Developing management Skills - Essay Example

Mentoring as a method of leadership is also addressed as well as the means to stimulate employee motivation to delegated task assignments. A strategic directive has been issued by senior leadership determining that streamlining departmental operations has become necessary not only for cost objectives, but for enhancing communications within the business facility. It has been determined that the operational manager must research methods in which to design a better materials management system. Realistically, strategic directives from senior executives mean nothing without efficient middle managers who are able to design the systems and carry out the plans (Moss Kanter 2004, p.150). In such a situation, the manager must design a rational decision making model to assess the situation, make programmed and non-programmed decisions regarding new systems implementation, develop alternative measures, and accomplish the goal using employee/management resources.

Assume that through needs analysis, the manager has determined that the most logical course of action is to implement an ERP system (enterprise resource planning) designed to combine the entire firms electronic functions into a single software programme on the same database. Such a project is a tremendous undertaking and involves skilful coordination between multiple departments. Senior leadership has not yet agreed to the new ERP system, has offered concerns about potential budget constraints, and expects continuous progress reports from the operational manager in regards to proposed implementation.

The responsible manager must address the specific characteristics of management decision making including uncertainty, risk, conflict, scope and crisis (Gomez-Mejia et al 2005, p.241) and be able to effectively communicate these issues in order to receive senior-level approval for the proposed project. As part of the upward feedback process, the manager must create a frame for his message that orients the