The Profile of Effective Manager

According to Jean Miller from TIG (Taking It Global) “Conflict is the source of all growth and is an absolute necessity if one is to be alive.” Grant, Quacy. Conflict and Conflict Management. Taking It Global -

http://www.takingitglobal.org/express/article.html?cid=1227 An effective manager must be able to manage conflict and also learn from it to help the organization to grow and be challenged. Conflict is not always negative but can prove to have some positive outcomes as well. The effective manager can balance this delicate relationship and works hard to handle conflict with care.

As further stated in the article, conflict can be viewed as something to manage or something to resolve. John Burton, one of the world's leading scholars in the field of conflict resolution commented “…resolution means terminating conflict by methods that are analytical and that get to the root of the problem.” Miller explains that “conflict management is a multi-disciplinary, analytical, problem-solving approach to conflict that seeks to enable participants to work collaborately towards its management.” Grant, Quacy. Conflict and Conflict Management. Taking It Global -

http://www.takingitglobal.org/express/article.html?cid=1227

Conflict is not easily avoided in any organization; therefore, an effective manager is prepared by knowing how he will approach certain issues before they happen. There are many books and articles written that address this topic in great detail. An effective manager will consult these items and use his or her own judgment in taking the advice of these publications.

According to James Cribbin, there are three basic kinds of conflict as follows: Approach-Approach, Avoidance-Avoidance, and Approach-Avoidance. Cribbin, James J. Effective Managerial Leadership. American Management Association, Inc. USA: 1972

Approach-Approach would seem to be the most straight forward type of conflict as there are two alternatives that are equally feasible. If an employee is not being productive in the company this affects how the manager's boss views that department. The manager wants to please his boss but also stay on good terms with his employee. In each case the manager needs to approach the other person with open communication and deal with the situation.

Avoidance-Avoidance is very difficult because whatever decision is made to have negative consequences. If a manager knows that his boss is cheating the company financially, he must make a decision. Tell on his boss and suffer the wrath, or stay quiet and sacrifice his ethics. He would like to avoid the conflict on either side, but staying quiet may not be an option.

The last type of conflict according to Cribbin is Approach-Avoidance. He gives a clear example of a manager put in a situation in which he must make a decision that will affect himself and his family. He wants to approach the situation but also avoid it completely. He is given a great promotion in the company but must move his family from his nice comfortable town to a large metropolis city. Cribbin has outlined the options he has and portrays what a difficult situation this could really be:

1. Accept the position and move

2. Accept the position, leave the family in the small town and visit them on the weekends.

3. Bribe the family to make the move.

4. Ask the family to try to the new city for a year and then assess the situation.

5. He can refuse the promotion.

6. He can try to stall in making the decision and hope that something different will turn up.

7. He can try to convince his superiors that he can take the promotion and contribute more from where he already is.

8. He can get another job. Cribbin, James J. Effective Managerial Leadership. American Management Association, Inc. USA: 1972

While this is a personal conflict for this manager, the skills a manager uses to deal with personal conflict must be transferable to the workplace environment involving other employees as well as superiors. If a manager knows that there are always several options in dealing with a situation, he will be more open to choosing one that will work for that unique conflict.

As mentioned earlier, consistency is an important part of an effective manager and can be applied to conflict as well. A good manager is consistent in executing rules and regulations with his employees. He will not let close relationships with employees cloud his judgment and rationale for making a decision. When conflict arises, the employees will know that each person will receive the same treatment regardless of who they are.

According to Robbins, “Consistency can relate to an individual's reliability, predictability, and good judgment in handling situations. Inconsistencies between words and actions decrease trust. Nothing is noticed more quickly… than a discrepancy between what executives preach and what they expect their associates to practice.” People want to be able to “predict what you are going to do.” Robbins, Stephen P. Essentials of Organizational Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002.

In order for a manager to improve their effectiveness in a conflict situation they can also use “The Five A's of Improving Your Personal Effectiveness” Model from Kerns. The A's are assess, analyze, action plan, act, and adjust - then repeat. Kerns, Dr. Charles. “The Five A's of Improving Your Personal Effectiveness”. Graziadio Business Report. September 2002.

A good manager will always assess the situation in order to gather all of the details. Once he has all of the information, he will analyze it and develop an action plan. After implementation of the plan, he will be able to be flexible with that plan if something needs to be adjusted. Effective managers use the Five A's constantly without even realizing it. This helps a manager approach conflict with confidence knowing there is a steady process he can rely upon.

2.3. Flexibility and Creativity

“Managers exist in a state of steady uncertainly and their success rests upon constant exploration of uncharted waters.”

Barry Munitz,

President of Federated Development Company

Houston, Texas

Today changes in the business environment become more rapid and more complex and of course each manager must solve more problems in a limited period of time. As Dr. Abraham Zaleznik of Harvard University mentioned: "No matter how much you plan, when you get to the work place there are unanticipated problems: And the added constant challenge is that most of these problems cannot be solved effectively in old, familiar, or straightforward manners. Hence the quality most necessary for business and career success these days, and increasingly so in the future, is flexibility.” Are you flexible enough to succeed? ,  By: Raudsepp, Eugene, Manage, Mar90, Vol. 41, Issue 4 But our group consider also creativity to be important today. These two aspects help manager not to be lost and not to lose in the modern business world and of course to be effective.

According to the dictionary flexibility is “the ability to change or to be changed easily to suit a different situation” Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English,pearson Education Limited,1978,2001. What factors made this aspect so important? Thirst of all the growing volumes of information a manager should deal with. Second, environment and technologies which changed quicker and quicker every year and the third point will be internationalization. According to these three situations we can determine the following characteristics of the flexible manager:

1. A flexible manager is able “to stay loose and to choose and explore a wide variety of approaches to problems, without losing sight of the overall goal or purpose” Are you flexible enough to succeed? ,  By: Raudsepp, Eugene, Manage, Mar90, Vol. 41, Issue 4

2. Shows a resourcefulness in their ability to adapt himself quickly and easily to developing situation and changing environment

3. He "does not see the environment as something to which they should passively respond, but as something they should actively shape." George T. Geis, research coordinator at UCLA's Center of Human Resource Management at Are you flexible enough to succeed? ,  By: Raudsepp, Eugene, Manage, Mar90, Vol. 41, Issue 4

Some authors also associated flexibility with personal openness of the manager The Unblocked Manager, By: Mike Woodcock,Dave Francis,England,GB,1983. They pointed out that if managers are open then they can be influenced by what is happening around them and as a result they react more flexible to all the changes around them. The one thing is obvious that flexibility is a key feature of personal growth and an indispensable condition for being an effective manager.

Let's now go back to the second aspect - creativity, and let's see what it means: “Creativity - producing or using new and effective ideas, results, etc” Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English,pearson Education Limited,1978,2001. When we think about creativity, we imagine people who are gifted, talented, and different from others, whose ideas, decisions, and actions are situated out of the every day's life borders. In culture, creativity is associated with such a people like Bach, Van Gogh, and Einstein; in business with Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple Computers), Jack Welch (General Electric), and Anita Rodick (The Body Shop). Becoming a Master Manager, By:Robert E.Qiunn,Sue R.Faerman,Michel P. Thomson, Michael R. McGrath; USA,2003 Today creativity is a way of thinking, the way to integrate you visions and ideas into relationships and business. This process can be presented as following:

Figure 3: Critical thinking

Brainstorming processes

Free association, etc.

Source: Becoming a Master Manager, By:Robert E.Qiunn,Sue R.Faerman,Michel P. Thomson, Michael R. McGrath; USA,2003

The use of creativity in the decision making process or in problem solving allows manager to increase the effectiveness and encourage creative thinking among employees. An effective manager will use creativity as a tool of motivation. When employees are encouraged to use creativity in their problem solving and in everyday work, they are more likely to feel unique, valued and important for their organization Becoming a Master Manager, By:Robert E.Qiunn,Sue R.Faerman,Michel P. Thomson, Michael R. McGrath; USA,2003. In this way a manager can not only develop effectiveness but also create a group of like-minded employees.

For an effective manager of the future creativity or creative thinking should become the natural way to think. But to reach this ideal situation each manager should avoid the following barriers:

1. “A negative value of fantasy and reflection as a waste of time, a sign of laziness, or even a bit crazy” Becoming a Master Manager, By:Robert E.Qiunn,Sue R.Faerman,Michel P. Thomson, Michael R. McGrath; USA,2003

2. the ideas that only children may play and fantasise but adults must be serious

3. the idea that problem solving is a very serious an responsible process and you must forget about creativity and humour

4. a negative image of feeling and intuition, which are regarded as illogical an impractical

Although it is very difficult sometimes to change the society's cultural barriers and to change the image of creativity, each manager should try to overcome pragmatic influences and think individually.

2.4. Developing of managerial knowledge and manager's teaching role

Every manager must be sure that he or she will develop the competence and knowledge of those they supervise. Every employee has a potential for personal and professional development, and a good manager should discover and develop this potential. We will start with the idea that each person wants to know more. When a young employee comes to the company he has a lot of theoretical knowledge, personal ideas and visions. He has read a lot of books and articles, but he is still asking himself a lot of different questions. In that moment he needs someone to teach him how to become successful.

When you are a small child your parents teach you how to walk, and when you make your first steps in your career you also need a “parent” to teach, to give support, to empower and whatever else necessary. The effective manager is always ready to become such a “parent”. He is always open to his employees and colleagues, he shares his knowledge, and he inspires others with his own experience and example. During the process of teaching he always remains patient and supports everyone in every step of the way. And of course leaders take the time to thank employees for a job well done.

But teaching doesn't mean only sharing manager's knowledge with someone; it also means that the manager takes a role of mentor. The term "mentor" has been used quite often in recent years. Jacqueline D. Heads, academic advisor for the Rutgers University College of Pharmacy in New Jersey defines this term as the following “A true mentor motivates you and impels you to move to the next level, mobilizes you by advising you on how to get there, and finally, like a guide, a mentor informally monitors your progress to make sure you are moving in the right direction," Mentors Are Guides to Success ,  By: Wilson, Cheryl F., Black Collegian, Apr2002, Vol. 32, Issue 3

But why should we pay so much attention to teaching role of manager or his mentoring role? The answer is obvious: teaching is a core competency the effective manger should have. The idea of effectiveness changed the vision of teaching and today more authors speak not only about teaching or mentoring but about a developmental manager. Do your managers have the right stuff? ,  By: Simonsen, Piggy, Workforce, Aug99, Vol. 78, Issue 8 That means that instead of taskmasters and evaluators, managers are most effective as coaches, motivators, symphony conductors and employee developers” Do your managers have the right stuff? ,  By: Simonsen, Piggy, Workforce, Aug99, Vol. 78, Issue 8 We will pay more attention to this idea.

Developing happened not at home but mostly at the work place during the work itself or during the special classes. That is why it will be useful for each manager to create and to follow a development plan to avoid pointless talks and wasting of time. The idea of “A+ employees takes A+ managers” Do your managers have the right stuff?,  By: Simonsen, Piggy, Workforce, Aug99, Vol. 78, Issue 8 seems to our group to be a very interesting and future oriented idea of cooperation between manager and employees. According to this idea you should follow these rules while developing people:

· Appreciate uniqueness of the people

· Assess capability of their team members

· Anticipate the future (leads others in the future)

· Align aspirations (create win/win partnerships built on trust and loyalty)

· Accelerate learning

But in practice the theory is always confronted with reality. One of the main problems of teaching or developing people is that a lot of managers are afraid of teaching other people. The main reason for such an attitude is idea, that if you as a manager will teach someone everything you know and after that he may become better and smarter then you, and take your place. Of course it can happen. But then manager should turn back to his main values and decide what is most important to him: his own career or his company's success.

At the same time, if you are going to share your knowledge with someone, to teach, to develop and to become a mentor you must broaden your own knowledge. The individual becomes a manager because he was chosen to get results and to use his knowledge, not because he won a popularity contest. Employees are not going to listen to a person who has no knowledge in what he is talking about or gives out false information. People need to believe that a manager has the proper skills and abilities to carry out what he claims to be experienced in. Only then a manager will earn a respect and employees will become his like-minded team. How will you be able to do this?

Страницы: 1, 2, 3, 4