A New Supervisor Grace - Managing People at Work - Case Study Example

Managing People at Work- Case Study Name Institution Managing People at Work- Case Study Introduction Companies are faced with very strong competition which tends to create many challenges. Therefore, there is a need for continuous enhancement of company’s competitive advantage that will enable the business to survive (Scouller, 2011). In order for this to happen, every organisation must exploit the full potential of the employees. Leadership plays a fundamental role in the process. Normally, leadership is one of the primary factors in directing and controlling the organisational constituents towards achieving organisational success. In order for a leader to be effective in achieving organisational goals, it is important that the leadership style used is compatible with the needs of the followers (Scouller, 2011). Therefore, an organisation cannot succeed without effective leadership and high employee motivation and engagement. To foster teamwork, managers should strive to satisfy the motivational needs of the employees (Bazerman and Moore, 2009). This essay will is based on a case study about a new supervisor, Grace and the challenges in the new position. The paper will offer advice on the ways to motivate the employees and the decision-making method suitable for the organisation. The paper will also offer advice to the supervisor on how to develop the leadership skills and will emphasize on the need for emotional intelligence in managing employees. Motivating Employees In the case study, before Grace was promoted to a supervisor position, she had a good relationship with the other employees and the employees in general were motivated and there was open communication (Hitt, Black and Porter, 2012). She had developed good relationships with the other employees and their morale was extremely high. However, after she was promoted to being a shift supervisor, she was not happy with how things translated (Hitt, Black and Porter, 2012). The subordinates did not pay attention to Grace’s suggestions and treated them as a joke. After insisting on imposing authority towards the employees, there was evident that the morale was plummeting and productivity falling (Hitt, Black and Porter, 2012). Grace need to come up with ways to motivate the employee and raise their morale. One theory that explains the motivation of employees is the Maslow Theory. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory argue that people have a hierarchy of needs that should be satisfied from bottom to top (Fredrick, Bernard and Barbara, 2011). From the bottom are the psychological needs that are satisfied first and at the top are the self-actualization needs that are satisfied after other needs. According to the theory, the lowest level of unsatisfied needs is the key motivator of behaviour. These are needs which humans require in order to survive such as shelter and clothing (Fredrick, Bernard and Barbara, 2011). This comes in terms of adequate wages as well as a stable income. Managers can attend to the psychological needs of their employees by offering a comfortable working environment. Once the employee’s basic needs have been adequately met, they will want their social needs met (Fredrick, Bernard and Barbara, 2011). This level of social connections is fundamental in humans because they show a certain level of acceptance into their social environment. In the Case Study, therefore, Grace should understand that wages and compensation are not enough in motivating the employees. Grace can encourage cooperative teamwork by giving employees an opportunity to tackle both mental and physical challenges together as a team. In addition, in order for her to motivate their employees effectively, they can offer both praise and recognition when they have done well (Webb, 2007). This can boost the employees’ self-esteem thus motivating them. Employees require self-actualization so as to reach their full potential. Therefore, Grace can effectively utilize these needs by challenging their employees in their area of expertise. This can help the employees broaden their knowledge, improve their capability and contribute more in a teamwork project (Webb, 2007). Also, according to the Maslow Theory, managers ought to invite their employees to take part in decision making activities. This will give them a sense of leadership giving them morale in participating in decision making procedures in a teamwork project (Webb, 2007). Decision-Making Technique Decisions require a choice to be made among various alternatives and often, the choice selected is only based on judgement (Ventrice, 2003). On the other hand, this judgement relies heavily on a cognitive evaluation on the basis of interpretations of aspects such as facts, evidence and opinions. For a number of reasons, interpretation always varies from one person to another (Nelson et al., 2012). For this reason, it is important to implement appropriate decision-making technique that can be beneficial to the organisation. For Grace to motivate the employees, she should involve them in decision making. One technique for group decision-making that she can adapt is brainstorming. Brainstorming is considered a relaxed and informal means of solving problems and making decision (Nelson et al., 2012). This group decision-making approach involves a group of employees, sitting around a table and creating ideas with open communication. The main purpose of brainstorming is the generation of ideas that can be used in decision making. Usually, when the brainstorming session is in process, the situation discussed is described in details in order for every group member to fully understand the situation in question (Bazeman and Moore, 2009). Grace can act as a group leader in the brainstorming session with the responsibility of recording different ideas and act as a facilitator. With such an environment, the employees will feel free to address their grievances and will encourage open communication (Bazeman and Moore, 2009). And it is evident that open communication and employee engagement motivate employees. Once the ideas of the employees have been exhausted, everybody take part in evaluating the utility of different opinions presented (Bazeman and Moore, 2009). Brainstorming has several advantages. For instance, it provides a range of alternatives as group member have the freedom to give their ideas (Bazeman and Moore, 2009). It has a high possibility of generating a solution or a problem and decisions made are often acceptable by all and may end up being efficient. The challenges facing Grace may be reduced through the use of brainstorming as she will be able to get different opinions from different employees. The relationship between them will improve and they will be motivated and their morale will be elevated. Development of Leadership Skills Grace has been faced with a challenge of exercising authority over the employees and to motivate them (Hitt, Black and Porter, 2012). Since her promotion, there has been a reduced employee motivation that threatens to affect the profitability and productivity of the organisation (Hitt, Black and Porter, 2012). In order to succeed as a shift supervisor, Grace should adapt effective leadership skills. Leadership is complex and takes place at multiple levels. In the case study provided, there are many challenges that require effective leadership style. Leaders take a stand for action; there is high dearth of proven teachings, models, approaches and frameworks that can guide Grace in exercising leadership skills (Scouller, 2011). Behaviour theory explains how an individual can develop leadership skills and expertise (Lussier and Achua, 2004). Behavioural theory is based on specific behaviours of a leader. According to this theory, a leader’s behaviour is the best determinant of his or her leadership influences and this is able to predict leadership success (Lussier and Achua, 2004). This theory offer real marketing potential since behaviours can be conditioned according to a particular stimuli. According to behaviour theory, an effective leadership is all about taking into consideration the actions and not the mental qualities as suggested by other theories like the trait theory (Lussier and Achua, 2004). According to the theory, leaders can be taught leadership and leaders can learn even if they are not born with the leadership traits through teaching and observation. An individual can be made a leader by training and teaching him or her appropriate and effective behavioural responses for any particular situation (Lussier and Achua, 2004). Grace has an opportunity to acquire leadership qualities from training and development. Leadership skills can be taught and acquired easily and thus Grace should take this opportunity of learning in order to solve the already existing challenges. The process of learning can influence Grace’s personality and thus ending up reflecting in her behaviour. Training can change Grace’s behaviour and personality and can enable her lead the subordinates effectively. Many research studies have concluded that leaders’ personalities tend to affect the style they use when performing their tasks (Lussier and Achua, 2004). A number of personality dimensions are said to be related to leadership effectiveness. These dimensions include extroversion, emotional stability, conscientiousness and also agreeableness. Training and development will enable Grace acquire these personality dimension that lead to leadership effectiveness. Generally, Grace is required to understand and learn the various approaches to leadership in order to use the right approach for a particular situation (Lussier and Achua, 2004). Emotional intelligence Emotional Intelligence can be characterized by the following attributes: showing self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills to mention the least (Goleman, 2009). People who show the above attributes are considered emotionally intelligent and most of times turn out to be very successful in whatever they do (Goleman, 2009). Grace has been faced with a number of challenges in her new position (Hitt, Black and Porter, 2012). Developing emotional intelligence will enable her better manage the employees. Emotional intelligence will be very important for Grace because of a number of reasons. It will make her self-aware of her own emotions. This gives her the confidence to handle workplace situations without letting her own feelings overrule her decisions (Goleman, 2009). In the Case of Grace, before her promotion, she had established intimate relationship with some subordinates and she was afraid of exercising authority since she did not want to ruin the personal relationship she had established with subordinates. In addition, emotional intelligence also gives people an added advantage in the sector of knowing their own strengths and weaknesses therefore helping them focus on key areas that makes them perform better and more efficient (Mersino, 2013). Acquiring emotional intelligence will enable Grace acknowledge both her strength and weaknesses and will be able to improve for the better (Mersino, 2013). Additionally, emotional intelligence is important because it aids in controlling emotions and impulses. It gives one the ability to think before they act therefore avoiding careless decisions. This ability also comes with thoughtfulness; integrity and comfort with change (Mersino, 2013). Emotional intelligence will therefore enable Grace make rational decisions and avoid basing her authority and decisions on personal emotions and impulses. Moreover, emotional intelligence is very important for it will give Grace the ability to emphasize with the employees which involves being aware of their feelings. This will enable her manage relationships excellently while being able to listen keenly to others as well as relating to them (Mersino, 2013). In order to manage the employees better, Grace will have to enhance and improve her emotional intelligence. She will have to connect her feelings with her own thoughts. It tends to answer the question “What do I think about that” Many at times our thoughts will tend to be distant from other peoples’ (Mersino, 2013). Therefore doing this would greatly help her understand other peoples’ perceptions. Also, she can tune in one’s unconscious state of mind and self-evaluate herself every day. This will allow her to think deeply on the ideas that are most connected with her feelings. Conclusion Today, organisations are faced with intense competition which forces them to find ways to boost their competitive advantage. Motivation of employees and leadership are important concepts for organisational effectiveness. From the case provided, it is evident that Grace was facing a number of challenges related to motivation and leadership. After her promotion, she faced a challenge of exercising authority and leadership skills in the new position and the employees’ morale went down. According to the behaviour theory, a leader has the ability to acquire leadership skills by learning. Training and development can be an effective method for Grace to acquire effective leadership skills. Grace should also develop her emotional intelligence in order to better manage the employees. In addition, Grace should understand that compensation and salary are not enough in motivating employees. According to Maslow Theory, employees can be motivated through their involvement in decision making and challenging tasks. Grace should therefore use brainstorming method that will involve the employees in decision making. References Bazerman, M.H. & Moore, D.A. (2009). The escalation of commitment. Judgment in Managerial Decision Making, 7th edition (pp. 101-112). New York: Wiley. Fredrick, H., Bernard, M. & Barbara, B. (2011). The Motivation at Work: Volume 1 of organization and business. Transaction Publishers: London. Goleman, D. (2009). Emotional intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books. Hitt, M., Black, J., and Porter, L. (2012). Management (3rd Ed.). New Jersey, U.S.A.: Pearson Education. (pp233-234). Lussier, R., & Achua, C. (2004). Leadership Theory, Application, Skill Development. Minnesota: Southwestern. Mersino, A. (2013). 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