Ilm M4.01 Essay

Managers have subordinates – people who operate at levels below the managers’. 10 In summary10 Leadership and Adaptability10 4. Communication and interpersonal relationships11 4. 1 Explanation11 4. 2 Barriers11 5. Development opportunities12 5. 1 Personal style14 5. 2 Personal development16 M4. 01: Understanding the management role (Work based assignment) 1. Introduction 1. 1 My Role – Principle Desktop Engineer †¢ Medway Council. The council employs around 7,000 people in a wide variety of general and specialist roles. Staff are based in the two main offices: Gun Wharf Chatham Maritime and Civic Centre in Strood. As well as in schools, social services centres and leisure, countryside, heritage and arts centres. †¢ My role within the organisation is Principle Desktop Engineer. I currently have a team of 8 engineers and an apprentice. †¢ The main purpose of the job is to manage the desktop engineer team, providing an effective and efficient desktop service to Medway Council. A full Job description (JDQ) is listed at appendix 1. 2. Medway Council[1] Medway Council is a unitary council responsible for providing services, including education and social services, in Rochester, Strood, Chatham, Gillingham, Rainham, the nearby rural areas and the Hoo Peninsula. The council also ensures that people comply with regulations, supports business and tourism in Medway and works to include everyone and regenerate the area. Services People who need services can find information on our website or at the council’s main offices, the town centre contact points as well as in local papers and radio and in the free magazine for residents, Medway Matters. You can also pay online for many services, including council tax, rent and parking fines and also complain if services are not up to your expectations. Decisions Decisions about our services are made after asking people for their views about, for example, what core values should underpin decisions and much more. Councillors make decisions about everything from refuse collection to regeneration of the area. It is their job to ensure that services are provided cost effectively, where they are needed and without discrimination. Council meetings are publicised in advance and members of the public are welcome to attend. Partnership Working in partnership with others to tackle problems effectively and campaign is co-ordinated through the Local Strategic Partnership and set out in the community plan. Other examples of partnership working are the Children and Young People’s Partnership and Community Safety Partnership (CSP). Employer As an employer of around 7,000 people, Medway Council offers full and part-time career opportunities. 2. 1 The council’s vision †¢ The Council’s vision for Medway is that Medway will be thriving, confident and healthy, a place where people are proud to live, work and learn. There will be opportunities for everyone to achieve and succeed, and to get the most out of life. We will celebrate the diversity of our communities, tackling disadvantage in all its forms. The local economy will grow an increasing number and range of jobs created by the expansion of existing businesses and the attraction of new ones. With a University for Medway offering opportunities for all local people, we will have a highly educated and skilled workforce, able to meet the needs of employers. Economic prosperity and progress will not however, be achieved at the expense of the environment. People living in Medway will enjoy a high quality of life, with decent, affordable housing. There will be a responsive transport system, helping to reduce traffic congestion. We will improve the environment and maintain it for future generations. †¢ This can only be achieved through the participation of all – the community, the Council, businesses and others sharing ambition and responsibility. We will listen to local people and jointly take pride in improving the place where we live. Networks of voluntary groups working with local people will be encouraged. Medway Council will provide high quality services, always working to improve value for money. Over and above this the Council will consult and involve local people so that decisions are taken on spending limited resources together. The Council will co-coordinate partnerships across boundaries to achieve common objectives. Medway Council will seek to set an example as a good and fair employer. †¢ Medway matters â €“ there is no limit to what we can achieve. Working together we will shape the future of Medway and create an environment of flourishing communities with people who fulfil their potential. . 2 Organisational structure The council is made up of two directorates: †¢ Children and Adults †¢ Regeneration, Community and Culture An additional partnership with NHS Medway includes: †¢ The Public Health Directorate An organisational chart can be found at appendix 2 with a management role table at appendix 3. 2. 2. 1 Functional areas and managerial roles in relation to its purpose Under the Medway Council Personal Development Review (PDR) there are several personal qualities and attributes (PQAs) which middle managers are assessed against: Commitment to diversity and integrity – promoting and managing diversity and demonstrating a fair and ethical approach in all situations †¢ Openness to change – proactively supporting change, seeking opportunities to pr omote improved organizational effectiveness †¢ Confidence and resilience – consistently projecting and promoting a confident, controlled and focused attitude in highly challenging situations †¢ Working with others – leading, involving and motivating others both within Medway and in the community †¢ Effective communication – communicating effectively oth orally and in writing †¢ Commitment to development – committed and able to develop self, individuals and teams to improve organisational effectiveness †¢ Problem solving – understanding and applying relevant information to make appropriate decisions which reflect key priorities and requirements †¢ Situational awareness – maintaining an active awareness of the environment to promote safe and effective working †¢ Commitment to excellence – leading groups to achieve excellence by the establishment, maintaining and managing performance requirements †¢ Planning and implementing – creating and implementing effective plans to deliver a range of organizational objectives †¢ Political/organizational awareness – recognizing the potential political impact and implications of actions from a strategic perspective These are primarily for operational staff but there is an expectation that all middle managers fulfil these roles. 2. 3 Stakeholders and their objectives A stakeholder is any individual or organisation that is affected by the activities of a business. They may have a direct or indirect interest in the business, and may be in contact with the business on a daily basis, or may just occasionally. Our main stake holders are: †¢ Members – they are elected, accountable and drive values and activities. †¢ Staff – they will be interested in job security and pay. †¢ Agencies – Shools, NHS, Housing, Police, Highways, Waste and Building Control. †¢ Other authorities – SE7, a partnership of seven councils that have committed to working together to improve quality of services and to achieve savings. Stakeholders have an interest in the company but do not own it. I would suggest that most people would say the public would be the main stakeholder as the end-user. However there is a stakeholder matrix which is used to assess how much power and influence they have to an organisation. Using this then influences how much attention/priority the organisation should allocate to each. [pic] 3. The role of management in achieving goals To achieve its goals and ensure that the stakeholder’s interests are continually analysed and met, the council employs middle managers. The council goals can only be achieved if everyone works as a team and supports the council vision and values. Middle managers are an important component of this team. Middle managers have a responsibility within the organisation to implement at an operational level, the policy and programs set out by the senior managers and directors. They have a strong impact on the outcome of customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and the efficiency and development of the organisation. Middle managers within the company also act as role models who interpret and represent the company; they communicate and track the different goals and policies ensuring information flows up as well as down. 3. 1 Responsibilities of middle managers Middle managers relay strategic objections from senior managers to their subordinates. They set local targets, review and evaluate, and report back to senior managers. Communication is therefore crucial in the organisation to ensure everyone fully understands their roles and responsibilities. Middle managers play an important role in promulgating information to their staff from senior managers in an appropriate manner and understandable language to ensure duties are carried out efficiently and effectively, as we have a duty as â€Å"public servants† to provide value for money. In essence they make it â€Å"real†. Various systems are in place to enable middle managers to provide evaluation on targets to senior managers, and provide data for Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs). Adair’s Action Centred Leadership model can be used to show how middle managers can show achievement towards the organisation’s goals: By Achieving the Task By Developing the Team By Developing Individuals Importantly as well, Adair set out these core functions of leadership and says they are vital to the Action Centred Leadership model: Planning – seeking information, defining tasks, setting aims †¢ Initiating – briefing, task allocation, setting standards †¢ Controlling – maintaining standards, ensuring progress, on-going decision-making †¢ Supporting – individuals’ contributions, encouraging, team spirit, reconciling, morale †¢ Informing – clarifying tasks and plans, updating, receiving feedback and interpreting †¢ Evaluating – feasibility of ideas, performance, enabling self assessment Following training, Medway Council middle managers are involved in recruiting staff, conduct appraisals and performance management and absence management, in accordance with service procedures. Middle managers are specialists within their department or team. . 3. 2 Leadership/Management styles How you talk to your staff, how you motivate, how you delegate, how you solve problems and how you make decisions will depend on you view your role as a manager or as a leader. The table at appendix 4 lists the different styles. 3. 3 To lead or to manage You need both. The old proverb says that leadership is doing the right thing; management is doing things right. The difference between the two is not as sharp as the saying would suggest, and both are required for effective corporate growth: leadership risk creates opportunities while management strictness turns them into tangible results. â€Å"If your organization is not on a journey don’t bother about leadership – just settle for management† advises John Adair. â€Å"There is a direct correlation between the way people view their managers and the way they perform† [2] Leadership vs. Management What is the difference between management and leadership? The biggest difference between managers and leaders is the way they motivate the people who work or follow them, and this sets the tone for most other aspects of what they do. Many people are both. They have management jobs, but they realize that you cannot buy hearts, especially to follow them down a difficult path, and so act as leaders too. Managers have subordinates – people who operate at levels below the managers’. Leaders have followers, leaders do not have subordinates – at least not when they are leading. Many organizational leaders do have subordinates, but only because they are also managers. But when they want to lead, they have to give up formal authoritarian control, because to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity. In summary The table at appendix 5 summarizes the differences between being a leader and being a manager. This is, of course, an illustrative characterisation, and there is a whole spectrum between either end of these scales along which each person can range. Leadership and Adaptability We know that what will inspire or motivate one staff member, will not inspire or motivate another; managers therefore need to be adaptable in their responses to staff. 4. Communication and interpersonal relationships 4. 1 Explanation[3] Interpersonal communication is a crucial part of your everyday life, yet you probably rarely think about the way in which you interact with other individuals. DeVito defines interpersonal communications as â€Å"communication that takes place between two persons who have an established relationship; the people are in some way ‘connected’ Thus, as interpersonal communication can occur between romantic partners, business associates, doctors and patients, etc. , it permeates our lives. Often, you devote your interpersonal interactions to attempts at influencing the other individual in some way. 4. 2 Barriers One thing I’ve seen as an inhibitor is people like to communicate in different ways. So as a manager, we need to really seek to understand for each person, what they prefer. Some may like short 1-1 sessions that focus on quick communication of facts. Some may like longer communication sessions and be comfortable talking about personal life. Some may want weekly 1-1s, some bi-weekly. Trying to tailor the communication style in personal interactions is important. Another inhibitor I’ve seen is globally dispersed teams where communication can often take the form of instant message conversations and emails. I find that at least on occasion, suggesting a quick 5 minute call to cover something can really be of value – allows a more personal level of communication and can also allow for â€Å"off topic† communication which can help people connect. Management is based on communication but being able to transfer that into drivers, performance, motivation and sustainability needs leadership and empowerment skills. It is the basis of trust building. You can give someone a reprimand or praise and even both over a coffee and with genuine commitment you have a strong bond to build on. It converts into motivation when focused right. It’s not just about communicating – it’s about several crucial interplays of trust, motivation, inspiration, support and leadership. The main barriers we come across are solved on a trust related basis. Even a simple barrier like arriving late for work is a mountain without trust. Bottom line is each team player is different – respect will give you the ability to enter and discuss. Trust will aid the action plan†¦ then follow up and reward progress mechanisms facilitate team building and mentoring. 5. Development opportunities Every council employee has a PDR covering: †¢ Performance over the last 6/12 months, achieved objectives/targets, areas of good performance. †¢ Areas of performance to be developed further or any other problems or constraints. †¢ Agreed priority objectives/targets for next 12 months (including any Corporate Plan objectives/targets). †¢ Review of development and training over last 12 months. †¢ Agreed future development. †¢ section/department/authority. †¢ Manager’s comments. †¢ Employee’s comments All managers will manage differently as no two people are the same. However if a manager is able to critically appraise their own performance they will be able to identify areas to be developed, or at least to be aware of. The Johari Window (Loft and Hingham) is a widely used model for understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, team development and inter-group relationships. [4] [pic] 1. The public area contains things that are openly known and talked about and which may be seen as strengths or weaknesses. This is the self that we choose to share with others 2. The hidden area contains things that others observe that we don’t know about. Again, they could be positive or negative behaviours, and will affect the way that others act towards us. 3. The unknown area contains things that nobody knows about us – including ourselves. This may be because we’ve never exposed those areas of our personality, or because they’re buried deep in the subconscious. 4. The private area contains aspects of our self that we know about and keep hidden from others. 5. 1 Personal style The main two styles used by myself now are Negotiating and Facilitating I carried out a self-assessment and had three of staff carry out the assessment for comparison. All four assessments are fairly well balanced showing my main two styles are: Negotiating and Facilitating. Appendix 6 is my self-assessment. Appendix 7 is an assessment by one of my senior engineers. This shows a lower result for Directing and a higher result for Laissez-faire when compared to the other two staff assessments. This person is experienced, knowledgeable and trustworthy and has pride in his work. Appendix 8 is an assessment by one of my junior engineers. This shows an increase in Directing and a small decrease in Laissez-faire. This person is competent but still requires a little coaching at times. Appendix 9 is an assessment by a fairly new member of staff. This shows a significant increase in Directing and a small decrease in Laissez-faire. This person being fairly new to the team still requires Directing while he gets used to the policies and working practices of the organisation. From the assessment results, it is clear that my main two leadership styles are Negotiating and Facilitating, this fits in well with the organisation and is both encouraged and supported by the business. I believe I use the following styles: †¢ Style 1 – the directing or telling leader. This style I use on new members of staff and for projects that are high priority and need to be completed by the book. †¢ Style – 2 the coaching or selling leader. I use this style when dealing with the every day workloads, I have two senior engineers who manage the internal and external work queues seperately. I leave them to orghanise there own schedule but monitor both queues and expect feed back from them. †¢ Style 3 – the supporting or participating leader. I use this style during when I have smaller projects that I can delegate to my engineers knowing that they are fully capable of achieving the goals laid down. †¢ Style 4 – the delegating leader. I use this when I delegate more complex projects to my senior engineers knowing that they are fully capable of achieving the goals set out and will seek my advice/approval if any changes are required during the project. 5. 2 Personal development My areas for self improvement would be: 1. Communication, change leadership is enhanced when leaders communicate a little at a time, as often as possible, in as many different ways as possible, and providing as many different perspectives as possible. Once team members have built their own personal model of the future and have checked it out against the reality of what is happening on the ground, so that they can once again begin to make their own decisions, the communication process will have served its purpose. This could be achieved by allowing time for more team meetings to pass on any changes that may be in the pipeline, get an update on how the team feel in general. What has worked – can we improve on current working practices to give an improved and more efficient service to the organisation. What hasn’t worked and why, analyse where the task went wrong and see if it can be avoided in the future, lessons learnt. Finally to give praise/rewards where/if appropriate. 2. Self awareness, more patience with both team members and customers, being an autocratic leader for 20 years leaves its mark. My own personal development plan can be found at appendix 10 Possible organisational improvements: 1. Review working practices on a regular basis and try to improve on them making work more productive, efficient leading to a more effective service to the organisation [pic][pic] ———————– [1] Medway Council website [2] Adair, 1997 [3] DeVito, J. A. (2004). The interpersonal communication book, 10th ed. Boston: Pearson-Allyn & Bacon. [4] Google Images