Importance of Leading People Effectively - Assignment Example

WORKING WITH AND LEADING PEOPLE Name Institution Professor Course Date Task One Recruitment entails the procedure of getting and hiring qualified candidates outside or within a given organization in a cost effective and timely manner (Wyk & Erasmus 2003, p.260). The procedure of requirement involves assessing the job requirements, attracting potential employees to the job, selecting and screening applicants, hiring and assimilating the novel employees into the organisation. The Recruitment and Selection Procedure Determination of the perfect recruiting target that involves understanding the recruiting target that entails experience level and performance level Comprehending the decision criteria for the company’s target that includes job acceptance criteria Understanding where to find the required talent Employment branding which entails deploying and developing content regarding what makes the firm a desirable workplace Posting the job vacancy for the potential candidates Advertising the job vacancy both externally and internally Receiving job applications and referrals Offering potential candidates extra information regarding the job Receiving job applications and sorting them out to obtain the highest quality applications for a store manager Commencement of screening of resumes and application forms to ensure that the candidates attain the minimum qualifications for a store manager job Screening the applicants through phone to obtain extra information on the fit and qualification of the applicants Interviewing to rank the candidates by desirability level and to get a positive candidate experience Conducting final interviews to confirm the preliminary desirability ranking and set expectations Conducting the reference checking procedure to validate the assessment’s perception through references and to gain extra and accurate information concerning the finalist Providing feedback to the selected candidate Conducting the job offer process and provide constant communication with the selected candidate to offer more ties and link the candidate to the organisation before commencing his/her job Providing onboarding practices to the newly hired store manager Providing feedback and monitoring the newly hired store manager to evaluate performance and promote productivity. Job Description A job description defines an employee’s responsibilities, roles and significant outcomes and contributions required for a given position, needed qualifications and reporting relationship (Mader-Clark 2013, p.5). Job descriptions are founded on objective data acquired via job analysis, comprehension of skills and competencies needed to achieve the job’s requirements, and the requirements of a firm to achieve productivity. Job descriptions include data concerning working conditions and tools used. Job Title: Store Manager Location: JD Sports, Bristol Outlet Responsible to: Senior Managers Salary: Depends on Experience and Skills Working Hours: 40 hours per week Roles and Responsibilities Controlling the general functioning of the store Taking care of daily operations of the store beside promoting profitability of the store Recruiting workers for the Bristol outlet Ensuring that the store attains its targets and profitability Upholding the general image of the store through keeping the store clean, stocked and well organised to attract clients Ensuring the safety of products, employees and customers Controlling the assets of the store Responsible for planning, controlling loss and profits Promoting day to day schedule of workers and the entire store Coordinating with senior company managers and report to them Personal Specification Job Title: Store Manager Location: JD Sports, Bristol Outlet Quality Essential Desirable Physical make up Excellent health condition Physically fit Attainments University Graduate Qualification in store Intelligence Good decision-maker Leadership skills Communication skills Organisational skills Interpersonal skills Multi-tasking skills A good problem solver Interest People-oriented Team-work Disposition Friendly Copes well under pressure A sense of humour Circumstances Ability to work irregular hour’s On-the-job experience Flexible domestic condition Report on the Recruitment and Selection Procedure The recruitment procedure entailed a firm-specific model of how the firm undertakes source of qualified employees. The recruitment procedure resided within the firm’s HR function. JD Sports sought to recruit a Store Manager for its Bristol Outlet and the recruitment procedure solely depended with the company’s laid down procedures and policies. The recruitment process adhered to the principle of choosing candidates based on their abilities and merits and included publication of a notice that set out the candidate requirements, registration of applications, verification of potential candidates qualifications and notice to attend assessments. The recruitment procedure followed the company’s and legal recruitment policy that puts into consideration discrimination and fairness. The selection that led to the hiring of the new store manager included salient features such as the application letters and resumes, interviews, selection tests and other supporting documents such as references listed by applicants on their resumes. As the recruitment manager I sifted through the candidates’ application letters and resumes, short-listing the candidates, inviting potential candidates for interviews and other assessments, conducting interviews, deciding on the most qualified candidate, making an offer and retaining the selected candidate. I also communicated to the unsuccessful candidates and notified other managers of the made decision. I ensured that no candidate was discriminated against based on her/his race, ethnicity, culture, nationality and the provisions of Equality Act 2010 were upheld during the recruitment procedure. Although the company needed a physically-fit person, the recruitment manager made restricted enquiries concerning the physical health of candidates. Task Two Gallos (2008, p.1) defines leadership as an intricate social process, founded on skills, knowledge, values and ways of thinking of followers and leaders. Leadership entails adaptive change where leaders help followers to comprehend their present reality and create a brighter future. Leaders see novel prospects and control an intricate interactive process that promotes collective and individual growth. Hogan is an effective leader who interacts with her followers unlike her predecessor who never interacted with his followers. Hogan works closely with her followers and she is a team player who constantly, motivated, monitored and mentored her followers. She supported her followers through encouraging them to set clear goals. Attributes and Skills for Effective Leadership Effective leadership is emotionally compelling and good leaders motivate and inspire thereby assisting organisations to grow and thrive. An attribute refers to the characteristic or quality that a person holds. Leadership attribute entails the personal or inner qualities that form effective leadership. These attributes include belief in oneself, task commitment, enthusiasm, self-directedness, interdependence and genuineness. Just like Hong, good leaders must be willing to become pioneers and take risks. To achieve this, these leaders must be assertive, dynamic and self-confident and must hold fanatical desire for quality. Effective leaders must hold experience, goodness and intelligence where the leaders practices exceptional understanding, sound executable judgement, sensible counselling, authoritative presence and hold an excellent personality. A good leader must hold organisational skills, analytical skills, interpersonal communication skills and decision-making skills. According to Parker and Begnaud (2008, p.5), interpersonal communication skills are developed in different stages that include self-awareness and self-confidence. Self-confidence is developed after achieving self-understanding. Abraham Maslow viewed self-actualization as the ultimate objective of human effort and Kohlberg Lawrence positioned human actions on the moral development continuum. Affective leadership relies on development of efficient skills that motivates achievement of tasks. According to Parker and Begnaud (2008, p.5), affective leadership is portioned into three elements that include decision-making skills, interpersonal communication skills and personal attributes. Parker and Begnaud (2008, p.6), assert that decision making skills include ethical and moral standards besides courage to defend ones convictions, willingness to accept responsibility, capacity to evaluate and judicious application of power. Effective leaders must be decisive and hold the ability to attain both creative and rational solutions. They must hold powerful motivation to excel and trust of others. Differences between Leadership and Management Management Leadership Management involves operating with and via other people to achieve organisational objectives. Management involves planning, systematising, inspiring, organising, controlling and leading. Managers deal with subordinates (Gallos 2008, p.1). Leadership entails the ability to control others to assume detailed functions in an overt way to accomplish a universal objective. Leadership entails application of influence in decision-making. Leaders deal with followers (Gallos 2008, p.1). Management smoothes the development of completion of strategies via operations management. Managers seek objectives. Leaderships centres on attainment of a business’s vision via leading employees through vision hunt. Management centre on change execution and sturdiness via planning details Leadership centres on institution of change in business and sets the direction Management facilitates preservation of organisational culture and sanctions culture through decision making Leadership institutes, shapes and transforms organizational culture and facilitate decisions Managers concern themselves with being authoritative Leadership permits and calls for personal appeal Management calls for skill-based staff A manager is involuntary Leadership call for character-based personnel. Management is transactional and is concerned with results. Leadership is transformational and concerned with achievement. Management focuses on unresponsive results and takes on stance and conduct with respect to position. Management guarantees position, knowledge, and data protection. Managers focuses on interim objectives Leadership centres on confirmatory aptitudes and firms’ development. Leadership entails use of skills to broaden vision. Leader focuses on long-term objectives Hogan and Worthy’s Leadership Styles Different leaders and managers employ different leadership and management styles (Gallos 2008, p.1). Hogan and Worthy practiced different leadership styles where Hogan practiced more of transformational leadership and Worthy practiced more of transactional leadership style. As a transactional leader, Worthy used punishment and reward to motivate his followers. These kinds of leaders define expectations and roles among leaders and followers besides ensuring that organisational culture is upheld. Worthy’s style of leadership was direct and autocratic and he expected results from his subordinates and he was concerned with upholding the normal operations flow. On the other hand, the transformational leadership surpasses daily operations and creates strategies for moving the company to the next level. Transformational leaders centre on motivation, team building and working together with workers (Bass & Riggio 2006, p.10). Transformational leaders set incentives and goals to push their followers to improve performance while offering them professional and personal development. A transformational leader increases team and team effectiveness through problem-solving, leadership ethics, promoting creativity, implementing innovation and promoting communication. A transformational leader maximizes the requirement of his/her followers and develops persons as resources. Followers in turn respect and trust a transformational leader. Hogan was a democratic leader who not only listened to the views of her followers but also delegated power and applied referent and expert power to influence her followers. Worthy, on the other hand, was an autocratic leader who led by power and authority besides using coercive power. Motivating Employees A transformational leader provides an idealized mission and vision founded on high moral and ethical principles (Bass & Riggio 2006, p.10). Team environment and leadership prosper when people in a team practice transformational leadership, as this type of leadership is collaborative and process-centred. The changes instilled by Hogan once she assumed the leadership of the company were met by resistance. However, Hogan can motivate the employees through rewards, performance appraisals, promotion, team building, building trust and job description. For instance, the reinforcement theory stresses that punishments and rewards mould employees’ motivation. Other forms of motivation include allowing employees to share their views and decisions. Meeting the needs of employees is a crucial way of increasing employees’ morale. According to Abraham Maslow, employees are motivated when they attain their needs in a hierarchical order (Gallos 2008, p.10). . The needs lower in the hierarchy must be attained first before attaining needs higher in the hierarchy. Leaders must motivate employees through assisting them attain their needs. According to Vroom, the most satisfying reward of worker must hold a higher valance. Job satisfaction is one of the major aspects that keep employees motivated (Gallos 2008, p.11). Employees’ motivation is an essential in any work relation and they cannot be productive in absence of motivation. Task 3 Team-work A team involves a sense of enthusiasm and unity for shared responsibilities and interests as created among a group of individuals linked by cause, task or enterprise. According to DuBrin (2011, p.470), teamwork, team play and team leadership are essential contributions to organizational performance. Team members hold complementary skills and are devoted to a common purpose, performance objectives and a perspective to a given task. Teamwork is characterized through commitment to and comprehending group goals of all the team members. A team can be hereditary or evolve through Tuchman’s five stages of team development which include, forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (DuBrin2011, p.476). Each stage is unique and comes with unique challenges. Teamwork entails diverse groups and diverse people across a given firm working together to capitalize on their effectiveness and attain a common purpose. Dynamic and cooperative teamwork plays a crucial role in allowing firms to operate more effectively (DuBrin (2011, p.470). To attain excellent customer service as a team, it is essential to develop skills that drive a team forward, hold internal customer commitment and share shared goals. Teamwork increases efficiency in customer service, innovation, morale, and financial savings, greater flexibility mutual support, a sense of achievement, better ideas and capacity to centre diverse minds on a given issue. Teamwork increases effective decision making, and solving of problems affecting the customer service department. In addition, team members encourage each other to attain their goals hence ensuring provision of excellent and effective customer service. Teamwork offers efficiency and diversity of ideas and skills that in turn perfect customer service (Kusluvan 2011, p.189). More importantly, effective teamwork leads to improved customer service quality and customer satisfaction thereby improving the overall productivity and profitability of a company. Teamwork in customer service promotes responsiveness and flexibility besides promoting as more empowered working ways and eliminating constraints which may affect provision of excellent customer service. According to Kusluvan (2011, p.189), teamwork in service industry makes it possible for firms to integrate shifts comprehensibly, offer cover for key personnel and create a satisfactory working culture that is essential for service provision. Teamwork in customer service also improves communication while team meetings assist to stimulate a flexible and democratic perspective to service delivery. Improved communication draws in people from diverse cultures. A Team Member and Team Leader Every team must have team members and team leaders. A team leader centres on the human resources of his/her team (Daft 2014, p.306). A team leader holds the power to influence others, plans and coordinates the activities of his team. A team leader stirs performance of his/her team, preserves a culture of quality, aids construction of work-plans and communicates the goals of the team to team members. A team leader ensures that the objectives and goals are accomplished, ensures that team norms are followed, resolve disagreements and conflicts in the team and facilitates decision making (Daft 2014, p.306). In addition, a team leader promotes effectiveness of the team as a mechanism of attain optimal customer service. On the other hand, team members ensure that the roles of the team are performed efficiently. Team members must be flexible and dynamic as they perform different tasks and roles in a team. Team members are information seekers, information givers, opinion givers, elaborators, conductors, orientors, evaluators and recorders (Kasar 2003, p.78). Team members share knowledge and skills and working as a team member entails receiving directions and coordination from a team leader. To attain customer satisfaction by 20% in 2014, the team must work more effectively. Team effectiveness involves obtaining innovation/adaptation, employee satisfaction, quality and productivity. As a team player I would influence the capacity of the customer service department to learn and react to customer needs and shifts. I would achieve this through setting specific and achievable goals and promote achievement of the set goals through application of fewer resources. To improve customer satisfaction I would ensure provision of quality services that surpasses the expectations of the firm’s customers. To attain quality service delivery, I would ensure that my team members and colleagues are satisfied and are committed to attaining our set goals. Satisfaction refers to the potential of a team to preserve employee’s devotion and enthusiasm through ensuring that their personal needs are attained to keep them motivated and focused on their roles in the team. I would establish performance standards and team goals besides addressing the problems that may hinder attainment of the set goals. I would ensure excellent communication flow as team effectiveness depends on team communication. I would encourage diversity of skills, knowledge, experience, personal characteristics, team accountability and a clear purpose. I would set team guidelines, policies and goals assign clear roles and provide performance feedback to keep team members efficient and motivated. Task 4 Factors Involved in Planning and Monitoring of Work Performance According Christiansen (2011, p.1), performance monitoring and feedback conducts entail monitoring the contributions of other team members and monitoring team progress, providing advice for performance improvement, providing positive feedback and identifying errors. Performance monitoring assists in identifying areas of enhancement and learning prospects. Performance monitoring can be conducted through performance appraisal as it helps in offering reaction of team members. Factors to consider when conducting performance monitoring include the organisational structure and culture, comprehension of performance management procedures, the resources needed, the roles and responsibilities of each team member and time. Other factors include responsibility, efficiency, productivity, competence, initiative, cooperation, personal factors and dependability of each team member (Christiansen 2011, p.1). The actual performance of a given team member against the desired performance, differences amid planned and actual performance are documented, reasons for the differences are recorded and strategies are implemented to improve performance. Communication is also paramount in monitoring the performance of the two team members as it helps in understanding why the two individuals are underperforming. Need Analysis Needs assessment enable leaders and managers to ground justification for training and development needs (Cole 2013, p.832). Leaders must identify areas that need improvement, conducts needs assessment apparatus and strategies for implementing the needs evaluation. The plan includes assessing the skills, abilities, weaknesses and strengths of each individual. For instance, Bill is rude to others, only performs well when he want, his work is not complete and full of computational errors. Bill need to be trained on how to work with others in harmony and be mentored on the need to exhibit a positive attitude towards others. His computational skills are inadequate and so are his time management skills. Carol, on the other hand, is slow and she needs skills and resources to improve her speed in service delivery. The skills, abilities and knowledge to those underlined in the two individuals’ job description must be compared to ascertain the gap in skills. Performance evaluation must be reviewed and feedback provided. Cole (2013, p.832) asserts that there are numerous means that facilitate identification of development needs of employees and they entail comparing present skills of employees and desired skills, performance and competencies of employees. Any underperformance signifies learning and development needs. Other means to assess development needs of individual include: Assessing the profiles of the individuals, their business records and performance review Assessing the reaction of clients and data that include computational errors and quality measures Comparing the individuals skills and their statement of job competency Making the individuals fill proficiency checklists and special questionnaires Observing the actual performance of the individuals against the desired performance Success of the Assessment The main goal of learning and development needs analysis is to ascertain the gap between the actual and desired performance of employees (Cole 2013, p.832). The need analysis process determines which areas calls for training, coaching or mentoring. The success of the assessment process of both Carol and Bill is determined by the confirmation that the two lacks skills, knowledge, techniques and aptitudes needed to effectively complete their work adequately and within the set deadlines. The two individuals despite working for longer periods in the company are not skilled in performing intricate activities in a cost-effective, safe and efficient manner. Bill does not have good relations with fellow workers and hence he requires training in good working relationships. He also needs training public, employee and relations while Carol needs improved skills in work efficiency, customer relations and efficient service delivery. The success of the assessment process of the two individuals is determined by identification of the type of training or development need each person requires to improve their work performance. Reference List Bass, B., & Riggio, R.(2006). Transformational leadership. New York: Routledge. Christiansen, N 2013, Handbook of personality at work. New York: Routledge. Cole, K 2013, Management theory and Practice. Australia: Pearson. Daft, R 2014, The leadership experience. London: Cengage Learning. DuBrin, A 2011, Essentials of management. London: Cengage Learning. Gallos, J 2008, Business leadership: A Jossey-Bass reader. London: John Wiley & Sons. Kasar, J 2000, Developing professional behaviours. New York: SLACK Incorporated. Kusluvan, S 2003, Managing employee attitudes and behaviours in the tourism and hospitality industry. New York: Nova Publishers. Mader-Clark, M 2013, Job description. Texas: Nolo Parker, J., Begnaud, L 2004, Developing creative leadership. Texas: Libraries Limited. Wyk, M., Erasmus, B 2003, South African human resource management: Theory and practice. New York: Juta and Company Ltd. Read More