My Evolving Theory of the Role of a General Manager in a Large Corporation - Coursework Example

My evolving theory of the role of a General GM in a large Corporation/Organization The role of a General Manager (or GM for short) is a difficult one. This person has to take with him the whole company and mesh the different processes so that he could get instant results. He is a team leader right from the onset of his job. He needs to get work done from the different people who are working under him. The end result has to be a single goal, one that drives their efforts towards the financial success of the said organization. In doing so, the GM encounters a lot of hindrances, difficulties and hurdles. He has to face a lot of pressure from the top most management, the people who are senior to him even. He has to be accountable to the publics of the organization, which could include the customers and the stakeholders as well since the latter are the people who have invested within the company’s shares and they want a quick buck out of the whole investment drive. We need to define further how a job of a GM is made even more troublesome and how he copes up with the very same. With that, we will also touch subjects that bring attraction to the post of a GM in the first place. These could include his leadership traits, his team building tactics, getting the work done out of individuals who might have pretty different backgrounds and diverse educational capabilities, smoothening of the whole process of business management within several units spread across the company’s horizon, motivating the employees and being accountable for their tasks and activities, living up to the values of the organization and doing all that could be done in the honor of the very same and lastly, the manner in which he copes with the external factors which could come out of the blue and haunt the GM like anything. To start with, team building is one of the most significant aspects that come under the functions of a GM and he needs to make sure that he is the leader for all the activities and tasks that are happening under his vigilant eyes. Team building is all the more important because the GM needs to take decisions in line with the knowledge that his team can deliver under crunch situations and also because he has to take the company forward all this while. Thus it is imperative on his part to understand that the strengths and weaknesses of the team members are equally crucial and his requirement takes more ground in this whole equation when a difficult situation crops up. Thus a good team is only built when the leader knows his team members pretty well and turns the weaknesses of different individuals within the team into their strengths and not only that but also in the strength of the team overall. A GM can only be termed an effective one when he understands his resources and what his team members can possibly do to their maximum in those available resources. Only then there is a sense of empathy and understanding amongst the team members and consideration towards the leader of the team which in this case is the GM himself. Thus, a good team is developed when there is complete harmony in the activities of the team members and there is basically a synergy amongst all of them. This synergy can only be encouraged by the team leader, which in this case is through an effective and considerate GM. Decision making is another crucial aspect that forms up as one of the tasks coming under the GM post. He has to make sure that all the decisions that are made courtesy the team that he is heading are clear enough for all and sundry to relate with and at no point in time, the team members must feel the heat for an anomaly within the ranks, say at a later stage. The GM has to bring all the members on board so that there is transparency in the activities of the whole team and the accountability process is also visible. The motivation of the employees is an on going activity, one that constantly requires backing and support since the employees might feel threatened on the job due to work pressures and no visible opportunities of growth whilst remaining within the team. Since the team leader is the GM himself, no one can supersede him but there is always room for taking over other processes’ activities and becoming a GM of some other business unit division nonetheless. Motivation therefore has to be a consistent task, one that requires complete backing on the part of the GM so that the workers can give in their best shot at all times and there is no room for working beneath the expected levels, no matter how easy the circumstances are at some point in time. Motivation can count as an important point since when there is a need for accountability, the workers come out clean in such a situation and they have nothing else than truth to present which is for the betterment of the whole team, to the reputation of the GM who is leading the related team and lastly, and in the bigger picture, towards the benefit of the organization in the long run. Therefore the GM must realize his duties and in doing so ensure that he does not let down on a team member’s capabilities which he can easily harness through performance of an activity which he is basically not allowed to undergo. Then again the discussion of strengths and weaknesses is raised here in this equation as it brings to light the issues of understanding the finer points that the team of a GM has and changing the shortcomings into potential benefits and advantages on the part of not only the said individual but towards the benefits that the whole team and indeed the organization can attain as a result. In order to make sure that the team performs at an optimal level, the environment needs to be made conducive for the members so that they can feel at ease with each other and thus ensure that all the activities and tasks are run in a smooth manner. Optimal levels are thus achievable when there is a dire need to improve the current state of the business processes to a level which can be remarked as close to brilliance. For this to happen, the most important thing is to understand the usage of resources which are at the disposal of the company and then only devise one such plan or a combination, since alternatives are needed at some instances, so that this could effectively make the team grow in a manner to benefit the whole business process and in the end, the organization itself. Effective GMs know how to make use of their team members and during this while contribute in their own capacity towards team building. The role of a GM is one that evolves over a period of time and the pivotal thing here is to fathom that this is something which requires a balanced head on the shoulders and more than anything else a clear vision, deep insight into the relevant knowledge circles and expertise to back them all up. Effective GMs also know how to cope up with the pressures that they get themselves and their team muddled into and how to get out of them in all fairness. These people thus focus on the strong points that they have learned from their past colleagues and best case examples are also something that they can touch upon in the long run. This provides them insight and understanding about their mannerisms in which they tackled pressure and faced external factors which can come right into the face of a GM at any time possible. The attributes and characteristics of a true GM include his understanding of the situation that he is working under, coming to terms with the pressures that he is going to face from time to time, taking short term objectives in the longer scheme of things, making the short term goals attainable in the whole equation and understanding that the long term strategy is only attainable once the short term goals are fulfilled and for that to happen, there is a dire need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the resources that are available at his disposal, the negativities attached with the whole process or the system that we are concerned with and any pressure that can come from the market, in terms of competitive activity or through the top management ranks. The GM lastly also has to make sure that he understands the deep rooted values of the organization and the same cannot be compromised no matter what happens. These need to be aligned in a proper fashion with the activities and tasks of the team that the GM is heading. GMs need to make fast and accurate decisions in the best of times and for that they are accountable to each and every person in the company, not to forget the top management who keeps a note of all the dealings and processes that the GMs undertake. For this, GMs have to be sharp and visionary with the future in mind, both from the company’s perspective as well as that of the customers for which the company is actually striving to make some efforts. GMs also need to understand that the strategic options can be balanced alongside the tactical and short lived goals which are basically brought into play so as to meet some realistic goals and tasks. They need to align the same in the light of the mission and vision statements which are drawn up by the company when it was formed. The usage of long range planning in the business world of today is very imperative as it ensures that the same is not only important to the whole well being and the actual basis of the business but also the manner in which it invites the short term gains and incentives that come along all this while. Long term planning has to be drawn in the light of the objectives that the company has set for itself and this does not mean that the revenues and profits alone are the points that need discussion rather the emphasis is on understanding the mission and vision statements of the company and the manner in which the two align with the goals that it has to meet over a period of time and then only weigh it with the benefits that are reached courtesy the long term incentives and the short term gains. Thus it is a fact that contingency planning is the buzzword which is making the business circles’ rounds in the current times. These provide a stop gap solution to the needs which are drawn up by the companies and then the answer is found out so as to cope up with the very same. In the end, it would be fair to comment that the GMs have a lot going for them and it is their will and determination to bring out the best from the whole team and indeed the entire process that they are working upon. Now it is up to them how they understand the situation and how best they can cope up with the demands that the very situation entails of them and their team members. All said and done, GMs have a responsibility to play within an organization, no matter how large or small it is. The end result has to be one that is geared towards the results that the GM can bring out with the available resources and the exploitation (in a positive sense) of the team members’ strengths. My personal reflections on the evolving role of a GM are summarized in this paper and I believe a GM has a big role to play in the whole equation of the corporation as he has to oversee and coordinate the planning process and the related activities that come along with it. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gilbert, Joseph T. Managing Innovation: The Role of a General Manager Review of Business Vol. 17, 1996 Word Count: 2,039 Read More