Management in real life

Authority

Management comes with authority. Managers set standards and enforce consequences. A manager has the authority to oversee implementation of plans and the general workflow of the employees you oversee. Additionally, a manager has the authority to confront inappropriate behavior as well as to enforce changes. A manager can also reward or punish the employee who refuse to comply. Thus, a manager has authority to ensure that different tasks are undertaken for the success of the overall organization. The exercise of authority is one of most difficult adjustments for most new managers. However, it is critical if a manager has to be effective. As a manager, one can use this authority to influence others to achieve results. Authority is leveraged by knowledge and expertise, giving or withholding rewards and imposition.

Delegation

There are many good aspects of being a manager. In every organization, managers have a lot of tasks that may be difficult to accomplish. However, a manager can assign the work among different employees to get work done. By subdividing tasks among different subordinates, a manager deliberately passes some authority and responsibility to others. This practice ensures that work is done effectively. It also frees the manager to carry out other important tasks. A manager can pass all the routine work and reduce the workload while concentrating on an important task. Without this, a manager might be overburdened with work. The process also improves the relationship between a manager and subordinates. When a manager effectively delegates work, he productively makes the best use of subordinates. Delegation is a critical skill for managers and often requires emotional intelligence. The practice also improves employee interest and involvement and enhances confidence

Bad

Strategic management

Strategic management requires formulation of plans through strategic planning. Such plans involve defending against competitors attack, entering new markets and responding to shifts in the external environment. Strategic planning is one of the key areas that managers pursue to maintain the competitiveness of the organization. Managers face key challenges such as executing the plan and engaging the right people in important tasks. Managers can only successfully implement strategic plans if they gain the maximum commitment of stakeholders within the organization. Putting a strategic plan in place presents a greater challenge to management. While developing a strategic plan requires much effort, achieving the goals, strategies, objectives and tactics in the plan determine the success of the entire process. There are many factors that result in the failure of strategic plans. Sometimes, strategic plans might be too ambitious. Managers must be able to control these factors to ensure the survival of the organization.

Performance management

Organizations utilize Performance management as the basis of many human resource systems. Managers have to solve this puzzle by making choices when designing performance management systems. The first challenge in the implementation of performance management is the shared belief among leadership regarding the measurement and behavior. Managers must determine the nature of the mix and behavior that must be linked to a unit, team, and company performance. The concept of performance management is characterized by complexity as it presents multiple dimensions with no best approach. Managers are required to adopt a broader perspective on performance beyond financial results. Organizational compensation decisions are linked to performance review data. Managers face the challenge as performance management data may be perceived as invalid due to flaws with the process for collecting and analyzing employee information and what elements of performance are measured. Such may undermine the confidence of consequent decisions based upon performance including rewards and promotion.

Ugly

Change management

Managers face various challenges in their efforts to implement changes in organizations. Transforming organizations is a difficult process. Without good planning, changes fall apart and may cause significant losses to the organization. Managers’ role includes managing change to ensure the successful transformation. Thus, as a manager, it is important to understand how changes will take place and prepare the organization. Change management involves changing organizational culture and employee attitudes that are deeply ingrained in people and organizations to ensure that the new system is compatible to the old system. Roles must be assigned to key individuals responsible for a change. Often, there is the lack of consensus, and the manager faces barriers during the process. It is the managers’ role to bring all stakeholders on board from the beginning. Managers are often a focal point of employee anger. They burn out and are overwhelmed by tasks. Additionally, managers face powerful consequences based on the outcome of the change process.

Uncooperative employees

Managers often have to deal with difficult employees. The reasons for difficulty can vary. Such employees avoid tasks and lack strong work ethics. These groups of employees prefer minimal supervision and prefer managers who are afraid to address performance issues. Difficult employees are constantly complaining and stir up discontent. Difficult employees affect organization's or unit's bottom line. The negative attitude has a far bigger ripple effect on an organization than employees’ deficient skills. Employee negativity can spread among other employees. Given the challenge in quantifying interpersonal issues, many managers face difficulty with difficult employees.

Lessons learnt

The first lesson learned is that management is a skill that requires mastery. Being a manager offers a number of perks and benefits such as a greater responsibility, higher salary, and authority and determines how an organization operates. A manager also gets the opportunity to develop skills that leverage their career. On the other hand, it’s tough being a manager. It is difficult to gauge manager’s quality of work. Managers implement long-term goals that may be an inadequate basis for measuring their performance and success. Secondly, delegation is critical to the performance of management tasks. Good manager delegates and allows employees to take responsibility of their own work. However, the final responsibility for the ultimate decision does not lie with the subordinate, rather the manager. This practice ensures that work is done effectively and also frees the manager to carry out other important tasks.

Thirdly, managers have to constantly deal with difficult employees. There are various measures that managers may implement to ensure that the organization does not suffer the consequences of unproductive employees. Managers may clearly define specific objectives for all employees to meet and Set regular times for follow-up to ensure that tasks are completed accordingly. Missed deadlines and unfinished projects should be addressed immediately. Since difficult employees can negatively impact morale and team performance, managers can develop skills to deal with difficult employees and steer the organization toward success. Additionally, managers can only successfully implement changes if they gain the maximum commitment of different stakeholders within the organization. A manager should identify potential challenges and implement measures to prepare employees for the change process. Managers must also determine the most appropriate performance measurement system that positively impacts organizational performance.

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