Jun

Facing The Challenges Of Modern Management

There is a misconception that all managers are the same and that all organisations, wherever they may be, require the same style of management to function effectively.

This is not the case.

There are many influences that determine how a manager needs to work.

Probably one of the reasons for the misconception is that most management books most commonly read and studied in the developed world are written by pale males. One would imagine that this would be the correct perspective as the bulk of managers in large corporations are white men.

But it is not only the fact that the essential skills of a good manager are determined by one type of person that leads to misconceptions of the managers role. There are many more factors involved.

To start off with, the composition of the work force in any type of organisation whether government, public company, private or small enterprise or non-profit to mention a few is so much more global in its make-up.

Up till twenty or so years ago, the regular work environment would be a representation of your community that you lived in. Although there would be a social strata in that management didn’t mix with the workers and management again not with owners, your community mirrored your work place.

The work force shared similar ethnic, religious, cultural, political beliefs and had received similar education. They mostly spoke the same language. There were even whole areas that had similar industries. In this way California had Silicon Valley and Detroit motor manufacturing.

Looking at the work environment now at the beginning of the 21st century and society has changed dramatically. Alone the mobility of the work force has ensured that at any given time workers in a company do not reflect the traditional community in which the company operates.

That means the work force has dramatically different belief systems, educational backgrounds and language skills from each other. This diversity is mirrored in the community they are living in.

Approaching a management position faced with this diversity is quite different to filling a management position in a company that still has a relatively uniform work force. That is seeing uniform from the view of background lifestyles and habits.

As an example, a collaborative management style might not work as well with a workforce which has its roots in a more traditional culture where obeying orders is more important than contributing creatively to problem solving situations.

It is pointless trying to enforce a management type that values individual and group contributions equally if the belief system of the workers determines that individuals have to bow down to the collective good.

An important characteristic of good management in the modern time is therefore the ability to determine what cultures, beliefs, educational qualities and more are within the work force and to be able to adapt ones approach to these qualities.

Once this has been determined it is then up to the manager to accept the diversity and work within it making use of the advantages this mix presents and overcoming the possible negative components.