A Nice Manager: Critical Analysis of Human Behavior
Introduction
Through effective and efficient management, managers are able to mobilize resources-human, financial, technological and natural in order to achieve an organization’s desired objective. Therefore, it should be the aim of every organization to ensure that it has in place a team of competent and skillful individuals undertaking the leadership role. One of the critical roles that define a manager’s competency is their capacity to effectively manage and lead change while at the same time ensuring that they strike a balance between viewed as a ‘nice’ manager and taking on the tough role of the top management. In this particular case, Harry walks into an organization that can be considered to be at its knees. However, through his active management style, he manages to turn things around and make the department he leads a better one. He increases the general performance and morale level within the organization. Through his management style, his significant strengths, as well as weaknesses, are brought out. Among his strengths is his ability to bring a sense of motivation and desire to achieve the set objective into the team that he leads. He does this by striking a great relationship with employees and developing a remarkable level of trust and vision that those working under him adopt. On the other hand, Harry has a weakness as far as ensuring effective change leadership and management at the organization while at the same time, avoiding the compromise of his authority/ respect is concerned.
Analysis
Ensuring effective change leadership and management while at the same time, exercising authoritative leadership is the primary management issue that this particular organization faces. Change management is the art and science of influencing those that one leads to take part in the subject change and putting in place the necessary mechanisms in order to realize a new and better organizational state (Gill, 2012). The effectiveness and efficiency of change leadership depend upon the creation of experiences that reveal to those that one leads, any emerging possibilities (Rego et al., 2020). Although change management plays a vital role in ensuring that organizations thrive, the adoption of inefficient change management strategies is likely to lead to detrimental effects within the organization (Rego et al., 2020). As stated, the new manager was able to rescue the struggling organization in terms of the employees’ performance level and morale. However, in the process, his leadership style was compromised as the employees considered him as a popular leader rather than a respectable one. Therefore, this made it difficult for him to make tough decisions that could not be regarded as favorable by some of the employees.
The above-stated problem can be attributed to the lack of an effective change management model that can enable the new manager to effectively guide the employees towards the achievement of the desired objective while at the same time ensuring that an effective leadership style is maintained. The presence of an effective change management model would ensure that all the undertakings within the organization are well planned, organized, controlled and directed (Sarta, Durand & Vergne, 2020). It would also instill into the employees the will to achieve the organization’s desired objective, through the optimization of the organizational culture, without necessarily having a manager who is considered ‘nice’ by those he leads. Various change management models can be adopted and implemented in order to solve the aforementioned issue within this organization. One of these models is Kurt Lewin’s three-step model.
Solutions
Kurt Lewin’s three-step model
Kurt Lewin’s three-step model is a change management model that involves three key steps. These include the unfreezing stage, changing stage, and the refreezing stage (Siebert & Martin, 2014). According to this model, during the unfreezing phase, the management team needs to carry out an examination of the current state of affairs within the organization, make the employees within the organization realize the significance of the change, conduct a force field analysis and recommend a strategy that would intensify the motivation for change (Siebert & Martin, 2014). For instance, in this particular case, there is a need for change in order to deal with the falling performance and morale levels within the organization. Therefore, the management team should sensitize the employees within the organization on why this change is necessary and put in place proper measures to deal with any form of resistance from the employees. This would require the exercise of a great extent of emotional intelligence. As a result of this, the management team’s level of conscientiousness will be enhanced while at the same time reducing the manager’s level of agreeableness which makes him achieve an across the board reputation as a nice person (Gill, 2012).
The second stage of Kurt Lewin’s three-step change management model entails undertaking the necessary change within the organization. After successfully creating the need for change within the organization and mobilizing the employees to work towards this new desired state, the manager then implements it. In this particular case, this may involve the use of incentives in order to motivate the employees to attain higher performance levels (Rego et al., 2020). Generally, the management team comes up with new ways to run the organization’s operations in order to achieve the desired objective (Rego et al., 2020). In this entire process, the manager has to ensure that he/she develops and maintains a good working relationship with the employees while at the same time making unpopular decisions that preserve his/her respect as a leader.
In the final stage of this change management model, the refreezing stage, the management team simply puts in place various reinforcement measures that ensure the stabilization and solidification of the already implemented change within the organization (Sarta, Durand & Vergne, 2020). For instance, in this case, the manager may choose to reward those making tremendous steps in the adoption of the new state while at the same time punishing those who are not effectively implementing the change. Besides adopting an appropriate change management model, the manager may as well adopt an effective transformational leadership style through the path-goal leadership theory.
Transformational leadership
The path-goal leadership theory highlights that the leader’s responsibility is to offer support and inspire those that he/she leads to eventually achieve the organization’s desired objective (Rego et al., 2020). This theory is founded on four major leadership pillars. These include goal-oriented leadership, supportive leadership, and regulative leadership (Siebert & Martin, 2014). By basing his leadership style on these pillars, the manager, in this particular case, would be able to control his level of conscientiousness and agreeableness, enhancing his across-the-board reputation as a nice manager.
However, the best solution to the issue at hand in this given organization is the adoption of an effective change management model, which in this case, is Kart Lewin’s three-step model. This is because the model, through its detailed nature and the steps that have been discussed above, can effectively and comprehensively solve the organization’s problem due to poor change management strategies (Gill, 2012). Its implementation should be consistent with the aforementioned three key steps.
Application
As a manager, one’s ability to influence and motivate people in order to realize the organization’s desired objective can be enhanced through their experience over time. By winning the hearts and minds of those he/she leads, a manager will be better positioned to lead employees toward achieving an organization’s desired objective (Siebert & Martin, 2014). Therefore, through this particular case, one learns on the need to draw a fine line between the populous and respectable aspects of leadership. It is through establishing one’s reputation as a reputable leader and not a popular one that a manager can be able to take on severe issues that require top management (Rego et al., 2020).
Conclusion
Effective leadership is vital for the realization of the desired objective in any organization. It conditions how well the management team mobilizes individual effort to contribute to the organization’s overall success. Therefore, any leadership team must put in place efficient measures such as proper change management models and transitional leadership that is provided for in the path-goal leadership theory to ensure its effectiveness. Through this, any manager’s respect rather than populous nature will be enhanced hence putting him/her in a better position to make critical decisions that are likely to steer the organization forward.
References
Gill, R. (2012). Change management–or change leadership? Journal of Change Management, 3(4), 307-318. doi: 10.1080/714023845
Rego, A., Cavazotte, F., Cunha, M., Valverde, C., Meyer, M., & Giustiniano, L. (2020). Gritty Leaders Promoting Employees’ Thriving at Work. Journal of Management, 1(1), 014920632090476. doi: 10.1177/0149206320904765
Sarta, A., Durand, R., & Vergne, J. (2020). Organizational Adaptation. Journal of Management, 1(1), 014920632092908. doi: 10.1177/0149206320929088
Siebert, S., & Martin, G. (2014). People management rationales and organizational effectiveness. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 1(2), 177-190. doi: 10.1108/joepp-03-2014-0011-0