Roles and Skills of Managers

¶ … Roles and Skills of Managers

There are many fundamental differences between leaders and managers, with the most significant being in how each attempts to attain complex, often challenging objectives that require the coordination of limited resources. A managers' role continues to be defined from a standpoint of stability and security within the organization; managers are in many respects the professionals who ensure a steady-state of operation so the company can get to its goals (Amagoh, 2009). Leadership theory expands the classical definition of management as the collection of planning, organizing, leading and controlling activities to encompass transactional vs. transformational skills sets and their impact on employee performance over the long-term (Walumbwa, Hartnell, 2011). Based on these findings of manager's evolving roles into leaders, the axiom is often stated that a leader is who one is and a manager is what one does (Stevens, 2011). The greater the reliance within an organization on the agility of management to keep all functional areas operating so goals can be attained, the corresponding greater need for transformational leaders who can get beyond the many distractions in organizational cultures and stay focused on challenging, difficult strategic goals (Tims, Bakker, Xanthopoulou, 2011). The intent of this analysis is to critically evaluate the roles of managers and identify the key processes of management as well. An assessment of how technology is also changing management is also included in this analysis.

Critical Analysis of the Role of Managers and Processes of Management

The core principles of management are predicated on leading and directing others based on high levels of authenticity, trust, transparency and self-sacrifice (Birasnav, Rangnekar, Dalpati, 2011). In short, a manager creates an exceptional environment for growth in their organizations when they choose to begin their journey into transformational leadership; with all the learning and growth that goal requires (Charbonnier-Voirin, El Akremi, Vandenberghe, 2010). A manager that continually strives to be a transformational leader can over time create a culture of achievement and self-motivation on the part of their subordinates by providing a strong, clear vision of what needs to be accomplished and why. A clear sign that a manager has become a transformational leader is when they have been able to provide subordinates with a sense of autonomy, mastery and purpose in their roles within the organization (Birasnav, Rangnekar, Dalpati, 2011). These three factors form the foundation of exceptional performance within any given organization, as together they are a strong catalyst of long-term learning and of a person taking ownership of their role in their departments and business unit (Walumbwa, Hartnell, 2011).

Managers fulfilling their roles find that continually pursuing more of a transformational leadership style can lead to process improvements over time as well (Charbonnier-Voirin, Akremi, Vandenberghe, 2010). For example, managers involved with Sales Operations of a business can gain greater insights into streamlining quoting, contract management and pricing approvals if they create programs that give their subordinates ownership of these areas. Moving past delegation to providing subordinates with the guidance to attain autonomy, mastery and purpose of their given areas of expertise creates a strong catalyst in any business that wants to continually improve their process workflows. The role of a manager in creating autonomy, mastery and purpose is directly dependent on their ability to sense and respond to their departments' needs with Emotional Intelligence (EI) as well (Stevens, 2011). Managers who have this skill set can move quickly from being transactional and tactical in their decision-making towards being more focused on process-driven and systemic improvements to their organizations (Stevens, 2011). These changes are driven by the employees who have a strong sense of purpose and direction with their specific roles, and look for ways to increase process performance over time. A manager cannot order a subordinate to use their creativity to create greater value through process improvement. They can however using the role of transformational leader, strengthened with EI, creates an environment that will enable subordinates to deliver greater value through ownership and a need to master their jobs.

The role of a manager is to also create a culture of accomplishment and achievement in the organization. This is critically important if the employee's innate skill set and what they are best at doing can be aligned to the requirements of the job. When this happens and a manager has been able to create a culture of achievement, employees aspire to excel not just in their company but in their industries as well. It is then the responsibility of a manager to create a culture where subordinates have the opportunity to use their greatest potential skills and achieve challenging goals that the company also needs attained (Tims, Bakker, Xanthopoulou, 2011). When managers rely on their roles to create a strong platform of autonomy, mastery and purpose, linking that to a culture of achievement, organizations can attain significantly greater results in the process (Walumbwa, Hartnell, 2011).

Exceptional managers also have the ability to create trust and belief in a vision for their enterprises even during periods of exceptional economic uncertainty. The ability to self-sacrifice and also provide realistic, honest feedback on the financial condition of a business is the sign of an exceptional manager and leader (Birasnav, Rangnekar, Dalpati, 2011). During periods of exceptional uncertainty, a manager who leads well can also rely on EI-based skills to align a company's core strengths to the most pressing problems and risk the business faces (Charbonnier-Voirin, El Akremi, Vandenberghe, 2010). The greatest managers emerge as leaders during challenging economic times because they rely on authenticity, transparency and trust to provide candid, honest assessments of the current condition of the company and its prospects for future growth (Tims, Bakker, Xanthopoulou, 2011). As a result, managers who fulfill this role of a transformational leader enable process-based change much more efficiently than those who stay complacent in the face of disruptive change and look to only preserve the status quo.