Leadership Among Senior Managers in an Organization - Research Paper Example

 Background Leadership among senior managers in an organization is so critical today, that the study of what motivates senior managers, has become a focus of research in HR practice. The rapid changes in the industry and downsizing, have impacted the morale of senior managers, and in turn affected their performance and consequently the growth of the company. This has even led to research focusing on the reason for ineffective performance among senior managers. As pointed by Dastmalchian and Javidan (1998) “many researchers have attempted to uncover the secrets of effective performance in senior positions. …Most researchers have used primarily normative approaches to the study of managerial effectiveness. Through case studies or general observations they have generated wide- ranging prescriptions for executive performance”. Be that as it may, this project proposal assumes that a key reason for inadequate performance is linked to senior managers’ own need for achievement and personal growth. High achieving managers in senior positions hold the power to give tremendous boost to company performance. This topic has been selected to understand the existing need for achievement and personal growth among senior managers in the cancellation department of Sky Digital. If this need is high, chances that the company will continue to stay competitive will be high too. If this need is low, the project will make recommendations, as to what the organization can do in facilitating development of these needs so that through its senior managers it stays competitive. Achievement needs According to Tucker-Ladd, (2000) “the desires to succeed and to excel are called achievement needs”. Researchers have suggested that achievement needs are made up of several components. Individuals who have high achievement needs exhibit strong desire for: 1. Approval from experts 2. Making money 3. Wanting to succeed on their own 4. Respect from friends 5. Competition and winning 6. Working hard and excelling in whatever they do For organizational success, senior staff’s high achievement needs are essential. McClelland's "Needs Achievement Theory" identifies three basic needs that individuals develop and acquire from their life experiences. These are the needs for achievement, affiliation and power. According to McClelland the need to achieve is linked to entrepreneurial initiative and is considered critical for organisational success. David McClelland (1975) has made vast contributions in this area. He states that high achievers build a higher expectation that their effort results in the desired level of performance. Therefore understanding the need for achievement, whether it exists or not or what diminishes or propels it, makes sense for an organization that wishes to succeed. Personal Growth Patching (1999) stresses that "working with people is not the same as working with machines", hence, "the job of developing managerial learning entails a deep understanding of the learning and design processes" (p. 318). For this, there is need for personal growth (the intellectual approach), personal mastery (compensating for shortcomings) and paying attention to individuation (Patching 1999, p.322-324). Personal Development according to Janssen (n.d) is defined as “the gradual evolution or growth of a particular person to bring out their potentialities or capabilities making one more aware of ones own inner feelings or thought”. Strong leaders put learning and personal development high on their priority list and exhibit a desire in improving their habits. Like other self actualisation needs, the need for personal growth is driven by challenge and new experiences. Organisations that wish to succeed need to recognize and encourage their employees’ personal growth beyond the traditional work related training and development. The organization must foster a culture that is committed to helping people identify their own personal potential. It can go a long way in gaining employee loyalty. Research Questions and Research Objectives The research will be conducted at Sky Digital which is a digital satellite broadcaster for the UK. They have 8.1 million customers and are still growing. The broadcasting industry is going through a very competitive phase, and it becomes necessary that staff in senior positions stay achievement oriented and focus on personal growth. This is essential because it impacts company performance. The research question examines the level of existing need for achievement and personal growth among 900 senior managers in the cancellation department of Sky Digital. For the purpose of this study 100 randomly selected managers will be surveyed. The objective of the research is to: Determine the existing level of need for achievement among senior managers of the cancellation department by surveying 100 randomly selected senior managers Determine the existing level of need for personal growth among senior managers of the cancellation department by surveying 100 randomly selected senior managers Identify if age of manager and his stint with Sky digital is correlated to the need for achievement Recommend measures to foster an organizational culture that will facilitate and fulfil the need for personal growth Research Design and Method 1. A one on one interview will be conducted with 100 randomly selected senior managers of the cancellation department for open ended questions. For close ended questions, the response sheet will be left with the manager and anonymity will be maintained. The selection of managers will be based on simple random/probability sampling method. The lottery method will be used. A list of all senior managers in the cancellation department will be obtained from the HR department and every 3rd manager will be selected for survey. 2. As and when data is collected, the responses to survey will be updated in an excel spreadsheet 3. To survey the achievement needs of senior managers, a questionnaire is prepared, adapted from the achievement motivation scale published by W.W.Norton and Company (n.d.). A question is formulated for each attribute critical to need for achievement, to ascertain whether a manager manifests the need for achievement. The questionnaire has mostly close ended questions but also includes open ended questions to help analyse the organization’s role in supporting these managerial attitudes. Attribute that demonstrates the need for achievement Question to be asked to assess need for achievement (True or False reply to be obtained) Negative perception of performance irks the manager People who seem to work very hard only to make others look less committed in comparison bother me. Willingness to take risks I like taking risks. Confidence in their own knowledge I do not mind checking information with someone else even if I think I know the answer, because it is always better to be on the safe side Need for recognition in public I like it when I am told in front of others that I am doing a good job Strong interpersonal skills I get on well with people easily Ownership In a difficult situation, I prefer to be in charge and then it is okay whether I am blamed or praised Independence I like being independent Sense of competition I am basically a competitive person, and I compete just for the sake of competing Ambitious Most people who know me say I am ambitious. Concerned about what others think If I am aware that people disapproved of my plans, I would change them Sense of individuality Being part of a team at work is less important than doing good work on your own. Target orientation I regularly list my goals where I can see them during the day Enjoy life Most evenings, I kick back and relax rather than prepare for the next day's tasks 4. The interpretation of the results will be as follows: a. 90% and above “true” response will reflected a high need for achievement b. 77%-89% of “true” responses will reflect moderate need for achievement c. 45% - 76% of “true” responses will reflect average need for achievement d. 27% - 44% of “true” responses will reflect moderately low need for achievement e. Less than 26% of “true” responses will reflect low need for achievement 5. The managers will be asked two additional questions and based on responses to these questions, a correlation analysis will be done to evaluate whether there is any positive correlation in the need for achievement and the two questions being asked. a. How long have they been working for Sky Digital. b. Age of employee 6. To determine the need for personal growth among senior managers in the cancellation department, the following questionnaire will be administered to 100 managers. The questionnaire is adapted from Dastmalchian and Javidan (1998) a. What new skills have you developed recently? b. Do you have a detailed set of goals for your life? c. How can Sky Digital help you achieve your personal goals? In addition, a yes or no response will be collected to the following questions. a. Do you find yourself "whining" often? b. When confronted with a challenge about your character, progress or other activities do you find yourself giving excuses? When challenged by someone regarding your actions or behaviors do you find yourself justifying, defending and rationalizing all the time? c. Do you find yourself frustrated on a regular basis? Do you have the same problems that you had 3 months, 6 months or 1 year ago? d. Do you always compare yourself to others? Do you find yourself jealous or envious of others? Do you find yourself saying "if he/she was a better teacher" or "they are no help"? e. Do you complain that things are too tough, costs are too high and that it is the fault of the company, government or systems? Do you find yourself complaining about other people, circumstances or situations on a regular basis? f. If someone points out a character problem with you, do you respond by insulting them or pointing out everything that’s wrong with them? 7. The interpretation of the results will be as follows: a. 90% and above “yes” response will reflect very low need for personal growth b. 77%-89% of “yes” responses will reflect moderately low need for personal growth c. 45% - 76% of “yes” responses will reflect average need for personal growth d. 27% - 44% of “yes” responses will reflect moderate need for personal growth e. Less than 26% of “yes” responses will reflect high need for personal growth Since senior managers give direction to the company and are responsible for motivating their subordinates, it is necessary that they exhibit high level of need for achievement and personal growth. This is the reason for the project proposed. Research Plan and Time Scale All data will be gathered through personal interviews from September 2006 to March 2007. September 2006 – November 2006: Data collection through questionnaire and updating responses in excel December 2006 - January 2007: Review literature on motivation, achievement needs, other case studies and researches conducted in the field. February 2007 –March 2007: Analyse data gathered and prepare the dissertation The only problem in the data collection can be that the selected manager is not available for survey or does not wish to participate. In such a situation the next selected manager will be surveyed till 100 managers are surveyed. References: Dastmalchian, A and Javidan, M (1998) High-Commitment Leadership: A Study of Iranian Executives. Journal of Comparative International Management [online], 1(1), June 1998. Available from < http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JCIM/bin/get.cgi?directory=vol1_1/&filename=Dastmalchian.html> [Accessed 2 March 2006]. Janssen, D.A.(n.d.) Characteristics of Success [online]. danieljanssen.com. Available from [Accessed 28 February 2006]. McClelland, D.C. (1975) Power: The inner exercise. New York: McGraw-Hill. Patching, K. (1999) Management and organisational development. London:Macmillan. Tucker-Ladd, C.E. (2000) Behavior, Motivation, And Self-Control [online]. Psychological Self Help. Availabel from [Accessed 28 February 2006]. W.W.Norton and Company (n.d.) Achievement Motivation Scale [online]. W.W.Norton and Company. Available from [Accessed 28 February 2006]. Read More