Usage of D. Michael Abrashoffs Management Techniques - Research Paper Example

Usage of D. Michael Abrashoff’s Management Techniques for the Improvement of Performance/Morale of a Small to Medium Sized Police Department Roll No: Class: Subject: Teacher: Date: 22nd August 2009 University Usage of D. Michael Abrashoff’s Management Techniques for the Improvement of Performance/Morale of a Small to Medium Sized Police Department Introduction Captain Abrashoff worked as the commanding officer of the United States Navy and as a commanding officer, he was expected to perform much efficiently. This experience taught him much about leadership and he used his knowledge to support other leaders by narrating essential features of leadership. Captain D. Michael Abrashoff believes that as a leader, the trust of the entire organization is important to earn in order to support the organization in attainment of its set goals and objectives. After leaving Navy, he thought of sharing some points on how to lead an organization effectively by empowering the people while giving equal consideration to productivity and minimizing expenses. Eventually, he wrote his own book with the title, “It’s Your Ship” in order to share information on how to become an effective leader using efficient processes. According to Abrashoff, a leader should be aware of the goals and objectives of the organization because the employees strive in the direction of goals and objectives. The book of Captain Abrashoff reveals relevant ideas on how to manage and motivate a whole organization by giving utmost consideration on how employees will grow professionally from their experiences. The author’s understanding of the real scenario of leading an organization gives him the authority to speak up on how success can be earned through setting up the values and turning them over to the staff. In order to be successful, people should be motivated and do their best in order to have a good grasp of their own responsibilities. The leader should also ensure that the messages conveyed are passed on accurately so that the goals of the organization can be achieved (Abrashoff 2002). Communication is one of the most important factors to be regarded carefully in attaining the goals and objectives of an organization (Abrashoff 2002). While communicating, it must be ensured that the message is sent precisely to the staff so that proper actions can be taken which can lead to a positive feedback. Good communication in an organization plays the role of establishing a good rapport between the leader and the staff. The desired goals can be achieved if the leader possesses the qualities of honesty and integrity. Discussion Motivation is one of the major tasks of the leader in order to get things done by the members. Primarily, motivation starts by understanding the human nature. Appreciating what people can do and understanding what they cannot, is a big factor for efficiently managing the people in the work place. Small details like these can make a big difference and contribute to the success of an organization. Organizational leaders are often in charge of building the positive attitudes of workers towards work and motivating them to attain the end objectives. This will make the staffs more inspired with working and increases the productivity of the organization. Good leaders also give confidence to the workers for obtainment of positive results so that the profitability of the organization increases. The need for trust opens the chance of development and success. The workers should be able to open up and should be cooperative to the leader and the leader is required to give the workers confidence to open up. Leadership Good leadership skills cannot be acquired naturally. A good leader has to be made with proper acquirement of leadership skills. Leaders are optimistic, self-motivated, persuasive, convincing and goal oriented personnel. They are needed in all workplaces because of their ability to lead and to motivate the employees in different times. They help the management in bringing about a change. They facilitate the employees to move in a direction which is considered important by them. The leadership that is considered attractive and effective is that kind of leadership that keeps the capacity of persuasion. Effective leaders are always able to motivate people in their set direction. The leaders make people do their suggested jobs, as they exercise a certain power on employees on the basis of their effective motivation and encouragement. An effective leader is developed through series of processes. Good leadership skills may be attained through education, self- study and learning from experiences. It is important that a leader knows how to inspire other workers and encourage teamwork. Being a leader requires more tasks to be done with improvements and expertise. The leader is also required to share his experiences with his coordinates. The book primarily gives an understanding that leadership should be concerned to the organization’s staff, trust and setting up the minds of the workers for the attainment of the organization’s goals (Abrashoff 2002). The leader should be able to communicate efficiently and build a good bond with the staff by listening to them. It is the responsibility of the leader to show strong ethical values and a good personality so that the staff can internalize and adapt to those positive attitudes. Because of open communication, the misunderstandings created between the employees and the leaders are clarified. People are motivated to perform better and take actions that are beneficial. The leader should let the staffs to do freely what they want to do for specific tasks and guide them to get the best results. It simply means that a good leader must know when to direct and when to guide his members. It is not always applicable to point out the things that should be done, instead lead them to do the necessary actions and let their own ideas be used. Failure is normal and it will make a person grow even more. Learning from experiences is a good way to recognize better ways of improving oneself. Abrashoff’s Management Techniques As the book is entitled “It’s Your Ship”, it simply says that Abrashoff gives a huge consideration to the people inside the ship and dedicates the success of the ship or of that organization on the people who work for the attainment of its goals. Abrashoff shares the management secrets in his book that can be applied in all kind of organizations. Abrashoff simply takes into consideration what his crew members can suggest for improvement. He accepts the ideas of the members as according to him, they are significant for the success of the whole organization. It helped him to get more ideas and strategies on how to maximize productivity. Also, the power of communication is inevitable as how Abrashoff communicates with his members makes him to understand his workers and work better. It makes the performance of the team better because the plans are properly communicated and open lines are maintained. Focusing on reasons is also one of the management techniques that the author used. It is important that the leader should manifest the idea of having full focus on the work by convincing the workers that whatever they are doing is vital to the organization (Abrashoff 2002). It is important to earn the respect and trust of the crew members. Abrashoff uses the technique of managing the organization by taking the lead. Indeed, as a leader, he is given with the authority to manipulate his crew but still what is more important is that the crew members follow him because they believe, trust and respect him (Abrashoff 2002). Managing a Police Department through Abrashoff’s Principles There are a lot of techniques that Captain Abrashoff mentions in his book “It’s Your Ship” that can be used for managing other kinds of workplaces such as a small or a medium- sized police department. A police chief normally plans and oversees the activities of the police department with other crime prevention services. The task of the police chief strongly emphasizes on strong leadership skills that support him in his elevated responsibilities and supervision of the specific area. But to be able to effectively manage a police department, a leader needs members that will support him for attaining the goals of the department. In that case, the members make effort for establishing good cooperation between the members of the police department. The police chief should be able to acknowledge the good work of his staff members and should appreciate them for their efforts and hard work. This will encourage the staff members to work better and to assemble in form of a team for the achievement of higher goals for the department. Recognizing the hard work of each team player is an important thing to consider and appreciate in motivating them to exert more effort and endeavor better for future challenges and procedures. In Abrashoff’s book, it is mentioned that medals are given to the sailors who leave the ship in order to show appreciation of what they have done earlier on even though they have no positions any more (Abrashoff 2002). This is a good way of informing your people that you care for them and respect them for what they have done. Basically, it is just a simple way of awarding staffs for what they have contributed towards the success of the organization and this appreciation and awarding can make a big difference. The standard operating procedures are very important for a complex organization like the police department. The leader is not only required to know about the working procedures but he must also keep knowledge about different human natures in order to assess his employees and their capabilities. Development is one of the chief factors that is realized in considering the standard operating procedures in an organization. Staffs working in the police department are very much concerned with their self-development and this self-development can be aided by the experiences of leaders. The leader which in police department’s case is the police chief should be able to identify the skills acquired by his team members and should help them to perform better. By this supporting attitude, the staffs will be able to handle problems much effectively and their professional skills will be improved. Moreover, a good leader boosts the morale and performance of the staff by helping them build their self-esteem. Employees must be rewarded and appreciated for their good work. Self worth and self development are the basic needs of a police department. In order to be managed skillfully, the police department has to follow the principles of Michael Abrashoff, which deal with the importance that is given to the people inside the department. Praising each member even for small things that they did is a great thing to do. It will result in the unity of an organization and hence, people will be motivated to work in form of team and will be able to show their skills in an improved manner. Lack of support to each other in an organization may bring critical problems most especially in a police department, knowing that it handles one of the most crucial responsibilities of protecting a community. The leader must always be prepared to train the unit and persuade them to work as a team. A positive atmosphere in police department is achievable if the police chief lets them interact and express themselves in a way where they can discover more of them. Conclusion Leaders play an influential part in persuading employees to work better. It is said that there is a series of dynamic qualities that should be built or developed in a leader. Open communication and establishment of good interaction bondage with the staff is an essential feature of persuasive leaders. The police department can be much better if communicative leadership is there. Instructions and rules applied to maintain peace and order should be clear enough to get good performance. Distributing ideas and collaborating with other members helps to inspire the whole organization to open up their minds on possible outcomes. Trust and belief in leadership should be there in order to make the leadership and organization successful. Abrashoff’s management techniques can really help in supervising a small or medium sized police department. Key factors for a good leadership should be applied such as listening to the staffs, keeping lines open, appreciating or rewarding them, becoming a good example for the workers, guiding them to success and motivating them to share their ideas boosts the morale of the staffs or members of an organization which results in good performance (Abrashoff 2002). Works Cited Abrashoff, D. Michael. Its Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy. Grand Central Publishing, May 2002. Read More