Introduction
As part of this assignment, the group members conducted an interview at Sakamoto Cables Incorporation to come up with different management strategies carried out at the company.
The members of the group interviewed human resources manager to identify and capture management aspects used in the daily activities. The human resources manager of the company was chosen because he was the only senior personnel who could respond our questions. The interview took place on September 30, 2010; 11.00 am at the human resources manager’s office.
Sakamoto Cables is a company that deals with railway transport and is located in Japan. There are several employees employed at the railway station and this requires a comprehensive management of human resources. The railway industry has become importance especially as governments seek strategies to decongest major cities. To enhance successful management of companies in this industry requires managers to understand their employees and customers.
Findings from the interview
After conducting an interview on the manager, the group recorded that the manager plans his workday depending on the situation; that is according to the number of staff, the chores / stocks available and the time scheduled for each activity. The manager plans 5-6 years in future for his job roles.
To plan for his career, the manager said that he keeps in contact with wholesalers, companies and clients. In addition, he said that he does not need to think about his career in the future. The task of performing upland deliveries was identified as the factor that makes his job difficult to achieve goals. On the other hand, the manager was of the opinion that storage of stock makes his job difficult since at the company everything comes together and he is required to work extra hard.
The manager motivates his subordinates by being nice, listening to them, being compassionate and talking to them pleasantly by using a mature approach. However, he exercises authority when addressing his subordinates. There is no specific set style of managing employees. In addition, the manager allows employees to take their holidays as a way of motivating them.
To undertake the task of leading others, the manager allows subordinates provide their opinions, he delegates tasks, there is no specific set of organization for performing jobs, and he centralizes decisions. The manager sees his boss as a mentor. On the other hand, young workers look up to the manager as a mentor and he delegates work without bias as a way of mentoring them. To achieve goals, the manager plans out the day and manages time properly.
Conflicts within groups are solved by reprimanding or firing employees. Conflicts between managers are solved by talking issues out to reach for an agreement. Ethical issues facing the manager at his place of work involve workers showing lack of respect, fights between managers or intense arguments with staff. Workplace diversity gives the company a competitive advantage. This has been achieved by making sure that all people feel comfortable and happy to work at the company.
Comparison between observations of the interview and relevant theory
Time management is important in management since it allows managers to come up with better strategies of achieving goals of the organization. Mancini (2007) explains that every minute counts and good managers should plan time properly to avoid delays.
According to McCorry (2005), a manager is required to plan in advance for all activities to be done in a day. Managers have many obligations to fulfill and must possess skills of multitasking. Planning for future is an important skill that managers must posses since it reduces conflicts, stress and helps accomplish all required tasks.
Sterling Publishers Pvt., (2006) provides that motivating employees is a very important skill that managers should have to enhance success. This can be achieved by creating proper work environment, adequate communication, and engaging employees in decision making among others. Leadership has been explained by Northouse (2009) as the process of influencing others to contribute willingly to the goals and objectives of an organization.
Leaders have the obligation of guiding their subordinates and should enhance commitment towards achievement of teamwork. Northouse (2009) further explains that leaders should be mentors to their subordinates. They are required to act as examples to those they lead. Leaders also seek mentorship from other leaders.
Dreu (2008) is of the opinion that conflicts within the organization have a negative impact on performance. Managers have a great obligation of resolving conflicts among subordinates and among other managers. Managing conflicts within the organization requires understanding the source of conflicts first and discussing with the affected parties. Conflicts among workers should be resolved by the upper management to ensure performance is not affected (Collins & O’Rourke, 2008).
Workplace diversity has been identified by Konrad, Prasad and Pringle (2006) to contribute to the success of an organization if properly managed. Managers have the task of working with and through different people to achieve goals. They have the role of integrating different cultures of different people they work with. Workplace diversity provides a competitive edge to an organization by introducing new ideas and creating synergies from different people.
Discussion
The findings from the interview conducted indicate that the manager has been successful in maintaining good performance at the company. The manager has been involved in different activities and this has required him to multitask about integrating all the roles of a manager.
From the interview, the manager was found to have good planning skills and this has provided him with a competitive edge in the industry. Management theories provide that a good manager should be able to use leadership as a tool of managing human resources. The manager interviewed was found to have good leadership skills since he has been able to work with employees from diversified backgrounds to achieve most of the goals of the organization.
However, the manager was found to have some weaknesses especially in dealing with conflicts. It is important for a manager to have proper communication with his subordinates and other managers to enhance understanding. It was found out that the manger was quick in making decisions instead of involving all employees. Decision making is an important aspect in an organization and managers should consider engaging all stakeholders.
From the interview conducted, the group identified that the manager had a weakness in decision making. Most of the decisions were made by the departmental heads and junior employees were never involved. This has hindered implementation of key projects of the organization. Employees reject most of the decisions made by their managers since they are not consulted when establishing such projects at the company.
Skills used for this assessment task
To complete this assignment, skills in data collected through interviews were applied. In addition, use of internet books to source information was an important skill that was used. All group members were required to possess communication skills since the assignment required a lot of communication with different people in the company. We found out that we have strength in interviews, communication and interacting among ourselves.
On the other hand, we found out that we are weak in researching about management theories and creating a link between theory and real life experiences. To overcome these weaknesses, our group sought assistance from people with skills in searching information over the internet. Adequate consultation from our lecturers was done to help build a comprehensive report that could create a succinct link between theory and day-to-day experiences at the workplace.
Conclusion
Managers have the role of planning, organizing, directing, staffing and controlling all resources in an organization. It is important that managers should become conversant with different cultures to reduce conflicts within an organization.
The interview conducted by the group found out that the manager was successful in some areas and weak in other areas of management. It was established that the manager was strong in planning, time management, and leadership. On the other hand, the manager was weak in communicating with subordinates and resolving conflicts.
To ensure projects started by the company are successful, the manager should incorporate all stakeholders in decision making to avoid rejection of ideas by the junior employees. From this assignment we have learnt that managers have a challenging task of understanding every aspect of the organization. We have acquired wealth of information and skills about management, leadership and human resources management.
Reference List
Collins, S. D. and O’Rourke, J. S. 2008. Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships. Cengage Learning. ISBN 0324584199, 9780324584196.
Dreu, C. 2008. Conflict in Organizations: Beyond Effectiveness and Performance. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. Psychology Press. ISBN 1841699896, 9781841699899.
Konrad, A. M., Prasad, P. and Pringle, J. K. 2006. Handbook of workplace diversity. Sage, ISBN 0761944222, 9780761944225.
Mancini, M. 2007. Time Management: 24 Techniques to Make Each Minute Count at Work. McGraw-Hill Professional, ISBN 0071493387, 9780071493383.
McCorry, K. J. (2005). Organize your work day– in no time. Canada, Que Publishing; ISBN 0789733331, 9780789733337
Northouse, P. G. 2009. Leadership: Theory and Practice. SAGE, ISBN 1412974887, 9781412974882.
Sterling Publishers Pvt., (2006). Power of Positive Management: A Practical Guide for Professionals. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd, ISBN 8120731077, 9788120731073.