Online Degrees

General Management Careers

The average value of the Bachelor degree needed to become a General and operations managers is $1,802,623.00.

Points of Interest

• There is little expected employment growth in this field in the ten-year period between 2008 and 2018. 
• General and operational managers are employed in jobs whose primary functions are generally very varied but involve the oversight of operations and general administrative functions for a company. 
• Small business owners whose jobs are primarily managerial also are categorized as general and operational managers.

Nature of Work

General and operational managers are responsible for a wide range of jobs within a company. Often, general and operations managers are responsible for managing daily operations, directing the use of materials and human resources, and creating and enforcing company policies. Although they serve a wide range of functions, general and operational managers are generally classified as managers or administrators under the umbrella title of top executives. They are involved in purchasing, personnel, and administration and serve a functional role in the company, ensuring that operations continue smoothly.

For general and operational managers, the primary responsibility involves oversight of company operations related to the production of a product or the providing of a service. Specifically, they often coordinate and direct business activities concerned with production, pricing, and sales of products, distribution of finished products, human resource assignment, and quality of services. In addition to these activities related specifically to managing the production of a company, general and operations managers are often responsible for analyzing performance data related to sales of products and services. This normally involves the review of financial statements, production reports, and analysis of sales data to measure employee productivity, company sales or service goal achievements, areas where cost reduction is needed or can be implemented, and ways that overall company production can be improved. 

Often, the general and operations managers are responsible for managing staff and preparing work schedules. They may assign work schedules and assign duties, and they may also be responsible for maintaining employee morale. For those general and operations mangers who are employed by smaller companies or who run their own businesses, an additional duty may involve developing the company’s financial plan and budget. This may include searching for ways to maximize profits, fund operations, increase efficiency, and ensure good returns on investment.

Other duties may include creating and implementing departmental policies, goals, and procedures. General and operations managers may also be responsible for reporting to a board of directors regarding the implementation of these policies and meeting with employees to discuss policy.

General and operations managers often are responsible for determining staffing requirements. To this end, they may serve in a human resource capacity by interviewing and hiring new employees, training employees in new procedures, and overseeing employees on the job.

As part of their job of being involved in maximizing sales and profits, they may work with department heads (in larger companies) or alone (if they run their own businesses) to coordinate and implement sales promotions, determining the optimal goods and services to provide based upon sales forecasts, establish pricing guidelines and credit terms, and locate and select products for resale and negotiate on behalf of company executives for their purchase.

On the job, general and operations managers will typically spend a good deal of time in the office. If employed by companies involved in the manufacture or production of a product, general and operations managers may be employed in a combination of office and manual labor. They will rely heavily on computers equipped with accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and human resources software. They may also be called up to use hand trucks to move products, work on assembly lines to maintain production schedules, and perform other manual labor functions to ensure smooth production and maintain employee morale.

Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

Most general and operations managers have some higher education, although some have advanced through on-the-job training programs.

Higher education may include an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or certification from a technical school. In addition, they will have often worked their ways up the company ladder, learning a good deal about the company’s products or services in order to better understand the best way to manage employees and ensure maximized productivity.

Common degrees associated with this career include bachelor’s degrees in business administration, human resources, hospital management, accounting, marketing, public administration or other business related degrees. Technical program certifications can include those for electricians, plumbers, and contractors. Generally, additional expertise in the company’s products or services is required, and for some service providers, such as electricians, general and operational managers will also be licensed to perform the service.

In general, 32 percent of general and operations managers have an associate’s degree, 27 percent have bachelor’s degrees, and 21 percent have some college education but no degree.

Additionally, general and operations managers need a combination of entrepreneurial initiative and customer service orientation. They need to be dependable, demonstrate leadership ability, be attentive to detail, and ability to work in stressful situations.

Advancement is generally achieved through on-the-job experience, proven leadership ability, and attending training programs. These programs include those offered by the Institute of Professional Managers, which offers a Certified Manager (CM) credential. Although not necessary for advancement, such certification demonstrates the general or operations manager’s commitment to excelling in his position and advancing in his career.

General and operations managers may advance to top executive positions, including those of chief executive officer and chief operating office, though there are far fewer positions available for chief executives (400,400 as of May 2008) compared to general and operations managers (1,733,100). Eventually, some general and operations managers go on to open their own businesses. Others may retire and return to the workforce to serve as independent consultants.

Employment

General and operations managers held 1,689, 680 jobs as of May 2009. Of these, the highest level of employment for general and operations managers was in the management of companies and enterprises, with 67,310 individuals reporting employment in this field, or 25 percent of the workforce. Other areas with high levels of employment for general and operations managers included local government (48,710 individuals), computer systems design and related services (34,570), building equipment contractors (34,180), and management, scientific, and technical consulting services (33,650). Scientific research and development services employed 13,940 general and operations managers. Other general and operations managers are employed by financial investment activities, securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage, securities and commodity exchanges, and satellite telecommunications.

In terms of geographic location, New York employed the highest number of individuals as general and operations managers (95,490). This was followed by Maryland, employing 52,550 individuals. Other states with high concentrations of general and operations managers include New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington DC, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, and Delaware. The majority of general and operations managers were employed in major metropolitan areas, with New York-White-Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division employing the highest number of individuals.

Job Outlook 

There is little to no growth expected for general and operations managers between 2008 and 2018. In addition, competition for these positions is expected to be fierce, as there is prestige associated with these jobs and salaries are generally high. 

It is important to note that employment will vary by industry, as demands in some industries will create a need for additional general and operations managers while decline in others may result in layoffs. In projected fast growth industries such as healthcare, employment of general and operations manager is expected to correspondingly grow through 2018.

An additional factor affecting the possibility of employment growth for general and operations managers is the fact that, for many of these top executives, job openings will be filled by those with additional experience. This will limit the number of jobs available to those seeking to enter the field. Expertise in a particular field, demonstrated records of management training and experience, and on-the-job experience will all enhance an applicant’s ability to enter this profession. For those seeking positions with large companies with global corporate strategies, knowledge of foreign affairs, international economics, and foreign languages may also be helpful.

Projections

Occupational Title: General and operations managers SOC Code: 11-1021 Employment, 2008: 1,733,100 Projected Employment, 2018: 1,730,800 Change, 2008-2018: -2,300 individuals or a 0 percent change

Earnings

The mean hourly wage for general and operations managers was $53.15, with a mean annual wage of $110,550. The median hourly wage was $44.55, with a median annual wage of $92,650.

By industry, those general and operations managers employed by financial investment activities earned an average $83.23 an hour, or $173,120 per year. Those employed by securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage earned an average of $164,520 per year. Other top-paying industries include securities and commodity exchanges ($163,060), satellite telecommunications ($157,980), and scientific research and development services ($155,910). Computer systems design and related services; management, scientific, and technical consulting services; management of companies and enterprises; building equipment contractors; and local government also offered competitive salaries.

In general, those individuals employed as general and operations managers earned the highest average annual wage, $157,050, in New Jersey. Those in New York earned an average annual wage of $135,500, while those in Washington and Delaware earned on average $130,750 and $130,430 respectively. Other states in which general and operations managers earned, on average, six-figure salaries were Connecticut, Washington DC, and Maryland. Those employed as general and operations managers in Utah earned an average of $81,930, those in Alaska $78,580, and those in Idaho $75,790. 

Wages

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for general and operations managers:

Employment: 1,689,680 Employment RSE: 0.3% Mean hourly wage: $53.15 Mean annual wage: $110,550 Wage RSE: 0.2%

Percentile wage estimates for general and operations managers represented by hourly wage/annual wage:

• 10th percentile: $22.01/$45,780 
• 25th percentile: $30.65/$63,750 
• Median (50th percentile): $44.55/$92,650 
• 75th percentile: $66.81/$138,960

Related Occupations

• Lodging managers 
• Accountants 
• Human resource managers 
• Education administrators 
• Financial managers 
• Medical and health service managers 
• Industrial production managers 
• Computer and IT systems managers

Sources of Additional Information

For more information about management opportunities and educational programs, contact:

• American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Internet: http://www.amanet.org

• For additional information about management skills development, including Certified Manager (CM) credentials, contact Institute for Certified Professional Managers, James Madison University, MSC 5504, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. Internet: http://www.icpm.biz
• Information about general and occupational manager opportunities in local government can be found by contacting the Council of State Governments at P.O. Box 11910, 2760 Research Park Dr., Lexington, KY 40578-1910. Internet: www.csg.org
• Information about opportunities in public management and human resources can be found through the International Public Management Association for Human Resources at 1617 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Internet: http://www.ipma-hr.org
• National Management Association, 2210 Arbor Blvd., Dayton, OH 45439. Internet: http://www.nma1.org

Related Jobs

People with the educational background, skills, and desire to become a General and operations managers might be well suited to work in one of the following fields as well:

• Administrative services managers
• Chief executives