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Category: Managerial Implications

  • Managerial implications of the discussion on work design

    In the last byte, we looked at counter-role behavior. In today’s byte we look at the managerial implications in the changing nature of work.

    In addition to the managerial expertise, it is important that manager have to have a wide range of nontechnical skills to be effective in their work. The following thought would be extremely important. 
    Work forms an important aspect of a healthy life – it satisfies two central needs in human nature – engaging in productive work and forming healthy relationship with others. Given that the meaning of work means different things depending on the culture; the design of jobs mus be done with a sensitivity to cultural values and beliefs.
     
    Managers would need to craft work tasks and assignments that fit the jobs to people who are doing them. There is no universally accepted way of designing work. The changing nature of work mandates that managers find new ways to define work and design jobs.
    Flexibility is crucial in job design in the modern era. Dramatic global, economic and organizational changes dictate the managers to be flexible in job/work design in organizations.
     
    Another important aspect to make note of is the role technology that has evolved since the nature of work has changed.

  • Managerial Implication of the discussion on conflict management

    In the last byte, we looked at the appropriate situations and the choice of the conflict management. In today’s byte, we try to summarize the discussion on conflict management with what implies from a managerial perspective.

    Following are four suggested and interrelated steps towards creating a conflict-positive organization:
    1. Value diversity and confront differences: Looking at differences as opportunities for innovation and celebrating diversity form a key to having open and honest confrontations that allow conflict to be positively used.
    2. Seek mutual benefits and unite behind cooperative goals: Individuals often depend on others to accomplish tasks and so, conflicts have to be managed together. A joint reward for teams when they accomplish some task together is a good way to encourage cooperative behavior.
    3. Empower employees to feel confident and skillful: Making people feel, they are in control of their conflicts and that they can deal with their differences productively is important. Recognizing such instances is important.
    4. Take stock to rewards success and learn from mistakes: Employees would benefit from appreciating one another’s strength, weakness and direct discussion. They should celebrate their conflict management success and work towards constantly improving the same in the future.
    Last but not the least, it is important for a good conflict manager to have a high emotional intelligence. This ability to influence one’s own and other’s emotions is an important tactical asset and helps negotiate situations better there by reducing conflicts.

  • Decision Making – Managerial Implication

    In the last byte, we looked at the ethical dimension of decision making. In today’s byte, we look at the managerial implication of decision making as a critical activity.

    As a manager, it is rare to have the luxury of optimizing, satisfying is a more realistic approach that one would need to take. Many a times the decision could be unpredictable and random!

    Given that individuals differ in their preference for risk as well as styles of gathering information and making judgment; the manager would benefit from understanding these individual differences and can help managers maximize strengths in employee decision styles and build teams that capitalize on strengths like – creativity. By creating an enabling environment that is supportive, the employee’s creativity could be nourished.

    There is also no strict rule that defined whether decisions need to be taken up by individuals or teams/groups; it depends on the kind of requirement – the need to diagnose the situation, implement the appropriate level of participation etc and keep an eye on the potential for group think and other relevant biases that could creep in.

    Ethicality in decision making is the bedrock on all good decision making.

  • Managerial Implications of Team Work

    In the last byte, we began our discussion about the managerial implications on team work in the modern day. In today’s byte, we continue the discussion further and look at the managerial implications in detail.

    The manager’s responsibility in the triangle of new age team management is that of creating a receptive organizational environment for work groups and teams to work in. So, the manager would have to look at a balance between setting limits and removing barriers to enable the employees work better at their full potential. Unlike the traditional model, the manager here would be required to create a broad charter for this team, and give the team members the freedom to work – the role required from the manager would be to coach the team. Timely feedback and performance evaluation are other responsibilities that the manager would shoulder.

    The team leader role differs from the managers’ role on the following dimensions. The team leader would need to teach, listen, solve problems, manage conflicts, and enhance team functioning to ensure its success. It is primarily the team leaders’ responsibility to help the team work through interpersonal, task, and authority issues and show skill in nurturing a cohesive and effective team. Clearly we find that the team leaders’ role is more hands on than the managers’ role described above.

    Simply put, the team leaders should be skilled at forging the teamwork amongst diverse group of individuals, while the managers would need to be skilled in forging collaboration amongst diverse groups.