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Leadership Assessment
Leadership Style
Previous work environment was managed through an autocratic management style. The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Vision World, Inc. was influential in the decision-making process, recruitment, and the disciplinary actions summoned on employees who did not obey the rule of the organization. Critics have over time disregarded the impact of autocratic management style owing to the inability to link all the different members of the workplace. However, it is an efficient management process due to the influence it has on the progress of the organization and the risks it reduces in the managerial responsibilities (Daft, 2014). Autocratic leadership style is dependent on threats and punishment as the motivational approaches to realizing real output from the staff members.
Being the overseer of the progress of the organization, the manager has the role of seeing through the decisions of the organization and implementation of the policies that will lead to success. Therefore, when the employees are not involved in the decision-making process, many other factors are considered on the side. One, the time that would have been spent in the process is lessened and the probability that the decision reached is for the positive progress of the company is high. The adoption of autocratic management style increased my awareness on the different roles that as a manager, one has to accomplish. The decisions of the organization are made by the CEO, and the head of departments are given the task of implementing the policies proposed.
The CEO at Vision World, Inc. saw to it that every staff member was aware of their roles in the work area and worked at their best to ensure that they have achieved with expected results. As one of the members of staff, the management system changed my perception of management and the roles of a staff member in the realization of business goals. The representation of authority by the manager alone promoted practical understanding and production in Vision World, Inc. On the other hand, the application of the autocratic system of management in the management of an organization reduces the challenges to the development and policies. Since there is a single authority in the organization of Vision World, Inc. all the departments operate with the same objectives.
Organization Structure and Culture
Vision World, Inc. is managed by a CEO, who is assisted by an accountant, a human resource manager, and a director of operations. The accountant is tasked with monitoring the financial progress of the company. The sales and production departments are under his management. The CEO is the overall head of the organization and oversees all the work with the help of an accountant, human resource manager, and the director of operations. All the functions of the organization are approved by the CEO. The implementation and passing of policies are done with the accent of the CEO.
The accountant works with the head of the departments of the sales and production departments. Each departments operations are co-operated with the accountant. The procurement officer also works with the accountant who accents to the procurement process before they are approved by the management. The human resource manager has the task of monitoring the progress of the company with the objective of ensuring that all the members of staff respect the culture of the organization. On the other hand, the human resource manager has the role of aiding the CEO in the recruitment process, appraisal of employees, and the implementation of the policies in the organization. However, as an independent member of the management team of Vision World, Inc., the human resource manager ensures that employees work in healthy environments, which eliminates chances of poor motivation among the staff members.
The director of operations is directly involved with the employees of Vision World, Inc. The supplies and the maintenance processes of the organization are under his supervision. The director of operations is also responsible for promoting good working relations between the staff members. Their membership in the organization is considered a closely tied combination of different factors that are meant to improve the work output of the company. Therefore, the operations manager monitors the various work conditions of the employees, assesses the changes that can be included to transform these conditions, and proposes these amendments to the CEO. The implementations of these changes are only after the convention of the managers in the board meetings.
The organization upholds ethical standards with staff members who break the organizations rules summoned to the disciplinary committee. If they are found guilty, they are given a warning for the first mistake and warned to not repeat the same another time. In case they repeat the same error, they are suspended for a given duration before they are allowed back on the job. If the same mistake is repeated a third time, then the employee is fired as a warning to the other staff members who might harbor the same practice.
Performance Evaluation
The department head of the sales division at Vision World, Inc. is among the influential personnel in the organization. Having worked for only half a year in the organization, he was promoted to being the department head of the sales division. In an organization, he is a role model for many other employees reflecting on the progress of the group, the standard of ethics maintained by other employees, and a good communicator. Mr. McGregor leads by example, by being involved in all the activities that his department is tasked to accomplish. The objectives are drawn in the presence of all the staff members. The objections are tabled and discussed in the presence of all the members. Similarly, he cherishes transparency, which Mumford, Gold, and Thorpe (2012) state are an important aspect of promoting good leadership among employees.
The functionality of the department is not the responsibility of the head of the department, but every member of the staff. They are directly involved in the decision-making and the implementation of their objectives. Mr. McGregor is also a good communicator owing to the effectiveness of the department in their task. Every member is always aware of the activities that the staff will be involved in every fiscal period. The committee is held together by the principle of being aware of the other member of the department. Therefore, every member is kept in the loop of communication, which increases their working capability.
Adeniyi (2010) mentions that, effectiveness in co-ordination is the first step in realizing the goals of any organization. Mr. McGregor is determined to achieve a goal for the department, but also is influencing a competitive perspective among the employee to improve their performance. A good communication system helps remove the negative ethical practices among the employees and the inability to work as per the required standards. On the other hand, positive production is achieved with a culture that appreciates, promotes, and cherishes togetherness in the workplace. In the love of work, the weak employees get to increase their production with the encouragement of the others. The members of staff, therefore, get to grow together with similar skills and experience. As a result, the department gets to perform higher as compared to another department that encourages competition among individual employees.
Motivational Tools
According to Frey and Osterloh (2002), the workplace presents a number of motivational factors besides salaries. The employee himself can be a source of motivation to himself. On the other hand, the leaders, for instance, the manager can exploit some factors at their disposal and use them as sources of motivation for the employees. One of the methods a leader can motivate his or her employees is by creating a culture that will energize them, which increases their output at the place of work. The leader is the beneficiary of the efforts of the employees, which means that after every fiscal period, the employees can be given a surprise incentive, which is to increase their morale in the work. On the other hand, the leader takes it upon them to create an environment that employees will feel that their efforts in the productivity of the company are being appreciated. The benefits of applying the method are that the employee gets to feel encouraged to perform better the next time even if their current work output was not satisfactory. Similarly, the approach does not discriminate on the employees on the basis of their performance. Therefore, if there is an appreciation for the work done, every employee is given credit, which reduces the chances of reduced output when some employees are not recognized.
Secondly, a leader has to put his or her employees first before everything else. Management and leadership require that a leader be aware of the progress of the company from every sector. The different organizations in the group are linked in one way, or another with the manager having the role of hiring, training, and management. However, the role of the manager dictates that they are aware of their employees progress in the workplace. The manager encourages employees by being involved with them instead of leading by position. By being attentive to the development of the employees, a manager can identify the issues that affect productivity such as the working environment of the workers. As a result, the productivity of the employees is increased. On the other hand, the manager gets to create a strong relationship with the employees, which boosts trust, openness, and integrity at the place of work.
Lastly, a good leader is an excellent communicator. Management of staff entails involving all the different factors in the workplace. AIDressing the various issues in the workplace requires that the manager be informed beforehand of the questions that are reducing the output of workers and the ways through which they can be solved. A leader has should be a good listener and an excellent problem solver. A leader who is involved with their employees is a source of motivation for the progress of the different departments. Therefore, by listening to the problems of the employees, the leader is providing an experience for the employees to instigate their action if a similar issue occurs in the place of work. The benefit of the approach is that by providing a leadership and communication system for the employees, a leader gets to create a relationship with the employees. Through a good relationship between the employer and the employee fewer instances of maltreatment and poor working environments that diminish the output of the employees are lessened. Similarly, the company gets to understand his or her employees, thereby improving the factors that trigger a positive response and performance from them.
Managing Diversity
Diversity in the workplace, Pollitt (2006) mentions, is beneficial in increasing adaptability, increases the working of an organization, promotes variation of perceptions and ideas, and promotes effective execution of tasks. However, in the realization of an efficient, diversified system in an organization, there are challenges that minimize its full implementation. Communication is the first problem associated with diversity of employees in the workplace. Culture, perception, and language barriers limit the totality of achieving the goals of the organization. Ineffective communication between all the participants in the group leads to the development of other problems that hinder progress. Confusion, poor morale, and lack of teamwork among the diverse employees result from poor communication. As a consequence, the organization fails to effectively run the program that binds the different employees.
On the other hand, the employees in an organization may fail to adapt to the shift in the organization. Diversity, Pollitt (2006), defines as a way the management of an organization equalizes the different departments of the organization. As a result, the cultural and social groupings of the organization are linked together. In the process, other cultures feel the constraint reduce their role or position in the organization, which might bring tension or complacency to change. Implementation of the diversity programs within the organization is another problem that organizations may face in the establishment of the systems. The strategy used in the implementation of diversity in the organization should be designed to aIDress all the different sections of the society and the consequences that may arise from implementing these strategies.
Strategies to Solve Diversity Management Issues
Communication is a significant factor in the management and progress of the organization. In the implementation of diversity programs, the manager has to involve every member of staff in the design and implementation of the programs. Their involvement injects new ideas on the activities involved and the way to implement the programs into the organization. The participation of the staff members in the implementation of the programs increases their acceptance of the benefits the programs will have in the organization. In aIDressing the complacency to adapt to the shift in the organization, the management can organize for workshops where the employees are taught about the benefits of diversity systems in an organization. Initial preparations are made to ensure that all staff is aware of their roles in the implementation of the program and how they can help maintain it. With informed knowledge on the importance, challenges, and solutions to diversity programs will increase implementation of the diversity programs. However, to make the implementation process of the diversity programs successful, the management has to develop a positive culture among the employees that increases awareness and appreciation of each others culture.
References
Adeniyi, M. A. (2010). Effective Leadership Management: An Integration of Styles, Skills and Character for Todays CEOs. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse Press.
Daft, R. (2014). In The Leadership Experience (pp. 45-47). United Kingdom: Cengage Learning.
Frey, B. S., & Osterloh, M. (2002). Successful Management by Motivation: Balancing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Incentives. United Kingdom: Springer Publishers.
Mumford, M. A., Gold, M. J., & Thorpe, M. R. (2012). Gower Handbook of Leadership and Management Development. United Kingdom: Gower Publishing, Ltd.
Pollitt, D. (2006). Diversity in the Workforce (3rd ed., Vol. 14). United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing.
