Management and Leadership Situations - Essay Example

Management and Leadership 1 Running head: Management and Leadership Management and Leadership Situations Abstract In some situations managers or leaders are often confused with taking decisions. They have to protect the interests of the organizations and the employees. But the question is whose interest should be given preference first. In the following article I am discussing two such situations and the possible actions the manager or the leader can take. Introduction The new organizational theories and scientific management principles have redefined the business activities. Traditionally it has been believed that organizations are meant for profit making alone. The introduction of Globalization, Liberalization and Privatization has changed the business scenario completely. The concept of world under one umbrella (Globalization) has liberalized the management principles also. Management styles and methodologies have undergone drastic changes over the past two decades because of the introduction of scientific management theories in the organizations. Most of the autocratic approaches have given way for democratic approaches. Business is more oriented towards building relationships between the organization and the employees and also with the organization and the customers or public. The relationship between the employees and the organization should be in good condition for the growth of the organization. The employees should feel happy about the working conditions and the wages in order to deliver maximum productivity. If any Management and Leadership 3 damages caused, to the employee- organization tie up, the business may badly affected. On the other hand in some situations the management may be forced to implement certain strategies for the benefit of the organization which may result in increased work load for the employees. Consider the following case. Your store is having an after holiday sale. All merchandise will be discounted 50% in order to make up for moneys lost before the holidays because of the weak economy. The store must close at its’ usual time of 10 pm so not to turn away customers but will reopen at 6 AM the following day. Although the staff are tired from a 12 hour day, they must stay past their assigned shift to complete a merchandise inventory and discount the merchandise before the opening the next day. What should the manager do? ‘As per the management expert, James Higgins, there are five basic functions for effective management; Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, and Controlling’. (The Five Functions of Management) Planning is often considered as the brain of a business. Without proper planning businesses cannot grow or compete in the market. “Planning is the ongoing process of developing the business' mission and objectives and determining how they will be accomplished. Planning includes both the broadest view of the organization, e.g., its mission, and the narrowest, e.g., a tactic for accomplishing a specific goal. (The 4 Functions of Management) In the above case the manager has two tasks in front. He wanted to take the inventory of the remaining stock and also he wanted to attach price tags to the remaining stocks based on the declared discount strategy. This can be done only after the day’s sale or in other words after 10 pm only. Most of the sales persons will be tired after an extended schedule which starts from 6 am and ended by 10 pm. In such a situation, the manager has to consider some options which may not do much harm to either the business or the employees. Management and Leadership 4 Planning is unending course of action. There may be sudden strategies where companies have to face. Sometimes they are uncontrollable. You can say that they are external factors that constantly affect a company both optimistically and pessimistically. Depending on the conditions, a company may have to alter its course of action in accomplishing certain goals. This kind of preparation, arrangement is known as strategic planning. In strategic planning, management analyzes inside and outside factors that may affect the company and so objectives and goals. Here they should have a study of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. For management to do this efficiently, it has to be very practical and ample. (Jayashree Pakhare, 2007) The manager can divide the total employees into two groups. Suppose if there are 24 sales persons, then the manager can divide them into two groups of 16 and 8 each. The first group which consists of 16 employees can be utilized for the sales activities. This group can again be posted in two different shifts like 6 am to 2 pm and from 2 pm to 10 pm. The second group which consists of the remaining 8 employees can be utilized in the night shift from 10 pm to 6 am, mainly for taking the inventory and for attaching price tags based on the discount. Again the shift works can be changed in every week. For example, those who are working in night shift can be posted in day shifts and the day shift workers can be posted in the night shifts. In this way the entire work functions can be dispersed among the workers without any injustice to any particular group of workers. Management and Leadership 5 The manger can tackle the same problem in another way also. He can divide the 24 employees into two groups of 12 each. In this case the first group will work from 6 am to 4 pm (10 hours) and the second group will work from 4 pm to 2 am (10 hours). The 12 members in the second shift can perform the inventory function and the price tagging after the sales.( from 10 pm to 2 am). As discussed earlier the groups will be rotated in first and second shifts weekly. This way the manager can avoid the night work up to certain extent and the employees also may be happy to cooperate with such a strategy. “Directing is influencing people's behavior through motivation, communication, group dynamics, leadership and discipline. The purpose of directing is to channel the behavior of all personnel to accomplish the organization's mission and objectives while simultaneously helping them accomplish their own career objectives.” (The Five Functions of Management) Directing or leading is another managerial function which can be incorporated to the above case. The employee behavior is important for the successful execution of any activities the organization has planned to do. Motivation has an important role in the success of the discount sale. The manager should incorporate additional incentives to the extra time and he must provide some refreshments to the workers during the overtime works. Offers of a holiday package after the discount sale is another method to motivate the workers. In all organizations, each employee’s individual contribution to the success of the company is of enormous importance as the company’s goals would not be met and success would not be reached (The 4 Functions of Management) Management and Leadership 6 The manager himself can set examples by continuing in the night shifts during the discount sale season. The manger’s presence will make the workers more aware of the importance of the mission to the organization. Instructions from the manager during difficult times of their work will certainly motivate them. The workers are often met with confused situations in the night shifts because of lack of instructions. The mangers presence in the night shift will rectify all such problems. If the manager has a deputy, then he can make use of his services also in the night shift. Now consider the second case. The manager at the local fast food franchise at the corner was caught on surveillance tape having an affair with an employee during store hours, who was unknown to him, to be a minor. Prior to this incident, he was observed, by other employees, making inappropriate advances to customers and appearing to be intoxicated. The manager informed his staff that if they wished to remain employed, they were not to speak of what they observed. Business profit margins began to decline as a result of decreased patronage and the store was going bankrupt. He began to claim that the employees were at fault for this profit margin decline and should be counseled appropriately As per the principles of management, the manger must be a role model for the employees. Here in this case a crazy manager leads the employees and hence the organization can never be developed under such leadership. A manager can advice the employees only if he is successful in setting examples by himself. In the above case the manager has utilized his power to suppress the employee’s protest against his unethical behaviours. The manger’s leadership failed in setting good examples for the employees. The manager’s behaviour towards customers spoiled the image of the company. The mangers managerial skills are not based on any democratic approach. He tried to manage the fast food store in an autocratic manner. Management and Leadership 7 In order to improve the leadership functions in this store, the autocratic methods should be given way for democratic approaches. The conventional autocratic approaches will never bring out the complete productivity of a worker. Such approaches will destroy the morale of the workers. A frustrated work force led by a crazy manger will always be a liability for the fast food store. The employee-manager relationship must be improved. The manager must follow certain logics in his actions. Unnecessary firing of the workers will never improve the tie up between manager and the workers. A manager who forces the employees to hide his faults can never rectify a corrupted or guilty worker. The customers must be handled honourably by the manger. Customers are considered to be the valuable asset of an organization. The management approaches are normally targeted to improve the customer base while keeping the existing customers. Customers value the treatment they receive from the organizations where they are frequently visiting. In the above case the manger’s behaviour is not at all customer oriented and needed to be modified in accordance with the customer requirements. Conclusion The managers have an important role in the growth of an organization. They are the bridge between the employees and the organization and also between the customers and the organization. If the bridge is destroyed, then the organization’s tie up between the customers and the employees will be destroyed. The manger should set Management and Leadership 8 examples in his actions and approaches. He should lead from the front rather than hiding behind the scene. He must motivate the employees using managerial techniques for the growth of the organization. Management and Leadership 9 References 1. The Five Functions of Management, Retrieved on 21/5/09 2. The 4 Functions of Management, Retrieved on 21/5/09 3. Jayashree Pakhare, 2007, Management Concepts – The Four Functions of Management, Retrieved on 21/5/09 Read More