Management and Development - Apple Computer Company - Essay Example

A REPORT ON THE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE A Report on the Management and Development of people A Case of the Apple Computer Company Analysing the Situation Managers play a role that steers the course of the organisation toward achievement. They largely perform the work of making decisions and solving problems. Problem-solving and decision-making involve selecting issues that require attention, setting goals, and formulating the courses of action. Finally, managers evaluate and choose among the alternative courses of action. The first three steps in this model represent problem-solving while the last two involve decision-making. Managers are required effectively to address the problems that require attention at the organisational level. Many organisations in the modern competitive and dynamic business environment are confronted with many such problems every day. These problems range from the choice of investments and efficiency of operation to the issues of product development. In getting things done the right way in organisations, managers rely on the workforce. How best the employees are motivated in the execution of duties in an institution mainly depends on the management and leadership style adopted. Human resources are the most valuable assets on which any institution that seeks excellence should establish real strength and pride (Armstrong, 2012). The leadership style adopted by Steve Jobs is participative although coupled with aspects of Taylorism. The greatest virtue demonstrated in his leadership is that of getting involved in the doing of things as opposed to instructing others only. Steve Jobs as the CEO of the Apple Company was described as an inspirational, charming and passionate leader. He was highly praised for his creativity and innovation that placed the Apple Company in the class of the most valuable company in the world. However, Taylorism comes in when he desires only the ‘A players in whatever organisations he worked for. As a leader, Steve Jobs adopted a dedicated and an even obsessive approach to work. He shared a keen vision of the change he wanted to create for the Apple Company. Jobs set very high standards for both himself and everyone that worked with him. The majority traits that Jobs displayed in his long leadership for the Apple Company were the critical success factors for the company that leads the market even today. He showed the value of working with people who are highly qualified and in pursuit of highly set standards. The aspect of setting standards and collectively pursuing them draws from the Goal-setting Theory. His working with people in the Company to achieve results is a value worth borrowing by the present day managers who only issue directives rather than pursue realistic goals (Transformational leadership @ Apple, 2012). Jobs goal-oriented character was said to be the cornerstone of Apples success. His succession by Tim Cook opened yet another page of continued success for Apple Company. Tims professional concern for both external and internal stakeholders significantly borrows from the attribution theory. Tims leadership style appears more inclusive with a key interest vested on resolving all reported problems. It is an accommodative character that makes him not scary but well respected by his workforce. The need for the ‘A players in the workforce and the aspect of getting rid of the employees who are not the best performers is a question of managerial ethics. Employees can be trained and developed to become the right people that the organisation requires in the dispensation of its duties. It is unethical that a company must only seek to recruit the first class performers (Transformational leadership @ Apple, 2012). Leadership and management are two essential functions (Mosley, Pietri and Mosley, 2008). However, development is another important that is fundamentally necessary to success. Management involves the participation in a teams efforts. It involves leading a people to achieve pre-defined goals and objectives. To lead is to inspire and consolidate the efforts of others in achieving the set goals. Leadership and management require proper identification of roles. However, where the role and need for management and leadership are recognised, the need for development is inevitable. The achievement of results requires a perfect combination and balance between the three functions. The leadership function sets objectives and provides the mechanisms for achieving them by empowering the people. Management involves placing the focus on implementation, control and direction. The development function directs effort towards a satisfactory and successful outcome. In the management of people, a manager must equitably play these roles. They should lead, manage and develop people to achieve the desired results (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2008). Like any other company around the globe, the Apple Computer Company craves for the right management that can identify the behaviours and key drivers that build the leaders ability to engage employees in their roles. To a commendable extent, Steve Jobs was of the kind. It is significantly important that managers understand what constitutes a commitment, job satisfaction and advocacy among the employees. Managers must first determine what they want to achieve in their organisations before they can embark on workforce development. Developing a workforce or already established goals is like deciding the means to reach a chosen destination. Consideration of the scope of the projected tasks follows. The review helps managers to understand the competence of workforce that could best achieve results given the culture and the time frame. Managers must then organise the workforce in a manner that promotes teamwork. Additional training and the development of employees is necessary. Trained and competent employees can be held accountable for their tasks. Managers should then assess productivity regularly and make the necessary reinforcement (Marchington, Wilkinson and Sargeant, 2010). The Goal setting theory propounded by Edwin A. Locke is a great contribution to the theory of management and development of people. According to Edwin, intentions and goals are wilful and cognitive. Goals serve as mediators of human action and are mediated by the human values that determine what is beneficial to them. Edwin opines that managers must learn to set specific goals as opposed to general goals. According to him, goals that are hard to achieve are positively correlated with performance. How much human action is influenced by challenging goals depends on their acceptance of the goal and feedback. Goals have two dimensions, that of content and intensity. While content refers to what is to be achieved, intensity refers to the amount of mental and physical effort required to obtain such content. The goal setting theory model begins with environmental stimuli, followed by cognition and evaluation and finally goal setting and performance (Siegert, 2014). In his attribution theory, Fritz Heider explored the character of interpersonal relationships. In this theory, Heider explains the concept of what he terms as common sense. Heider believed that people observe, analyse and explain behaviours with explanations. People have different reasons for different human actions. However, Heider emphasises the need to categorise them into personal and situational attributions. When a personal attribution is made, the cause of human action is attributed to the personal characteristics such as ability, attitude and effort. Where an external attribution is made, the cause of such reaction is assigned to the situation in which the action was seen such as task or luck. The theory is significantly contributive to workforce management and development as it principally influences the perceptions of managers about employees (Graham and Folkes, 2014). Conclusions The leadership style adopted by the former CEO of Apple Company has enviable results in the long run. However, methods that focus on the welfare of the workforce equally as it focuses on the desired results have proven equally important given the approach adopted by his successor. The management of workforce requires the setting of goals and tailoring the workers toward achieving the set goals. Any shortcomings among the members of the workforce may be as a result of internal or external attributions, and hence managers should solve employee problems in these dimensions. Motivation is the key element of results by the workforce. People may not necessary perform because of rewards. Managers have a role to keep the workforce motivated for the attainment of desired results (Ree, French and Rayner, 2010). Recommendations More accommodative styles of leadership that focus on employee motivation are required for Apples continued market leadership. That training and development of workers should be prioritised as opposed to laying off employees that are perceived not to first class performers. That current and future management should highly value the importance of collectively working with the employees to achieve results as opposed to issuing mere directions. That Apple Company should direct a substantial proportion of its annual budget into building a formidable workforce through regular training and appreciation of employees. References Armstrong, M. (2012). Armstrongs Handbook of management and leadership. London: Kogan Page. Graham, S. and Folkes, V. (2014). Attribution theory. Hoboken: Psychology Press/Taylor & Francis Group. Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human resource management at work. London: cipd. Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A. and Sargeant, M. (2010). People management and development. 2nd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Mosley, D., Pietri, P. and Mosley, D. (2008). Supervisory management. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western. Ree, G., French, R. and Rayner, C. (2010). Leading, managing and developing people. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Siegert, R. (2014). Rehabilitation Goal Setting. CRC Press. Transformational leadership @ Apple. (2012). Strategic Direction, 18(6), pp.5-7. Read More