Psychology of the Modern Leader - Assignment Example

?Essential Psychology for Managers of Event A project manager was informed by the newly appointed department manager that he has modifiedhis conditions and prerequisites for the project due to a number of criticisms and grievances from the employees. This is different and, worse, contrary to the project plan that the project manager formulated with the former department manager. The new department manager informs him that the vice president already approved the proposed changes. The vice president gave his approval because he believes that the previous department manager failed to make competent decisions and was not able to acquire adequate input and enough cooperation from the department employees. The project manager contacted the vice president and attempted to persuade him to postpone his demand for modifications, but he turns down the request. Modifying the project requirements at the present time implied extensive and large-scale changes and will delay complete system execution by a month. Moreover, this will impinge on the work of other department managers who were earlier informed that the system will be fully functional at a given time. The project manager can discuss this matter to his bosses, but the higher project expenses will be difficult to explain. At the moment the project manager is quite disappointed with himself at being part of the recruitment team that endorsed this new department manager and particularly at having supported his appointment. Seriously disappointed by the decision of the department manager and the bosses’ approval of this action, the project manager decided to confront the department manager. He told him that he found it irrational to change the original project requirements. The department manager answered that he has other more important concerns to take care of as of the moment, especially as regards the streamlining of his department. The project manager left the office in a furious gait, leaving the department manager thinking that his responses and actions are detrimental to the project and the organisation. The decisions of the department manager do not, apparently, seem to be competent and responsible. Analysis of Event The event obviously concerns two managers, the project manager and the newly appointed department manager. Apparently, a serious conflict characterises their relationship. Three theories may be used to analyse this event, namely, leadership, conflict and communications, and motivation. In terms of leadership, the analysis focuses on the new department manager’s leadership approach. On the surface, the department manager seems to lack group skills and organisational skills, two of the most important leadership abilities. Groups require motivators, gatekeepers, communicators, and so on. All these tasks are expected from leaders (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 1995). The contemporary leader knows that productive and successful teams have mutually supporting and cooperative members. The efficiency of the whole department emanates from the shared, coordinated inputs and participation of all its employees. The new department manager is not a team player. He decided to change the project requirements without even consulting first the people that will be mostly affected by the change, namely, the project manager and the department’s employees. He already discussed the modification plan to the vice president without even hearing first the suggestions and opinions of the people under him. This lack of group skills will certainly affect the job performance of his subordinates. This will bring more problems to the already difficult situation of the project. Effective leaders know how to effectively and efficiently organise things. They ensure that employees only follow one superior, clear and definite instructions, and so on. They create organisational charts that are precise and easy to follow, with clear command structure or lines of authority (Kloppenborg et al., 2003). Clearly, the new department manager does not consider the importance this. His response to the project manager’s complaints about the planned changes reveals that he does not know the ‘principles’ of building a team that functions efficiently. In the diagram below, the organisational skill of the new department is on the fourth quadrant—directing. *image taken from Kloppenborg et al., 2003, p. 8 He recklessly assumes his new leadership position and the power accompanied by it. He is more directive, less supportive. The second theory, conflict and communications, is the one that can precisely explain the event. According to Boulding (1962 as cited in Rahim, 2010), conflict “exists when any potential positions of two behaviour units are mutually incompatible... [Conflict is considered] as a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incompatibility of potential future positions and in which the party wishes to occupy a position that is incompatible with the wishes of the other” (as cited in Rahim, 2010, p. 17). This is exactly what is happening between the project manager and the new department manager. There is competition between the two because they are both aware of the incongruity of their actions and aim to hinder the realisation of each other’s objectives. There are different types of conflict, and the conflict between the project manager and the department manager may be classified under substantive conflict, process conflict, and goal conflict. Substantive conflict is brought about by disagreement over processes, policies, tasks, and other organisational matters (Gellerman, 1998). The project manager disagrees with the actions of the new department managers because they contradict the previously established procedures, requirements, and tasks for the project. Process conflict, on the other hand, is related to how various tasks must be carried out, obligation to accomplish particular tasks, and so on (Rahim, 2010). The new department manager is trying to restructure the department, which means that he is also changing the department’s task structure. This change will certainly lead to greater conflict within the department. Lastly, goal conflict takes place when a desired result of two agents is believed to be mismatched (Rahim, 2010). The understanding of the project manager and the department manager that only one of their desired outcomes can be realised for their department is a perfect case of goal conflict. The last theory is motivation. The two theories of motivation used in this analysis are McClelland’s theory of human motives and Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation. According to McClelland, there are three human motives, namely, affiliation, power, and achievement. These motives influence a person’s behaviour at work (Zelick, 2007). The department manager exhibits an intense need for achievement, shown by his excessive reliance on his own efforts. He also has a strong need for power, shown by his disregard for the other people within and outside his department. Lastly, he has a great need for affiliation, shown by his subjective actions and decision-making behaviour. The expectancy theory states that people can decide which results they want and can make practical assessments of the probabilities of attaining them (Zelick, 2007). The department manager is decisive that what he wants is change within the department and the project. However, he does not know how to assess the chances of successfully implementing these changes. He does not even believe that resolving the cost and schedule problems are important matters at the moment. The project manager is his complete opposite. He knows that these sudden changes will create major setbacks. Recommendations Based on the analysis of the event, there are several recommendations that can be made. First, the new department manager is obviously not a team player, and he seriously lacks organisational skills. It would be favourable for the organisation, for the department, and for the project itself to require him to undergo some leadership training first. He is holding a key position and it would be in the best interest of the organisation if he would learn to adopt a combination of leadership approaches, such as transformation and situational leadership styles. Second, the organisation, or the department itself, should develop an appropriate conflict resolution mechanism. There should be a particular committee within the organisation that monitors, identify, and resolve these conflict issues. More particularly, before assuming any position in the company, there should be an extensive goal and project orientation to undertake. The problem with the new department manager is that he seems to be unaware of the organisation’s culture and goals. Lastly, the new department manager should be reassigned to a position that better matches his intense need for achievement, power, and affiliation. Obviously, he is not yet ready to become a leader. His actions signify that he needs further and more appropriate leadership and managerial training. Without proper guidance and prompt response, the new department manager will only bring about greater difficulties to the project, the department, and the organisation. The setbacks that the project manager envisions are bound to happen unless their superiors and other relevant committees make a move. References Gellerman, S. (1998) How People Work: Psychological Approaches to Management Problems. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Kloppenborg, T. et al. (2003) Project Leadership. Vienna, VA: Management Concepts. Rahim, M.A. (2010) Managing Conflict in Organisations. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Tjosvold, D. & Tjosvold, M. (1995) Psychology for leaders: using motivation, conflict, and power to manage more effectively. New York: John Wiley. Zelick, P. (2007) Issues in the Psychology of Motivation. New York: Nova Publishers. Read More