responsibility
• 10. Knowledge management
• 11. Managing with the world of ICTs
• 12. Helping employees balance work and life
conflicts
• 13. Creating positive tensions
• 14. Improving customer services

• 15. Promoting entrepreneurship
• 16. Coping with temporariness
• 17. Managing with multiple responsibilities
• 18. Improving people skills
• 19. Working in networked organizations
• 20. Developing the generation next
• 21. Managing innovative work teams

• 22. Responding to changing expectations
• 23. Contingent workers
• 24. Innovation and change
• 25. Empowerment and teams
• 26. Downsizing
• 27. Managing talents

Note:
• To transform yourself as an effective
diplomatic manager and leader, curate your
professional vision on these elements, and
you will be fitted into the future of work.

TYPES OF ADMINISTRATION
AND MANAGEMENT

A. Types of Administration;
• It includes among others:
• Public Administration
• Business Administration
• Office Administration
• Development Administration
• Personnel Administration

Public Administration
• According to L. D. White, Public
administration consists of all those
operations having for their purpose the
fulfillment or enforcement of public policy.
On the other hand as per Woodrow Wilson
public administration is a detailed and
systematic application of law. One can also
say that public administration is nothing but
the policies, practices, rules and regulation
etc., in action.

The nature of public
administration
• On the nature of public administration
there have been two popular views:
• Integral view
• Managerial view

The Integral view
• Is all encompassing and consists of sum total of all
managerial, clerical, technical and manual activities
and employees from all levels. [endorsed by L. D.
White and Dimock.]
• It may differ from one agency to another
depending on their sphere of work.

The Managerial view
• Says that the public administration involves only
the managerial activities. [supported by Simon,
Smithburg, Thompson and Luther Gulick.]

NATURE OF
ADMINISTRATION:-
• It is universal.
• It is holistic.
• It is continuous & on-going process.
• It is goal oriented.
• It is social & human nature.
• It is dynamic.
• It is creative or innovative.

Effective Administration
• Effective administration depends on three
basic personal skills, which have been
called technical, human, and conceptual.
• The administrator needs:
• (a) sufficient technical skill to accomplish
the mechanics of the particular job for
which he is responsible;

• (b) sufficient human skill in working with
others to be an effective group member and
to be able to build cooperative effort within
the team he leads;
• (c) sufficient conceptual skill to recognize the
interrelationships of the various factors
involved in his situation, which will lead him to
take that action which is likely to achieve the
maximum good for the total organization

Top Level
Technical
Skills
Human
Skills
Conceptual
and Design
Skills
Supervisory Level
Effective administration depends on three basic personal
skills, which have been called technical, human, and
conceptual.

ELEMENTS OF
ADMINISTRATION:-
• “POSDCORB” according to Gulick
• 1. Planning.
• 2. Organizing.
• 3. Staffing.
• 4. Directing.
• 5. Co-ordinating.
• 6. Reporting.
• 7. Budgeting.

• For any administration--business, government,
educational institutions--to function properly, the
principles of management which include:
• hierarchy, control,
• unity of command,
• delegation of authority,
• specialization, objectives,
• centralization and decentralization
• => must be adhered to.
Principles of
Administration

Principles of
Administration
• Every administration has a hierarchy
that is often represented as a
pyramid.
• The heads of departments in
organizations make decisions that
concern their divisions.
• Final decision making, however,
rests with the head of the
organization.

Principles of
Administration
• Unity of command establishes who is
responsible for reporting to whom.
• Delegation of authority starts at the top
and works its way down the chain of
command; reporting works its way back
up.
• Specialization refers to people doing
what they were hired to do rather than
being assigned tasks outside of their
job descriptions.

Principles of
Administration
• Every organization must have
clearly stated objectives that all
employees try to meet.
• Centralization refers to authority
at the top; decentralization is
when responsibility is delegated
to various levels.

Nigeria Administrative System
• The Nigeria Administrative system is made up of 3
level: Executive, Legislative and Judiciary.
• Each of these level are affected by macro and micro
environmental factors.
• The scope of this paper is inadequate to investigate
or discuss fully the significance of influences of these
environmental variables on the Nigeria Administrative
system

What is Strong Administrative
System?
• According to Commonwealth Ombudsman in
Lessons for Public Administration, Report, the Ten
principles for good/strong administration include:
• 1. Maintain accurate, comprehensive and
accessible records.
• 2. Place adequate controls on the exercise of
coercive powers

• 3. Actively manage unresolved and difficult cases.
• 4. Heed the limitations of information technology
systems
• 5. Guard against erroneous assumptions
• 6. Control administrative drift

• 7. Remove obstacles to prudent information
exchange with other agencies and bodies
• 8. Promote effective communication in your own
agency
• 9. Manage complexity in decision making
• 10. Check for warning signs of bigger problems

B. Levels of Management
• Most organizations have three management levels:
• Low-level managers;
• Middle-level managers; and
• Top-level managers.
• These managers are classified in a hierarchy of
authority and perform different tasks.
• In many organizations, the number of managers in
every level resembles a pyramid.

Levels of Management
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-business/chapter/types-of-management/

https://seprianhidayatamin.org/2016/04/22/5-management-skills-and-organizational-hierarchy/

C. Types of Management
• Types of management that organisation
uses for its operations are diverse and
many depending on the objectives
• Management is doing things right.
• It's the discipline of planning, organizing,
leading and controlling an organization.

Management has many faces
• Managers have many styles
• Management has many types.
• According to Anna Mar (2013), the most
common types of management are briefly
listed below:

Types of
Management I
• Strategic Management
• Sales Management
• Marketing Management
• Public Relations Management
• Operations Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Procurement Management

Types of
Management
• Financial & Accounting
Management
• Human Resources
Management
• Information Technology
Management
• R&D Management
• Engineering Management
• Program Management
• Project Management

Types of
Management
• Risk Management
• Change Management
• Quality Management
• Innovation Management
• Design Management
• Facility Management
• Knowledge Management

Types of
Management - II
• A list of types of management styles
that mean well but lose the art of
leadership are:
• The know-it-all
• The forever planner
• The doer
• The overly friendly
• The authoritarian
• The perfectionist
https://www.morebusiness.com/types-of-management/

The Differences Between
Administration and
Management

Definitions
• Management: The act or skill of directing and
organizing the work of a company or
organization; the people who are in charge of a
company or organization; the act or skill of
dealing with a situation that needs to be
controlled in some way.
• Administration: All activities that are involved in
managing and organizing the affairs of a
company or institution; the government of a
country at a particular time.

The differences between
Management and Administration
• According to Prachi Juneja in Management Study
Guide, the difference between Management and
Administration can be summarized under 2
categories: -
• Functions
• Usage / Applicability
**See your NOTE for details

On the Basis of Functions: -
Basis Management Administration
Meaning Management is an art of getting things done
through others by directing their efforts towards
achievement of pre-determined goals.
It is concerned with formulation of
broad objectives, plans & policies.
Nature Management is an executing function. Administration is a decision-making
function.
Process Management decides who should as it & how
should he dot it.
Administration decides what is to be
done & when it is to be done.
Function Management is a doing function because
managers get work done under their supervision.
Administration is a thinking function
because plans & policies are
determined under it.
Skills Technical and Human skills Conceptual and Human skills
Level Middle & lower level function Top level function

On the Basis of Usage: -
Basis Management Administration
Applicability It is applicable to business concerns i.e.
profit-making organization.
It is applicable to non-business concerns
i.e. clubs, schools, hospitals etc.
Influence The management decisions are
influenced by the values, opinions,
beliefs & decisions of the managers.
The administration is influenced by public
opinion, govt. policies, religious
organizations, customs etc.
Status Management constitutes the employees
of the organization who are paid
remuneration (in the form of salaries &
wages).
Administration represents owners of the
enterprise who earn return on their capital
invested & profits in the form of dividend.
Practically, there is no difference between management & administration. Every manager is concerned
with both - administrative management function and operative management function as shown in the
figure. However, the managers who are higher up in the hierarchy denote more time on administrative
function & the lower level denote more time on directing and controlling worker’s performance i.e.
management.

Administration and Management:
The Eight Categories of
Characteristics:
• Objectives
• Success criteria
• Resource use
• Decision making
• Structure
• Roles
• Attitudes
• Skills

1. Objectives
Category Management Administration
OBJECTIVES 1. Stated as broad strategic
aims
1. Stated in general
terms and
2. Supported by more
detailed short-term goals
and targets reviewed
frequently
2. Reviewed or
changed infrequently

2. Success Criteria
SUCCESS
CRITERIA
1. Success seeking 1. Mistake avoiding
2. Performance mostly
measurable
2. Performance
difficult to measure

3. Resource Use
RESOURCE USE 1. Primary task 1. Secondary task

4. Decision Making
DECISION MAKING 1. Many decisions 1. Few decisions
2. Decisions affect few 2. Decisions affect many
3. Decisions must be
made quickly
3. Decisions take time to
be made

5. Structure
STRUCTURE 1. Short hierarchies 1. Roles defined in terms
of areas of responsibility
2. Maximum delegation 2. Longer hierarchies
3. Limited delegation

6. Roles
ROLES 1. Protagonist 1. Arbitrator

7. Attitudes
ATTITUDES 1. Active: seeking to
influence their
environment, best
people used to find
and exploit
opportunities
1. Passive: workload
determined outside
the system, best
people used to solve
problems
2. Time sensitive 2. Time insensitive
3. Risk accepting but
minimizing it
3. Risk avoiding
4. Emphasis on results 4. Emphasis on procedure
5. Doing the right things 5. Doing things right
6. Local experiments;
need for conformity to be
proved
6. Conformity
7. Independence 7. Uniformity

8. Skills
SKILLS 1. Numeracy 1. Literacy
2. Statistics 2. Reports
3. Figures 3. Notes

Differences: Leadership,
Management and
Administration

Administration
• Sergiovanni (1991) defined administration
as a process of working with and through
others to accomplish goals efficiently.
• An administrator then is one who is
responsible for carrying out this process.
• Administrative theorists describe the
essential roles and tasks of
administration as planning, organizing,
leading and controlling.

Management
• Management is also concerned
with tasks such as planning,
coordinating, directing, defining
objectives, supporting the work of
others, and evaluating
performance.
• Thus a similarity exists between
administration and management.

Leadership
• Leadership is the exercise of high-
level conceptual skills and
decisiveness.
• It is envisioning mission,
developing strategy, inspiring
people, and changing culture
(Evans, 1996, p. 148).

Leadership, Management and
Administration: The differences
and meeting point
• Administration, management and leadership are
different but related.
• Perhaps one way of framing it is this:
• Administration is seeing that the airplanes take
off on time.
• Leadership is at least in part articulating why
the planes need to take off on time and enlisting
others in the purposeful endeavor of making the
planes take off on time.
• Management is seeing to it that once the plane
takes off, it maintains all other operations for it
to reach its destination safely.

In another form:
• Simply, I would like to explain it as
follows :
• Let's assume that we must climb
to the top of a hill:
• execution hold is management,
• showing & going on proper way is
administration and
• making it to climb to that top is
leadership.

In short:
• Leadership defines the
destination
• Management get us to that
destination
• Administration provides the
required logistical services and
support to management
• Management sets the goal
and direction of the
organization.
• Administration sets the
technical specifications on
how to achieve those goals.
• Leadership drives, motivates
and inspires people around
the oraganization to achieve
its goals.

Another Contrast:
• Administrators are appointed. They have a legitimate
power base and can reward and punish. Their ability to
influence is founded upon the formal authority inherent in
their positions.
• In contrast, leaders may either be appointed or emerge
from within a group.
• Leaders can influence other to perform beyond the
actions dictated by formal authority.
• In this sense, managers/administrators get other people
to do, but leaders get other people to want to do.

The Differentiators:
• Let’s end it with the differentiators.
• Leadership: vision and planning;
• Management: execution and value creation; and,
• Administration: process and tasks.
• All are important, and in smaller firms one person may
be expected to do everything, with input (or meddling)
from the owners.
• Most larger firms have figured out the importance of
governance and tend to keep and stick to the above.

• To further explain these statements, let’s refer to
Jim Collins' five levels of leadership from his book
Good to Great:
• Level I: Capable individual.
• Level II: Contributing team member.
• Level III: Competent manager.
• Level IV: Effective leader.
• Level V: Executive.
The Differentiators:

ACTIVITY 3:
• State the Characteristics of
excellent and most recognized
companies:

• They are action-oriented,
• learned about needs of customers,
• promoted authonomy and
enterpreneurship,
• achieved productivity,
• based on values,
• focused on what they know,
• minimum staff,centralized and
decentralized.
Characteristics of excellent and most
recognized companies:

ACTIVITY 4:
• What are the necessary elements
of a company in order to be
successful?

• Capital,
• labour,and
• material resources and
• efficient administrators to create
a surplus.
The necessary elements of a company in
order to be successful are:

DEVELOPING
ADMINISTRATIVE AND
MANAGEMENT SKILLS

What is a Skill?
• To be successful in planning, organizing, leading, and
controlling, managers must use a wide variety of skills.
• What is a skill?
• A skill is the ability to do something proficiently.
• A skill is an acquired and learned ability to translate
knowledge into performance.
• It is the competency that allows for performance to be
superior in the field in which the worker has the
required skill. (https://www.managementstudyhq.com)

A. Administrative Skills
• Administrative skills are…
• “…qualities that help complete tasks related to
managing a business.” – Indeed Ed Team
• “…those related to running a business or keeping
an office organized, and are needed for a variety
of jobs, ranging from office assistants to
secretaries to office managers.” – Alison Doyle

What it involves
• This might involve responsibilities such as
• filing paperwork,
• meeting with internal and external stakeholders,
• presenting important information,
• developing processes,
• answering employee questions and more.
• There are many administrative skills that help perform
these responsibilities in an efficient, quality way.
{Bakare, 2021}
• These skills are highly transferable

Some Administrative Skills
A few administrative skills required for efficiency
and effectiveness in any workplace include:
• Multi-tasking
• Time management
• Adept in Technology
• Enterprise Resource
Planning
• Communication
• Organization
• Teamwork
• Responsibility
• Customer service

B. Management Skills
• What are Management Skills?
• Management skills can be defined as…
• “…. certain attributes or abilities that an executive
should possess in order to fulfill specific tasks in
an organization.”

B. Management Skills
• Include the capacity to perform executive duties in an
organization while avoiding crisis situations and
promptly solving problems when they occur.
• Can be developed through learning and practical
experience as a manager.
• Help the manager to:
• relate with their fellow co-workers,
• know how to deal well with their subordinates (CFI,
2021)

Types of Management Skills
The
Manager
Technical
Skills
Conceptual
Skills
Human
Skills
Design
Skills
Diagnostic
Skills
Political
Skills
© Oyewole Sarumi, 2021

1.Technical Skills: refers to the ability of a person to carry out a
specific activity.
2.Human Skills: refers to the ability of a person to work well with
other people in a group.
3.Conceptual Skills: refer to the ability of a person to think and
conceptualize abstract situations.
4.Design Skills: refers to the ability of a person to find solutions
to the problems in ways beneficial to the organization.

• 5. Diagnostic and Analytical Skills: Diagnostic
skills refer to an individual's ability to identify a
particular problem and define it
• 6. Political Skills: “The ability to effectively
understand others at work, and to use such
knowledge to influence others to act in ways that
enhance one’s personal and/or organizational
objectives” ” (Ferris, Treadway et al., 2005).

Top
Level
Managers
Middle
Level Managers
First Level
Supervisors
Controlling
TIME SPENT IN CARRYING OUT MANAGERIAL
FUNCTIONS

The Figure above clearly shows the degree of
administration and management performed by the
different levels of management

Some Important Management
Skills
• 1. Leadership: Leadership skills examples:
• Decisiveness
• Team building
• Empathy
• Dependability
• Constructive criticism
• Delegating tasks
• Empowerment
• Integrity
• Mentoring
• Motivating others
• Patience
• Relationship
management

• 2. Planning: Planning skills examples:
• cognitive skills, adaptability
• business development,
• critical thinking,
• flexibility and
• logical reasoning
Skills

• 3. Strategy: Strategy skills examples:
• Strategic thinking,
• Problem-solving,
• Conflict resolution,
• Creativity and
• Analytical thinking
Skills

Skills
• 4. Communication: Communication skills examples:
• Active listening. Collaboration
• Interpersonal communication
• Negotiation, Persuasion
• Public speaking, Interviewing,
• Verbal and Written communication
• Building relationships

Skills
• 5. Organization: Organizational skills examples:
• Administrative skills
• Project management, Time management
• Deadline management, Event coordination
• Recordkeeping, Scheduling

How Managerial Skills are Interrelated
and blend using Diplomacy
• These are the skills an ideal manager must-have.
• The skill are inter-related and irreplaceable.
• A good manager has most of these skills
• Not all are equally important or required for the
assigned job or post of a manager.
• The relative importance of these skills of a manager
depends on the manager rank of his in the
organizational hierarchy.
• To be a great manager, hone your skills

Tips for Succeeding in a
Manager’s Role
• Seek opportunities to lead.
• Managerial skills take practice. To help prepare yourself,
look for opportunities to lead within your current position
• Find a role model.
• Look for great leaders both inside and outside your
organization and take time to observe how they interact
with others.
• Ask for feedback.
• asking for feedback from others can help you identify
areas to improve that you may have otherwise missed.

THE MITIGATION OF
ADMINISTRATION AND
MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
AND ISSUES IN ORGANISATIONS
THROUGH DIPLOMACY

The questions we are asking in
this paper is:
• How does diplomacy help to mitigate administration
and management issues and challenges in
organisation?
• Knowledge of the into the people skills that are used as
tools and skills of diplomacy is important here
• The primary abilities that fall within the framework of
diplomatic skills set include
• empathy and compassion,
• emotional intelligence,
• conflict resolution and tact.

• These skills help individual, managers, workers,
and public officials to:
• Know how to deal with people without
unnecessary “bad blood” and ill-feelings.
• Find the right balance between your personal
needs and group needs.
• Learn how to handle difficulties and settling
disputes effectively.
• Successfully navigating and channeling request
appropriately without hurting others.
• Effective handling of disagreement and
challenging work situations.

A. The Key Diplomatic Skills Require for
Leaders and Managers To Resolve Issues
And Challenges
• Attentive Listening:
• The ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their
message, comprehend the information and respond
thoughtfully.
• Emotional Intelligence:
• The ability to understand, use, and manage your
own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate
effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and
defuse conflict.
• Showing Empathy and Compassion:
• Your ability to see the world from another person’s perspective

The Key Diplomatic Skills
Require for Leaders and
Managers….
• Rapport:
• The ability to relate to others in a way that creates a level of
trust and understanding.
• Politeness:
• The practical application of good manners or etiquette so as not to
offend others. (Wikipedia).
• Negotiation:
• Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences. It is a
process by which compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding
argument and dispute. Diplomacy’s action is through dialogue

Managers….
• Open mindedness:
• Facilitate effective communication by maintaining an "open
mind." Avoid passing judgment on or expressing criticism of
communicated messages.
• Consideration & Tact:
• Tact is basic sensitivity toward others in communication.
• Compromise:
• This is an an agreement or settlement of a dispute that is
reached by each side making concessions.

Managers….
• Assertiveness:
• This is the quality of being self-assured and confident without
being aggressive
• Reflection:
• Validate the thoughts and feelings of the person speaking by
reflecting back what he has communicated.
• Conflict Resolution:
• The informal or formal process that two or more parties use
to find a peaceful solution to their dispute.

HOW TO USE DIPLOMACY TO MITIGATE
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN
ORGANISATION
• diplomatic leadership involves negotiating, representing
interests and policies, speaking publicly, and resolving
conflicts.
• Diplomacy – the professional activities or skills of
managing international relations – usually involves
dealing with others without causing bad feelings.
• Diplomatic leadership requires a person to be a good
manager, resilient negotiator, and a trusted adviser.
• It enables her to raise awareness and assist
constituents.

Best Option..
• Using diplomatic skills to resolves issues and
challenges in administration and management of
organisation remain one of the best options to create a
workplace that is devoid of rancour, acrimony and
backstabbing that impart negatively on productivity.
• How do we mitigate issues and challenges using
diplomacy tools?
• Diplomatic managers and leaders must be astute and
wise in deploying these tools

Key Diplomatic Skills Require
for Leaders and Managers….
• According to Tara Duggan (2020), to do these effectively, the following are used proficiently
when handling any issues and challenges:
a) Work on Building Relationships
• When confronting issues and challenges, diplomacy allows a leader to build productive
relationships.
a) Use Negotiation in Agreements
• Negotiation is a great tool to deploy when team or groups are involved. Negotiation skills
help a diplomatic leader achieve her goals.
a) Safeguarding Integrity is Key
• Diplomatic leaders act in accordance with their own core values and that of the organization
they represent no matter the importance of issues or challenges at hand.
a) Gaining Advantage Without Force:
• A leader commands subordinates, who are an organization’s most important assets.
However, s/he does so without force or coercion. When employees become engaged,
productive, and satisfied, they tend to work harder to achieve business goals.

a) Listen And Be Understanding
• When we show other people that we are listening to them, and that we
understand them, they will be more willing to listen and accept our opinion.
a) Avoid negative words - instead use positive words in a negative form
• People react to positive sounding words, even if they are used with a
negative auxiliary.
a) Use the magic word if necessary: Sorry
• This word can be used in many ways: to interrupt, to apologise, to show
you don't understand, to disagree. It diffuses tension and it allows you to
start a statement more comfortably.

a) Use little words to soften your statements
• Break down negative sentences with some softeners.
a) Avoid 'finger pointing' statements with the word 'you'
• This is aggressive and too direct. Try to avoid saying 'you' and put the focus on
'I' or 'we'.
a) Provide support and creative solutions.
• When approaching challenging situations, tasks or projects, find ways to offer
support to your coworkers. Show that you're open to collaboration and solving
problems that achieve objectives.
a) Help mediate work conflicts.
• Use your diplomatic skills to help others solve conflicts.

D. HOW TO DEVELOP ADMINISTRATIVE
SKILLS THROUGH DIPLOMACY
i. Set personal career goals
ii. Get organized
iii. Mimic other strong administration skills
iv. Pursue Training and Development
v. Join Industry Associations (or Professional Associations)
vi. Choose a Mentor
vii. Take on new Challenges
viii.Help a Nonprofit Cause
ix. Participate in Diverse Projects

The most common issues and challenges managers face, and where diplomatic
skills can be applied to create rapport, harmony, and an enabling work
relationship that boost productivity include:
• Being understaffed
• Lack of communication
• Poor teamwork
• Pressure to perform
• Absence of structure
• Time management
• Inadequate support
• Skepticism
• Difficult employees
• Transition from coworker to
manager
• Weak workplace culture
E. MITIGATING OTHER CHALLENGES
USING DIPLOMATIC SKILLS
Indeed Editorial Team, 2021

Caution:
• All the above challenges involve resolution practices where
diplomatic skills are involved bearing in mind that people are
the key factors in mitigation of any predicaments.
• The diplomatic manager and leader must adept in the use of
relevant diplomatic skills to tackle any of above challenges.
• For example, to address ‘decrease performance level’, a
combination of skills like EI, communication skills, reflection
and open-mindedness might be engaged to get it resolve.
• Let’s note that you are to deploy diplomatic skills in as
addendum to the necessary competencies and policies in
operations within the unit or organisation.

• Management is about directing, improving,
innovating in order to reach the organization’s goal
of profit-maximizing.
• Administration is about analyzing reports,
correcting mistakes and solving problems in order
to reach the same goal.
• A company, an organization, an institution, or a
nation needs both. It must not only keep things
going; it must also make things go.

• Effective administration and management are
critical to ensuring that the public sector has the
expertise needed to address the most pressing
civic problems facing society.
• This includes a wide range of actors, including
federal, state, and local career civil servants;
political appointees; contractors; academics; and
professional associations and good government
organizations.

• This is a broad field and a deep bench for the nation
to draw upon to address the challenges and issues
in administration and management successfully
using the array of diplomatic skills discussed in the
body of this paper.
• We have established that diplomacy is central to
efficient and effective mitigation of management
and administrative challenges.
• Diplomatic skills make a manager or employee to be
shoulder above their peers.

• Those who possess diplomatic skills turns in superior
performance, and it also accelerate career growth, and
makes you more attractive during talent hunt, and or
promotion in the organisation.
• Effective use of diplomatic skills by individual in
organisations and nations administrative system
regularly will entrench justice, bonding and satisfaction
which yields sustainable development and growth in all
aspect of human and organisational endeavours.

• A robust and sustainable diplomacy is about
maintaining positive relationship, creating harmony,
and engendering goodwill and mutual trust.
• When alloyed with a strong administrative system,
then the trajectory of the product is potential
exponential growth for the benefit of the
organisation and nations who combines both in the
right proportion.

• Administrative professionals who acquired
diplomatic skills play a key part in holding a team
together and a lot of organizations would fall apart
without them.
• Professionals who hold well-developed
administrative skills help to ensure the
organization runs efficiently and constitute a
crucial factor in the management of projects and
growth initiatives. In this age, there is no such thing
as a ‘typical’ administrative role.

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