Management and Leadership in Organizations - Assignment Example

Management leadership in organizations Author Course Tutor Date Introduction Management is the process where planning, organizing, leading staffing and controlling are used in an organization in order to achieve the organizational goals (Freeman, 2010). It is the work of the manager to ensure that all parts of the organization works so that not even a small bit is left undone. He allocates resources so that all continues to run. According to Easterby-Smith et al (2008), effective management requires a lot of good leadership. A manager should have certain skills in order for him to be a good leader. This includes technical skills, interpersonal skills, conceptual skills, communication skills, timely management skills and decision making skills. The technical skill is the knowledge that the manager has towards the job he is doing (Van Der Aalst and Van Hee, 2004) This is to make sure that the work is being done in the steps that should be followed. They are acquired through training, work experience or through any course of the formal education. Interpersonal skills are another essential part in the management. This is the ability of the manager to work in peace other subordinate workers. A manager cannot work alone; this means that he requires having other workers who will help him in the working. Conception skills on the other hand help a manager to think outside the box. A management system is the means through which management use to achieve the objectives of the organization (Guest, 2007). It is an umbrella term used to describe all those activities involved in the management. They include: financial management, human resource management, knowledge management and information technology management. For instance, an organization has to make sure that resources are controlled effectively through financial management. This, according to Drucker (2007) is to avoid over utilization of resources in some sectors and limit other sectors to have little resources allocated to them. The introduction of technology and globalization has had a great impact on management and leading behaviors of managers and leaders in the workplace (Devanna et al, 2006). Generally business conduct of both employees and managers has really transformed with the introduction of World Web and internet. Initially, organizations used the old age paradigm type of control which was based on hierarchy, but this has changed over time and organizations use decentralized networks and functional groups in order to meet the needs of e-business economy (Archibald, 2003). The continuous change in technology has been a challenge to managers on how to carry on their managerial roles in the dynamic work environment. This has in fact led to introduction of new styles of leadership referred to as e-leadership (Storey, 2007). The information technology has led to changes in tools of communication and this has redefined how employees interact in the organization (Alli, Winter and May, 2011). Today the role of a manager is focused on managing self-organized business units that are decentralized through the e-business networks which connect different business players in real time by use of internet. Organizations’ hierarchical structures have gradually reduced and any person can communicate with all ranks of managers through e-mail. There is increase in the speed of doing business since information can be accessed to by employees faster and effectively. According to Leaders, Russwurm, and Board (2012), Leadership development is the process of offering performance support to individuals and helping them acquire skills through organizations’ initiated programs like mentoring, coaching, development assignments, action learning and training. The purpose of development program is to make leaders effective in carrying out leadership roles. Leadership development involves action and not knowledge. Development in organizations entails giving people a chance to learn from work experiences and not removing them from their work (Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead, 2005). Therefore, effective leadership is considered as a central factor to the success of an organization, this is why leadership development is treated with a lot of seriousness than ever before. Leadership in today’s business environment comes in various forms and shapes. More often, development of leadership skills among people is affected by how people expect leaders to behave (Avolio, 2010). It is not possible for all leaders to be great to an extent that they are acknowledged by everyone around them. Some leaders are not known to the public but the satisfaction they get from their personal job drives them ahead (Henrikson, 2006). This implies that not all leadership roles can be handled by any person. If a leader is not fully engaged in the leadership process, even if they are trained in leadership skills it won’t serve them best (Boaden, 2006). Therefore, any person can build his or her capacity to lead. An individual who is committed to lead and practices leadership using his or her leadership capabilities at different levels, then such a person has the potential to being a leader. According to Conger (2004), leaders are also indeed born and such leaders posses leadership characteristics even during their very early age. Such leaders would take risks and are able to defend what they believe in. They are charismatic, other people want to listen to them, they bring people together and most importantly they have a vision. However, it is necessary that even born leaders focus on improving their leadership skills. Managers and leaders play different roles in the organization. Managers focus their attention on effectiveness, efficiency and they will always want to do right things at the appropriate time. They involve employees in setting organization objectives and work targets (Hill and Jones, 2007). Managerial roles include preparing budgets, developing action plans, reviewing cash flow projections, evaluating programs among other aspects of the organization. Managing also entails performing various tasks which require a focused mind logical attention for the success of the organization (Hogan, Hogan, and Kaiser, 2010). Managers carry out their roles by adhering to the company policy and they ensure that duties are satisfactorily done through others. However, leaders are visionary, strategists and are known to inspire other people to greatness. Leaders also motivate others, build community in and outside the organization, create good learning environments for growth and development, and the act as role models to the people they lead. Leaders will always listen to their intuitions and they have loyal followers. When a leader wants a task done, they motivate people to go it (McCann and Buckner, 2004). Many organizations are currently carrying out management development of the managers in order to improve their performance. Managers at all levels are encouraged to utilize training opportunities available in organizations since they offer room for career growth and development (Clark and Soulsby, 2007) In many organizations, managers get promotions to higher managerial levels because they demonstrated stronger performance as managers. This is usually acquired through management development. Managers in an organization have a direct impact to the morale and performance of the rest of employees. The business operations are also gradually changing, and this requires constant education to managers (McCann and Buckner, 2004). Managerial tasks have really shifted fast with less structured organizational hierarchies relying more on effective interpersonal and managerial skills. In order to achieve the objectives of the organization, it is important that top level managers are taken through training and development programs so as they can acquire the necessary skills to enhance their performance. According to Devanna (2006), Strategic thinking defines the way people view, assess and think about the future for their benefit and to other people around them. Managers have to think about tomorrow in a proactive manner so as to keep their organizations growing. Strategic thinking involves change and managing all outcomes to be achieved in the future. Mangers in an organization can be made to think strategically by developing their skills, being creative, engaging in problem solving at all levels, working as a team, involving in critical thinking and being flexible in handling situations. Strategic thinking is a skill that is acquired through strategic actions related to learning. First, managers should understand how things are currently being done, and come up with the ways to do them better. They should be able to look at their organization as a whole and evaluate it by use of the SWOT analysis (Dyson, 2004). Managers are also required to clearly define the goals of the organization that which facilitate the achievement of organization’s vision. Receiving of feedback is necessary to help managers think strategically. Managers should be encouraged to always review and confirm their strategic planning facts so as to be able to predict the future. Lee explained management development in an investment perspective. He suggested ten rationales which are supposed to be invested in Management development, and they include: (a) functional performance; (b) agricultural development; (c) functional defensive; (d) socialization; (e) political reinforcement; (f) organizational inheritance; (g) environmental legitimacy; (h) compensation; (i) psychic defense; (j) ceremonial (Dunn, 2006). In the agricultural development rationale the needs of the organization are first identified so that managers are cultivated and developed within the organization in order to improve their performance. This is done through training and development programs where managers go through a series of lessons and activities within the organization. On the other hand, ceremonial rationale views management development as a ceremony designed to enhance the social behavior of managers. Here, managers are expected to interact with each other during management development process so as they can learn from experiences of other line managers (Rousseau and Greller, 2006). Management development has four stages; unplanned experimental, unplanned reactive, planned process and planned strategy (Lepak et al, 2006). During unplanned experimental, managers are have no ideas about the need for be trained, and at this stage managers do show seriousness of the process. At unplanned reactive, there is some level of organization and managers begin to realize the need for development. They show much interest in the process. Planned structure is where managers are required to fully participate in the Management development program. In fact, it is a requirement for all managers. Planned strategy stages focuses on the future, and here managers are prepared to handles complex duties in the future. According to Lawler (2005), Managers in the organization have three major roles to play while carrying out their daily tasks, and these include interpersonal roles, informational roles and decisional roles. These involve talking to people, gathering necessary information and making decisions that will benefit the organization. In carrying out interpersonal roles, managers spend most of their time interacting with other employees or business stakeholders through communication. In order to fulfill the interpersonal role, managers carry out three sub-roles which include: leader, liaison and figurehead. Managers do encourage and motivate employees to perform well, they deal with other people outside the organization, and they also perform ceremonial tasks like representing the organization in various communal activities respectively (Lengnick-Hall et al, 2009). Informational role requires managers to acquire and share information in the organization. They process, gather and disseminate information and at the same time they do environment scanning as they share information with people inside and outside the organization. This can be summarized into three sub-roles: they monitor, disseminate and act as spokesperson in the organization (Ulrich et al, 2006). Getting information and sharing it is not enough for managers in an organization. They are also responsible for decision making, and these are based on the information collected. In making decisions, managers act as entrepreneurs, resource allocators, negotiators and disturbance handlers. Managers are charged with the responsibility of making good decisions that would not affect the operations of the organization today and in the future. The process of Strategic Human Resource Management involves linking the functions of human resource and the organization’s strategic objectives purposely to improve the performance, productivity and efficiency of employees (McCann and Buckner, 2004). The SHRM process requires developing missions and goals, analyzing the environment, and formulating, implementing and evaluating set strategies. The essence of the process is to actually help management to think strategically and to prepare for the future roles in the organization. In order for strategic thinking to be realized among managers, it is critical that they are engaged in the process of SHRM. Strategic Human Resource Management helps to improve cooperation between line managers and HRM department which is beneficial to the company. It also helps to improve the organization’s innovation potential and maintaining its competitive advantage. The general impact of SHRM to the organization is that performance, efficiency and productivity will greatly improve (Abernethy and Vagnoni, 2004). Management and leadership development has become a reality to many organizations. Many organizations have preferred planning and making sure that leadership and management development is conducted to improve the skills and performance of their managers (Hendry and Pettigrew, 2005) With the current shifts in business environment due to changes in technology, organizations have no other option than to carry out LDM programs in order to empower their staff to handle complex tasks so as to remain competitive and relevant in business. Having unique skills among managers is an advantage to the organization, and this can only be achieved through LMD. Conclusion In conclusion, Management and leadership are important aspects of an organization since they control the entire operations of the organization. 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