Management Skills - An Analysis of the Workplace Depicted in David Jones Limiteds - Case Study Example

Student Name: Year of Study: Course Name and Code: University: Tutor: Date of Submission: Managerial Skills Introduction The conduct demonstrated by the Chief Executive Officer, Mark Mclnnes and the eventual ignorance of other managers is highly unacceptable and can be considered to be a discredit to the management role. This is not only a case of disrespecting the organisation’s code of ethics and conduct but also represents downright unprofessionalism among the managers at David Jones Limited. They cannot be described as good leaders because their actions do not promote the general welfare of employees. It is unfortunate that Kristy Fraser-Kirk had to go through a sexual harassment experience yet the code of ethics and conduct prohibited it. It was more surprising that the CEO, who was supposed to ensure that all the rules in the company are strictly followed, was the first to break the rules and that no one questioned his actions. The CEO seems to get away with his behaviour because other managers are not willing to challenge his actions, probably because he is their senior. In essence, the code appears to have been useless and did not play any role in protecting employees. Further, the management’s role in protecting employee rights at David Jones Limited is highly flawed. This paper is an analysis of the workplace depicted in David Jones Limited’s case study. The main focus will be on Chief Executive Officer, Mark Mclnnes and the Public Relations General Manager, Anne-Maree Kelly and the former CEO; with a view of analysing their actions, attitudes and skills. Recommendations will also be offered on how the Board of Directors can effectively solve the problem The workplace The case presents a workplace that is highly disorienting and where there is no regard for the company’s rules and regulations. As witnessed in the case of Fraser-Kirk, the CEO of the company actually leads in breaking the laws when he should be encouraging compliance among his followers. It is an indication of poor leadership skills on the part of the CEO and little regard to the employees’ welfare. This in turn has rendered the law on harassment redundant; such that other managers are engaging themselves in practices amounting to sexual harassment. As a result, employees have developed fear of reporting harassment cases because actually there is no one to report to. The same people who are expected to address the case have no sense of responsibility towards protecting the company’s code of ethics and conduct and instead take complaints such as the one presented by Fraser-Kirk for granted. This can be evidenced by the manner in which Kelly and Koch, Fraser-Kirk’s immediate supervisor responded to her when she came to them for help and did nothing else to protect her from further harassment or even attempt to address the issue with the CEO. Furthermore, junior managers may fear to address a violation that affects the CEO directly because they may be afraid of challenging their boss, thus risking their jobs as noted by Stewart (2008). The workplace at David Jones Limited therefore cannot be considered a favourable place to work because the female employees are at a constant threat of unsolicited sexual advances from their managers; yet they have nowhere to seek help. Actions, attitudes and skills of managers Mark Mclnnes Mclnnes’ actions are unwarranted and his is a clear demonstration of irresponsibility. On the contrary, an effective manager or leader is expected to be responsible (Western, 2008). Making sexual advances to junior staff is unacceptable and the CEO’s credibility is poor. His attitude can be considered rebellious because he utterly ignores the company’s regulations by making unsolicited sexual advances to Fraser-Kirk. A manager must not consider himself to be above the company’s code of conduct and is expected to fulfil its requirements so as to motivate others to respect it too. Motivating and influencing others are among the most important skills that a manager and effective leader should have. This insinuates that a manager should be able to lead others through influencing their thought process and encouraging them to work towards the achievement of the organisation’s objectives (Lussier & Achua, 2009). As the CEO, Mclnnes is the pace setter and role model of the employees at his company and it is only fair that he leads them by example. Furthermore, effective management requires managers to utilise proper leadership skills and to lead by example. Mclnnes’ conduct was however questionable and he was a poor role model for other managers and employees in the company. His actions were even being emulated by other junior managers in the company and it was apparent that some of them were already making sexual advances at employees. As noted by McNally (2001), employees in most cases are bound to follow the manager’s footsteps because they suppose that in doing so, they are doing what is acceptable and what is important in achieving the objectives of the company. Similarly, they are likely to justify their wrong actions if their manager does not follow the rules and regulations. Mclnnes’ interpersonal skills cannot be considered desirable for an efficient leader. According to Armstrong (2006), a manager’s interpersonal skills are demonstrated by the manner in which a he or she behaves and how the manger is viewed by others within the organisation. Mclnnes’ behaviour can be considered rude and is not likely to be admired by people within the organisation, especially his juniors. He appears as someone who does not have respect for others and consequently lacks good interpersonal skills. Those who interact with him are likely to have little respect for him due to his lack of dignity as identified by Stewart (2008). Stewart notes that, a manager needs to behave in a decent manner so as to command respect from his followers; failure to which he may not effectively run the organisation. Anne-Maree Kelly (Kelly) Kelly’s actions portray absolute ignorance of the situation at hand and thereby reveal that she is not an effective manager. From the very beginning, Kelly is aware of the CEO’s behaviour but observes in silence. As an effective manager, Kelly should have raised the issue so as to ensure that it was solved amicably thus eliminating the vice within the organisation. Her attitude of leaving such contentious issues unresolved indicates that her leadership ability is questionable. Kelly does not have effective problem solving skills as would be expected of a manger. As indicated in the first instance, she dismisses Fraser-Kirk in conjunction with her immediate supervisor, just by telling her to say ‘no’ to Mclnnes and then takes no further action to solve the problem. In the second instance, she conjointly advices Kelly to go home instead of resolving the issue and let her continue with work. This can be considered an easy way out, which Gray (2003) proposes can have deleterious effects on an organisation. As an effective leader, she should have solved the problem by involving the CEO and hence attempt to solve the problem while retaining Fraser-Kirk at work. By asking Fraser-Kirk to go home, Kelly, together with the Group General Manager for Financial Services and Marketing, portrayed poor decision making ability. According to Masters and Albright (2002), a good manager should have decision making skills that enable him or her to deal with issues affecting the company and employees in a bold and fair manner. It appears cowardly that instead of making a decision to approach the CEO and have the issue resolved, the two managers decided to eliminate Fraser-Kirk as a way of solving the problem. The poor decision making ability can also be justified by the fact that Kelly had noticed the CEO’s behaviour on several occasions and even admitted it. On the contrary however, Kelly never made any attempt to try and resolve the issue; indicating that her decision making power was limited as far as the case of sexual harassment was concerned. Organising is identified as one of the most imperative roles of management. This requires managers to ensure that the organisation’s resources are blended effectively to enhance the attainment of the organisation’s goals (Linstead, Fulop & Lilley, 2002; Armstrong, 2006). It also involves significant prediction and assessment of the company’s future potential so as to take the necessary steps required to enhance success (Alvesson & Wilmont, 1996). Kelly however does not seem to be a good organiser. Kelly should have sought a way to assist Fraser-Kirk because as the PR General Manager she has the responsibility of protecting the company’s image. If she had applied the organising function of management, she should have been able to foretell that the issue of sexual harassment in the company would one day lead to negative publicity in case one of the employees decided to sue the company. It was her duty as the PR General Manager to ensure that this did not happen but she failed to solve the issue from the beginning thus leading to the anticipated negative publicity when Fraser-Kirk sued the company. Former CEO The former CEO’s actions portray a leader who does not have the best interests of the company at heart. As indicated by Linstead, Fulop and Lilley (2002), a manager must show dedication to his work through ensuring that all processes in the organisation are carried out effectively. He does not seem to have addressed the reports taken to him about Mclnnes’ behaviour and can therefore be said to have been ignorant about the blooming problem. The former CEO does not demonstrate good problem solving skills. As indicated in the case, a number of complaints regarding Mclnnes had already been lodged with him but he did not take action to correct the situation. He further went on to allow the appointment of Mclnnes as the new CEO, knowing that the problem was likely to escalate, given the position of power that Mclnnes was about to be given. Taking appropriate action would have eliminated the problem in the first place and Mclnnes would probably have stopped the behaviour. As a leader, he did not demonstrate effective interpersonal skills because he did not show empathy to his employees. By solving the problems identified, he would have played the role of ensuring that the employees were comfortable at their workplace, thus exercising his interpersonal skills. Recommendations There is dire need to improve the management’s skills within the company if the board desires to eliminate the problem witnessed at the company. The board should put the managers through short courses aimed at instilling the importance of exercising various managerial and leadership skills for the benefit of the company. They must realise that as managers, they should not fear and that they should be in a position to raise all negative issues which may affect the progress of the company. The courses should involve lessons on decision making, managers’ responsibilities and interpersonal relations skills which will be useful in solving sensitive issues in future. The management needs to be placed under strict responsibility to ensure that the rules set at the organisation are followed diligently. This should be accompanied by strict sanctions to be implemented in the event of violation of rules and regulations such as instant termination. By ensuring that the employees are aware of the actions that can be taken against them in case they display undesirable behaviour, the board can easily eliminate cases of sexual harassment at the office and thereby avoid paying hefty fines. In this regard, the managers need to possess leadership skills that will aid them in leading by example. There seems to be no procedure for addressing employee queries and complaints at the company. As witnessed in the case of Fraser-Kirk, no one seems to be responsible for addressing her case and hence she decides to consult the PR General Manager and her immediate boss. It is important for the Board of Directors to dictate a clear channel through which employee queries and complaints can be addressed in order to ensure that their interests are well taken care of. The managers entitled with the duty of solving employee problems should be taken through a course on problem solving skills so as to ensure that employee needs are addressed accordingly. References Alvesson, M & Wilmont, H 1996, Making Sense of Management: A Critical Introduction, SAGE, London. Armstrong, M 2006, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.), Kogan Page, London. Gray, LH 2003, Leadership and Motivational theories, SAGE, London. 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