Contributors to Effective Management - Literature review Example

Effective Management Name Institution Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Literature Review 4 Contributors to Effective management 4 What Effective managers do 6 Self-Assessment 8 Plan 11 SMART tool 11 Action Plan 12 Goal 1 - Improve on decision-making skills: 12 Goal 2 - Improve on communication skills 13 References 15 Appendices 16 Appendix A: 360-degree response 1 16 Appendix B: 360-degree response 2 17 Appendix C: 360-degree response 3 18 Appendix D: 360-degree response 4 18 Appending E: Belbin Team Roles Results 19 Introduction Current literature has showed that the practices of human resource management in organisations have become gradually crucial if corporate objectives and greater levels of performance have to be attained. Ahmad (2012) explains that one reason for this is since employees are increasingly becoming valuable assets for any modern-day organization, despite the prevalent integration of technology. Above all these, Ahmad (2012) remarked that effective managers are required to manage these employees effectively. Aside from effective management, performance management has also become crucial for organisations. The concept of performance management, as Ahmad (2012) discusses, entails the effective practices within organisations, intended to enable the body of employees to attain their performance targets. He defined performance management as the processes for delivery of the sustained organisational objectives through the improvement of the employees and teams’ capabilities. The essay is personal and reflective in its approach. It has three sections. The first section provides brief review of relevant literature on effective management. The second section provides an evaluation of my skills and competences using three self-perception and observer assessments tools, mainly Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, Belbin Team Roles and 360-degree feedback. The last section includes an action plan using the SMART goals framework to improve on the weak skills or competences. An underlying assumption is that the capabilities to effectively communicate, make effective decisions, and handle the human resource issues have strong correlation to leadership effectiveness. Literature Review Contributors to Effective management A startling revelation from a review of literature indicates a difference between effective managers and successful managers. An earlier study by Luthans (1988) investigated the difference between effective real managers and successful ones. In the study, he discovered the real aspects of managerial work by exploring certain myths regarding the difference between effective managers and successful managers. The study comprises an analysis of the current data derived from the frequencies of the activities that they observed the real managers perform. Luthans (1988) established that the chief contributor to effectiveness of the managers originated from human resource management strategies and communication strategies. Based on their observational data, it could, therefore, be reasoned that effective managers are effective communicators, as well as capable of handling the human resource effectively. Luthans (1988) also established that the least relative contributor to the effectiveness of the real managers originated from the networking activities. However, the concept of networking is not fundamental factor for managerial effectiveness. Indeed, a critical analysis of Luthans’s (1988) work shows that the networking activity had the weakest correlation to managerial effectiveness. In fact, from analysis of Luthans’s (1988) findings, it could be reasoned that of the three, the capability to manage the human resource has the strongest correlation to effectiveness, followed by communication and lastly, networking. By communication, it means exchange of organisational information and organising paperwork. On the other hand, networking implies politicking, socialising, and interacting with the outsiders (Matin et al., 2010). Human resource management implies skills on recruiting, and training and developing employees (Khan & Ahmad, 2012). Figure 1: Activities of effective managements [adapted from Luthans’s (1988)] The findings are relevant to the modern-day organisations. In fact, a recent study by Tucker and Singer (2013), although did not directly mention the aspects of managing the human resource and communication, pointed to their roles in facilitating the effectiveness of the managers. Tucker and Singer (2013) were determined to explore the model of Management-By-Walking-Around (MBWA) used in hospitals that required the senior management to directly observe and monitor the frontline workers. However, few studies have rigorously examined its impact on organizational outcomes. The study concluded that effective managers would rely on communication and their ability to manage the human resource to oversee frontline workers, acquire ideas regarding improvement opportunities, and coordinate the employees to resolve issues. What Effective managers do Tucker and Singer (2013) was also of the view that improving management could be enabled, as communication from the frontline employees regarding problems could align the management’s perspectives regarding the customers or employees’ experiences. In turn, this would enable the managers to distribute the scarce resources effectively among various improvement opportunities of the organization. At the same time, a manager is also able to enhance performance, as his communication and understanding of the frontlines would send a perceptible signal regarding the seriousness of the organization in resolving problems. In turn, this would increase the beliefs of the employees that leadership values their efforts, which sequentially spurs them to adopt the discretionary behaviours essential for process improvement (Chuang, 2013). Therefore, effective managers are communicator and human resource managers. In a related study, Skyrik (2010) also brought evidence indicating that effective managers must effectively handle the human resources, in addition to all other human aspect of the organization. Skyrik’s (2010) research was particularly concerned with the characteristics effective management in modern-day technology-based organisations. His view was that the human resource issues should include the management of the social perceptions within the teams, the team effectiveness and dynamics, employee development, as well as employee competencies. In brief, what Skyrik (2010) managed to show is that the critical elements of effective management entails the capability of the managers to manage employees’ social perceptions, their effectiveness and dynamics, development, as well as competencies. According to Skyrik (2010), the concept of social perception describes the entire processes that are associated with the employees forming impressions and perceptions regarding the organisation, the outside people the organisation interacts with, and the insiders. Competencies denote the skills, abilities, and knowledge, as well as other features of the personality. Moore and Rudd (2004), however, argued that leaders also need to have emotional intelligence, by showing the elements of self-regulation, self-awareness, motivation, social skills and empathy. Skyrik (2010) also emphasised the value of having managers who can effectively communicate in the technology-based organisation. In his view, effective managers in technology-based organisations assist the teams to prevail over certain limitations that the nature of the communication processes and information exchange in their organisations bring about. Skyrik (2010) argued that effective managers who could effectively communicate were more capable of building trust, building team cohesion and team identity. Indeed, what Skyrik (2010) shows is that in modern-day organisations where communication technology is over-utilised almost in all aspects of work, effective communication is a critical success factor for an effective managers. Indeed, a review of the current business trends indicates dramatic shifts in the business environment because of a globalized marketplace, and internationalisation, which have accelerated the necessity for organizations to rely on communication technology to coordinate work across geographical boundaries (Khan and Ahmad, 2012). Luthans (1988) also stressed that effective managers need to have effective traditional management skills, by being good decision-makers, planners and controlling capabilities. A later study by Abbass (2004) also examined the relevance of traditional management skills. He emphasised that the effective managers should be able to design and sustain an environment capable of accomplishing organisational missions and objectives. His view was that effective managers tend plan, and organize tasks. They are also effective in controlling, communicating, and promoting team working. Ahmad (2012) also studied performance management in modern-day organisations. His view was that to attain effective management, the managers had to seek a strategic and integrated approaches that could enable them to deliver sustained organizational success through the improvement of people’s performance, as well as by developing the teams and individual s’ capabilities. In other words, effective managers must have competent human resource management skills. Indeed, in a related study by Fairholm (2009), the researcher argued that the key objective of performance management is transforming the human resource’s raw potential into satisfactory performance by eliminating immediate barriers, as well as motivating and developing the human resource. Another study by Meuse’s et al. (2011) also reached a conclusion that effective managers increase an organization’s competitive capacity by recruiting a strong human resource and effectively developing them. Self-Assessment As Ring (2008) explains, Myers-Brigg Type Indicator evaluates personality preference using opposite scales, which include sensing/intuiting, extraversion/introversion, judging/perceiving and thinking/feeling. Findings from the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator Form showed that my personality preference is ISTJ. My ISTJ preference showed Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. Such a preference was divided evenly among the three groups. According to Ring (2008), the ISTJ for introverted sensing with extraverted thinking, tend to indicate that a leader has insightful respect for facts. This category of leaders tends to use its capability to sense internally. It also tends to rely on thinking capability to make decisions, as well as to take a rational resolute approach to solving problem. Again, it tends to concentrate on the task at hand or the system in its entirety. In fact, therefore, it tends to be reasonable, rational, analytical, and detached. From the MBTI assessment, I also realised that I tend to enjoy organising people and projects, as well as to enforce principles and rules. For these reasons, I could summarise my leadership skills as being realistic, critical, systematic, and assertive. Consistent with my position as a human resource coordinator at my workplace, a greater fraction of my work consists of performing employee performance audits, as well as ensuring that employees conform to the workplace policies. For this reason, I believe that my MBTI description is correct given that I tend to be systematic, analytical, and rational. The results from the four 360-degree feedback indicate that I am generally a creative person, highly assertive, domineering, and logical. In respect to my working relationships, the Belbin results indicate that I can work effectively as a leader by being creative. Despite this, I would still require the organisation to provide me with more opportunities to exercise substantial influence. At any rate, there are some occasions where exercising my authority would be deemed to be inappropriate since, as Henry and Stevens (n.d.) explain, some workers may not respond well to approaches that are overtly-dominant. Belbin results also indicated that by nature, my operating style is that of leading from the front. At any rate, Henry and Stevens (n.d.) argue that the key challenge for such leadership traits is exercising such a propensity with prudence, as well as without seeking to limit other people’s styles and ambitions. The Belbin results further indicate that I appear to be committed to coordinating and ensuring team development. Belbin tends to recommend the application of 360-degree feedback to validate one's self-perception. The Belbin results show I am an effective Coordinator. I am also self-confident, mature, and have the capacity to delegate work effectively. However, the weaknesses entail being seen as manipulative. It also shows that I tend to delegate to others even my own share of work. It also indicates that I am a Resource Indicator. The key strengths include being communicative and exploring opportunities. The weaknesses entails tendency to lose interest when enthusiasm wears off. The concept of Plant also applied in my team roles. The key strength includes being creative and imaginative, and generating ideas and resolving complex problems. The key weakness includes the tendency to overlook incidentally, or being too busy to be effectively communicative. Hence, the Belbin results indicate that I tend to have strong grasp of objectives, a strong capacity to influence others and the willingness to increase my team’s resources. Still, what complicate my leadership styles are the two competing working styles that influence my behavioural perspective, which potentially introduces the aspect of unpredictability. Among them includes calms, consultative, and the tendency to stay focused on the priorities. The second entails the resoluteness in decision-making, as well as challenging and pushing others to attain organisational objective. While each of these styles is crucial when applied in the right situations, they are connected to varied temperaments, which make it difficult to combine in a manner that is convincing. The personal assessment through the 360-degrees assessment revealed almost similar results. All the four responses showed that I was a highly creative leader, tolerant, consultative and tended to focus on the priorities, and could often delegate to others my own portion of work. Four responses also showed that I was rather shifty and easily got bored due to lack of enthusiasm in work. Regarding my working relationships, three of the four responses showed that I can work effectively as a leader by being creative. All the four responses also showed that I tended to lead from the front, and was highly influential. All the four responses showed that I was an effective team coordinator, as well as a good coach. Two of the responses also indicated that I tend to be too manipulative. Plan Based on the 360-degree feedback process and the instruments of Belbin Team Model, and Myers-Briggs Theory Indicator (MBTI), I managed to identify my key weaknesses that prevent me from being an effective leader. The areas to improve on are identified below: Improve my communicative skills, as I tend to be too preoccupied with work that I communicate less with others. Also, strengthen my coordination skills, as I tend to be too manipulative and even delegate my own share of work to others, and Improve my decision-making problem solving skills, as I tend to be too domineering and pushy. SMART tool From the personal assessment and 360-dree feedback, it becomes clear that I need to improve on my communications skills, decision-making, as well as begin to accommodate other people’s opinions more often, as this affect how effective I can be a leader. The SMART tools will help me improve on these areas. The action plan sets “specific” goals. In addition, the goals are “measurable,” “attainable” and “relevant’ to attaining the current objectives of improving my leadership skills. Again, the goals have a clear timeframe of three months. Action Plan During the next three months, my plan is to acquire effective decision-making skills, be more accommodative, and be an effective communicator. Goal 1 - Improve on decision-making skills: The Belbin team roles, 360-degree feedback, and Myers-Briggs Theory Indicator showed that despite being analytical and creative, I tended to be too domineering and pushy. Therefore, I intend to be more accommodative of others’ opinions, as well as be more influential and motivating. During the first week of the action plan, I intend to identify the rate at which I accommodate the view of others. My aim will be to let others do the talking. I will list down the number of views I accommodate in addition to the rate and extent to which my team members and peers welcome me into their discussions. I will also identify the favourable outcomes of each decision to monitor the extent to which I accommodate others’ views. The process will run for three weeks. After 21 days, I will undertake self-appraisal to examine if I can make decisions based on both internal and external influence, as well as whether I can sustain with the team motivation and spirit. I will know I have achieved this goal once I received positive feedback from another 36-degree feedback intended to find out how the departmental manager and my subordinates view me to be an effective decision-maker. Goal 2 - Improve on communication skills Belbin team roles, 360-degree feedback and Myers-Briggs Theory Indicator showed that I tend to be too preoccupied with work. This tends to affect the extent to which I communicate with others, to build effective relationships. Improving communication skills will take five weeks. During the first week, I plan to come up with a checklist of my insecurities and negative emotions in addition to how harmfully they affect my communication. This is since my poor communication skills emanate from wanting to keep to myself by pretending to be sometimes too preoccupied with work. Failure to accommodate the views of others also emanates from poor communication skills. This has made me to be viewed too manipulative. I will also create a checklist of the prevalent modes of communication at the workplace. Through the checklist, I plan to select the four highly practical modes of communication favoured by my recipients. I will practice using each of the four modes for each of the four weeks. In the fifth week, I will undertake an assessment based on the lists I created during the first week to determine whether I have eliminated insecurities, as well as whether I can sufficiently engaged the effectively used modes of communication at my workplace. I will know I have attained this goal when I feel I can communicate with others freely, and others can as well approach me for consultation, rather than chase them around for consultative. If at least three people can approach me for consultation and maintain a flowing conversation for a minimum of 15 minutes, then I will know I have attained the goal of communication and being accommodative. Therefore, based on the SMART tools, I intend to transform myself fully into effective communicator, efficient decision-maker and a highly accommodative leader with strong emotional skills. I believe that these three critical areas will enable me to achieve my short-term and long-term leadership goals. Conclusion Effective managers are effective communicators, decision-makers, as well as capable of handling the human resource effectively. This reflective task was undertaken to enable me develop effective leadership skills. This essay is anchored in the self-perception and observer assessments. Personal assessment was based Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, Belbin Team Roles and 360-degree feedback. The Myers-Brigg Type Indicator Form showed that I am a realistic, critical, systematic, and assertive leader. Indeed, the personal assessment through the 360-degrees assessment revealed almost similar results. All the four responses showed that I was a highly creative leader, tolerant, consultative and tended to focus on the priorities, and could often delegate to others my own portion of work. Consistent with the findings, the Belbin results indicate that I can work effectively as a leader by being creative. They also show that I tend to be too dominant and manipulative. The same findings are suggested by the 360-degree feedback. The weaknesses identified included poor communication skills, poor decision-making skills, as well as being too manipulative. I intend to overcome these weaknesses through the SMART tools in six weeks. I learnt that capability to effectively communicate, make effective decisions and handling the human resource have strong correlation to leadership effectiveness. The knowledge will help me to improve the organisational performance, as well as to coordinate effectively the frontline employees, and to align them effectively to the organisation’s perspectives regarding the customers’ experience. In turn, this would also enable me to effectively distribute scarce organisational resources among various improvement opportunities of the organization, as well as to effectively resolve problems in my department. References Abbass, I. (2004). Management Skills – Tools for Leadership Imperatives In Democracy. European Scientific Journal 8(16), 114-120 Abdullah, H. (2010). Major Challenges To The Effective Management Of Human Resource Training And Development Activities. The Journal of International Social Research 2(8), 12-25 Ahmad, S. (2012). Impact of Organizational Culture On Performance Management Practices In Pakistan. Business Intelligence Journal 1(1), 20-61 Chuang, S. (2013). Essential Skills For Leadership Effectiveness In Diverse Workplace Development. Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development 6(1), 1-23 Fairholm, M. (2009). Leadership and Organizational Strategy. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, 14(1), 1-16 Henry, S. & Stevens, K. (n.d.). Using Belbin’s Leadership Role to Improve Team Effectiveness: An Empirical Investigation. Retrieved from: Khan, A, & Ahmad, W. (2012). Leader’s Interpersonal Skills and Its Effectiveness at different Levels of Management. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(4), 296-305 Luthans, F. (1988). Successful vs. Effective Real Managers. The Academy of Management Executive 3(2), 127-132 Matin, H., Jandaghi, G., Karimu, F. & Ali, H. (2010). Relationship between Interpersonal Communication Skills and Organizational Commitment (Case Study: Jahad Keshavarzi and University of Qom, Iran). European Journal of Social Sciences 13(3), 387-398 Meuse, K., Dai, G, & Wu, J. (2011). Leadership Skills across Organizational Levels: A Closer Examination. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 14(1), 120–139 Moore, L. & Rudd, R. (2004). Leadership Skills And Competencies For Extension Directors And Administrators. Journal of Agricultural Education 45(3), 23-33 Ring, B. (2008). Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: A Research Report. Retrieved from: Skyrik, (2010). Proposal of a Model for effective Management and Development of virtual Teams. Journal of Systems Integration 4(1), 27-38 Tucker, V. & Singer, S. (2013). The Effectiveness of Management-By-WalkingAround: A Randomized Field Study. Harvad Business School, Working Paper 12-113 September 4, 2013 Appendices Appendix A: 360-degree response 1 1. Am I an effective leader? YES 2. What do you think are my strongest leadership traits? You know how to co-ordinate tasks. You can also be very good in coming up with solutions. In fact, this is what makes us to respect you as a leader. I also like the way you know how you help others to learn 3. What do think are weakest leadership traits? I have heard people say that you are too bossy. It puts others off. 4. What areas of my leaderships styles should I improve on? Maybe you should stop being seen as bossy. In my assessment, you always want to dominate. I think this is the problem you should focus on changing. 5. Could you please comment on my decision making skills? I think that since you are known to be analytical and factual, most decisions you make are good. However, I have fears that people don’t fully feel they are part of your decisions. 6. How would you describe my communication skills? You are good in communicating. However, since I have personally seen you wanting to dominate in conversations, I think if you could change in that area, things would be better. Appendix B: 360-degree response 2 1. Am I an effective leader? Yes. I believe so. 2. What do you think are my strongest leadership traits? You are creative, consultative, and very focused on priorities. Four responses also showed that I was rather shifty and easily got bored due to lack of enthusiasm in work. You are also good in coaching others when you are in the moods. 3. What do think are weakest leadership traits? You sometimes delegate much work, even your own work to your subordinates. I believe this is the reason they tend to avoid you. Besides, you should also let your subordinates to be seen to be impactful. 4. What areas of my leaderships styles should I improve on? You work coordination skills may have a problem. You should learn to share out work equally. 5. Could you please comment on my decision making skills? You are an effective decision-maker, and that I must be proud of you. 6. How would you describe my communication skills? You have proved to be an introvert, as you like keeping to yourself even the most important issues that should be shared to the team. Appendix C: 360-degree response 3 1. Am I an effective leader? Yes. 2. What do you think are my strongest leadership traits? You always lead from the front. You always take initiatives. 3. What do think are weakest leadership traits? You like manipulating others a lot. Honestly, you are sometimes too pushy and impatient. We know you are the group leader, but sometimes you just dominate a lot. It can be boring. You also cant’ do your own work. 4. What areas of my leadership styles should I improve on? I believe wanting to dominate affects you emotional intelligence. Improve on that. Also, learn to communicate well with group members. 5. Could you please comment on my decision making skills? Your decisions are always great. 6. How would you describe my communication skills? I’m not comfortable with your communication skills. Improve on that. Appendix D: 360-degree response 4 1. Am I an effective leader? Yes. I have heard people say that about you. 2. What do you think are my strongest leadership traits? You know how to direct others and to coordinate them during group projects 3. What do think are weakest leadership traits? I don’t think there are any serious ones, except you tend to concentrate too much on your work that you forget about networking with others. I believe networking is important for any leader. 4. What areas of my leadership styles should I improve on? You tend to be an authoritarian. Perhaps, that’s why the group members sometimes miss group meetings 5. Could you please comment on my decision making skills? Since you dominate a lot, we always assume that the decisions are not effective. We always want to feel we too made the decisions. But, you dominate in making decisions. 6. How would you describe my communication skills? You talk very less unless of course when you are issuing orders, making decisions or handing out tasks. Appending E: Belbin Team Roles Results The Bar graph indicates Team Roles in descending order. Figure 2: The Bar graph indicate Team Roles in descending order. Figure 3: This graph indicates results from Self-Perception plus 4 Observer Assessments Figure 4: Belbin results based on self-perception Figure 5: belbin graph based on based on self-perception Figure 6: Team Role Strengths and Weaknesses Read More