Manager of Two Styles - Case Study Example

Case - Manager of Two Styles Introduction Management is an important aspect of an organization’s development and growth. Management has different styles that suits different occasions within an organization. A host of literature has been presented to explain the importance of management as a means of Public Administration. Management styles are tied with the very existence of a given company in terms of its operations on daily basis. More often than not, management and leadership somehow go hand in hand as management is about working with people while leadership is about giving direction and making decision when there is a crisis (Speakman and Lynette 186). This case study will explore an actual situation that existed as an illustration of divergent management styles of the same man at the CD Hotels Inc. which happened during Eddie’s tenure at the company as a member of the management team. Kenny was a young and fresh graduate from the University with the eagerness and enthusiasm to get going in terms of working. He had studied Business Administration from with majors in Management. Looking at him from the onset he looked naïve and vulnerable at times. However, he was ready to listen to what other people had to say. He created an aura of likeness within and around him from the start. He knew how to create rapport with fellow colleagues without causing any tension. When people approached him for issues, he always seemed ready to help whenever needed to do so. He made it easy for people to work with him and he was never the sort that would put his team off. Instead, he wanted input from his colleagues and was ready to listen and have consensus whenever there was a dispute. The Organization CD Hotels was established in 1981 as small hotels for that used to house middle class people within the Washington D.C. It was established by Martin Atkinson as the first of the would-be many chains of hotels world wide. In 1984, the organization began its expansion programs to cover areas that were far and wide. During that year, five hotels had been established in the United States, and were serving more clients in the hospitality area. Over the years, the company has grown into international status with improved revenue collections as well as financial muscle. It has developed an international reputation as one of the finest hospitality industries around the world. It has spread out from beyond borders into the East, Europe, Africa and South America. The company has since grown and as such, different departments and divisions that had clear roles and responsibilities at hand. For the purposes of this case study, the focus is on management style as exhibited by Kenny. He worked as a senior assistant manager in the company which was a few steps to the senior management such as General Manager or Chief Executive Officer. In all honesty, he was an ideal candidate for the CEO’s position in any event it could remain vacant. Though he had not indicated his interest in the position, the rumors doing the rounds had it that he was the most befitting candidate owing to his qualifications and the characteristics he had displayed in his short stint at the company. Important Persons in the Organizations Kenny Briggs is a 31 year-old young man who had been at the company for only 6 months. He came into the company as an assistant manager a position he held for a short stint before being elevated into the CEO’s position. Though his experience was questionable, his abilities were there for all to see. It is little wonder he was considered for the post by the board as he had shown excellent capabilities. Before getting into the CEO’s position, Kenny was a darling of everyone in the company and as such, when he took over the helm of leadership and senior management, things changed overnight. Probably, he was better off in his position than the new position he was placed to steer. The first one week, Kenny got briefing from all the departmental heads on all the undertakings of thee company, the operations both within and without. Kenny became a man of different styles because he completely changed after being given the mantle. He started disregarding other people’s opinions, not interested in talking with his juniors and resorted to victimization when someone tried to rub him the wrong way. He started frustrating those who had given him orientation at the beginning of his career, always quarrelling them, insulting and worse still throwing derogatory connotations. Eddie is a reliable and dependable career manager was in charge of Public Relations Department. He was loyal to Kenny from the onset; in fact, he is the one who insinuated Kenny would be the best bet for the top job overlooking his own potential as a manager who had served for a long time. The 35 year-old graduated from London school of Management with a degree in Business Management. When Kenny rose to the realm of executive man, his tenure at the company became hell. Having been a good friend who guided the CEO while giving him hands-on experience of how crises have been handled and how they could be in the event of their emergence, he did not matter later because his position lost meaning and became untenable for his experience and career. He did the donkey work and Kenny’s was only to approve or disapprove. He had a clear understanding of what CD Hotels wanted for the future, he was part of the members who drafted the goals to be met. He had also acted the big brother to Kenny when he was raw and green. He was always there when needed and helped create an environment that was conducive for both senior and junior staff members. Susie was 30 years old secretary who had studied at the Michigan State University and had attained her bachelors in Secretarial Studies. At first, she became Kenny’s most trusted staff when he took over, however, with the passage of time; it became quite clear that she was almost quitting her position citing unavoidable circumstances. Susie and Eddie later became the best of allies because they were feeling the same pinch from Kenny. However, since Susie knew how to cool Kenny down, it got certain points when things did not work out the way she thought. She was full of energy, always ready to work eve overtime without complaining. When talking about commitment, it was found in Susie in plenty. She was a workaholic who made things easy for her managers for boardroom meetings as well as other members of the staff who needed any assistance. Her enthusiasm diminished and she also lost her self-esteem in the process of trying to please Kenny. She did not fancy her job, and was just doing it for the sake of it (Speakman and Lynette 189). Kallstrom is the Human Resource Manager. 39 year-old Kallstrom graduated from Leicester University with a degree in Business Management and later attained his Masters in Human Resource Management from the same University. The working relationship between Kenny and Kallstrom had been a formidable one from his early days. However, even Kallstrom became the victim of Kenny’s wrath. He seemed the most senior among all other workers, and as such, he behaved rightly so. The way he carried out his work even when faced with a serious staff disciplinary case, he always managed how to get things together. When there were conflicts between staff members, he always played the wise arbiter who never took any side. He managed to take the members through a rigorous campaign to give room for Kenny to develop his skills. In fact, he was one of the managers who saw leadership qualities in Kenny and even commented that Kenny was a senior managerial material (Speakman and Lynette 202). Outside Environment The company has a host of partnerships with other companies and service providers. Other than offering executive accommodation, the company also deals in cuisine that serves even special dishes for foreigners. Other companies include, Four Seasons, New York Taxi, Hilton, British Airlines, Lufthansa, Fly Emirates, Home Depot, and many others. The company’s Human Resource Department and the Public Relations Department were the most dependent for the growth of the company in terms of expansion to compete with the other bigger players in the market. CD Hotels had developed a strong bond with its partners and a couple of deals had been hatched soon t be completed. The company was actually doing well in the international markets and the management had contemplated expanding to other parts of the world as a means of increasing revenue. This case presents a difficult situation in that in the board, Kenny had three people with whom he had very close ties. Mr. Turner Dickson the Board Chairman was Kenny’s god-father who had raised him from childhood. In fact, it was rumored that Kenny was brought closer to the “kitchen” to learn how to “cook” because of Gary Lombardi’s imminent departure as the CEO. This had been a foreseen and premeditated gesture. That is why he became very close to Lombardi before his term finally ended. Kenny had been brought about as a protégé. Two other board members; Francis Kelly and Daniel Corelli had for the longest time been Dickson’s greatest allies who never objected to his requests. They all influenced the board members to approve Kenny as the new CEO something they did by just a flip. Kenny took the helm of leadership and that is when he became a different person altogether. He was short-tempered, not giving anyone a chance to explain himself or herself. It was just difficult to deal with him because he never welcomed any sort of advice from anybody. Even on the recommendation of the members of the staff that it was not easy to work with Kenny anymore, nothing could be done because there were some fictitious deals that were in the offing. The problems in the Organization One afternoon, Eddie got a call from a traveling agency that reservation that had been made for the Japanese ambassador has been cancelled. The agency was bitterly complaining about the sudden change of tact, and that it was not good for the business. On asking who had cancelled the reservation, he was told Kenny Briggs the CEO. Eddie went to Kenny’s office to confirm the story. Kenny told Eddie that he had no right of making reservation for such a guest without telling him. Eddie cut on his statement and told him that is how things have always been done. Kenny told him that things had to change and were to be done as he said. Things got frustrating and after four months, Eddie tendered his resignation. On another occasion, Kallstrom the HR Manager had a run-in with Kenny over alleged existence of ghost workers. Kallstrom was forced to pay the ghost workers something he did reluctantly. In terms of foreign labor, the HR Manager always had the final say in how many to be recruited versus the need for more labor. Kenny wanted to change the system completely. He called for interviews and engaged consultancy firms to conduct interviews without the consent of the Human Resource manager. This did not augur well with Kallstrom who bitterly complained of the CEO’s maltreatment of his style and strategy for the company. When it was too heavy to bear, she decided to quit before being sacked. Susie was the other victim who was sacked on the basis of briefing the other managers of the imminent fall of the company’s revenue because of the state of affairs at the time. Kenny before being CEO was a godsend, but he changed completely after getting the position. This made things difficult for the junior staff members. The situation was getting even worse and a host of other people was contemplating quitting. Conclusion The Human Resource and Public relations were the most affected by the working environment that was at play in the organization. The CEO made other members suffer because of his incompetence. He could not be challenged even when it was quite apparent that things were not turning out well. There was tension at work, camps had been formed, and people were quitting, being sacked or contemplating quitting in the hear future. Work Cited Speakman, James, and Lynette Ryals. “A Re-Evaluation of Conflict Theory for the Management of Multiple, Simultaneous Conflict Episodes.” International Journal of Conflict Management 21.2 (2010): 186-201. Read More