MANAGERIAL ABILITY AMONG RURAL AND URBAN BANK MANAGERS IN TAMILNADU, SOUTH INDIA

Banking until a few years ago, was considered as a desk job. People sat at a desk every day, accepted deposits, assessed loan application and disbursed funds. The customer came to the bank and the bank dictated terms. If the terms were not acceptable, the customer went away and it never bothered the Bank. The next customer was already at the door before the disappointed customer even left. Banking was a seller’s market. But that is all now things of the past. The customer now decides which bank he wants to deal with. He shops around to get the best price and if the prices are not competitive enough or acceptable to him, he simply goes to another bank. Bankers today need to be out there in the field talking to the customer, finding out and understanding his need and more importantly, making sure that they are able to offer him a better deal than the competitor. Human services jobs pose demands that are very different from those of other professions because employees must use themselves as the technology for meeting the needs of clients, who in turn, do not always express gratitude or appreciation. The human service professionals are led to believe that their credentials will guarantee their competence and success, that the work they do will be meaningful and stimulating their employees to be supportive. The bank branch managers are faced with the ever challenging tasks and are required to adjust and cope with the environment, which is more dynamic than ever, and needs a high level of emotional intelligence. A study on the level of the managerial performance of the bank branch managers becomes more essential and important in today’s context. An attempt has been taken by the researcher to identify the level of the managerial ability of the bank managers in rural and urban areas, and also to identify the managerial abilities that the managers lacks which has a direct implication on the performance of the individual and the institution.