Management Styles and Communication Analysis

Introduction

Management is often a task that requires a lot of strategizing and communicating. The idea is to ensure that the tasks are accomplished in good time, with the least of risks and maximum benefits for the organization and its employees. As such, there are quite a number of disciplines that come into play for the manager to be effective in their role within the organization. This paper analyses managerial roles with respect to management theories and communication styles with an inclusion of practical comparisons between the management theories and the practices of real life managers.      

Managerial Job Description

In essence, manager is an individual to whom the welfare of the entire organization is entrusted. This means that they are expected to oversee a wide range of activities within the organization on a hands on/or supervisory basis depending on the circumstances in question (Papa, Daniels & Spiker 45). The manager’s main job purpose is to accomplish the organization objectives by ensuring that the staff is well managed and that the organizational activities are planned for and evaluated accordingly among other things. Using the POSDCORB framework, it can be stated that among other things, the manager has to be a good planner, organizer, director, coordinator and financial planner among other things.

There are various styles of management, however, these dictate specific roles of the manager within a specific organization. The first management style is the scientific or classical management where the major task is to synthesize workflows and ensure maximized labor productivity (Eisenberg, Eric & Trethwey 38). This kind of management is strictly task oriented and the focus is on how the workforce can be organized for high returns. As such, this kind of manager is more interested in staffing and recruiting as well as evaluating and organizing the workforce to ensure that they get the most out of their employees.

A manager interested in human relations, on the other hand, would be more concerned with the kind of relationships that are formed within the organization and, thus, their major factor would be the communication aspect, as they want to maximize on productivity by ensuring that the employees interact in a healthy and sustainable way (Natemeyer & Paul 63). A manager with a focus on human capital management or human resources would focus more on the skills and competencies of their workforce with the sole aim of capitalizing on these for the benefit of the organization. As such, they would be involved in activities like training and career development in order to foster job satisfaction and minimize turnover.  

A manager who is into the systems theory would, however, be interested in every aspect of management implying that they are likely to take on approach on every role and responsibility in order to understand and oversee all operations of the organization. Here, the main role is coordinating and organization as well as evaluating the operations of the employees within the organization.

Manager Interviews

The two individuals interviewed for this segment were Kelly Bradson, a director at Catholic Charity of Tennessee, and Steven Flatpous. Mr. Flatpous is an executive director at Tennessee Emigrants Remedy Rights Coalition. Bradson and Flatpous have various qualifications in management and an impressive wealth of knowledge in management as a job. Mr. Flatpous is often in charge of communicating with the store assistants and cashiers as well as the store directors and shareholders. His most common form of communication is verbal considering he is often required to hold meetings and make presentations (Flatpous). Other times, he holds one on one meetings with the store attendants and cashiers to brief them on their performance appraisals and discuss any problems that may arise within their work. As for the shareholders and store directors, he is sometimes required to take on written communication in the form of reports and memos depending on the situation and the request of the recipient.

The rewards and recognitions given to the employees under Mr. Flatpous management include bonuses and personal appraisals as well as appreciation during staff meetings. These keep the store attendants and cashiers motivated, and there also is an opportunity for career advancement considering that he recommends the best of his team members for promotion when a chance opens up in the organization’s other branches. This manager has a cordial relationship with other managers within the organization in that they share information frequently at the regular management meetings. As for the other stakeholders including consumers, he not only ensures that they can access a newsletter but also allows for an open door policy where they can contact his office whenever they need his audience or indulgence. He further has a direct relationship with the suppliers of the store given the need for him to ensure sustainable business. This manager believes in the concept of human relations and, thus, understands that people thrive when they are comfortable and feel appreciated within their workplace. 

Kelly Bradson is somewhat different in that he focuses more on the tasks at hand than on the people working under him. His communication by means of memos is often directed towards junior officers and tellers. From the interview, it could be established that he focuses more on the tasks being accomplished and as such, the employees are not rewarded for their efforts, but rather their results (Bradson). The payment is performance based, implying that the harder one worked the more they were likely to earn. The other department heads are treated with more consideration in that they are perceived as competitors and in some cases enablers of the department operations. This way, it cannot be fully ascertained that the manager maintains cordial interpersonal relationships but rather strict working relations that are devoid of personal attachments and sentiments. This manager communicates with the clients and directors verbally in most circumstances, although, there are instances when he is required to write to them depending on the prevailing circumstances.