Managers in a Global Business Environment - Coursework Example

University> By MANAGERS IN A GLOBAL BUSINESS Presently, one of the primary challenges faced by the management is developing global managers. In global managers, it is imperative to note that we mean the dynamic managers that can lead and manage in the contemporary society and not in the past. Several changes have occurred in the management roles and responsibilities. These numerous changes have resulted in the most debated question about if companies can be managed in the same way they were in the past. Typically, the most appropriate answer to this question is a big no, and there are several reasons to support the assertion. One of the most significant changes that have occurred today is the advancement in the technology that has enabled companies to automate most of the operations. Over the recent years, companies have been spending a lot of money adopting technology and related requirements. For instance, companies in the present must have computers that are linked together to enable faster communication, sharing of information, and faster processing. As such, such an organization requires a manager that has both administrative and computer skills. Conversely, the past organizations did not have these technological advancements, and this made work easier for the managers (Brill & Bishop, 2006 pp.116). Furthermore, the changed environment is characterized by multiple economic and political systems that call upon a definite change in the managerial roles and responsibilities. Currently, several changes have occurred in the industrial sector. For instance, the economy of a nation keeps on fluctuating from season to season. This calls for a manager who can be able to initiate and implement strategies that can play a vital role in ensuring that the economy of the nation or organization is sustained. A global manager, for instance, during such situations will seek for partnerships or joint venture with other nations or companies who are economically stable. On the other hand, the contemporary society is full of numerous political systems that play a substantial role in the success of the organization. One of the most significant political systems currently and that plays a huge role in the success of the organization is the government. The government is instrumental since it is involved in making business policies, rules, and regulations that must be adhered to by the organizations (King & Lawley, 2012). Thus, it is the role of the manager to work in harmony with the government agencies in ensuring that all the laws stipulated are followed to the later. As well, managers are involved in making critical decisions that affect the business in one way or another. One of the most significant issues that the government stipulates and affects the business is the tax policies. During the formulation of such policies, the manager should be in a position to represent the organization on the major issues such as complaints, concerns, or another arising issue. To be able to achieve this, the global manager should possess strong communication and negotiation skills (Govindarajan & Gupta, 2001 pp.63). In addition to the above, divergent social norms and values must be taken care of in the contemporary society. Presently, most of the organizations employ the services of several employees. For instance, a large company may employ up to twenty thousand employees working in different departments such as sales, human resource, distribution, suppliers, procurement and other companies. A large number of staff means that the corporation will have divergent social norms and values since these employees come from different cultures. Therefore, it is imperative that a global manager is in a better position to accommodate all these cultures characterized by various cultural beliefs, thinking, and practices. The managers should also be in a position to appreciate all the culture by setting up a uniform and universal organizational culture. This is the way in which employees will be expected to carry out themselves within the organization. There are several attributes of an organization culture that have been implemented by successful managers. One of the most profound aspects is the provision of quality services in the organization. Such a perspective within the organization compels every employee to work in a manner that quality services are provided to the organization clients. Another imperative issue that must be looked into under accommodating divergent social norms and values is solving the potential conflicts at the workplace. A competent manager should be able to put in place mechanisms that can be in a better position to prevent conflicts or amicably solve them if they arise. For instance, the manager should have policies that ensure that all the cultures within the workplace are appreciated and respected. People who will go against such rules should face the necessary consequences as stipulated by the company policies. Furthermore, the manager should be competent in conflict resolution skills such that if any conflict arises he or she will be a good position to arrive at the best solution (Cappellen & Janssens, 2005 pp.345). Rethinking managerial roles is another issue that the global managers must look into with greater emphasis. Frequently, the managerial roles are categorized in two three primary groups namely; interpersonal role, informational role, and decisional role. The interpersonal role is concerned with building and leading effective groups and organization. As initially stated, the organization is composed of different employees with divergent social norms and values. In addition to the above, the organization consists of numerous groups such as gender sensitivity, the minority, and several others. Essentially, the manager should be in a position to meet all the demands and requirements of all these groups. One of the best ways of amicable reaching a solution to these group variations is forming an organizational culture that unifies all the members of the organization as one thing. King and Lawley argue that “Organizational culture for an organization is the ways in which the members of the organization behave” (King and Lawley, 2012 p.15). This could be the workers, the managers, and all the other stake holders. Any organization has its unique values, beliefs and also principles that are specific characteristics that differentiate one organization from another. Organizational culture is composed of various components of the organization which includes the style of management and the leadership forms of the organization. Therefore, a global manager should be in the position to be able to effectively and efficiently manage all the groups that exist in the organization. The next category is the informational role which entails collecting, organizing, and disseminating useful information promptly. This is one of the most demanding roles that are played by organization’s manager. An organization cannot be successful if there is no information. One of the most important parts of the informational role is a collection of the required data and organization. Several methods can be used by managers to collected information from within the organization or externally. To collect information, the managers can use observation, interviews, and questionnaires. For instance, if the organization wants to know how an issue of concern should be addressed, questionnaires can be generated and issued to a sample of employees from each department (King & Lawley, 2012). They are then given enough time to respond to the questions freely. The next part of the informational role is an organization of the information collected. For instance, after the employee samples have replied to the questionnaire, the forms are collected, and the responses are analyzed and organized. This is primary with an objective of coming up with the final results used in making conclusions. The final role of the managers is concerned with decision making which entails making strategic and tactical decisions and securing broad-based support for such actions. It is imperative to note that mangers play a vital role in making various decisions that affect the success of the company. For decisions to be affective there are some essential conditions that must be fulfilled. One of the most significant aspects is the involvement of employees in the decision-making processes. Successful managers have attributed their success to the fact that they involve employees in making core decisions within the company. There are several implications of associated with involving employees in the decision-making process and it includes increased acceptance and making the best decisions. When employees participate in making core decisions, the chances of them rejecting such decisions is very low. In addition to the above, quality decisions will be arrived at. The other issue that is necessary during decision making is that managers should have the require information to enable them to make effective decisions. For instance, if a manager wants to increase the stock of an individual product he or she must have the sales record for a period say six months of that product. As well, such information should be summarized primarily because most managers are involved in making unstructured decisions. This is a clear indication that a global manager should possess all the necessary skills for effective decision making and encourage and allow the employee to be involved in the major decisions affect the overall performance of the company (Govindarajan & Gupta, 2001 pp.63) In conclusion, several issues must be addressed by a global manager. First of all is that, the current changes in the environment substantially affect the organizations either positively or negatively. One of the most imperative changes is the technological advancements whereby companies are shifting towards automating all the organizational operations. To ensure this is a success, a manager should be competent in information technology and related skills. Another issue of concern is the existence of divergent social norms and values within the organization. a manager should be an a position to ensure that each culture that is part of the organization is appreciated and respected. One of the most significant ways of achieving this is setting up and implementing an organizational culture that ensures that all the members of the organization are united. Finally, there is a substantial need to rethink the managerial roles that entail interpersonal, informational, and decisional role. In the contemporary society, the high rates of changes have complicated the functions and responsibilities of the managers. However, to be a fruitful and efficient global manager, one must possess all the necessary skills such as negotiation, conflict resolution, communication, and financial skills. References Brill, J.M., Bishop, M.J. and Walker, A.E., 2006. The competencies and characteristics required of an effective project manager: A web-based Delphi study. Educational technology research and development, 54(2), pp.115-140. Cappellen, T. and Janssens, M., 2005. Career paths of global managers: Towards future research. Journal of World Business, 40(4), pp.348-360. Govindarajan, V. and Gupta, A.K., 2001. Building an effective global business team. MIT Sloan Management Review, 42(4), p.63. King, D., & Lawley, S. 2012.Organizational behavior (3rd ed., Vol. II, pp. 10-23). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More