Does manager need to change? Is it difficult?

The new organizational form made managers especially middle managers give more attention from researcher about how their important role in organization restructuring. As we know, that’s a new way when hierarchical organization replaced by decentralization concept. Usually, it happened for company which has subsidiaries in different geographical area. Through its decentralization, it has own core activities and independent decision making. The absence of senior manager becomes issue in decision making process. Some article mention that it’s important to see how the reaction and the way middle managers react and understand the change that occur in the absence of senior manager. Thus, the important of schemata (interpretive frameworks) those middle managers build for resolve change problems. I believe this is not just the way that middle managers need. Schemata is just one of system for reduce change, however it need “courage” of middle manager as part of trait leadership that he or she need to achieve. They will face of many problems, in terms of underperformance employee that did not want to accept change. If he or she has lack of courage tend to assume as they have low of confidence of themselves that increase problem of change process.

Change is constant and its complex process depends on what’s perspective of us. In reality, how about if the owner / CEO / top management resist to change? They believe that old system will lead them to success. Why we should copy other if we believe we can success with this condition? Thus, can middle manager change the way the CEO think? It does not mean using others perspective (in terms of strategy, process) will lead to success. This condition always happens in global organization which has many people from various background cultures. However, there are different ways of managers for handling the problem. I believe, it related to “personal effort” and “emotional courage” for them to accept change as a positive condition that they have to face. As we know, the companies not only belong to the owner, CEO, middle manager, shareholders, but also belong to employee. Thus, the decision that they make should consider for the sake of all people. If the changes will lead them to success and for the growth of company, managers or owners should give priority on that terms, and not just follow their principle even though it’s right. This is how the leader deals with reality condition; they have courage and confidence to do the best.

In addition, how can we know he or she is the right one for leader? There are many assessment that the company do to find “the right” person. Who is the “role model” of leader? Sometimes, it can be anyone of us and depend also with the religion; beliefs of people, as well as it can be Jesus, Mohammad, Mosses, parents, etc. Thus, manager not always can be a leader, but the leader is a person who will perform him or herself to be a good manager. He or she can open window opportunity as a result of change process for the growth of company.

Resource:
Balogun, J. & Johnson, G. (2004) “Organizational Restructuring and Middle Manager
Sensemaking”. Academy of Management Journal. Vol 47, 523-549.
Furnham, A. (2003) “Managers as Change Agents” Journal of Change Management. Vol 3, no 1, 21-29.
Higgs, M. & Rowland, D. (2005) “All Changes Great and Small: Exploring Approaches to Change and its Leadership”. Journal of Change Management. Vol 5, no 2, 121-151

Culture & Team Leadership

Global environment and rapidly new technology development made company has network with people from different various background of education and culture. Thus, it will lead them to have chance to know other culture especially in multinational company where most of the employee comes from various culture. Apparently, diversity in company culture becomes issue because of the different location of headquarters with its subsidiaries in other country. Communication, managing culture and team would be an important factor for the growth of company. Indeed, the company need leader as someone who have inner ability, well manner behavior and understanding culture for managing team which is called “team leadership”.

Culture is defined as the learned beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols, and traditions that are common to a group of people (Northouse, P.G, 2007). The concept of culture, multicultural or diversity strongly related with leadership because it has impact on how leaders influence others. The term of individualistic vs collectivistic, egalitarian-hierarchical vs task orientation, and Hofstede theory (power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity - feminity, and long term – short term orientation) would be familiar approach that many researcher do.

Why do leader need know the culture? As global leaders they need communicate effectively across culture and geographic boundaries. In order to do that, they need to know characterize of its employee that comes from different countries, while GLOBE researchers analyze the similarities and differences between cultural groups (62 countries). For instance, I would like to mention of Nordic Europe (Denmark, Finland, and Sweden) and the analysis are high on future orientation, gender egalitarianism, institutional collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, low on assertiveness, in-group collectivism, and success. However, in Confucian Asia have different character are high in performance orientation, in group collectivism, and loyal to families. Both of culture would be cause complexity in managing team if people try to find differences between them. The important thing for managing team is leader’s behavior necessary meet with group’s need and matches the complexity of the situation. In addition, a leader needs to set up “objective or goal” that can accept by others in effective and efficient way.

How to achieve team effective in diversity culture? Some researcher (Hill’s) have model that would be help leader to achieve “team effectiveness”. According to this model, leader need to monitor internal and external condition before making decision because it impact of their action which are internal action (task and relational, for instance: planning, controlling, managing conflict) and external action (environment, such as networking). This concept would not be succeeding if the leader has not appropriate well manner behavior. There are some of characteristic that facilitate outstanding leadership such as trustworthy, positive, motivational , encouraging, charismatic that relates with trait approach. I could say some of leader such as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela as a leader who has high integrity. According to some researcher, leadership behavior is seen as team-based problem solving in which the leader attempts to achieve team goals by analyzing the internal and external situation and then selecting and implementing the appropriate behaviors to ensure team effectiveness (Fleishman,et al,1991).

Different culture would impact on different behavior as well as leadership behavior. There are many seminar, training about diversity culture and leadership that very popular now days. As I mention before leadership skills is not magic, and it’s not that someone people’s have and others don’t. Thus, the difference is a good leader would be adapting with complexity situation because they understand their own culture biases and he or she can communicate across cultural in proper way.

Finally, performance of team not only depends on the performance of team leader, but also team member that consists of people from different background and culture that have ability to do the job and has positive of personal style will be boost performance of team. Whenever he or she as a team leader can act align with the objective of team and capable to manage the team member, that’s the core of team leadership.

References
Northouse, P.G. (2007), Leadership Theory and Practice, 4th edition, Sage Publication.

Organizational Change

Organization faces change in their operation. However, sometimes people refuse to change which is called “resistance to change” that might be occur some problem in organization. The article “the rhythm of change” define change into three part are dramatic change (some crisis happened in organization), systematic change (system that develop & planning by specialist) and organic change (internal and not depend on managerial authority or specialist) (Nguyen Huy, Quy & Mintzberg, Hery, 2003). Thus, that combination of three of them will create some revolution coming from dramatic change, reform coming from systematic change and rejuvenation as a product of organic change.

Furthermore, managing people and organization needs time. The growth of organization because of merger or acquisition will increase the change itself. Pressure of this change sometimes gives positive feedback for leaders to improve quality, be more global and maximize resources. One of the key indicators to increase the successful change in organization is by using Five P. Those are Pain, Process, Politics, Payoff and Persistence (Mcallaster, Craig M, 2004). Indeed, change is part of evolution. This is the role of leaders would be driven for organizational change. Once the leaders can proactively utilize revolution, the greater the probability would be successful.

Now days, organization try to set up goal or which is popular with “goal setting”. Why? This goal setting is a guideline for super ordinate in organization to react from emotional rhetoric to concrete action steps. Everyone in the company has “dream”. Dream can not be achieve if there is no action for realization. Thus, these goal settings are effective because it provides challenges and it also enables people to see the progress they are making. The goal must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and have a Time frame) and people should have commitment with their goal to achieve success (Latham, Gary P., 2003)

Finally, I believe the survival of organization depends of how they manage the change within organization. Indeed evolutionary change somehow easier to manage than the revolutionary change. However, researcher has established many key indicators to measure the change itself. Thus, organization must aware of these findings and try to focus and commitment of the goal of company to achieve long term success.

References:
Latham, G.P. (2003) “Goal Setting: A Five Organizational Dynamics. Vol 32, no 3, 309

MCallaster, C.M. (2004) “The 5 P’s of Change. Leading Change by Effectively Utilizing Leverage Points within an Organization”.

Nguyen Huy, Q. & Mintzberg, H. (2003) “The Rhytm of Change”. MIT Sloan Management Review. Vol 44, no 4, 79-84.

Oxman J.A. & Smith, B.D. (2003) “The Limits of Structural Change”. MIT Sloan Management Review. Vol 45, no 1, 77

Leadership Skill

Leadership skills are one of important tools for effective leader to motivate people in organization. Skills approach is different with trait approach (personality of leader) even though it plays an important role in leadership. However, there are many ways to do for managers to improve their knowledge and develop their skills through training and practice. Leadership skills can be learned like any other skills.

According to Katz, there are three skills approach: technical skill, human skill and conceptual skill. Effective leadership depends on those three skills. As a leader, his or her skills have to match with their management level. For instance, at lower management levels, technical and human skills are important. For middle managers, the three skills are important. Then, conceptual and human skills are most important at upper management levels (Northouse, P.G, 2007).

Furthermore, being an effective leader means that he or she can diagnose the situation and then choose appropriate leadership style. In this approach, skill is importantly needed by them to practice their technical, human and conceptual skills to make right decision that aligned with company’s objective. For instance, as team leader must know and understand their bottom line (followers) so they can support and encourage them to do their job effective and efficiently.

Other model of leadership skills that develop by Mumford and colleagues were important for the role of leadership performance. The model emphasizes in career experience (e.g. problem solving skills, social judgment skills) and environmental influence illustrated the leader’s skill to solve organization problems (Northouse, P.G, 2007).

Eventually, leadership is not magic, and it’s not that someone people’s have and others don’t. (F.John Reh, 2008). Leadership skills help leader to identify his or her strength and weaknesses in regard to these technical, human and conceptual skills.

References:
Northouse, P.G. (2007), Leadership Theory and Practice, 4th edition, Sage Publication.

F.John Reh, (2008). The Manager As Leader. Retrieved 2008-11-6, from http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/MgrPlanPt4.htm