Theories of The Effective Management - Research Paper Example

Effective Manager In an organisation, the job of taking over an existing set up and managing the subordinates brings in set of challenges and if the individual handles those challenges optimally, he/she can develop into an effective leader. So, an individual can develop into an effective manager only if he/she carries out the various processes in an organisation, by optimally developing the workers and making them contribute maximally. So, this paper will discuss how my leadership traits or managerial skills can be optimized further in relation global and organisational contexts, if I promote a healthy work environment for the workers and thereby develop them to contribute optimally, and which in turn can increase the productivity and revenue of my organisation. Effective Management practice Situational theory The main principle behind situational theory is, managers should adapt and adjust their style of managership according to the ability and dedication of their workers. So, in simple terms, situational leadership or situational manager is the one who has the ability to use the apt managership style, choosing from different leadership or managerial skills he/she is imbued with, depending on the scenario or situation. Ken Blanchard and Paul Herschey had categorized this form of leadership theory into four leadership styles or behaviour types, which are termed as S1, S2, S3 and S4. In my organisation, these styles can be alternatively used. For example, as regards to Staff B, she can complete the given work, but needs constant overseeing and guidance. So, for her, I used the S3 leadership style. In this managership style, managers will play a supporting role passing on the routine activities and day-to-day decisions to their subordinates, but overseeing and guiding the employees at opportune moments. So, managers could use the workers as a kind of extension of their own intelligence and capabilities, which could give rise to optimal performance from the workers. Thus, as I used this leadership style for her, I explained all the instructions and constantly kept in touch with her for regular updates, so that she could get the confidence and finish the project successfully. On the other hand, staffs A and C exhibited non-inclusiveness and de-motivated work behaviour and for them, I used the leadership style of S1. That is, staff A, although is eager to learn more, she was not enthused about her position in the department and so committed a lot of mistakes in our Accounting Systems. Likewise, staff C doesn’t seem motivated or happy about his current position and so did not complete the given work, unless threatened. As these two staffs did not actively and voluntarily work on the given assignments, they need to be monitored and guided constantly. So, as part of S1 leadership style, I took a dominant role, getting them involved in all the processes that took place in the organisation and thereby kept constant watch on these two employees. According to this style, managers’ ‘touch’ both mental wise and physical wise should be found in all the aspects of an organisation including these worker’s functioning. He/she should not shy away from his responsibility because apart from having a negative connotation on the subordinates, it would also be a sure recipe for the failure of the organisation. So, I played an integral part in the functioning of the workforce, both as a role model and as an effective supervisor. “The key to successful managership today is influence, not authority” (Blanchard cited by Parnos, 2008). Keeping your staff motivated and use training effectively In any organisation, problems will arise when certain workers unhappy with the organisation or its manager and in search of better opportunities leave the organisations, and also when they are treated as ‘expendables’ and are often forced out. In my organisation also, there are chances of my staffs leaving due to any of the above three reasons. The reason of ‘unhappiness’ with the working environment or manager needs to be taken care and solved quickly because it will lead to employees leaving in groups. In my case, I interacted with my staffs in a frank manner and elicited their views about me, from the professional angle. And, when they are not forthcoming with their views, a form of questionnaire with specific, direct or indirect questions (on the lines of the one used for this study) was given to the staffs. Based on their response, I incorporated into my functioning all the feasible and correctable feedbacks. The second reason of staffs leaving in search of better opportunities can be countered by giving apt and best financial benefits, especially financial rewards or incentives apart from the normal salary. In an organisation, the workers will do their duties for personal motivation like money (salary), but their motivation and excellence will get a great boost if they receive additional financial rewards, promotions and recognitions. Rewarding the deserving and ‘success achieved’ employees in a small manner will stick them to the organisation and importantly will motivate others also to exhibit excellence, so they can also be rewarded. This perspective is fully supported by Herzberg theory. That is, according to Herzberg's two-factor theory, good wages are good motivational factor, which can accentuate the excellence level. If a goal is set and the rewards part of the job is revealed before hand, then the workers will motivate themselves and will surely work in cohesion and importantly with excellence to achieve success. This role of reward can be very helpful in reducing the stress levels of the employees. So, to prevent employees from getting higher stress levels due to under rewarding, I had an effective appraisal system and reward system for the employees, without any bias or mistakes or oversight. This way, the retention levels of the employees and organization can be maintained, without any problem. Addressing of skill gaps or weaknesses Handle a diverse workforce as a manager The widely accepted and the common fact is, the workers only form the crucial ‘cog’ in the running of the organisation. So, recruitment particularly recruitment of apt, qualified and equipped employees forms a key part of the organisation’s functioning or even its survival. But, at the same times, organisations and its managers are duty bound to incorporate ethical aspects in this recruitment process. That is, as part of that preset ethics, managers in association with HRM can or should recruit qualified and equipped employees from diverse backgrounds, without any discrimination. This practice can bring qualified employees from different religions, ethnicity or who could be disabled, etc. Our organisation already has a diverse work force, but this diversity can be optimized further, when the next stage of recruitment happens. During that recruitment stage, I should try to recruit qualified and equipped employees from diverse backgrounds. If that happens, it will bring in many dynamic people from different backgrounds, who can enrich the creativity and innovation part of the organisational functioning. These diversity centric steps, can also help to build a positive image for our organisation in the minds of the people, all over the world Involving employees in the decision making process I need to productively involve my staffs in the decision making process, thereby eliciting important feedbacks and importantly developing them optimally. That is, being able to understand others is the most important part of my work, I should be able to understand my staffs’ mindset and also their views, and thereby motivate them. But, my weakness is, I did not enjoy the challenge of getting all the parties or workers to work together. The trait of merging different humans and focusing all of them on a single target is the one trait, the leader or manager should importantly have. The inability of a leader to merge and focus will badly affect the organization’s functioning and this aspect of leadership has been discussed by Eliyahu M Goldratt as part of his Theory of Constraints. As any organization will be a hotbed of human activity, it could give rise to groups and subgroups, based on their occupational, national, historic, personal experiences. Once such differentiation has taken place, it will act as a constraint impeding the achievement of the goals. So, the task of the leader is to remove this constraint and reach the goals, by finding ways of coordinating, aligning, or integrating the different groups. To nullify this weakness and also encourage team management approach, I intend to involve my staffs in all the important decision making processes. When the decision making process is initiated, effective managers or managers should productively involve the employees as part of the process. So, if I involve the workers, they could provide valuable feedbacks, and that will amplify their motivation and they will also work harder to actualize the given feedbacks. That is, when the workers keep on participating in all the important decision making process, they will start to understand all the intricacies of organisation’s functioning. This way, they will utilize their minds to come up with effective feedbacks, then will work harder to actualize those feedbacks and in the process will develop themselves as well as the organisation. Also, they will become more confident because they will be happy with the fact, that they have contributed some thing purposeful to the manager’s decision making. References Byron, W. J, 2009, The ethics of operating in downturns and downsizing, viewed on April 12, 2010 from http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2009/01/12/smallb4.html oaktraining.com, Coaching and Mentoring, viewed on April 12, 2010 http://www.oaktraining.com/coaching.html Parnos, C. 2008, 20 Tips to Leadership Success, viewed on April 12, 2010 http://www.dynamicbusiness.com/articles/articles-hr-and-staff/20-tips-to- managership-success.html Schein, E. H. 2004, Organisational Culture and Leadership, 3rd. ed. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. 1- Which behaviour I want to improve the most The main behaviour, which I want to improve the most is working as part of a team and importantly playing a role in team formation. In any organizations, successful teams can be successfully set or established, if the manager put his/her thoughts, strategies and also the organisational goals for discussion among the workers. This way, I plan to discuss with my colleagues or workmates as well as subordinates, regarding key decisions, and thereby involving them as part of the team. When, I interact with them and involve them, they will also contribute and this will lead optimal team work. The other behaviour, which I want to improve, is not to feel stress or even minimize stress, when I am doing presentations. As the stressed out mind will ‘shut’ the mind as well as the physical body, it will impede us from working effectively. So, I will try to minimize stress by taking deep breadths and importantly by thinking and acting confidently. Even though, it is not always possible to live and work in a stress free environment, particularly in today’s competitive world, the strategy should be to keep the stress level to bare minimum with above techniques. To work with people from other culture, I will myself initiate the contact with them, and using my team working skills, I will make them or work with them as part of a team. 2- Why and what will be my pay off? If I improve the above mentioned behaviours, the payoff will be, I can be an effective person and efficient manager in the future. I think as a manager I should place strong emphasis on both tasks and interpersonal relationships. This promotes a high degree of participation and teamwork in the organization and satisfies a basic need in employees to be involved and committed to their work. Thus, I feel that the behaviours can would truly make me a good and effective manager 3- What potential obstacles stands in my way ? Although, I can improve the above mentioned behaviours and become an effective manager, I could face some obstacles in that growth path. That is, I am comfortable and proficient in written English, but I struggle with my spoken English. So, my difficulty in spoken English language could affect my communication skills. Then, it could also affect my ability to work in multinational or international arenas, where English spoken skills are necessary. 4- What specific things will I do to improve? To counter and importantly overcome this obstacle, I am planning to join private English language communication classes. More importantly, I frequently and voluntarily try to communicate with the native speakers from all sections of the population, and even among my circle of family and friends, I try to communicate with English, not by native language. The key is, as I am willing to improve quickly and effectively, I will get a good grasp of the spoken language soon. 5- When will I achieve them and how and when will i measure my success? If I improve all the behaviours and also remove the obstacles, I can achieve success. I hope to achieve them in the very near future. Apart from my own initiatives, it will also depend on job opportunities, so through one way or other, I will be a success. Read More