Managers perform in companies as leaders who can organize, direct, and inspire many employees in order to achieve a set of goals and align the employees’ activities to the organization’s mission. In order to determine the essential features and characteristics of a modern manager, the interview was conducted with Ann Pipe, a current manager in the large insurance company. Referring to Ann’s answers to the questions about the job responsibilities, culture, strategies, decision making, and problem solving, it is possible to create the image of an effective manager in the modern challenging and competitive field of the organizational management.
The interview provided the important information on the fundament of the manager’s success such as education, skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience. Ann claims that her current high job position is a result of many years of studying, self education, and hard work. Ann notes that the sphere of management is constantly changing according to the global trends, and it is necessary to change along with the world.
Thus, a future successful manager should be persistent while acquiring the new knowledge and developing useful skills. Referring to Ann’s words, it is possible to determine such important skills of a manager as communication skills, abilities to work in teams, abilities to persuade and influence, and highly developed negotiation and problem solving skills. Focusing on the challenges experienced during the first months of working as a manager, Ann noted that dedication to the work and the real interest in the organization’s development were important to motivate her to achieve the success.
Ann’s approach to discussing the best features of her current position is rather surprising because she is inclined to mainly focus on the emotional outcomes of the profession. The manager states that the workplace is the place where a person spends too much time that is why the task of the manager is to create the conditions and atmosphere which are perfect for not only growth, development, and achievements but also for the progress of a good, positive, and friendly person. Thus, the secret of organizing the employees’ work is in communication and constant interaction.
The interview was effective to demonstrate a new perspective for discussing the ideas of corporate culture and diversity in the organization. While answering the questions about culture and diversity which are often discussed as controversial by managers and researchers, Ann noted that people paid too much attention to differences, discrimination, and other inequalities when it was necessary to build teams and support mutual understanding in the corporate environment instead of accentuating differences. Ann is sure that to speak about differences and diversity is easy, but it is difficult to emphasize similarities while working in an organization.
That is why, the manager should pay more attention to predicting conflicts in the workplace while valuing ‘similarities’. Ann is sure that conflicts between employees are ‘diseases’ which prevent the organization from the effective completion of a range of steps. The way to cope with conflicts is to focus on numerous negotiation strategies and teambuilding approaches.
Ann’s ideas also support and confirm the basic viewpoints associated with the role of motivation, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty. According to the manager, all the persons need to receive the appropriate compensation for their efforts. However, this compensation can be not only material and represented in the form of packages, salaries, and benefits but also emotional and represented in appraisals and psychological rewards.
A modern manager is not an ‘animal trainer’, but he or she is an inspirer who motivates employees with the help of building a team and proposing reasonable rewards. Ann notes that employees should also remember about the benefits in order to know where to go and grow. In her organization, Ann initiated and developed the training program the main goal of which is to help employees feel important and supported in the workplace. In spite of the fact that this approach seems to be familiar and rather easy, such strategies are rarely used in companies. Ann’s experience is important to look at the problem of the employees’ needs, satisfaction, and motivation from the other point.
In her interview, Ann mentioned that the atmosphere in her organization could be described as positive and ‘vivid’ because the staff is rather diverse. The manager uses a lot of strategies to make the corporate culture work for the benefits of the whole organization.
The main goal is to create the conditions for the employees to participate actively in the decision-making process. At the current stage, Ann works at the strategies to promote the change in the organization. Thus, in this situation, the manager needs to work as a mediator between the leaders, directors, and other employees. Having noticed the necessity to change the organizational culture and methods to provide services, Ann faced a lot of challenges and barriers associated with the directors’ position. However, she was supported by the other staff. As a result, Ann avoided a lot of barriers associated with the further promotion of the change in the firm.
Ann Pipe’s ideas on the aspects of management sound as convincing because this woman has the 15-year experience in the field. While discussing the perspectives for the further career development, Ann concentrates on the sphere of strategic management because it is always necessary to improve and set higher goals. That is why, it is possible to learn a lot of important ideas associated with the discussion of the manager’s role in the modern competitive industries. It is important to state that Ann’s ideas and discussions can be described as ‘wise’ because the manager is inclined to refer to the human nature of the employees and organization leaders as the basic factors which influence the activities of different firms as living organisms.
Interview Questions
- Did you plan to become a manger or it was a result of your career growth in the organization?
- What type of education did you complete to become a manager?
- What skills and experiences are important for the position?
- What are the best features and aspects of your position?
- What main challenges did you face while starting your work as a manger?
- What factors motivate you to develop as a manager?
- What are your most important job responsibilities?
- How can you describe your workplace environment and atmosphere?
- Do you promote diversity in your organization? Why and how?
- How do you promote and support the corporate culture?
- How do you keep the employees motivated and satisfied?
- What strategy do you choose while observing conflicts between employees?
- What steps do you complete when your position differs from the leaders and employees’ one?
- What perspectives for the further development of your career can you observe?