Leadership and Motivation - Assignment Example

Leadership and Motivation Having the knowledge that transactional leadership approach by the previous manager failed, I would opt for a situational leadership approach. The situational leadership approach would come in handy, as it does not prescribe to any leadership dogma; it highly depends on a situation, which requires varying levels of leadership and management structures. This leadership style enables a manager to relate effectively their behaviors and reactions under different circumstances in the working environment (College of Charleston).

To effectively use the situational leadership approach, a newly appointed manager will undertake necessary steps that would guarantee the successful use of this approach. These steps include identifying the important priorities, considering the ability and commitment of the available staff and application of the best situational leadership (Learn to be a leader, n.d.). For instance, a manager can determine the staffs level of maturity and competence and after that, adjust their leadership to support the least mature staff while offering the mature staff more room to operate with minimum support.

A manager has to understand perfectly the key role of the human resources department (HR). A HR department ensures that an organization reaps benefits from its investment in its staff. Hence, performance can be hampered when an experienced executive assistant discovers that he/she earns the same amount of money as a newly hired janitor. To effectively correct the discrepancies in the payment of the employees, a newly appointed manager can initiate an employee performance appraisal (PA). The PA will enable the organization to make informed choices, such as the contribution of the executive assistant and the janitor to the organization.

Once their contribution is analyzed and identified, the management can come up with an effective remuneration plan that matches the input and contribution of the individual employee (Daft, 2013). Specifically, the new manager can also employ rewarding and resourcing as specific HR strategies to address the situation. Through a reward policy, the organization would ensure that its best employees are rewarded for the great job that they are doing. This means that, even if the basic salary for the executive assistant and the janitor are equal, the executive assistant will receive a reward on top of their salary based on the successful application of their work.

The company’s decision to offer semiannual bonuses is a good motivation strategy for its employees (Daft, 2013). If employed correctly, such a motivational tool can help in the retaining and motivation of the staff during the tough economic times. The employees can receive bonuses in short durations of every six months. Such a move enables the employees of the company to have spare cash during the rough economic times. This motivation tool is not immune to problems. The allure of a quick money in the form of semi-annual bonuses may cause staff to cut corners to get a huge share of the bonus (Dorothy & Daft, 2012).

Other strategies that a manager may use to retain and motivate employees during economic downturns are more interaction and one-on-one conversation between the top management and the employees and a simple reward system made by top management that publicly acknowledges the best performers.ReferencesCollege of Charleston. (n.d.). The Situational Leadership Model. Retrieved from College of Charleston: http://greeks.cofc.edu/documents/TheSituationalLeadershipModel.pdfDaft, R. L. (2013). Management.

Nashville: South-Western College Publishing.Dorothy, M., & Daft, R. L. (2012). Understanding Management. Nashville: South-Western College Publishing.Learn to be a Leader. (n.d.). Hersey & Blanchards Situational Leadership Theory. Retrieved from Learn to be a Leader: http://www.learn-to-be-a-leader.com/situational-leadership.html