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Report - Essay Example The Managerial Escalator The â€Å"managerial escalator† concept seeks to explain how specialists grow in their careers to become managers. In most companies and organizations, specialists are employed to perform a specific activity that is in line with their profession (Rees and Porter 7). For instance, an engineer may be hired to specifically deal with the design and implementation of technical concepts. This specialization cuts across various fields for professionals such as accountants, scientists and other professional fields. After some time in the job, a specialist may acquire some minor supervisory duties. For example, a senior engineer may have the responsibility to guide new employees with their job assignments and also check on their progress. These supervisory duties may be very informal since the specialist may not have a direct managerial role. Once the specialist attains experience of say five years, it is not uncommon for him or her to be promoted to a senior r ole. The new role may require the specialist to officially perform some sort of managerial duties albeit on a smaller scale (Schermerhorn & Schermerhorn 2011). Foe instance, an accountant may be put in charge of a small division within the accounting department. The role of leading a team inherently requires some level of managerial skills from the specialist The specialist may get further promotions as he or she attains more experience on the job. In the course of their duties, specialists often gain some managerial experience albeit informally. The managerial escalator concept argues that specialists may actually end up spending most of their time in management roles unknowingly. It is imperative that amount of time that an individual spends on a given position will depend on the individual’s skills (Mintzberg, 2009). Thus, the course of progress in the managerial escalator will vary from person to person. Even though a specialist may continue spending time in the area of s pecialization, the managerial shift occurs when the specialist finds himself spending more time managing people rather than engaging in the specialized activities himself (Rees and Porter 6) The progression from being a specialist to being a manager may not necessarily be similar for all individuals. One of the critical elements that dictate the evolution of specialists to managers is the structure of an organization (Schermerhorn & Schermerhorn 67). Specialists who are given some level of responsibilities and independence progress faster to managerial positions in comparison to those who have limited responsibility. In some organizations, there are specific guidelines that determine the career progression of its employees. It should be noted specialists who transition into managers may not have the requisite managerial skills. In fact, most organizations do not train their specialists with managerial skills and in the rare occasions where the managers are trained, the skills give a re not effective. Thus, it is common in organization to find specialists turned managers who have only informal management skills. The transition from a specialist to a manager may also face some challenges. Management requires specialist skills in order to lead and instruct others appropriately. The possession of specialist skills may also come in handy especially in