Interview a Manger with Regard to the Various Managerial Functions - Essay Example

Introduction Level of responsibility I interviewed Nikesh Arora, the senior Vice President and Chief BusinessOfficer of Google. He has been in the company since 2004 and has served in numerous positions including global direct sales and other management positions in Europe ad African markets. His main achievement has been the expanded number of advertisers and users of Google products such as Gmail, Google + and YouTube. Nikesh directly reports to the Chief Executive Officer, though he may also issue reports to peers and subordinates in the organisation. The primary responsibility of Nikesh is to increase Google business opportunities in the globe. Primary functions According to Taylor, Nikesh has several managerial functions that include planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Nikesh is tasked with setting out plans of actions in order to attain the pre-determined organisational goals. Together with other executives, he prepares the strategic plans and operational plans for the entire organisation. Nikeshy is also tasked with organizing function in the company. For instance, he is tasked with providing personnel, raw materials and an organisational structure that contributes to the success of the organisation. He designs the job descriptions and creates reporting relationships within the organisation. According to Fayol’s commanding function, Nikesh is tasked with ensuring optimum utilization of human capital in the organisation. In this function, he delegates responsibilities and inspires the employees towards the attainment of the organisational goal. In the coordinating function, Nikesh is responsible for unifying and harmonization of all activities and resources in the organisation (Williams 54). For instance, he coordinates the new product development and sales department in order to ensure that new products meet the changing customer needs. He is responsible for the creation of harmonious and coordinated working teams and groups in the organisation. The last managerial function of Nikesh according to Fayol is controlling function. He is responsible for evaluating the attainment of organisational goals. He evaluates the degree of conformity to organisational policies and attainment of budgeted financial performance (Williams 53). Nikesh Arora aspires to the interviewee since he has contributed highly to increased profitability and market share of Google. Nikesh has the management experience at this position since he has previously worked in a multicultural environment and other markets such as Europe and Africa. Nikesh has also T-Mobile Europe and Deutsche Telekom. Nikesh has the necessary leadership skills and business development skills due to his vast knowledge of the industry. Nikesh responsibility of resources As the Chief Business officer, Nikesh is responsible for, and administration of the resources of the organisation including the people, materials and equipment. He is responsible for directing the people including recruitment, assignment of tasks, performance appraisals and compensation of the employee. Nikesh is responsible for grievance handling and disciplinary of the employees. Nikesh has a responsibility of ensuring that materials are used effectively and efficiently in the organisation. He ensures that wastage is minimized. Nikesh is responsible for ensuring that machinery and equipment in the organisation are utilized appropriately and that subordinates to do not use such equipment for personal reasons. He ensures that the company acquires modern equipment and old equipment is properly maintained in order to meet the business objectives (Williams 54). Some of the challenges involved include the rapid technological changes that require staff to be retrained on emerging technologies. Another challenge includes the changes in the economic environment that have forced the company to streamline their business operations. Another challenge associated with organisation at Google is the influence of trade unions on the staff benefits and numerous customer complaints on privacy issues. Interview question one: The manager asserted that he usually requests the input of his subordinates or the peers while making major decisions in the company. He was of the opinion that subordinates are more motivated when involved in decisions that affect their welfare in the organisation. He also pinpointed out that subordinates can be a source of creative and innovative decisions in the organisation. He added that involving subordinates and peers in the decision making process will improve the working relationships and create efficient communication channels in the organisation. Question two: The manager responded that the most exciting part of his job was to inspire the efforts of subordinates towards the attainment of the organisational goals. He said that well motivated employees will contribute to the overall attainment of the organisational objectives through increased productivity and reduced absenteeism. In order to do this, he clarified that he has to ensure that individual employee interests are linked to the organisational objectives and proper training and development opportunities exist for all the subordinates. However, the manger asserted that the most challenging part of his job is dealing with employee disciplinary cases in the organisation. He clarified to me that he has limited time to supervise all the subordinates thus his expectations is that well trained subordinates will adhere to the organisational behaviour rules and procedures. Question three: The manager has encouraged innovation in the organisation. He has numerous methods that have ensure the company provides innovative products and services to the company. First, he has set up project teams are tasked with market research on the changing customer needs and also new product development. The manager also openly accepts innovative ideas from subordinates and feedback from the disatisfied customers. The manager encourages innovation in order to ensure that customers’ needs are met and customers can encourage a variety in the market. Question four: According to the manager, he encourages both upward and downward communication channels. The manager has both formal and informal communication strategies. The manager communicates downwards to the subordinates through e-mails, letters, open discussions and chat facilities. The manager feels that communication and feedback is essential in execution of his duties. For instance, he believes that communication is essential in reducing conflicts in the workplace and ensuring that work and authority is properly delegated. He stated that performance feedback to employees is essential in their motivation since it highlights the weaknesses of each employee on the areas that one needs more training. He asserted that communication builds and sustains cohesive project teams that lead to attainment of the project teams (Williams 53). Question five The manager stated that he has taken several steps in preventing all forms of harassment in the workplace. The manager stated that he had implemented a written code of conduct in the organisation and a harassment prohibition policy in the organisation. All the employees had been trained on the need to avoid harassment and the channels to forward any complaints to the manager. The manager outlined that he would take prompt measures to address complaints of harassment. First, he stated that he would request the complainant to record a statement and provide a list of witnesses including the exact location and time when the incident happened. The second step would to inform and summon the accused employee and then request both to appear to a disciplinary committee whereby evidence would be adduced. The manager stated that he would fire the harasser if enough evidence was provided and report the same incident to law enforcement authorities. Question six: What do you think are the essential skills of a manager? The manager responded that time management, planning, coordination and leadership skills were the greatest skills of a manager in his position. He also added that an individual must have excellent communication skills, collaboration and business acumen in order to effectively manage the organisation. Conclusion Nikesh is committed to all management functions in his position. He is tasked with planning, organizing, commanding the staff, coordinating working relationships and resources and finally controlling the activities and employee performance in the organisation. In my view, Nikesh is a successful manager since he has contributed to increased profitability, development of new products and growth in global market share of Google. Works cited: Williams, C. Manageement. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. 2009. Read More