Management as an Important Aspect of an Organization's Development and Growth - Research Paper Example

Case - Manager of Two Styles Preparation Management is an important aspect of an organization’s development and growth. Management has different styles that suit different occasions within an organization. A host of literature has been presented to explain the importance of management as a means of Public Administration. Management styles are tied with the very existence of a given company in terms of its daily operations. More often than not, management and leadership somehow go hand in hand. Management is about working with people while leadership is about giving direction and making decision when there is a crisis (Speakman and Lynette 186). This case study will explore an actual situation that existed as an illustration of divergent management styles at CD Hotels Inc. This happened during Eddie’s tenure at the company when he was a member of the management team. Kenny was a young and fresh graduate from university with the eagerness and enthusiasm to work. He had studied Business Administration with majors in Management. From the onset, he looked naïve and vulnerable at times. However, he was ready to listen to what other people had to say. He created an aura of likeness within and around him from the day he started working at the company. He knew how to create rapport with fellow colleagues without creating any tension. When people approached him with issues, he always seemed ready to help whenever there was a need to do so. He made it easy for people to work with him and he was never the type of person that would put his team off. Instead, he wanted input from his colleagues and was ready to listen and reach a consensus whenever there was a dispute. The Organization CD Hotels was established in 1981 as a small establishment that used to house middle class people in Washington D.C. It was established by Martin Atkinson as the first of the would-be many worldwide hotel chains. In 1984, the organization began its expansion programs to cover areas outside Washington D.C. During that year, five hotels were established in the United States, which were serving the most clients in the hospitality sector. Over the years, the company has received international status with improved revenue collections as well as financial muscle. It developed an international reputation as one of the finest hospitality industries around the world. The establishment has spread out beyond borders into the East, Europe, Africa, and South America. The company has since grown and witnessed the creation of different departments and divisions that have clear roles and responsibilities. For the purposes of this case study, the focus is on management style as exhibited by Kenny while working at the company. He worked as a senior assistant manager in the company which was a few positions below the senior management levels notably that of the General Manager or Chief Executive Officer. In all honesty, he was an ideal candidate for the CEO’s position whenever it could become vacant. Though he had not indicated his interest in the position, the rumor had it that he was the most befitting candidate owing to his qualifications and the characteristics he had displayed during his short stint at the company. Important Persons in the Organizations Kenny Briggs is a 31 year-old young man who has been at the company for only 6 months. He came into the company as an assistant manager, a position he held for a short period of time before being elevated to the CEO’s position. Though his experience was questionable, his abilities were there for all to see. It is little wonder he was considered for the post by the board as he had shown excellent capabilities. Before getting into the CEO’s position, Kenny was a darling of everyone in the company and as such, when he took over the helm of leadership and senior management, things changed overnight. Probable reason for this is that he was better off in his position than the new position he was placed to steer. During the first week, Kenny received briefing from all the departmental heads regarding all the undertakings of the company both within and beyond borders. Kenny became a man of different styles because he completely changed after being given the mantle of leadership. He started disregarding other people’s opinions, lost interest in talking with his juniors, and resorted to victimization when someone tried to challenge him. He started frustrating those who had oriented him at the beginning of his career and was always quarrelling, insulting, and worse still throwing derogatory connotations. Eddie is a reliable and dependable career manager in charge of the Public Relations Department. He was loyal to Kenny from the onset; in fact, he is the one who insinuated Kenny would be the best bet for the top job thereby overlooking his own potential as a manager who had served for a long time. The 35 year-old had graduated from the London School of Management with a degree in Business Management. When Kenny rose to the realm of the chief executive, his tenure at the company became problematic. He had been a good friend who guided the CEO by giving him hands-on advice on how to handle and manage crises. Despite this, he did not seem to care because his position lost meaning and became untenable for his experience and career. He did all the donkey work and thus Kenny’s job was only to approve or disapprove. He had a clear understanding of what CD Hotels wanted for the future; he was part of the members who drafted the goals to be met. He had also acted as big brother to Kenny when he was raw and fresh in the company. He was always there when needed and helped create an environment that was conducive for both senior and junior staff members. Susie, a 30 years old secretary, studied at the Michigan State University attaining a bachelor’s degree in Secretarial Studies. At first, she became Kenny’s most trusted staff member when he took over. However, with the passage of time it became quite clear that she was almost quitting her position citing unavoidable circumstances. Susie and Eddie later became the best of allies because they were feeling the same pinch from Kenny. However, since Susie knew how to cool Kenny down, it got to a certain point when things did not work out the way she thought. She was full of energy, always ready to work even overtime without complaining. Commitment was one trait that was found to be in plenty in Susie’s character. She was a workaholic who made things easy for her managers during boardroom meetings as well as other members of the staff who needed any assistance. Her enthusiasm diminished and she also lost her self-esteem in the process of trying to please Kenny. She did not fancy her job and was just doing it for the sake of maintaining it (Speakman and Lynette 189). Kallstrom, 39, is the Human Resources Manager who graduated from Leicester University with a degree in Business Management and later attained his Masters in Human Resources Management from the same institution. The working relationship between Kenny and Kallstrom was a formidable one from his early days. However, even Kallstrom became a victim of Kenny’s wrath. He seemed the most senior among all other workers, and as such, he behaved rightly so. The way he carried out his work even when faced with a serious staff disciplinary case was outstanding. He always managed to get things together. When there were conflicts between staff members, he always played the wise arbiter who never took any side. He managed to take the staff members through a rigorous campaign to give room for Kenny to develop his skills. In fact, he was one of the managers who saw leadership qualities in Kenny and even commented that Kenny was a senior managerial material (Speakman and Lynette 202). Outside Environment The company has a host of partnerships with other companies and service providers. Other than offering executive accommodation, the company also deals in cuisine that serves special dishes for foreigners. Other partnership companies include Four Seasons, New York Taxi, Hilton, British Airlines, Lufthansa, Fly Emirates, and Home Depot among many others. The company’s Human Resources Department and the Public Relations Department were the most dependent for growth in terms of expansion thus being able to compete with other bigger players in the market. CD Hotels had developed a strong bond with its partners and a couple of deals that had been hatched were soon to be completed. The company was actually doing well in the international markets and thus the management had contemplated expanding to other parts of the world as a means of increasing revenue. This case presents a difficult situation in that in the board, Kenny had three people with whom he had very close ties. Mr. Turner Dickson the Board Chairman was Kenny’s god-father who had raised him from childhood. In fact, it was rumored that Kenny was brought closer to the “kitchen” to learn how to “cook” because of Gary Lombardi’s imminent departure as the CEO. This had been a foreseen and premeditated gesture. That is why he became very close to Lombardi before his term finally ended. Kenny had been brought about as a protégé. Two other board members; Francis Kelly and Daniel Corelli had for the longest time been Dickson’s greatest allies who never objected to his requests. They all influenced the board members to approve Kenny as the new CEO, something they did by just a flip. Kenny took the helm of leadership and that is when he became a different person altogether. He was short-tempered always not giving anyone a chance to explain themselves. It was just difficult to deal with him because he never welcomed any sort of advice from anybody. Even on the recommendation of the members of the staff, it was not easy to work with Kenny anymore. Nothing could be done because there were some fictitious deals that were in the offing. The problems in the Organization One afternoon, Eddie got a call from a traveling agency indicating that a reservation that had been made for the Japanese ambassador was cancelled. The agency was bitterly complaining about the sudden change of tact and that it was not good for the business. On asking who had cancelled the reservation, he was told it was initiated by Kenny Briggs; the CEO. Eddie went to Kenny’s office to confirm the story. Kenny told Eddie that he had no right of making reservation for such a guest without telling him. Eddie cut on his statement and told him that was the way things had always been done. Kenny told him that things had to change and were to be done as he said. Things got frustrating and after four months, Eddie tendered his resignation. On another occasion, Kallstrom the HR Manager had a run-in with Kenny over the alleged existence of ghost workers. Kallstrom was forced to pay the ghost workers, something he did reluctantly. In terms of foreign labor, the HR Manager always had the final say in how many were to be recruited depending on the need for more labor. Kenny wanted to change the system completely. He called for interviews and engaged consultancy firms to conduct interviews without the consent of the Human Resource manager. This did not augur well with Kallstrom, who bitterly complained of the CEO’s maltreatment of his style and strategy for the company. When it was too heavy to bear, she decided to quit before being sacked. Susie was the other victim who was sacked on the basis of briefing the other managers of the imminent fall of the company’s revenue because of the state of affairs at the time. Kenny, before being CEO, was a godsend, but he changed completely after getting the position. This made things difficult for the junior staff members. The situation was getting even worse and hosts of other people were contemplating quitting. Conclusion The Human Resources and Public Relations departments were the most affected by the working environment at CD Hotels. The CEO made other members suffer because of his incompetence. He could not be challenged even when it was quite apparent that things were not turning out well. There was tension at work, camps had been formed, and people were quitting, being sacked, or contemplating quitting in the near future. Case Questions: 1) What ethical implications arise from this case? 2) How do you gauge Kenny’s behavior? 3) Do you think CD Hotels employees acted in a right way? 4) Can the situation be tolerated in modern business setting? Work Cited Speakman, James, and Lynette Ryals. “A Re-Evaluation of Conflict Theory for the Management of Multiple, Simultaneous Conflict Episodes.” International Journal of Conflict Management 21.2 (2010): 186-201. Print. Read More