Many people have argued about the authority of a management decision to be questioned by those under him. Many wonder whether managers just need to dictate to others what they have to do or whether they have to persuade others to do what they want to be done. This paper will discuss in detail the roles of the management and its relation with those under it. Let us first look at the role of a manager to understand their influence on others.
Management is the aspect of organizing and directing people. In their day to day work, managers are involved in overseeing the operations of an organization. As such, their role is to ensure that there is smooth running of activities in an organization. The aim of management is to maximize the operations of a company through the implementation of the right kind of administration. In order for a manager to perform effectively, one must be competent in many areas that interact in an organization. One must be competent in the organization, planning, staffing, directing and controlling. (Pascale, 1999)
To be effective in organizing, the manager must be aware of how different sectors of an organization interact to produce the final product. This is very important in determining how these different sectors are going to interact in order to be effective in their work. As such, one important aspect of management is that one must have the know-how of the whole process and very closely know those who are involved in the process. This requires proper communication skills with other people. To bring these different sectors together, the manager must have authority over what is to be done and that must be followed with consultations.
To be efficient in planning, the manager must understand the roles of different people in the organization and understand how they can interact together to work in harmony. To plan effectively, there must be an efficient staffing plan carried out by the management. Staffing pattern determines the staffing pattern.
Directing involve determining how the organization is going to relate with others and also the relations of different departments in the organization. The management provides direction for the organization. It drafts and enforces rules in the organization which helps the organization to adapt to the changing environment. In directing the organization, the management must issue directives that are meant to be followed in the organization. It must have close contact with people. In the capacity of controlling, the management controls all the activities that are taking place in the market. In this capacity the management administers all activities in all departments through a close administration procedure to ensure that there is not conflict of interest between different groups in the organization.
Therefore it is clear that the role of management is closely intertwined with power over others. It gives management roles of acting as a manager and also as a leader. The manager will also act as motivation factor for the organization in leading them to greater heights in achievements. The role of leadership in management cannot be delegated like other roles. This is a role that the management has to assume and cannot be ignored. The management must be involved in any activity that is taking place in the organization since they will need to direct and control. The role of leadership places a manger at the heart of the operations of an organization.
Mangers do thing in the right manner. This means that they operate by the laid down rules and regulations. As such they have little place for adjustment of their orders. Unlike other kinds of leadership where one does the right thing, managers are bound by their duty to do things in the right manners whether they are right or wrong. As such a manger holds a lot of authority in defending the rules and regulation of the organization.
This is the reason why many people working under a manager will find them very authoritative. This is because the blame for any failure squarely falls on the manager. The manager has the duty of making sure that the right things are done despite the adjustments that are needed. A manager needs no loyalty from any of those under them and hence they expect to be obeyed in their work.
This shows us that the role of a manager is very interactive. In their daily work managers interacts with different kinds of people. This means that anybody assuming the role of management must be wise enough to know how to deal with people. One must have efficient interpersonal communication skills in order to communicate to other what is suppose to be done and explain clearly why it is to be done. Many of those managers who have succeeded in managing their organization have shown good communication skills as being very important in management.
This understanding of the roles of a manager gives us a good insight of the reason why a manager must be obeyed. If a manager follows what is in the rules and regulation of a company, then he/she has the duty of guarding those rules to safeguard the operations of an organization. The authority on all activities lies on him. The management is an institution that is created by the organization rules and which helps to oversee the operations of the organization. If the institution is entrusted with streamlining the operations of the organization, then it must carry out its mandate in the most diligent way possible.
Hence it is important that those under the management should follow the rules as laid down by the manager. Like one follows the countries rules with little resistance the same should be the case in management. Those under the management should consider it their duty to follow what they asked to do. This is important in making sure that all those working in the organization recognize the existence of the management office and also recognize its role in directing and controlling the operations in the organization.
But according to the human nature, we are all born to question. Many a times we will question the validity or the authority to management rules that have been put in place. This is more so in cases where there are conflicting interest in the management or when the management puts in place rules that are not favourite with those who are supposed to implement them. (Robbins, 2003)
Going with the roles of a manager, they are expected to the leaders of other. A leader provides guidance to others. Those following a leader pay loyalty to them since they are very sure that they are always right. But this has not been the case. Many people will often question their leaders and enquire why they have to take that path and not the other. This is also evidenced in an organization. If a manager has to assume the full role of acting as a leader for the organization, it means they must have efficient leadership skill. They don have to issue blank orders without explanation of why they have to be followed. The most successful kind of leadership is that which involves others in the management. It is that leadership in which others are consulted before a decision is made. (Guirdham, 2002)
This law of nature contradicts the absolute authoritative role invested in the management role. Managers soon realize that they are leading people who are reasoning and who have feelings.
As a leader the manager must be able to give clear direction on which a company will follow. This will not involve the work of the management alone but it will involve the whole organization. It is the aspect of looking the organization as a dynamic inclusive institution that makes the management realize that it cannot issue blank orders and expect them to be followed. The management does not carry out the orders. It just draft and enforces them.
If an order meets resistance from those who are supposed to implement it, it is bound to fail. This is the reason why the manager must assume the role of leadership in convincing and persuading people to implement the order because its failure will be squarely on the institution of management and the one directing it at the moment. (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2004)
One most important components of an organization’s the organization culture and behaviour. Different organizations have different cultures and behaviours. Some organizations have a vertical management model while others have different model. A manager may be enjoying executive powers in one organization while in another the manager may be acting a part of the team with a leadership role in it. This has been found to the best management steely where manager discusses withy those under the management in order to put in place the best rules for the organization since it reduces conflicts.
A manager should realize that management involves diverse inputs and cannot rely solely on input from one person or one department. An organization is made of diverse people of diverse culture and with departments making it. The ability of the manager to persuade all these diverse aspects to have the same approach to an issue like him/her is very important for any orders given to be successful. (Kirton and Green, 2002)
As determined by business ethics, a manager must employ ethical management in his work. Ethical management requires a manager to work with others and not for others. The manager should not be seen as an absolute monarch. Manager should collaborate with others in order to achieve the set goals. Using all persuasion skills at his/ her disposal a manager should ensure that all new strategies to be implemented in the organization have majority support from organization members. This will ensure that there is little resistance to their implementation. (Crane and Matten, 2004)
In conclusion, we have said that a manager should not assume the role of a monarch who issues orders without explanation to be obeyed by others without question.
References
Crane, A. & Matten, D. (2004). Business Ethics; Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Guirdham, M (2002). Interpersonal Behaviour at Work; 3rd Ed. Harlow: Pearson.
Huczynski, A. & Buchanan, D. (2004): Organizational Behaviour. 5th Ed. Harlow: Pearson.
Kirton, G. & Greene, A. (2000): The Dynamics of Managing Diversity: A Critical Approach. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Pascale, R. (1999). Managing on the Edge; Penguin Book.
Robbins, R. (2003). Training in Interpersonal; Oxford: Oxford University Press.