Actions, Attitudes, and Skills of the Operations Manager and HR Manager - Literature review Example

Carlene’s Dream Job [Student’s Name] [Course] [Tutor’s Name] [Date] Executive Summary The actions, attitudes and skills of the operations manager and his human resources counterpart are discussed in this report. The report argues that the operations manager has power acquired through his skills, association with higher-level managers, and through his success and achievements in the Western Sydney Subsidiary. The HR manager on the other hand has power acquired through his skills, and position in the company. In the report, it is evident that the two managers use power differently; the operations manager oversteps his boundaries by physically assaulting a supervisor, while the HR manager fails to live up to his powers when he passes on the responsibility of confronting the intimidating operations manager to Carlene. Additionally, the HR manager fails to counsel or negotiate with the operations manager and instead chooses to pass the task to Carlene. The report also notes that the grapevine is very vibrant in the Western Sydney Subsidiary, and this too presents a management challenge to Carlene. This is the case because employees who had caught wind of the operations manager’s attempt to intimidate Carlene would expect her to either take the necessary disciplinary measures against him. The report concludes by noting that effective managers must know how to effectively communicate and handle employees working under them. The report therefore suggests that the operations manager should be given two options: to change his attitude towards employees and colleagues or work; take an early retirement. The report also recommends that the HR manager should be encouraged to reorient employees at the subsidiary about work place policies such as those relating to violence, intimidation or bullying in the workplace. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction/Background 3 Methodology 3 Discussions of findings and theoretical context 3 Actions, attitudes and skills of the operations manager 3 Actions, attitudes and skills of the HR manager 6 Analysis and implications for managers’ skills 7 Recommendations for rectifying the situation 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Introduction/Background The workplace described in the case study is a reflection of how some managers are aware of the power structure in their workplace, while others are not. The public relations manager is an example of the former, while the operations manager is an example of the latter. In the case study, the operations manager bluntly refuses to account for his behaviour to Carlene, and instead calls the head office complaining that Carlene is interfering with his job. The operations manager also appears to be averse to change, and has an inclination to bully his juniors or anyone he considers inexperienced. This is evident in the way he physically assaulted one of the supervisors during a meeting, and his unwillingness to listen to Carlene when she confronted him about the incident. Methodology A review of existing literature formed the theoretical basis for this study. Findings from existing literature were compared to the actions, attitudes and skills reflected by the two managers reflected in the case study. Discussions of findings and theoretical context Actions, attitudes and skills of the operations manager The operations manager seems to understand that he needs to influence workers in his demand if they are to attain the work targets set for them. In order to gain influence, it is rather clear that he needs power. Among the five sources of power identified by Yukl (2002), i.e. power attained legitimately, through expertise, coercively, through authority or through offering rewards, the operations manager seems to depend more on coercion and authority as his sources of power. The operations manager evidently uses his position in the company, to control or bully the staff members working under him. According to Hersey, Blanchard and Johnson (2007, pp. 161-162) one can also attain power through interacting with high-ranking leaders in the organisation. Such power is referent, and the operations manager could have had such as demonstrated when he called the head office complaining about Carlene’s supposed interference. The fact that he had worked in the company for a long-time, and the previous CEO had ‘let him be’ is also an indication that he could rely on expert power. According to Hersey et al. (2007, 162), expert power is attained when a person thinks that he has the relevant education, experience or skills to accomplish specific roles in a job. Having managed to lead his department to attaining key targets at set budgets, the operations manager also deduced some of his powers from his expertise and achievements. As such, he may have the impression that the senior managers could overlook his indiscipline as long as he continued delivering on his targets. The operations manager’s behaviour also indicate that although he may have the skills needed to meet the targets set for his department, his personality traits may include intelligence, averseness to change, lack of agreeableness, and conscientiousness. This puts into question his ability to effect continuous change in the employees working under his guidance. This is especially so especially considering Koontz and Weihrich’s (1990, p. 4) description of management as a process of “designing and maintaining” an environment where individuals, or people working in groups can efficiently accomplish identified goals. This definition by Koontz and Weihrich (1990, p. 4) means that an individual manager need to be involved in functions such as planning, staffing, organising, and controlling in order to ensure there is efficiency and effectiveness in the company. Jones and George (2008) also note that for a manager to be effective, he needs to develop competence in problem solving, human resource management, organisational leadership and administration. Gauging the operation manager’s character based on the physical assault on the supervisor, it is rather obvious that he was not very effective in human resource management and problem solving. Another possibility is that the operations manager is an autocratic kind of leader who believes in imposing his authority on others. According to Hersey et al. (2007, p. 34-39), such a leader cannot nurture the employees working under him, and as such, he cannot succeed in getting them to perform at their best since his authoritarian approach discourage them. Hersey et al. (2007, pp. 34-44) argue that in order for managers to motivate employees to perform optimally, they must address their (employees’) physiological, social, esteem, self-actualization and safety needs. The work environment, especially in the operations department, could also be a major cause of dissatisfaction if one was to gauge it using Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory as suggested by Hersey et al. ( 2007, pp. 54-56) Specifically, employees would be dissatisfied by their relationship with their boss who in this case is the operations manager. The grapevine in the Western Sydney subsidiary as reflected in the case study is vibrant. The fact that gossip was already going around about Carlene’s meeting with the operations manager, and the events that took place during the meeting is an indication of such vibrancy. With such news, it is highly likely that employees would expect Carlene to act in a manner that would put a stop to the operation’s manager autocratic tendencies. As the CEO, Carlene has coercive powers, and the employees would therefore expect her to take action against the operations managers. It is also likely that employees would interpret any failure by Carlene to act as a lack of concern about their welfare at work. Coercive powers would enable a leader such as Carlene to punish or issue sanctions to the operations manager for going against company policies on violence at work. Additionally, Carlene also have the legitimate power to make decisions because as Hersey et al. (2007, p. 160) suggests, such powers are attained from a person’s position, role or title in an organisation. Actions, attitudes and skills of the HR manager As the head of the human resource department, the HR manager was charged with “advising and assisting the management team on performance management and disciplinary matters” among other things. As such, the HR manager could have at least tried to advise or/and assist the operations manager on managing his juniors at the workplace first, before reporting the same to Carlene. Although the HR Manager did not err in reporting the matter to Carlene since all managers were required to report directly to her, he/she abdicated her duties by avoiding her advisory or assistance-offering roles. As Kieseker and Marchant (1999, p. 61) rightfully note, it is the responsibility of the human resources department to ensure that all employees are educated about harassment in the workplace. Additionally, the HR department should ensure that every employee understands that no form of harassment is acceptable or tolerable in the workplace. It is clear that the HR manager in the Western Sydney subsidiary had not informed the employees regarding such policies, and even if he/she did, the impact of the same is not evident since the operations manager still intimidates them. By failing to confront the operations manager regarding the physical assault, and instead reporting the same to Carlene, the HR manager simply shifted part of what was his workload to the CEO. Such form of responsibility shifting could be indicative that the HR manager does not understand his/her roles in the organisation well. As Carlopio et al. (2008) indicate, managers need to comprehend the three main management objectives in an organisation fully. Such include ensuring that the goals and targets of an organisation are attained at the least cost and with minimal waste; that the health, welfare and safety of the employees are looked after; and that the resources of the organisation are well protected. If one to consider the PR manager’s actions against the administrative theory as developed by Henri Fayol, then he/she would score low points in his/her ability to command, and control other peoples. According to Stoner, Freeman and Filbert (2003), Fayol’s administrative theory identifies five roles that a manager should take up. They include forecasting and planning; organising; commanding; coordinating; and controlling. Forecasting and planning enables the manager to anticipate the future and act accordingly, while organising enables him/her to develop the resources capacity in the organisation. Commanding enables the manager to keep the processes and actions in the organisation running, while coordination enables him/her to align and harmonise efforts by different employees, groups or teams in the workplace. Finally, controlling enables the manager to abide, and sensitize other workers to abide by laid down procedures and rules in the organisation. Analysis and implications for managers’ skills The events reflected in the case study prove that managers need to be adept in handling employees working under their guidance and supervision, if at all they are to inspire the support and motivation needed in their respective departments. Using power appropriately without being too hard or too soft on the employees is also a skill that managers would need to learn. In the case study, the operations manager is an example of a person who oppresses people because of his powers, and the HR manager is an example of a person who does not utilise his powers to manage or counsel the operations manager appropriately. Recommendations for rectifying the situation As Cacioppe and Albrecht (2000, p. 394) aptly states, “To achieve organisational well-being and success, a balance needs to be struck between achieving tasks and spending time building relations”. As such, I would recommend that the Operations Manager should be given an option either to relate better with his subordinates, or to take early retirement. By giving the Operations Manager such a choice, the senior management will communicate to him and other employees that the company values personal relationships at work and personal well-being of the employees. Additionally, the senior management will be encouraging workers to be open to change, something that can enhance the growth prospects of the company. Should the Operations Manager choose the first option, i.e. to relate better with his subordinates and colleagues at work, then he should be guided or counselled on how best to lead staff members working under him. As Cacioppe and Albrecht (2000, p. 395) note, leading people requires the manager to coach and work with the employees in a manner that makes them feel valued, while at the same time helping them increase their contribution to the company. Should he choose the second option, i.e. to take early retirement, then the company will have the chance to recruit a new replacement manager who can fit in the company’s change strategy. It is worth mentioning that replacing the current Operations Manager does not mean that the operations department will automatically fail to meet its target; rather, a fresh start could results in even better results than is the case now. The HR manager should also be encouraged to work with other employees in his/her department, in order to sensitize all employees regarding workplace policies such as anti-violence laws. Additionally, HR department should ensure that all employees know the action to take should they ever encounter violence at work. It is also important for the HR department to re-orient employees about workplace policies, and clearly state the consequences that every employee will face should they fail to adhere by the same. Conclusion London, Wohlers and Gallagher (1990, p. 22) notes that satisfaction at work affect employees’ performance. Some of the factors that affect performance include working conditions, and the attitudes fostered by managers in the workplace. Such can be seen in the manner that managers communicate to their juniors, their response or encouragement given to employees working under them, or the working environment that they help build. As such, the operations manager, though successful in meeting targets and sticking by provided budgets may not be the ideal manager needed in the Western Sydney subsidiary. This is especially because the previous CEO had indicated that the he is inflexible, and he has proven that he is averse to change. Considering that Carlene is considering infusing flexibility and innovative approaches in the operations department, it is highly unlikely that the current manager would embrace the change. In fact, it is probable that he will let things run amok in his department in an effort to validate his claims that there could be mutiny if Carlene’s interference is not restrained. As such, it would be best if the operations manager is counselled towards embracing change, but if he refuses to do so, he should be provided with an option of retiring early as indicated above. An early retirement by the operations manager does not necessarily have to jeopardise Carlene’s success on key performance indicators. Although the new manager may take some time before adjusting to the new work environment and therefore leading the employees working in the department to attain set targets, the change of a manager could in fact work to re-invigorate the employees hence motivating them towards attaining set objectives. Additionally, Carlene and the HR manager could jointly work to ensure that the new operations manager is well versed on ways of motivating workers in order to enrich their job experience thus increasing motivation levels. The Western Sydney subsidiary could also use the ACHIEVE model as suggested by Hersey et al. (2007, pp. 72-74). Based on the model, the new operations manager is recruited based on his/her ability as indicated in knowledge and skills; clarity (his/her understanding of issues facing the organisation); Incentives (his/her understanding of motivation techniques); evaluation (his/her ability to evaluate, coach and provide employees with performance feedback). Other considerations would include Validity of the procedures, rules, practices and regulations that the new manager comprehends, and his/her ability to fit into the work environment in the Western Sydney subsidiary. References Cacioppe, R. &Albrecht, S (2000) Using 360o feedback and integral model to develop leadership and management skills, Leadership &Organisational Development Journal, vol. 21, no, 8, pp. 390-404. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K., & Johnson, D (2007), Management of organisational behaviour: leading human resources, 9th edition, London, Prentice Hall. Jones, G. R. & George, J.M. (2008), Contemporary management, London, McGraw-Hill. Kieseker, R. & Marchant, T (1999), ‘Workplace bullying in Australia: a review of current conceptualisations and existing research,’ Australian Journal of Management & organisational Behaviour, Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 61-75. Koontz, H. & Weihrich, H (1990), Essential of Management, 5th edition, London, McGraw-Hill. London, M., Wohlers, A., & Gallagher, A (1990), ‘A feedback approach to management development,’ Journal of Management Development, vol. 9, No. 6, Pp. 17-31. Stoner, J., Freeman,R., & Gilbert, D (2003), Management, 6th edition, New Delhi, Prentice-hall, India. Yukl, G. A (2002), Leadership in Organisations, 5th edition, London, Prentice Hall. Read More