Behavioural Skills in Business

Role of managers
CONTENTS

* Analyse Jesss role as manager of the Customer Engagement team using

appropriate management and leadership theories. * Analyse how
assertiveness, influencing and negotiating techniques could be used with
reference to specific team members and show why the techniques proposed
might be effective in this situation. * Identify potential sources of conflict
within her team and the effects of these conflicts. Provide techniques to
assist Jess in the management of these conflicts. * Consider approaches to
managing meetings and make suggestions that may help Jess in her
management and conduct of team meetings. * Outline techniques that may
help Jess manage her time. * Identify and deal with the stress that Jess
currently faces. * Provide approaches that may assist Jess in managing
problems and enhance her decision making skills. * References

Introduction
My name is Caroline McNaught and currently I am a mentor for Jess Green
who is a newly appointed manager for the New Customer Engagement team
of Balance Banking PLC.
I have been asked to write a report regarding Jesss role as manager and
some of the obstacles that have been getting in the way of her being able to
do her job efficiently. These include lifting team morale, managing conflicts
within her team, approaches to managing meetings, time management and
dealing with stress.
The aim of this report is to inform Jess of some techniques that can be used
effectively to help her in her new position.
Analyse Jesss role as manager of the Customer Engagement team using
appropriate management and leadership theories.
Jesss role as manager is to ensure that the performance of her team is
geared towards achieving the strategic objectives of the organisation.
These are:

To
To
To
To
To
To

achieve financial security and return to profit.

become a place of choice for employees.
create an open and transparent management style.
focus on customer and shareholder needs.
focus on long-term quality profitability.
create a new business mix and manage the business risk.

Unfortunately for Jess, not all of her team are performing very well. Some of
them are reluctant to embrace the changes that have occurred since the
restructuring of the organisation. For Jess to be able to achieve the goals of
the organisation then she must look at the alternate ways of managing her
team. In reality, Jesss role of manager changes every day into many
different roles. Some of these roles include being a planner, organiser,
negotiator, leader and representing her team at board meetings. As tasks
and situations change Jess has to be able to keep up with these changes
herself.
In todays society being a manager has many more obstacles to overcome
than earlier years. With new technology, globalisation and the changing
marketplace being just a few of these obstacles faced today.
Many theorists have different views on the role of manager. In 1916, Henri
Fayols book Administration Industrielle et Generale was first published. From
Fayols observations of managers he concluded that every managerial job
contained the same five elements. These elements are: * Planning

Organising
Commanding
Co-ordinating
Controlling ( H.Fayol, 1916)

Fayols framework for looking at what a manager does is still valid today.
By planning, organising, co-ordinating and commanding then Jess may be
able to take control of her team in a more productive way.
Henry Mintzberg is another theorist who studied the activities of managers
and identified 10 roles common to the work of all managers. Mintzberg
published his book, Mintzberg on Management: Inside our Strange World of
Organisations, in 1990. The ten roles are:
1. Figurehead.
2. Leader.
3. Liaison.
4. Monitor.
5. Disseminator.
6. Spokesperson.
7. Entrepreneur.
8. Disturbance Handler.
9. Resource Allocator.
10.Negotiator. (H.Mintzberg. 1990)
The 10 roles are then divided up into three categories, as follows: Category|
Role|
Interpersonal| Figurehead
Leader

Liaison|
Informational| Monitor
Disseminator
Spokesperson|
Decisional| Entrepreneur
Disturbance Handler
Resource Allocator
Negotiator|

Jess could use Mintzbergs model as a frame of reference to help her develop
many of the skills she needs in her role of manager.
Mintzberg also believes that contingency factors can affect managerial
work. These factors are: * Environmental factors (the location, community,
industry and weather) * Job factors (hierarchical level, functions and degrees
of supervision) * Personal variables (personality and style)

* Situational variables (including technological and time-related)

John Kotter is another theorist who studied the work of effective general
managers. His conclusions were similar to Mintzbergs. He concluded that
managers spent a good deal of time information - gathering and relationship
building with much less on decision making and giving direction. (J.Kotter
1999).

Like Kotter and Mintzberg, Rosemary Stewart examined the reality of what
managers do. She defines the analysis of jobs into three parts. These are: *
The demands of the job (what must be done)

* The choices available (the freedoms the manager has)

* The constraints of the job (the limits on what the manager can do)
(R.Stewart. (1997).
She argues that to understand managerial jobs it is necessary to understand
the flexibility within them.
Whilst Henry Mintzberg believes that there is no difference between
management and leadership, many others believe the two should be
separated.

Kotter argues that leadership and management are two different things. He
believes that leadership is about producing change and management is a
function that is needed in a steady state environment. He sees leadership as
an influencing function and management is more to do with organising and
control. Although, many believe that some sort of leadership skills are
necessary for managers and supervisors.

Developing good leadership skills is beneficial to everyone at every level in

an organisation.
I believe that Jess could benefit greatly if she was to develop her own
leadership skills.
Analyse how assertiveness, influencing and negotiating techniques could be
used with reference to specific team members and show why the techniques
proposed might be effective in this situation.
By using empathetic assertion towards Russell, Jess can show him that she
understands how he must be feeling about her being his manager and his
disappointment in not getting the position himself. Maybe by using this
technique Jess will have built some bridges between them.

Jess could use another assertion technique called broken record when she
wants to get Abda round to her way of doing things. This involves using a
progression of assertiveness styles. Firstly establishing what it is you want
her to do and repeating this this more frequently and being more assertive
as you go on.

Managers need to exert influence every day. By doing this we can involve
others and gain commitment and rebuild positive relationships.
There are quite a few influencing techniques Jess could use when dealing
with her team.
By using inspirational appeal Jess could influence Richard that if he
continues in his position and continues doing his job well then maybe in the
future there may be full time positions available.

Jess could try to influence Andre by using rational persuasion to stop using
comments which Jess feels are undermining her.
Having good negotiating skills can help resolve issues in the work place.
One of these negotiation techniques is called collaboration and Jess can use
this technique to get a win-win result when negotiating changes that need
to be made with her staff. Identify potential sources of conflict within her

team and the effects of these conflicts. Provide techniques to assist Jess in
the management of these conflicts. Interpersonal conflicts could be due to
the relationships between individuals- personality clashes etc. Structural
conflict may result from particular ways in which organisations are
structured and the roles that individuals have within these structures. One
source of conflict I can see could be organisational as Jess has been put in
charge of two teams which have been brought together to make the new
team. The two groups may have conflicting ideas. There seems to be
divisions within the team. By compromising Jess might be able to find some
middle ground and bring the teams closer together. Interpersonal conflict
between team members is another source of conflict. By collaborating with
team members Jess would like to see a win-win situation and disperse the
conflict. Consider approaches to managing meetings and make suggestions
that may help Jess in her management and conduct of team meetings. To
help Jess manage her monthly team meetings there are several things she
can do. Firstly Jess has to get prepared. This involves listing everything that
has to be done to ensure the meeting is well organised. The next step
should be to set objectives for the meeting, then create an agenda of maybe
three to six items. This will be made up of topics for discussion and an
allotted time for each topic. The next stage would be to let all participants
know when the meeting is and what the objectives of the meeting are. Give
all participants something to prepare for the meeting. Make sure the
meeting starts on time. An appointed person must take minutes of the
meeting. This is a record of what has been said and done at the meeting
and this record will be kept by the company. Decisions made must be
documented and any assigned action items must be documented also. An
appointed person must follow up these assigned actions to make sure they
are completed. At the close of the meeting ensure that the room that it was
held in is put back to the way it was found. Outline techniques that may
help Jess manage her time.

Jess may find some of the following techniques may help her with time
management. Priority Settings is a technique that allows you to prioritise
what is an important task and what is an urgent task. Being realistic as to
what can be achieved in a particular space of time. Goal setting is very
important and should be split up into days, weeks, months and years. By
keeping time logs or diaries this will help you plan when and where things
are done. Identify and deal with the stress that Jess currently faces. Jess is
under a lot of stress in her new job. Apart from the stress caused by the
need to ensure performance targets are met, the most stress is caused by
the reluctance of staff to embrace change. In the last twelve months there
have been a lot of challenges for Jess. There has been the introduction of
new operational systems, new working practices as well as building a new
team. The stress is also showing in her inability to hold proper monthly
meetings.

By using some stress management techniques Jess could reduce her stress
levels. Getting organised will be beneficial for Jess. By prioritising objectives,
this then makes them manageable. By managing her time better this too
will benefit Jess.

Other ways of reducing stress are to get plenty exercise and getting a good
nights sleep. Provide approaches that may assist Jess in managing
problems and enhance her decision making skills. There are several
approaches that managers can use when managing problems. Individual
managers will have their own different styles when dealing with problems.
One of these approaches is called structured problem solving and decision
making. This involves initially defining the problem. Peoples views of their
problems are usually made up from their own beliefs and feelings. So it is
through their own perception that they see the problem and because of this
they may not see all the facts of the situation. By reframing the problem we
can look at it from another persons perspective. Another approach that can
be used is a creative approach. An example of this approach is Mind
Mapping/Brain Storming. By using this approach you can aid thinking. This
can help people organise thoughts and remember things. References

Administration Industrielle et Generale. Henri Fayol (1916)

Mintzberg on Management: Inside our Strange World of Organisations. Henry
Mintzberg. (1990). What effective managers really did? John Kotter. (1999).
The Reality of Management Third Edition (Buttersworth Heinemann 1997).
Rosemary Stewart.