THE MANAGER AS A LEADERBusiness ManagementUnit 5

Objectives

Define the concept of leadership and important characteristics of leaders

Identify five important human relations skills needed by managers

Discuss two viewpoints of managers about employees’ attitudes toward work

Compare three different leadership styles and determine when each is most effective

Describe the importance of work rules in a business and the procedures managers should follow in enforcing them

Key Terms

Leader Leadership Human relations Power Position power Reward power Expert power

Identity power Leadership style Autocratic leader Democratic

leader Open leader Situational leader Work rules

Leadership CharacteristicsInfluencing PeopleDeveloping Leadership Skills

The Importance of Leadership

Leadership is the ability to influence individuals and groups to cooperatively achieve organizational goals

Human relations refers to how well people get along with each other when working together

Leadership Characteristics

Intelligence Judgment Objectivity Initiative Dependability cooperation

Honesty Courage Confidence Stability Understanding

Influencing people

Power is the ability to control behavior Position power Reward power Expert power Identity power

Developing Leadership Skills Individuals can improve leadership skills

Training Personal development Experience Preparation and practice

Leadership skills are needed by Managers Team and project leaders Supervisors

Self UnderstandingUnderstanding OthersCommunicationTeam BuildingDeveloping Job Satisfaction

Human Relations

Self Understanding

Self-understanding involves an awareness of Your attitudes Opinions Your leadership style Your decision making style and Your relationship with other people

Understanding Others

Manager needs to know the best way to work with each employee

They need to be able to satisfy workers needs

And accomplish the goals of the company

Communication

Manager must understand what information to communicate and what method to use

Listening is an important communication skill By listening managers

Identify problems Determine needs Respond to other effectively

Manager must communicate with employees in a language they can understand and through their channels

Team Building

Team building means getting people to believe in the goals of the company

Teams that take responsibility for work and pride in the results reduce the amount of time managers spend in monitoring the team’s work

Developing Job Satisfaction

Employees are willing to work hard when they are satisfied with their jobs.

Manager must look at differences when making job assignments

People should be carefully matched with the kind of work they performs

Whenever possible managers should match the job tasks with the needs and interest of the employees and watch people when they begin new tasks to identify possible problems

Management Viewpoints About Employees

Employees need to be closely managed Employees perform well with limited

management A flexible viewpoint

Autocratic DemocraticOpenSituational

Leadership Styles

Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leader gives direct, clear and precise orders or detailed instructions

Employees do not make decision about the work to be performed

Manager handles all questions and problems Reason for use – efficiency, no surprises, best for

use in emergencies, temporary /part-time employees

Disadvantages it discourages employees from thinking of better ways

of doing things May lead to employee dissatisfaction Decline in work performance Does no prepare employee for leadership opportunities

Democratic Leadership

Democratic leader is one who encourages workers to share in making decisions about their work and work related problems

Manager communicate openly with employees and discuss problems and solutions

Many still makes the final decision Principal characteristic is it encourages employees to

participate in planning, solving problems and making decisions

Limitations Not everyone participates Its time consuming Many jobs are routine with little opportunity for shared

decision making

Open Leadership

The open leader is a manager who gives little or no direction to employees

Employees understand the work that needs to be accomplished Methods, details and decisions are left to

individual or team

Situational Leadership

A situational leader is one who understands employees and job requirements and matches his or her actions and decisions to the circumstances

Handling Employee Problems

Employees Prefer a Manager Who Encourages employee participation and

suggestions Keeps employees informed and shares

employee ideas with upper management Works to build and maintain morale Is available to employees and easy to

talk to Supports employee training and

development

Employees Prefer a Manager Who Communicates effectively with employees Is considerate of the ideas and feelings of

others Makes changes when needed rather than

relying on past practices Supports employees who are doing their

best even when mistakes are made Shows appreciation and provides

recognition for good work

Management Guidelines for Enforcing Work Rules Explain work rules and provide written

copies of the rules to all employees Acquaint employees with penalties for

work rule violations and make sure they understand the penalties as well as when and how they will be applied

Investigate any violation thoroughly before taking action

Management Guidelines

Consider any special circumstances before determining the violation and the penalty

Act as soon as possible after investigating a violation and deciding the action to be taken

Inform the employee who violated a work rule of the rule that was violated, the penalty that will be applied, and the reason for the penalty

Management Guideline

Treat similar violations consistently Punish in private and praise in public Encourage employees to follow work

rules by rewarding those who consistently follow the rules