Training and employee empowerment
I strongly agree that training does not give conclusive empowerment to the employees. Through training, employees get the skills to perform their duties, but this depends on other aspects. I would be best empowered by a manager who seeks to involve me in decision-making and consider my opinions. S/he should allow me to make decisions and work out problems on my own on top of trusting me. In addition, s/he should not keep grudges when I make a mistake; on the contrary, s/he should forgive and encourage me. A manager should be an understanding person who appreciates that we are all humans and will err at times.
A motivating manager should not shout at me when I make mistakes but should extol me when I make an achievement. On the other hand, s/he should not accept all my decisions; at times, s/he should challenge my stand. Finally, s/he should not be an absolute decision-maker, but a collaborative leader, a problem solver, not a troublemaker.
As a manager, I would empower employees by making sure they focus on customer needs. In addition, I would encourage and support them in creating a customer-oriented culture, allow them to make some decisions, leave them to solve problems and build trust in them. Finally, I would avoid direct control of the employees’ duties and responsibilities.
An example is a case where I worked for a certain bank under a manager who was always at my back and shouted at me whenever I made mistakes. For many days, I lacked the confidence to perform and improve.
Resolving Conflicts
After doing the management style test, I realized that I am an accommodator, a manager/ leader who will not compete with employees or dictate their ways. I realized that, as a manager, I would seek contribution and cooperation from my juniors. Moreover, I recognized that I am a manager who will sacrifice in honor of the employees’ demands in a bid to offer them satisfaction. However, according to the conflict-management styles scoring graph, this amounts to low goal orientation and high relationship orientation, which shows that my concern for personal goals is low while my concern for relationships is deep.
Sometimes back, I led a group of youths, and two of them quarreled over the use of the groups’ money. This conflict grew to the point where both almost fought. Each of the two believed that his case and argument was the correct one. Since I knew the source of the conflict and the nature of the conflict itself, I created time with each of them separately and advised them that altercation would not solve but aggravate our problem. In the end, both saw the need to agree and avoid conflicts. I then had time with both, where each apologized to the other and sought forgiveness.
In this case, according to the Conflict Management Style Test, this would mean that harmony comes on the basis that the conflict would lead to the destruction of friendly relations. It would also mean that the confrontation fades by moving the discussion to a neutral ground. In addition, it shows that when two members of a group begin to differ, a nonpartisan party should explore their agreements and disagreements and then come up with a universal solution that accommodates everyone’s view.