Leadership is a vital concept in organizational setting. The common conception of leadership is the decision-making ability of a leader. This can be acceptable because the decision which the leaders make can make or break a company. But with the discussions herein provided, decision-making is just an aspect of the broad sense of leadership.
The primary purpose of this Management report is to provide information regarding the leadership skills and performance of the author of this report and the style on how the incidences of leadership in relation to the performance of the job. There will also be a good picture of the development of the leadership incidences and the potential for growth in the performance as a leader in relation to corporate organization work.
The report will be consisting of two parts --- corresponding to the task of the coursework. Specifically, the first part of the report will deal with the following:
Critical reflection of the effectiveness of leadership by the author
Recommendations for the personal leadership development
On the second part, there will be reflection on a recent change process in the work situation and recommendation of the work process. In particular, the aspect of leadership that will be dealt with personally will consist of the following:
Planning Methods and Organizational Skills
Motivational Skills
Management Skills
Management Report
Planning Methods and Organizational Skills
A leader should not only someone who would guide the team or an organization towards certain objectives. A leader should be a visionary in a sense that there should always be a preconceived work plan or certain plan of action in every process undertaken or procedure in place. In this regard, a leader should be able to project in his mind and planning the contingent events that might be apparent or actual in order to give to the organization an alternative on problems, concerns or issues.
Planning method consist of the ability of the leader to lay down the circumstances and the challenges an undertaking entails, and put the proper controls and countermeasures needed to make a project or the entire organization work. Thus, the leader should be able to determine the assets and liabilities aligned to the resources and costs of the company. The leader should be able to determine the strengths, weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threat to and from the company in order to have a good judgment and decision if there are challenges to operational or organizational setting.
In this regard, the author is provided with the observations:
The author shows a good planning methodology, always laying facts and practical circumstances that can affect any undertaking or project given in order to appreciate the things surrounding the operations and its incidences
There is clear understanding of management methodology that allows assistance and priority of leadership action (understanding of the SWOT analysis, the PARETO analysis) leaving no doubt on the preparation and pre-conceived plan of action to benefit the company
The author goes to the meat of the resources and inventory of process and procedure in order to align the present needs of the company from the current assets. This is helpful in order to balance the external and internal demands vis-a vis what the company can offer
There is a clear vision of what the direction of any process or procedure reflecting the eagerness to apply the planning method used in a project and gives extra attention to steps that are challenged
Prepares a business continuity plan but due to the non-exposure to higher management's point of view, retains the plan in a level which may not be appreciated by upper management
Has challenges in terms of ideas brought to the organization on issues and concerns that is dependent on the trend of economic concerns and limited knowledge on the planning involving overseas trend and involvement of global players
Management Report
Motivational Skills
The power of motivation can be a good and effective tool for management to align employee performance to the mission and vision of a corporate setting. In this regard, the author can be commended in the maximum for having introduced a total rewards program to motivate employees to perform well and safeguard quality. In particular, the motivational aspect of the leadership is hereby addressed:
The total rewards program is introduced to provide a more particular and designed human resources plan for implementation, it is addressed to the factors the compensation and benefits are dealing with. Compensation and Benefits and Total Rewards Program are both designed to attract and retain employees. This addresses the turnover challenge in an organization where competition always lurks for opportunities to pirate employees.
As a leader, also provide motivation for the employees to behave in a way that achieves the highest performance levels. Indirectly in terms of employee perception, provides to the company the advantage that leads to the workforce to be satisfied, committed and motivated
Was able to contrast traditional methods of motivation and infuse the same with contemporary methods because of the knowledge of production work. Coming from production, was able to pinpoint the direct and underlying needs and demands of the employees to work with them better
Uses contemporary motivational framework (e.g. Wlodkowski's Culturally Responsive Teaching and Malone & Lepper's Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivation) integrating it to traditional means (carrot and stick and Hierarchy of Needs)
Provides and prepares the incentives given through the total rewards program not just monetary but non-monetary that includes health, social security, and workmen's compensation, housing and insurance when the monthly contributions are deducted and remitted by the employer to the appropriate authority
Introduces new motivational factors to the organization balancing it with the needs of the corporate operations and costing such as schedule flexibility, dependent support and healthcare, community support), performance and recognition and the development and career opportunities
Allows participation of employees when the same program is applicable regardless of the nature of the function making the applicability of the program is reliant on the employer's need to compensate them because they are mandated by law to do so
Gives the employees opportunities to be part of the program making them a stakeholder of the company and allowing their performance to gauge how they contribute to the growth and development of the company. The employees' contribution to the program does not only increase their monetary and non-monetary benefits, it also address and advance fostering healthy working environment, promote a culture of recognition, inspire change in others and assure improved performance and productivity
There are challenges as to the programs when it tends to be clinging more to the employees rather than the needs of the company. The program to motivate the employees are usually giving priority to employee welfare that it fails to satisfy the needs of the company
There are suggestions and alternatives to the motivational program that are costly on the part of the organization
Management Report
Managerial Skills
Organizational politics was defined and developed to be a negative characteristic of any individual on authority when such is used to advance self-interest on the organizational setting. It involves issues, manipulation, struggle, conflicts and competition to attain power, control and access to different levels of opportunities.
A good leader should have political skills in order to have effective supervision on the employees which one handles. Without political skills, a leader is vulnerable to questions or challenge to decision-making, dissatisfied or demoralized team members and the ongoing finding of opportunity to replace said leader.
The leader can now use competition towards maximizing productivity through provisions of incentive, diversity can be introduced as company culture, and key players to share "power" and "authority" towards advancement not only of themselves but the entire employees as well.
In this regard, here are observations of the author's performance in terms of managerial skills. While the earlier discussion focuses on political skills, for these observations, the treatment is more on generalizations:
There is a political and manager's skills being part of the production and rising through the ranks as there is a whole view of how the play of power in organization works
Holds power with caution and pride as the steps undertaken to become a leader is not an easy one. Is fully responsible for any orders or memorandum that leaves the office and through the planning and visionary character, was able to determine possible loopholes in the process and provide immediate remediation
Regards authority as part of the resources and assets that makes the holder important aspects of the organization
Participates in other aspects of leader and managerial role such as the Quality Management System and its audits and reportorial requirements as well as a proponent for Information Security Management System
Was able to pinpoint the advantages and disadvantages of organizational politics and have the factors to advantageous steps. Instead of blaming the system and the organization for lack of systematic procedure in place, helps to create one in order to create organized actions and policy implementation
There is challenge though being relatively new to the leadership scene --- the judgment and decision-making sometimes are dependent on experience of production and rank and files and will not go beyond
Management Report
Recommendations for Leadership Development
While leadership requires a certain degree of getting close to perfection, a good leader should be reminded that there should always be a room for development. This is due to the fact that the setting and the incidences of the organization is never fixed or constant. The trending in the global market on different industries and level of operability and production of different players are proof as to how volatile the organization is in terms of movements and performance.
After discussions of the qualities that reflect the effectiveness of the author's leadership skills and knowledge, this portion of the report will give recommendations as to how the skills and knowledge can be improved. To make an orderly discussion and presentation, the order will follow the qualities previously presented. While there will be some overlapping as to recommendations on some aspects, there will be a conscious effort to cover other qualities that is intrinsically linked to major leadership qualities.
On the Planning Methods and Organizational Skills:
Planning method is an aspect of management that provides for foresight on things that will happen to the organization at present or the near future. This is both an art and science in the sense that it is an expression of one's ability to appreciate events and resources aligning it with the corporate mission and vision. But planning method is also an academic undertaking and should be formally taught and studied. Experience alone can improve planning methods and organizational skills but there should be theoretical study of the basics in order to appreciate more this critical process. This is what should be done by the leader-subject of this report. There should be more exposure to seminars, leadership training and symposia concerning planning and organization. The corporate players cannot afford to allow ignorance of the basics because this can lead to further complications and organizational chaos.
On Motivational Skills:
There is no doubt that the subject knows how to motivate employees because of experience and practical insights while raising the level of authority in the organization. The provision of total rewards program is a crowning glory of motivation. But since the needs of the employees vary in every aspect, the problem or issue the leader should put in mind is how to sustain the state of being motivated by the employees. There should also be placing in the policy (with the Human Resources Department) so that the motivation given to the employees should not only be documented but institutionalized. The motivational factor should also be incorporated with the corporate culture and little by little introducing the same to the actions and expectations of the employees but at the same time balancing it with what the management is willing to provide.
On Managerial Skills
Managerial skills are often regarded as extension of the authority given to the leader. The only point of improvement in this regard is the treatment of power. This is a valid concern for the discussion of any situation because any situation should fall under an authority and responsibility of another. This is to better pinpoint any administrative flaw, chain of command or administrative responsibility to better address the situation at hand. For instance if the problem or situation is task oriented, then the person responsible or with authority to deal with production, quantity and target deliverables should deal with the situation.
To sum the recommendations following suggestions should be given attention:
Avoid Myths Of Time Management. Multitasking can be a good trait to discuss when being interviewed by a prospective employer, but when managing people, multitasking can slow things down as time is consumed in doing part of an activity. Time may be used out but activities are not finished. Productivity therefore suffers.
Planning Ahead. Planning has the element of time as a dependent variable. A good manager can plan ahead and can use the available time taking into considerations the contingencies of the activities and the limit of time as a variable.
Organization. Planning does not solve the issue of time management. It is the initial step that can be properly executed when activities, issues and concerns were organized. Thus, a good manager MUST include in his leadership skills proper planning and corporate organization.
Schedules. As one of the good leadership situational trait is delegating, when what is in your grasp is time itself, scheduling meetings, activities and discussions inclusive of the available company resources to avoid delays and tardiness should be undertaken by the manager.
PART B:
Lessons in Change Process and Recommendations
Management Report
Recent Process Change on Work
The External and Internal Factors of Company Mergers
The present trend of globalization and borderless economies created new demands of industries that introduce new procedure and strategies corporate and global players must do and accomplish in order to meet the needs of present-day activities and company operations. These procedures is also called for by the stiff competition that makes leading companies to be in partnership with other leaders in order to dominate the top spot in the industry (or enterprises) that they are included. Thus, the corporate movements such as mergers, acquisitions, buying out, joint ventures and limited partnerships can be observed nowadays and has becoming a popular strategy and industrial practice.
With the recent financial crisis and the continuous effect of recession to the global market, the author personally observed the company to which I am working to merger with another company in order to save the resources, assets and even jobs of both companies. The difficult part lies on the fact that not all jobs can be saved for it is also a consideration of the merging companies to cut costs and maximize savings for the future needs of the merged companies. As both companies are Business Process Outsourcing companies, the internal rules and policies are practically the same --- following the same standards of the global industry of outsourcing firms. The real problem lies on the internal practice and culture on both companies that is now merged into one.
Internal Changes
The changed process is both internal and external. Internally, there is a shift from the "exclusively" manual work of production to the "semi-automated" work because one of the companies has internal tools and programs that allow a faster and efficient procedure to do production work. This leads the same company understaffed when certain volumes of work arrive because the machines and tools are programmed for manual work and not for analysis. The other company has more employees but less tools because they rely on skills and subjective production. Now that there is unity on the process, will the same be manual or semi-automated?
Another process change is the terms and conditions of employment due to the difference on the days of work, shifts and flexibility in the schedule. The company to which I work is more of traditionalist. It is stringent in work schedules and time rendered in the company. It observed a five day workweek and sticks to the eight-to-five kind of shift. This is because the billing process is more of time-dependent (FTE). The other company shows so much flexibility because the billing is output-based. The management does not bother to see number of hours spent in the office as long as deliveries are met on turn-around-time given by the client. There are policies on home-working, telecommuting and special shifts to accommodate the filial and educational needs of the employees. This will pose conflict on the two companies now that they merged.
The diversified workplace coupled with the intricacies of the everyday employment creates a situation where individual differences need to be asserted. There are different personalities on the two merging companies. Opposing forces within the individual, when extended to a more complex scenario creates emotional friction. This oftentimes resulted to conflict, defined as "an antagonistic treatment of the other" or "the sharp disagreement between persons". While there perceives the concept of "conflict", it is important to counter this perception.
External Changes
One of the most important external change processes is client interface. This is the opportunity for the employees (managers, rank and files) to face the client (personally or through technological means) to report concerns of production or the status of the project. This is totally different on the companies that merged. One company does not allow employees to directly deal with clients on matters of production. It is always a point person (usually a higher management individual) that deals with client concerns or vice-versa. It is against the established protocol or procedure to go straight to the client. The other company on the other hand encourages direct contact with the client in whatever purpose to allow the employees to feel that they are stakeholders of the company. Of course there are certain matters which are highly technical and confidential that leaves the higher management to discuss.
Sales and Marketing is also an external change in the sense that it involves prospective and present clients and their relationship with the companies. In one company, sales and marketing involves outsourced individuals to deal with customer complaints or scout prospective clients to avail of the services. The other company, like client interface, allows the employees to seek probable clients. This can cause conflict because now that the companies has merged, what procedure and process are to be followed?
Healthy Conflict vs. Unhealthy Conflict
The causes of conflict in the workplace are manifold. It can be personality differences, organizational factors or core values. Conflict established a negative connotation and its existence becomes a threat to organizational personnel. But conflict is two faceted: the traditional "unhealthy" conflict and the "healthy" one. To summarize, the recent change in process causes the conflict on both the internal and external level. To wit:
Unhealthy Conflict. This represents the clashing of the differences resulting to people not getting along. This affects the productivity and efficiency of performance and lead people's focus away from maximizing production. Results are costly not to mention emotional. Conflict not addressed can result to employee dissatisfaction, low morale and depression. This can be the explanation to resignation, dissolution of personal relations and worst, workplace violence.
Healthy Conflict. Due to the evolving facets of leadership organization, managers handled disagreements well to the benefit of the organization. From the initial conception of idea, process or undertaking, managers will begin formulating and deducing from other members' factors or issues that might cause conflict as to the idea in place.
While there are other types of conflict, the universality of the situation of an unhealthy conflict usually outweighs the effects of any attempts for conflict avoidance. Conflict as perceived as "healthy" can be helpful in making necessary changes within the home or work environment but it does not negate the fact that it stands to be a threat to destroy the organization or waste its resources. Thus, conflict is ALWAYS unhealthy and the presence in an organization should be addressed the soonest before its effects can be felt.
Management Report
Recommendations on the Process Change
The recommendation that will be given in this report will consist of both the long-term and the immediate solution or alternative course of action. In the merger that occurs on two companies, the concerns to be addressed are (a) how to deal with the change in the most positive way (effectiveness in the performance) and (b) the present conflict. The first concern is intertwined with diversity and abrupt changes while the second is more of little differences within the corporate core.
Group Effectiveness
Group effectiveness is not an organizational condition through luck and happenstance. It is a complex situation that is composed of the diversity of the members that composed the group. When the merger occurs, diversity is placed in its maximum amount. The homogeneity of both companies was erased to introduce diversified workspaces. Thus, the two company became a team with differences within. In this regard, the following recommendations on the key issues will be given that will relate to the effectiveness of a group or team.
Relationship. When the group is gathered together in an undertaking (job description) wherein they contribute their skills and abilities to a resolution of a problem there was established a relationship between them. This can be a key towards group effectivity as the groups begin to protect the interest of the "whole" rather than personal interests.
Diversity. When a group is constituted with different interest and circumstances, the initial reaction of the members are clashing of the interest. A good manager can realign these differences towards a culture of difference and heterogeneity in order to let the members feel that they are accepted and their contribution to the organization is appreciated. The diversity therefore became an adhesive connection to advance group effectiveness rather than an issue.
Teamwork. Regardless of the function, position or responsibility of any member of the organization, when effective teamwork is introduced and implemented, then the members can maximize their potential in contributing to the undertaking or project. The initiative became a catalyst to guide the team towards effective groupings and Productivity.
Balance. This culminates the first three key points. There should be a balance interplaying on the role (teamwork), individuality (diversity) and bond (relationship) and each aspect must be emphasized to attain group to function effectively.
Conflict Resolution
Understanding People's Differences. An organization should address the issue of diversity in the earliest possible time. This can be advanced by defining the roles and responsibility and how each and every member contributes to the organization towards a goal without undermining other people. The Human Resource Department should be proactive in this level as it touches personalities and individuality.
Introduction of Effective Teamwork. The management in coordination with human resources should develop a culture with stronger mutual respect and belief in the skills and talents of the members to work together. This will minimize conflict resolution because the understanding and participation in team work among members is instilled and appreciation of coordinated functions is at place.
Value to Self-Knowledge. The organization must help employees or workers to examine individual goals, enhance effectiveness and maximizing their potential.
Open Communication. Communication can be the cause and/or the solution to any conflict. Any individual must listen first to understand what the other person's issues are and then discuss one's position. Language used must be objective, observable and factual. If this cannot be resolved alone, a third person may be invited to the communication to help resolve the conflict.
