The Decisional Role of a Manager

Introduction

Within the organizational environment, the manager should undertake the process of not only making decisions, but also solving problems. Under such circumstances, it is essential for the manager to make sure that he has knowledge concerning the problems and potential problems, as well as the promotion of means through which to come to decisions that have a positive effect on the work environment. it is also necessary for the manager to make sure that the decisions that he makes are relevant to the issue being resolved in order to bring about a situation where there is the achievement of organizational goals. This paper focuses on the decisional role of the manager and the manner through which he can be able to achieve effectiveness in his role.

Literature Review

When it comes to the decisional role of the manager, it is essential for them to ensure that they are able to undertake the role of entrepreneur (Horlacher & Hess, 2016). This is a highly critical responsibility because it involves a process where they are required to make sure that there is a constant improvement of the units under their jurisdiction. The process of improvement can be considered essential because it involves the promotion of a situation where the organization ends up being highly equipped when it comes to handling a diversity of technological challenges. Managers under such circumstances have to make sure that they are constantly looking out for new ideas that can help them ensure that their products are improved and value added to them (Laitinen, 2017; Ollila & Yström, 2017). The role of the manager when making decisions should also include the initiation of feasibility studies that seek to determine the path toward which the organization is heading. It is also necessary to make sure that necessary arrangements are made for the acquisition of capital for the development of new products, as well as undertaking to gain suggestions from employees concerning the various ways that the organization can be improved (Verboncu & Zeininger, 2015). All of these processes can be easily achieved through the holding of strategy meetings with the project managers and using suggestion boxes, as in the case of other employees.

Decisional management is one that also considers the role of the manager as an arbiter of conflicts within the work environment (Karanja & Rosso, 2017; Kumar, 2015). This is a highly pertinent role because it involves a process where the manager takes on the role of arbiter in conflicts between subordinates. A similar case arises when it comes to conflicts between the management of the organization and employees. These conflicts might come about because of a variety of reasons, which include agitation for an increase in wages or a major client of the organization going bankrupt, which might end up leading to a situation where its financial future is left uncertain. Therefore, managers should be able to anticipate such issues and take preventative action whenever it is possible. It is also necessary for the manager to sometimes take corrective action in situations where problems have arisen (Thomas, Lorange, & Sheth, 2015). Among the problems that might arise include complaints from customers, machine breakdowns, labor disputes, and interpersonal conflicts, which have the potential of interfering with the activities of the organization. The role of the manager under such circumstances can therefore be considered critical, because it involves a process where individuals have to be managed in a manner where they view the manager as the final arbiter to issues involving them. Through this process, the manager takes on a pivotal role within the organization in a way that ensures the achievement of its mission.

Another role that has to be undertaken by the manager within the organizational setting is that of being able to allocate resources (Sule & Wahyuningtyas, 2017). This is an extremely important role because it involves a process where the manager has to establish priorities concerning which tasks are the most critical for the organization and how many resources have to be allocated to each. The different activities within the organization that require budgetary allocation receive it based on their importance to its objectives, meaning that it is essential for the manager to determine those with the highest priority (de Oliveira, Escrivão, Nagano, Ferraudo, & Rosim, 2015). It is also their role to make sure that the necessary personnel are assigned to the various tasks at hand, and this is aimed at bringing about a situation where the most qualified individuals are given the tasks to which they are most suited. This ensures that there is the establishment of means through which to bring about greater efficiency in the workplace (Cohen, Rozenes, & Faccio, 2016). Furthermore, in conjunction with giving tasks to those best suited for them, it is necessary for the manager to make sure that there is the establishment of effective means of allocating their own time to different activities in a manner that ensures that they are seen to be on the lead by all the teams involved in the process.

The manager also has a pertinent role to play as a negotiator on behalf of the organization (Laud, Arevalo, & Johnson, 2016). This is an extremely important role because it involves a process where the manager plays an active role in the negotiation of deals that are favorable for the organization. These deals are necessary because they make sure that there is the achievement of agreements aimed at making the activities taking place both within and outside the organization smoother (Liew, Talib, & Jacobs, 2016). Furthermore, they promote the development of guidelines through which the organization is able to interact with other organizations as well as stakeholders in society. Such guidelines make it possible for the organization to have an effective action plan that can be developed and implemented in a manner that enhances its role within its industry. Negotiation skills on the part of the manager are also critical in bringing about the achievement of the goal of promoting the interests of the organization when it comes to negotiations of contracts with unions, as well as the negotiation of prices with major customers (Soltwisch & Krahnke, 2017). Therefore, the ability of managers to recognize their role and undertake them appropriately ensures that there is the promotion of means through which they not only enhance their efficiency within the organization, but their overall effectiveness ensures that there can be an assessment of how well their role as decision makers is performed.

Conclusion

For a manager at a decisional capacity, it is necessary to make sure that there is the promotion of a situation where there is a tight rein on all agreements that have been made within the team. This means that all the rules and agreements concerning the conduct of members of the team have to be respected at all times. There is also a need to make sure that there is the promotion of means through which there is the promotion of result orientation within the team, because the manager is therefore able to ensure that the team achieves all the intended results and targets. As seen above, the clarification of targets is a critical means of making sure that there is the promotion of the integrity of the work that is conducted by the team; meaning that the manager has a critical role in determining the direction towards which his team is heading. Double checking for mistakes and errors within the team context it critical in bringing about a situation where exemplary work is created; meaning that decisional management can have a positive effect on the way that the team functions, since the leader is able to ensure greater efficiency among its members.

References

Cohen, Y., Rozenes, S., & Faccio, M. (2016). Modeling a Manager’s Work as a Service Activity. Paper presented at the International Conference on Exploring Services Science.

de Oliveira, J., Escrivão, E., Nagano, M. S., Ferraudo, A. S., & Rosim, D. (2015). What do small business owner-managers do? A managerial work perspective. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 5(1), 19.

Horlacher, A., & Hess, T. (2016). What does a Chief Digital Officer do? Managerial tasks and roles of a new C-level position in the context of digital transformation. Paper presented at the 2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS).

Karanja, E., & Rosso, M. A. (2017). The Chief Risk Officer: a study of roles and responsibilities. Risk Management, 19(2), 103-130.

Kumar, P. (2015). An Analytical study on Mintzberg’s Framework: Managerial Roles. International Journal of Research in Management & Business Studies (IJRMBS), 2, 12-18.

Laitinen, E. K. (2017). Managerial work, importance of information and corporate profitability: evidence from Finland. International Journal of Accounting and Finance, 7(4), 301-334.

Laud, R., Arevalo, J., & Johnson, M. (2016). The changing nature of managerial skills, mindsets and roles: Advancing theory and relevancy for contemporary managers. Journal of Management & Organization, 22(4), 435-456.

Liew, C., Talib, A. A., & Jacobs, R. (2016). Malaysian aviation technologist promotion to managerial role: an empirical overview. Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

Ollila, S., & Yström, A. (2017). An investigation into the roles of open innovation collaboration managers. R&D Management, 47(2), 236-252.

Soltwisch, B. W., & Krahnke, K. (2017). Maximizing Decision Making Style and Managerial Effectiveness: Understanding How Maximizing and Locus of Control Impact Managers' Performance on the Job. Managing Global Transitions, 15(3), 215-230.

Sule, E. T., & Wahyuningtyas, R. (2017). Managerial Roles in a Dynamic Environment. Advanced Science Letters, 23(1), 656-659.

Thomas, H., Lorange, P., & Sheth, J. (2015). Dynamic capabilities and the business school of the future EFMD Insights into Business Education: case studies from business schools worldwide. Volume 2 (Vol. 1, pp. 1-6): European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) in association with GSE Research.

Verboncu, I., & Zeininger, L. (2015). The Manager and the Managerial Tools: Job Description. Review of International Comparative Management/Revista de Management Comparat International, 16(5).

Social Learning Theory

According to the social learning theory, learning is a process that takes place cognitively within a social context. Individuals tend to adopt those behaviors that they observe through social interactions to such an extent that even though they might be through to be disgusting or not of good taste, these individuals end up behaving in a particular way. In this case, learning a behavior can occur through observation and the extraction of information from that observation which is used by the observer to make decisions concerning his future behavior. The result is that a significant number of individuals end up undertaking or participating in behaviors that they would normally not participate in because of the influence of other individuals within their social context. Thus, cognition, environment, and behavior all play a role in determining how an individual is likely to react to stimuli in such a way that promotes the idea that they will be able to fit in with those individuals who are in their social context (Grusec, 1992). Therefore, despite individuals disliking certain behaviors at first, such as smoking cigarettes, they condition themselves to like these behaviors to such an extent that they end up doing them unconsciously. The inability of these individuals to control their behaviors comes about because they learn and develop these attributes without any observable change in their behavior. This is highly significant because it shows that some of the behaviors that are displayed by individuals, such as smoking or drinking coffee are acquired behaviors rather than natural ones.

References

Grusec, J. (1992). Social learning theory and developmental psychology: The legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Developmental Psychology, 28(5), 776–786.

Operation Management at Costco

The management of the operations within an organization is extremely essential in bringing about its success. This is especially the case considering that for the most part, organizations in the business world are increasingly getting involved in competition with each other in order to remain competitive. Costco is one of the organizations that seek to bring about the best quality in their services through making sure that its employees are satisfied and this is achieved through the advancement of their interests both within and outside the company. In this way, Costco has been able to develop a good reputation based on its need to promote its image through its employees while at the same time providing the best services possible to its customers.

One of the most fundamental aspects of Costco’s operations is that is seeks to promote the efficiency of their employees. This is especially considering that it seeks to create an environment within which its employees are able to do their best for the sake of the company through the advancement of their interests within it. A good working environment where employees are provided with free reign on how to handle customers on a more personalized basis has made it possible for employees to feel empowered in their work. Taking competitive advantage into consideration is another aspect of management that can ensure Costco’s success (Heizer and Render 71). This has been achieved through the provision of benefits and higher wages to employees for the sake of advancing their quality of life which has in turn made them more loyal to the company. The result is that Costco has allowed for the advancement of its workforce in a manner that brings about the best in them for the sake of promoting its own interests in the market. Moreover, the empowerment of employees can also be considered to be a sound strategy especially considering that other companies tend to deny their employees the right to do what they think is best for the sake of promoting the products that they are selling. The result is that there is a loss of morale among employees who come to believe that they are not valued enough by management to independently bring in customers. This is not the case with Costco which has put employee empowerment at the forefront of its strategy because it has made employees the biggest promoters of its image.

Another aspect of Costco’s operations that can be considered to be important to its success is employment stability. This has been achieved through the promotion of benefits for its employees which include job security as well as benefits in case of disability as well as when suffering from any ailments (Heizer and Render 435). This is an extremely sound strategy because it ensures that employees are completely focused on their work instead of seeking more stable work elsewhere. Works schedules that put into consideration the need to take case of the welfare of employees have also been put in place. This, in addition to the higher wages that they receive when compared to rival companies, has allowed for an increase in motivation to work among employees to such an extent that they give their best to their work. The various constraints to its human resource strategy, such as the need to control the expenditure that it places on its employees when compared to other companies, have been smoothed over by Costco through its making sure that the potential financial problems it might face are outweighed by its excellent performance in the market. This has been to such an extent that a significant number of employees have ended up doing their best in their work in the comfort of knowledge that they will be compensated.

Healthcare benefits are some of the most important aspects of the success of any company because the more generous they are, the more likely that employees will be motivated to increase their performance. This is a lesson that Costco’s management seems to have taken to heart because it has provided extremely generous medical and dental benefits to its employees that have allowed for the advancement of the health of these individuals. Moreover, the extension of these benefits to dependents has made it possible for individuals that work at Costco to increase their output because of the motivation that they have based on the belief that the company cares for their welfare and that of their loved ones. The generous benefits that the Costco has advanced its employees are essential because it has become a major contributor to the success of its operations. The generous incentive system that has been put in place by the company is important because it allows employees to be self-directed in their work (Heizer and Render 438). This means that they are better able to make sure that they work with minimal supervision, which helps the company save both time and money when it comes to dealing with issues concerning employs. Thus, productivity remains high while at the same time making sure that the interests of employees are secured in a manner that advances the interests of the company.

By competing through the advancement of its employees’ interests, Costco has the potential of attracting some of the best individuals in the industry to work for it. The pro-employee policies that it has adopted can be considered to be essential for promoting not only its image as a viable employer, but also shows potential employees that unlike its rivals, it is a generous employer. In this way, it becomes possible to make sure that there is a large pool of potential employees to choose from when the time comes for recruitment. However, while it has the best possible number of potential recruits, there is need for the company to make sure that it only employs those individuals who display the highest ethical standards possible (Heizer and Render 455). This is because when companies in the contemporary world conduct their operations, it is essential for them to observe ethics at all fronts or risk ending up getting their reputations damaged and in turn ending up losing their market share. Therefore, in order to make sure that all operations run smoothly, it is important that Costco, when staffing its operations, is able to advance the highest ethical standards possible so that it can maintain and advance its market share. It is important for there to be an effort to observe ethical standards while at the same time promoting continuous improvement because it is one of the most fundamental ways through which employee commitment to the company can be ensured while at the same time promoting the competitiveness of the company in a way that allows for the creation of better market opportunities than it already possesses.

In conclusion, it is essential for Costco to make sure that it continues to promote the interests of its employees through providing them with incentive packages as well as better working conditions than its competitors. This is one of the most fundamental ways through which it will be able to continue performing well in the market while at the same time attracting the best talent possible to help run its operations. Making employees the center of its operations management is essential because it is these who are the driving force behind their success while at the same time advancing the good name of the company through their efforts to make it a success. It is, therefore, essential for the interests of employees to be protected as a means of making sure that there is a proper means through which operations can be advanced without any glitches as a result of lack of motivation.

Work Cited

Heizer, Jay and Render, Barry. Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. 11th Edition. New York: Pearson, 2013.