C-Level Managers - the Firefighters – Part II

This post will focus on management styles, so let’s jump into it:

WHAT STYLE MANAGER ARE YOU?

Management Styles

A management style is a way in which a manager works to fulfill their goals. Management style includes the way that a manager plans, organizes, makes decisions, delegates, and manages their staff.

It can vary widely, depending on the company, level of management, industry, country, and culture, as well as the person themself.

An effective manager is someone who can adjust their management style in response to different factors while keeping their focus on successfully achieving targets.

Management styles are affected by both internal and external factors.

Internal factors include:

- The overall organizational and corporate culture of the company,

- policies,

- priorities,

- employee engagement,

- staff skill levels.

External factors include:

- employment laws,

- the economy,

- competitors,

- suppliers,

- consumers.

Literature defines these main 3 types of management styles:

Authoritative management style

This type of management follows a top-down approach, with one-way communication from bosses to employees.

This is the most controlling of the different management styles, with the management making all workplace decisions and holding all the power.

Democratic management style

In this style, managers encourage employees to give input during the decision-making process, but are ultimately responsible for the final decision.

Communication goes both ways, top-down and bottom-up, and team cohesiveness is increased.

This process allows for diverse opinions, skills and ideas to inform decisions.

Laissez-faire management style

In this style, management takes a hands-off approach to leadership.

Staff is trusted to do their work without supervision, and they are left to control their decision making and problem-solving.

Management is present at the delegation and delivery stages of work, but otherwise steps back and gives staff the freedom to control their workflow and outcomes. Management is only involved during the process if the staff requests their assistance.

Each style has its own pros and cons, however, to my personal opinion, the style is determined by the person personality, everyone brings himself to work every day, and who and what we are defines our management style.

The good thing is that when aware of the possibilities, we may be open for other options, and awareness is the key for success.

Awareness in psychology, is a concept about knowing, perceiving and being cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some information when that information is directly available to bring to bear in the direction of a wide range of behavioral actions.

In this post, as well, I will apply the 80/20 principle and highlight the number 1 reason, to my opinion, for management challenges and issues.

It takes up to 1,700! pieces to show the time on a watch, and they are all needed….

Ambiguity and chaos, is the environment in a lot of organizations. When data is not available, partial or non, when there is lack of clarity, people feel like they are in a vague or a vacuum – vacuum tends to be filled! When vacuum caused due to lack, ambiguity and chaos will fill the space.

Communication and transparency is the key!

When people are kept in a narrow and specific “need to know only bases” they tend not to feel part of a whole, therefore, they will not share information easily, they will not communicate properly, and they will not feel the need to be part of a bigger thing and be a team player. They will do what asked of them, they will do it as good as they possibly can, but no more.

When the big picture is shared with everyone, when decisions and decision-making process are properly communicated, when allowing open communication, more than often, people will want to do more for the greater good. When they see the big picture and understand how they are a part of the big picture, they will want to make an impact and take part of it – it takes all the 1,700 pieces to tell us it 5 o’clock somewhere…

Communication is the key for success.