Managment Style - Research Paper Example

Topic The Muslim country of Saudi Arabia has substantial differences with United s of America in managing organizational development (OD) and in human resource management (HRM). This essay will explicate the comparative management styles of cited nations. What is OD and HRM? Before the distinctions can be discussed, let us substantially explicate first the meanings of key terms used in this study. Organizational development is perceived as a strategy in managing changes especially in an institution’s operational aspects. Such meant clarifying roles, functions, and operationalizing its structures in accordance to organizational vision and mission. Organizations are constantly met with ever changing market and environment due to evolving social interaction or process, which are often radical or revolutionary. Organizational development, as inspired by changes, are maybe encouraged by technological advancement, legislation of regulations, demands for efficiency or effectiveness, desire for more profitability, demographic changes of site of operation, and sustainability plans. Changes that are innate in organizational development also impact the human resources. This is because organizational structures may also be changed or resources become too limiting. Thus, organization must also wield expertise in human resource management as the latter is also accountable to introduce changes for organizational development. Developing an organization is a planned process and which used behavioral science, in the introduction of desired changes to strengthen an organization strategy, structures, and system to resolve internal problems or to innovate for organizational effectiveness (Wamwangi, 2003, p. 4). The interrelation of human resource management can be explicated in illustration showed below: a. Vision, Mission and Goal – The vision is n ideal picture of the company; an expression of inspiration; and, a fundamental in strategic planning. These are articulate dreams and hopes for the organization (Ward, 2012). Mission is also about a description of a company’s purpose of existence for itself and for its desired market (Ward, 2012). Goals, on the other hand, are the specific targeted matters that an organization wanted to achieve thru careful planning and execution (Ward, 2012). b. Customer Satisfaction – Bibu and Moniem (2011) contend that customer satisfaction also correlate to employee satisfaction, as well as, the latter’s sense of productivity and performance. Thus, in organizational development, the company shouldn’t be just interested in customer satisfaction but also must improve the capacity of human resource to make them competitively leverage and distinction in their services. Making them customer-focused needs a healthy interactive capacity while deployed in varying tasks to fulfill customer needs. c. Role and Responsibility—this is a general concept that relates to specific tasks, functions, and accountability of workers. d. System and Process – includes the conduct of training, improvement of communication, recognition of good and efficient workers, and the utilization of technology to advance organizational operations and to improve the services of human resources. The system is either internal or external. Internal system relates to defined rules and procedures of the company while the external system are those regulations mandated by the government and its agencies which compel an organization to follow as a matter of policy. e. Results and Measures— in business strategic management, result and measure relate to performance management and the use of evaluative measures to ascertain that the employee has achieved, where one failed, and who needed more capacity enhancement. In many companies, this is called as quality control and could be furthered through constructive criticism or feed-backing system. f. Business Growth – Growth are based on some economic principles such as “protection of property rights, market-based competition, appropriate incentives, sound money, and so on – do not map into unique policy packages (Rodrik, 2003, p. 1).” For some economist, growth is about the maximization of capital for profit using the designs that are sensitive to opportunities and hindering causes. Business growth is different to business sustainability. The former is inclusive of limited range while the latter looks into strategic development of a business that will last with long timeframe. g. Coaching and Mentoring – this is part of organizational development where managers and skilled employees coach or teach newly hired employees to strengthen them in the performance of services. Saudi Arabia’s HRM and OD: from the lens of an interviewed expert Respondent, in an interview conducted about Saudi Arabia’s company’s OD and HRM management, shared his observations. Respondent is working in one of the governmental ministries for a long time and accounted his experiences in management and supervision for thirty years. While the country is empirically certain level of affluence in capital, there are obvious hindrances for good business management which inhibit the development of leadership in Saudi Arabia and eliminate the employee’s improvements and productivity. Some of these observations are as follows: 1. In Saudi Arabia most of organizations do not have sufficient data that show the leaders the facts of their management in the absence of performance evaluation or measurement (assessment tool) in order to evaluate the organization and quality of employees’ services. 2. Saudi Arabia has a lot of human resources. But some of the workers jobs do not match their educational levels and skills but they are deployed in varied or different departments. This information are not also reported nor recorded as company database. 3. There is evident weakness within Saudi Arabia’s educational system which has a negative impact to human resources’ respective performance and production level. 4. There is evident gap between management or leaders and their employed human resources. This has strong influences in management styles and in the relations between employer and employees, which could make the latter felt discrimination and mere subordinates. The gap is not bridged with open communication, thus, there is low awareness of their roles and functions as supposed partner of a company for growth and profit. There is also obvious absence of flexibility in management. This gap between employee and employers is attributed to Saudi culture where leaders are perceived as a distant authority. Moreover, Saudis show great respect for their elders and age takes precedence over status, the eldest person being accorded with unquestionable respect. Leaders and elderly guests are given the most prominent seating position and are accommodate with food and drinks before other guests. 5. The leaders are usually concentrated on that punishment system for erring workers but not in employee engagement or compensations system. 6. Leaders are not encouraging employees to develop their skills and to be creative persons in the performance of their works. 7. Most of organization do not have a clear vision and mission. They do not show their employee the strategic map of work to give employees the opportunities to understand their objectives. As discussed above, vision, mission and goals are necessary in strategic management of an organization. 8. Organizational strategy is very significant in its sustainability. The absence of long-term plan subjects the organization only in short-time or limited successes. The market is always changing and evolving, hence, organization must be always able to consider this to make it pliant to opportunities. The strategies will also clarify the roles of each employee at each phase of development as well as the time element covering the targeted outcome. 9. Saudi Arabia’s compensations system is weak. Authorities are relation-oriented and have less regard to rules governing employer-employee relations, including salary matters. This is still attributable to Arab’s culture. Like other country where padrino system is practiced, those who have more connections to the management are likely also to be hired. There familial relations could also provide more favored opportunity for promotion. Employees with low salaries are likely to suffer financial constraints. This creates problems to employees’ satisfaction level and their motivation to work. When this problem is presented about the need for salary increase, they are rather advised to take an alternate route of availing loans from banks. Moreover, employees are not supported with all forms of benefits. 10. Leaders and managers of the company do not professionally coach nor did mentor their employees, but the latter is expected to perform the roles attribute to his/her designation. 10/ my suggestion is that the organization should give promotion for the department who help to facilitate the work and get the strategy done. 12. With lack of motivational causes and sheer absence of performance evaluation, workers tend to work half-baked. There is also no capability building to enhance the knowledge of workers to make their performance more effective and efficient. 13. Some managers lacked management and leadership skills thus, its not surprising that there were those who’d rather realign or may incur malversation of fund. For instance, the tanning budget is usually used for other expenses. 14. There are also managers who are not knowledgeable in change management. As a result, there is so much misunderstanding and resistance of human resource against changes. Such usually occur in an organization lacking open communication and team-building. 15. Organizations do not utilize constructive feedback mechanism to improve their working relations. American Way of HRM and OD In contrast to Saudi’s organizational and human resource management style, the western country is systematic and very logical in organizational development. Americans are also strict and stern on performance evaluation. Employees are time-bounded to achieve specific goals that contribute to overall strategies. At the outset, American companies have clear vision and mission. They do business planning, conduct intensive market research, craft policies for business management, define their growth strategies, clarify their marketing system, and develop their human resource through trainings and seminars (Ward, 2012). They also provide coaching and more direction to the latter to inculcate efficiency in services and to make their customer-focused (Ward, 2012). American business managers also seriously practice transactional and transformation leadership with incessant interest for company growth and development. Thus, most of them are adept on change management by optimizing open communication system. To maintain the motivation of their employees, they include them in planning and in strategizing the business plan. They are also sensitive to their workers needs and do some analysis to keep them on tract. The conduct of regular performance evaluation is also an opportunity for both employee and employer to check misdeeds, render advises and to recreate their potential for better services (Ward, 2012). In strategizing the company’s objectives, they conduct planning using applied behavioral science and target aims to ultimately change organizational culture. They targets long term institutionalization of operational activities with teambuilding as well as resolve issues at the collective level (Wamwangi, 2003). Strategizing is perceived significant in business management to keep the company at the right position with resiliency in times of market shocks (Rodrik, 2003). They maintain productive dynamism while sailing through their ambitious, undifferentiated, and impractical policy agendas (Rodnik, 2003, p. 1). All of them are in an incessant partnership for development, thus employees are accorded with right benefits to maintain their well-being and welfare. Some of them are also given perks for sports and recreation. Together, they develop and commit to worthwhile, specific, and achievable goals. Other benefits enjoyed by human resources in American companies are medical and dental insurances. These are all accorded with prime importance equally as how they regard salary under a policy scheme. Employees who rendered exceptional performances are most likely to be rewarded and promoted. In advancing its organizational developments, western company undertakes cultural analysis and advocate for dynamism and multiculturalism. They research and use their social learning to investigate the fundamental assumptions, values, and norms for human resource management. When these become an institutional culture, the values are handed down to succeeding employees. This are illustrated by values extolled by top management and shared to members, such as product quality, customer care or employee relations (Wamwangi, 2003). It is inferred that organizational culture influences organizational strategies. Thus, if an organization engaged employee participation, use open communication, and extol human security and equality, its likely that the company will be able to sustain through difficult times (Wamwangi, 2003). Anent to improved communication, western companies too also conduct consultation with experts on organizational development. Experts may help either to share knowledge, provide remedies to problems or to diagnose the organization to resolve potential issues on low sales, employee instability or falling product quality (Wamwangi, 2003, p. 8). According to Boyatzis et al. (2006) each organizational structure is unique, which requires unique leadership style that is appropriate for the organizational structure. Complex and emerging enterprises required effective leadership behaviors and styles. The functional structure of the organization built on continuous relationship between leaders and team members required directive and transactional leadership (Wadhwami, 2003; Ward, 2012).   Organizational management demands a functional structure with clear relationship between leaders and team member albeit the need for authoritative dual functional manager. Supportive leadership style are appropriate for complex and higher level activities of organizations such as the matrix structure that is a more complex structure than the functional structure, which require resources from different functional units (Wadhwami, 2003; Ward, 2012). The balanced matrix requires participative and supportive leadership styles that are fundamental for leaders who have the needed human resources needed and have balanced relationship with the functional manager (Wadhwami, 2003; Ward, 2012). Conclusion Experts posit that entrepreneurial leadership in an organizations demand the need to quantifying leadership behaviors because of the revolution and changes in measuring the behaviors of both leaders and managers. It is but exact that human resource managers must have in-depth understanding the cognitive skills and the intellectual intelligence of its workers. This is because, as discussed earlier, leadership skills are crucial in organizational developments and in decision-making. Ward (2012) suggested that organizational performance is related leadership skills where models are suggested to be followed and appreciated for organizational stability and sustainability. Considering all these, it is but essential for Saudi-based managers to restudy some excellent or best practices in HRM and OD practiced in American society. They may later identify what is practicable for effective and efficient organizational management under its Muslim culture and practices. What is significant here is that there are theories in leadership for organizational development and human resource management that can be utilized for practical ends—and hopefully influence for a more effective organization management. It’s a necessity that the company is able to reinvent and innovate for high performance and success. References Bibu, N. A. & Moniem, H. Abd El (2011). The Relationships among Employee Satisfaction, Productivity, Performance and Customer Satisfaction. Review of International Comparative Management. Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 12(3), pages 470-477, July. Rodrik, Dani, (2003). Growth Strategies. CEPR Discussion Papers 4100, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. London, United Kingdom. Accessed: http://www.cepr.org/pubs/new-dps/dplist.asp?dpno=4100 February 27, 2012. Wamwangi, Kinuthia (2003). Organizational Development as a Framework for Creating Anti-Poverty Strategies and Action Including Gender Mainstreaming. 5th Urban and City Management Course for Africa (Face-Face and Distance Learning Version, Global Distance Learning Center, Tanzania. 21 October 2003. Accessed: http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/114925/eum/docs/eum/tanzania/MODULEIIORGANIZATIONALDEVELOPMENTKINUTHIA.pdf Ward, Susan (2012). Vision Statement, Mission Statement and Goal Setting. Small Business: Canada Guide. About.com, New York, New York. Accessed: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/businessplanning/g/visionstatement.htm. February 27, 2012. Ward, Susan (2012). Manage and Grow Your Small Business. Small Business: Canada Guide. About.com, New York, New York. Accessed: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/management/u/businessmgt.htm February 27, 2012. Read More