Management Skills in Providing Solutions to Problems

Introduction

Table of Contents

Management skills in an organization provide direction and facilitate achievement of goals. Challenges in the management can occur, and the management skills can be effective in preventing issues and providing solutions to problems. The following is a presentation of case studies and their possible solution. Theoretical overview, managerial skills and insights from the case study will also be discussed in the paper.

Case studies

Listening case study

Listening is an important task in business and can have impacts on the organization. An analyst transfers accounts that were handled by a retired analyst. One of the clients whose account is transferred is Mrs. Crenshaw, a widow.The two discuss her investments. Mrs. Crenshaw demonstrates fear that she did not have enough to support her in her old age, since she is in her late sixties. She demonstrates her interests in investing limited principle.The analyst fails to note Mrs. Crenshaw fears and goes ahead to encourage Mrs. Crenshaw to invest higher principle which she quickly signs against. Mrs. Crenshaw was not interested in making changes and opted to be conservative.Later on, the analyst faces the boss, David Sanders who after meeting with Mrs. Crenshaw son agree to delay changes. The analyst realized that he did not listen to Mrs. Crenshaw and he ended up losing the account to a senior analyst.The analyst learnt his mistake of not listening and failure to detect the fears of Mrs. Crenshaw earlier. He may have been unable to note Mrs. Crenshaw concerns if he was unable to comprehend her perceived issue, had been given multiple tasks or had been overloaded with problems.The significant task in listening was her fear in high risk investment, and lack of enough funds to sustain her. She signed the papers too quickly, and the analyst did not note that she was dissatisfied. The analyst can overcome the listening issues by increasing attentiveness, requesting for clarification and obtaining feedback.

Building teams case study

In his new job, Ben is placed in a new team. In his previous job, Ben tackled most of the team’s assignments alone in the team. He has high hopes of working in a team in his new job. Besides the team members having a great balance of diversity in specialization and background, the teams kick off well with good relationships and the members are assigned their work.Communication plans and schedules are in order until the members are assigned individual work (Ckbooks.com, 2011). Before presenting the work, the team meets a day before to compile the work. Ben is disappointed since only one of the members has completed. The other team members had not completed their tasks.Ben’s expectation of the team members is turned down, and he wishes he had tackled the team’s work individually. Not all members of the team are determined to achieve results. The team seems to be in social relationships that do not yield results at work. The problem occurred when the work was shared.The situation could have been prevented if a meeting to check on progress was called a few weeks prior to the day of presentation. The issue can be solved if the team meets and they agree on presenting the best work. Consequently, the team can request for additional time to complete its task. The team should meet before presenting the final work. The group should encourage one another and complete the task as well as exhibit work that is well done.

Managing conflict case study

According to the case study, the employer and employees have a conflict on the management which can be resolved. The boss comes in late and reschedules the day’s program, which causes disorientation and wastage of time.Time wasted causes the employee to be angry and dissatisfied with the days output. Confronting the boss on the issue is difficult and the employee fears that the boss might not change after all.The frustration of disorganization can be alleviated if the employee seeks to understand the boss. They can initiate a conversation that will enable the employee get communication earlier in the day. In cases where communication and cooperation is not achievable, the employee can consider compromising.The employee should avoid competition and choose to be understanding. Emotional communication should also be avoided. Moreover, assumptions should be evaded. Communication will be the most effective approach for the management conflict.

Power and politicking case study

Shane gains a promotion after demonstrating leadership skills. She is an excellent communicator and a skilled problem solver. Shane leads the team to solve decreased sales and mounting customer complains together with a team consisting of other employees. Shane’s presentation earns her a promotion. The team members distance themselves. Their behavior towards Shane changes too. The new position places Shane at a closer level with her boss Athena where their relationship is likely to be affected.Shane’s performance in the given task seems to be the basis for the promotion. The management has confidence in his ability to be the leader. The rest of the team may perceive that Shane was given credit for the team’s efforts. Balancing of power in the organization will require communication from the senior management to avoid misunderstandings.Raymond the manager should have made a clarification of Shane’s new position and stated what nature of relationship with the other managers will be expected. Shane can emphasize the team’s effort that was a success and encourage team work in his new position as they maintain the team spirit.

Leading and empowerment case study

Gail was hired in a manufacturing company as an office and production manager. Larry was her supervisor and the plant manager. In her new office, she learnt that employees were inefficient. Kathy one of the employees would come late, pick personal calls and request others to answer the calls in the office.Larry demonstrated dissatisfaction with Kathy’s behavior in the office. Gail warned Kathy but, there was no change in her habit despite getting warning of termination from Gail. When Kathy was fired, she went to Larry’s office and after a long conversation; Larry said Kathy was not fired.In another department, Gail made changes and the supervisor Maggie, failed to cooperate. Maggie revealed to Gail that she could only take instructions from Larry. This left Gail feeling undermined. Gail together with Larry ordered supplies for production. Larry was accused Gail of ordering, a task that Larry is in charge of.The challenges Gail is facing can be overcome if Larry, the boss gains trust and confidence on Gail. There should be clarity in the hierarchy, and the responsibilities be clearly outlined. Healthy relationships can be established over time. Communication should be emphasized. The relevance of Gail position can be considered and then the reporting relationship be spelled out.

Theoretical overview

According to Friendman and Currall (2001, p. 32) conflict management skills are important in every organizational management. Conflict management consists of negotiations that lead to agreement. Conflict management enhances positive outcomes and reduces negative impacts involved in conflicts. Conflicts can be effectively managed if a balance between concerns for self and concerns for others are balanced. Successful conflict management leads to better results. Communication is an effective component of conflict management.Reh(2011, p. 1) mentions that team building is an activity that involves motivating employees to work as a team and to view the benefits of team work as their personal benefits. Team building is a continuous process that requires participation of every team member. The team is rewarded as a group.Cooperation and continued efforts are required for every member is made to understand the success of the team is their success. Setting goals and enhancing communication are important aspects in the team building. Team members can identify with the team’s success and gain motivation. Team members should be made to understand that their combined efforts will yield better results than individuals work.Leadership and empowerment assists in increasing efficiency in the organization. A leader cannot be able to do all tasks without the assistance of their subordinates. A leader delegates work to be able to attain the organizational goals. A leader can motivate and empower others to accomplish tasks.

They need to trust and be confident that they will be able to achieve the desired results and support them when they need assistance. Communication increases clarity and facilitates the exchange of important information within the organization. Duties can be shared so that overlapping tasks and undesignated tasks are avoided. Responsibility is shared according to skills and ability (Holistic Management, 2008, p. 1).Reh (2006, p. 1) indicates that listening is a significant skill in management. In communication, it is equally important to listen to others just as it is important to give information. Listening involves letting others talk as one pays attention. Therefore, the listener is able to deduce meaning from the person conveying the message. One can develop the correct perception of an issue and address a problem comprehensively by gaining more understanding.Power and politicking in organization reflects in organizations. To have power means one can influence another. To increase one’s power in an organization, individuals have increased their skills and demonstrated that they are knowledgeable. Employees willingly support leaders whose power is acceptable than one who is coercive. Those who are able to politicize and gain the attention of their bosses as good at performance are able to gain promotion and power in an organization.

Managerial skill

Management skills significantly aid in the achievement of goals and objectives in an organization. Management skills are important in production and management of the entire business process. Coordinating activities in an organization require the manger to have adequate information to make appropriate decisions.Yau and Sculli (1990, p. 33) say that communication is an important skill that enables one to exchange information and gain more knowledge. Listening is part of communication and enables one to gain insights and derive meaning from provided information. Communication also involves making information available to the employees in the organization.The vision and the goals can be communicated in advance. The hierarchical structure of the organization information can be provided. Individual’s role is clearly outlined to avoid misunderstandings.

Lessons and insights gained

Issues that arise in management can be solved, and the organizational goals be achieved. Listening to a client and understanding what they need is a managerial skill. Paying attentiveness and getting clarification is important in every business process. Team building requires motivation for every member.The motivation can be achieved if every member sees the teams work as their success. Members should continually engage in team work for excellent results to be obtained.Conflicts can be resolved if there is communication. To manage conflict, negotiations that lead to agreements and compromise are realized. Employees can master the politics and power relations in the organization and gain promotion. Gaining power over others may affect one’s relationship.Employees can learn to maintain a relationship and recognize team work as collective success. Leaders can effectively delegate responsibilities and attain success. They can trust their employees to make the right decisions. Relationship between managers and their juniors can be clearly outlined.

Conclusion

The case studies provided demonstrate that challenges in management can be overcome. Essential skills as discussed include listening skills, team work, conflict management, understanding power and politics in an organization and adopting leadership and empowerment skills. Management skills improve performance and increase efficiency. Employees require motivation and can learn to maintain healthy relationships in the work place.