POLI 457 Human Resource Development and Management

Transcription

1 POLI 457 Human Resource Development and Management Session 12 Leadership and Management Skills in Organizations 2 Lecturer: Dr. Bossman E. Asare Contact Information: bossasare@gmail.com/beasare@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/ /2017

2 Session Overview This session discusses the significance of delegation and motivation in leadership and management. Students will be exposed to key levels of decision making, leadership roles in organizations and how motivation through goal-setting can enhance organization s productivity. Slide 2

3 Session Outline Topic One : Delegation and Decision Making Topic Two: Motivation and Goal-Setting Slide 3

4 Reading Materials John Schermerhorn, James Hunt, and Richard Osborn (2005), Organizational Behavior (9 th Edition), Wiley. Robert B. Denhardt and Janet V. Denhardt (2009), Public Administration: An Action Orientation (6th Edition), Thomson Wadsworth. Richard L. Daft (2008), The Leadership Experience (fourth edition), Thomson Southwestern David Whetten and Kim Cameron (2005), Developing Management Skills (Sixth Edition) Pearson Prentice Hall Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kinicki (1998), Organizational Behavior (fourth Edition), Irwin-McGraw-Hill

5 Delegation Delegation is the transfer of any responsibility or authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. It is one of the core concepts of management leadership. Delegations can be done in two ways: Upward Delegation (Higher level delegation): This occur when subordinates bring problems to their managers to that subordinates should be solving themselves. Downward Delegation (Lower Level delegation): This refers to the assignment of authority or responsibilities to lower levels in the organizational hierarchy (Subordinates) to perform a task on behalf of the Manager. Slide 5

6 Delegation Advantages Delegation enables managers to get things done through others It helps to develop employees. This to a large extent makes the employees more valuable to the course of the organization. Also, delegation helps to prepare subordinates to take up positions when their superiors are promoted. Disadvantages Poor delegation can be nearly fatal. This is because leaders can be held accountable for the lapses in their quest to execute the task. Excessive delegation sometimes burdens the subordinates with so much work, which may affect their productivity. Slide 6

7 Decision Making Decision Making in its simplest form is the process of selecting one best alternative among several alternatives to achieve an organizational goal. In these slides, two broad levels of decision making will be explained: Individual decision making This type of decision making involves a single person (e.g. manger) deciding for the entire organization or group. Group decision making This is where two or more people combine efforts to take decisions that affect the majority of the organization. The action can sometimes aim at solving an organizational problem. Slide 7

8 Individual Decision Making Advantages Decision making is quicker It is time saving It is less expensive Disadvantages It is highly undemocratic There is a high possibility of resulting in erratic decisions (prone to errors) It discourages and stifles subordinate initiatives Slide 8

9 Group Decision Making Advantages It creates high levels of synergy in the organization It encourages subordinate initiatives compared to individual decision making Errors in decision making are minimal Disadvantages It can result in Groupthink the tendency for members of a group to think alike and thereby ignore opposing views. It is expensive It is time consuming Slide 9

10 Leadership Roles In Groups Coordinator Role: Act as a contact person and an information clearing hub Communicates procedure, tasks, schedules, meetings and other related matters to all group members. Facilitator Role: Focuses on building interpersonal network among members of the group with limited direct influence on the group task. Here, the leader is much concerned about assisting member-groups to identify and solve problems, working together, setting up procedures for group work and defining issues Gap Filler Role: Performs functions that has not been assigned to anyone in the organization or group. This may include; summarizing, clarifying, synthesizing, or facilitating compromise. Slide 10

11 Leadership Roles Cont. Monitor Role: Ensures that procedures adopted to solve a problem is adhered to. Such a person is more likely to remind groups of their responsibilities; provide copies of budget and assignment sheets to members to enable them complete their work on time. Trainer Role: Arrange training programs, teach members how to approach problems and provides them with methods of learning from their own experience. Observer Role: Be alert to how group is performing. Points out areas which might expedite their work as well as re-counting what might be happening in terms of group process. Slide 11

12 Section Two Motivation Motivation is very essential to build subordinates interests towards the attainment of organizational goals. Though employees may have the necessary skills and the capacity to perform, motivations gives them more morale to do the job well. Some ways of Motivating Employees: Pay and Job satisfaction Recognition and promotion based on subordinates outputs Improvement in working conditions (decent environment that supports productivity). Slide 12

13 Motivation Goal Setting Goal setting is one of the most significant sources of motivation. In fact goal setting can be used in conjunction with reinforcement to increase motivation impact on people in the organization. A goal is a desired state of affairs one attempts to achieve. The essence of setting a goal is to increase the probability of success. However, it must be noted that, not every goal has the potential of realizing maximum motivational impact. Slide 13

14 Eight (8) Characteristics Necessary For Goal-Setting A. Write down the goal rather than just keep it in mind: Goals are not done but they are to be achieved. So the best way to achieve organization's goal is to write them down. This will help to increase the level of commitment on the part of the writer toward the written goal. It also limits the chances of forgetting the goal or the target. B. The goal must be specific: This implies that, the goal should be clear, concise, distinctive and not easily misrepresented. A specific goal helps the organization to focus their attention directly toward that goal without any ambiguity. Further, it simplifies the task, making it easy for employees to work towards the goal without getting fraustrated. Slide 14

15 Eight (8) Characteristics Necessary For Goal-Setting C. The goal must be measurable: The means for verifying whether a goal has been achieve should be well-defined (specified). One should be able to tell when he arrives at the finish line. D. The goal should be time-bound: A date by which the goal is to be accomplished must be stated clearly. Deadlines stimulates action and thus, the presence of a deadline is critical motivation to accomplishing a goal in time. The reason is that, the absence of deadlines takes away urgency and subordinates may relax. E. The goal should be attainable or achievable: Most often than not, impossible goals are demotivating because there is no reason to try if they cannot, by definition, be attained. It rather create more problems rather than motivating. Slide 15

16 Eight (8) Characteristics Necessary For Goal-Setting F. The goal should be challenging: Though a goal ought to be attainable, it must not be too attainable. There is always little or no satisfaction in achieving a goal that is less challenging. There would be nothing to jubilate about. The best way therefore, is to set a goal that is attainable and challenging so that significant effort could be attached. G. A goal must be understandable: This becomes even more important when one is setting a goal for other groups. If they cannot understand the goal, how can the goal be achieved? It is therefore, imperative that goals are made understandable to the group to motivate subordinates to put up high efforts towards attainment of the set goal. Slide 16

17 Eight (8) Characteristics Necessary For Goal-Setting H. There should be subordinate engagement in goal-setting: When subordinates take part in the goal setting process, they are likely to achieve the goal faster, compared to when the goal was imposed on them. Although subordinate may willingly accept goals managers set for them, there is maximum motivation towards the attainment of such goals, if they participate. Slide 17

18 Conclusion This session highlighted and explained pertinent themes under delegation and motivation in leadership and management. The session also discoursed the strengths and limitation of these themes and how their proper applications in organizations can enhance productivity and effectiveness of subordinates. Slide 18