Management Style and Management

¶ … Management Style Leadership and talent retention are important HR-related aspects in today's business environment given the increased changes and competitiveness of the modern business environment (Zhang et al., 2015). Despite the lack of a single universally appropriate management style, the authoritative style is arguably the best management style. An authoritative manager tends to communicate an organization's mission and vision effectively, provides organizational direction, and clearly articulates expectations. While considered an authority, an authoritative leader encourages subordinates or followers to utilize suitable approaches towards accomplishing organizational goals.

Authoritative style is the best management style with regards to providing organizational direction through effective communication, showing sensitivity to employees and ensuring perfect execution of tasks. Need for the Best Management Style Today's business environment is increasingly changing and characterized by increased competition between companies. In light of the rapid technological advances, business organizations are increasingly operating in a challenging and evolving environment (Gonos & Gallo, 2013). Therefore, improved business performance has become more important in the modern business environment.

For managers, the ability to achieve desired performance is dependent on a variety of factors including the use of a suitable management or leadership style (Dixon, 2003). A suitable management or leadership style helps in effective management of business practices and operations, which helps in constant improvement of organizational performance in relation to the established business objectives and goals. One of the major ways through which a suitable management style contributes to improved business performance is through linking corporate strategy to operational objectives (Gonos & Gallo, 2013).

Throughout the years, the issue of the best management style has attracted considerable attention in management studies. Yu, Fang & Wang (2015) observed that the effectiveness of management styles has become a major issue in management studies over the past few decades. This increased focus is fueled by the correlation between management style and employee contributions towards the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. Management styles have significant impact on organizational culture like employee attitudes, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee behavior.

Additionally, the need to identify the best management style in relation to improved business performance is fueled by the lack of a single universally appropriate management style. Nonetheless, managers need to identify the most suitable leadership style in order to establish organizational cultures that help in gaining competitive advantage in the relatively challenging and evolving business environment. Authoritative Leadership as the Best Management Style Whereas there is no single universally appropriate management style, the authoritative style is arguably the best management style.

A review of the existing management style demonstrates that authoritative management style is the best leadership approach in relation to the changing conditions and competitiveness of today's business environment. Authoritative management style is one of the predominant active leadership styles that influence individuals and organizational effectiveness (Chapman, Johnson & Kilner, 2014). Zhang, Lin & Foo (2012) content that while servant leadership is a more acceptable management approach, authoritative leadership style continues to exist as one of the most effective leadership styles for managers.

Gonos & Gallo (2013) define authoritative management style as a leadership approach that is characterized by execution of the will/wishes of the leader with little to no consideration of the opinions of subordinates. In this management style, leaders make independent decisions, give orders/instructions to subordinates, and expect these subordinates to implement these orders/instructions (Cenkci & Ozcelik, 2015). Additionally, this management approach is characterized by unilateral, top-down communication while leaders utilize their discretion to determine suitable remuneration for their subordinates.

In light of its definition, authoritative management style is comprises three major characteristics i.e. structure, control, and sensitivity (Bielous, 1994). Under structure, authoritarian managers used their understanding and believe in the significance of a suitable departmental structure to enforce company policy consistently. In relation to control, these managers do not give so much freedom to subordinates that would result in failure to accomplish organizational goals or objectives. With regards to sensitivity, authoritative managers listen to their subordinates in a genuine way that contributes to individual and organizational growth.

Why Authoritative Leadership is the Best Management Style There are several factors that contribute to the suitability of authoritative leadership style as the best management style in relation to conditions in the modern business environment. Some of these major factors that demonstrate the effectiveness of authoritative management style in today's changing and competitive environment include.. Providing Organizational Direction An authoritative manager assertively and enthusiastically communicates the mission and vision of the group or organization, clearly provides direction, and unambiguously articulates expectations.

One of the most important factors towards the realization of organizational goals and objectives is effective communication between the management and subordinates or employees. Effective communication is crucial towards providing organizational direction so that all processes and activities are carried out in a streamlined manner. Since fundamental decisions are made at the top leadership/management level, communicating these decisions to subordinates is crucial towards providing organizational direction.

Authoritative managers are more effective in this process of providing organizational direction because they use a top-down approach in giving orders and instructions that determine organizational operations. Apart from providing organizational direction through top-down communication, authoritative managers also take responsibility for problem identification. According to Sternberg (2013), these managers take primary responsibility for problem identification, make decisions on how to solve the identified problems, and delegate responsibility for resolving the problems to subordinates.

Through this process, authoritative managers set organizational agenda/direction and empowers subordinates towards taking shared responsibility for conducting activities that are in tandem with the organizational agenda. Ensuring Execution of Tasks Once authoritative managers communicate the organization's mission and vision and set organizational direction while articulating expectations, they ensure that necessary tasks are carried out by subordinates towards achieving business goals and objectives. Effective communication and establishment of the organization's direction and focus by authoritative managers helps in ensuring perfect, rapid, and systematic execution of tasks.

These managers achieve this through sustaining a high degree of control over their subordinates. The high degree of control helps in ensuring that employees do not have too much freedom that will in turn jeopardize the accomplishment of business goals/objectives (Bielous, 1994). The need to ensure execution of tasks is more important in working environments that have major issues that need to be addressed or characterized by low performance by subordinates who are resisting to improvement on their responsibilities and tasks (Zhang, Lin & Foo, 2012).

Moreover, in an environment with a low innovative culture, authoritative management style ensures execution of tasks in an effective manner through capitalizing on business function knowledge (Yu, Fang & Wang, 2015). Even though these managers are considered as authorities, they ensure execution of tasks by permitting their subordinates to use their own approaches in accomplishing the set goals and assigned tasks.

Showing Sensitivity to Employees The other way that demonstrates the effectiveness of authoritative leadership style as the best management style is sensitivity to employees, which is more common in benevolent authoritative leadership style. In this case, managers tend to be more parternalistic as they give their subordinates freedom though they determine the limits for communication, interaction and decision-making (Jimenez, Fasci & Valdez, 2009). In addition, benevolent authoritative managers actively listen to their subordinates in order to better understand and deal with any issue.

During this process, they also acknowledge their subordinates' accomplishment of assigned tasks and help in their development (Bielous, 1994). In conclusion, the need for a.