The roles held by top-level, middle-level, and frontline-level managers
The management of an organization can be viewed as a hierarchy consisting of several levels. In turn, people, who represent this hierarchy, can perform different functions. In particular, top-level managers focus on the long-term development of an enterprise and its ability to respond to the changes in the external environment. Moreover, these professionals identify the strategies that a company should implement in order to remain competitive (Bateman & Snell, 2011, p. 18). Moreover, these people are responsible for the formulation of corporate vision.
In turn, it is possible to mention middle-level managers who translate the strategic goals of the company into specific objectives that each department or division has to attain. These professionals are also known as tactical managers. Moreover, these people are responsible for explaining the priorities of senior executives (Bateman & Snell, 2011, p. 18). Moreover, they can participate in problem-solving. In turn, there are frontline managers who directly interact with employees. They have to improve the work of the department and ensure that workers can cope with the tasks that are assigned to them. Furthermore, these people can take initiatives and propose recommendations that can improve the operations of a department. This is why their activities can be described as operational management.
Yet, it is important to remember that there are people who operate at different levels. These people can formulate strategic goals, translate them into specific objectives, and identify steps that should be taken in order to attain them. Nevertheless, one should remember that the work of these professionals becomes more challenging when a company begins to grow. This is one of the main aspects that should be considered.
How strategic, tactical, and operational planning compliments one another
It is possible to say that planning activities at strategic, tactical and operational level complement one another. First of all, the goals set by senior executives have to be communicated to frontline managers and other employees. Moreover, they should be translated into measurable objectives that should be attained in various departments. Tactical or middle-line managers are responsible for this task. To a great extent, this interaction between strategic and tactical managerial teams is critical for the performance of any organization.
Nevertheless, the initiatives put forward by senior executives and middle-line managers have to be implemented in a certain way. As a rule, this implementation can be viewed as a series of problem-solving tasks. Yet, these specific issues should be addressed by front-line or operational managers. This is why their role should not be overlooked. Apart from that, operational managers collect information about the performance of a business, the quality of its products, retention of employees or other types of data. Only on the basis of this information, tactical and strategic managers can develop feasible policies and plans.
This discussion indicates that planning in organizations can be effective provided that managers from different levels closely interact with one another. Much attention should be paid to the exchange of information. If this cooperation is not present, the performance of an organization can be diversely affected. There are several risks that should not be overlooked. For example, senior managers can develop policies and plans that do not correspond to the needs of the company. Apart from that, the strategies worked out by senior executives may be misunderstood if tactical and frontline managers do not identify specific steps that should be taken. These are the main issues that can be singled out.
How using power is essential to being an effective leader/manager in all levels of an organization
The use of power is an inseparable part of the tasks that are performed by leaders and managers. These professionals must ensure that employees are willing and able to cope with the tasks that are critical for an organization. This issue is relevant to people who work at different levels of the managerial hierarchy. For instance, top-level executives have to rely on the power of their vision and charisma to gain the support of others (Bateman & Snell, 2011, p. 437). Provided that they lack this skill, it may be difficult for them to implement the long-term strategies that are vital for the sustainability of the enterprise.
Similarly, middle-line managers and leaders also have to make use of the power to communicate and attain the objectives that each department should reach. In particular, they need to rely on the power of their expertise and knowledge while interacting with frontline-line personnel. They should provide data and evidence in order to convince and motivate others. If they cannot do it, different departments of a company may not function properly. Moreover, the long-term vision developed by senior executives will not be shared by other employees. These are the main issues that should be considered.
The ability to influence the attitudes and activities of others is of great importance to leaders working at the frontline level. Without this ability, they may not engage in problem-solving. Moreover, the use of power can be needed for ensuring that workers can meet the timelines set by other executives. Thus, these skills can be of great benefit to leaders and managers who occupy different places in the workplace hierarchy. Yet, this power should be based on expertise, charisma, and evidence, rather than coercion. This is one of the main points that can be made.
How does the decision making style on the part of an executive affect the manager
The decision-making style of a senior executive has profound implications for managers since he/she can set different requirements for their colleagues. In particular, it is necessary for them to know what kind of persuasion strategy should be adopted to gain the trust of an executive and eventually implement new initiatives. One can distinguish such types of decision-makers as charismatics, controllers, thinkers, followers, and skeptics who have different values and priorities (Williams & Miller, 2002). For instance, the executives, who are called charismatics, take genuine interest in the innovative ideas (Williams & Miller, 2002, p. 66). Nevertheless, they want their colleagues to focus on the long-term results. Therefore, in order to convince them, one should emphasize the relevance of a proposal to the performance of an organization. The executives, who are described as thinkers and skeptics, also set such requirements for other managers and leaders. Yet, they also pay attention to the credibility of data.
There are executives representing a different approach to decision-making. For instance, leaders, known as followers, have a strong aversion to risk. They are not likely to consider a strategy that has not been tested (Williams & Miller, 2002, p. 72). Therefore, managers and leaders should demonstrate that a new policy will not diversely affect the performance of the company. They can be persuaded if the arguments are presented by a person who is an expert in a certain field.
On the whole, these examples suggest that senior executives have different decision-making styles, and these distinctions should be considered by managers and leaders. They need to choose the most optimal way of convincing these people. They should focus on the method of presenting information; otherwise, their initiatives will not be supported. This is the main argument that can be put forward.
How power and persuasion might affect teams and team building
Power and persuasion play an important role in the functioning and formation of teams. First of all, a manager or a leader should rely on the power of their expertise to show that a certain goal can and should be achieved. In this way, one can strengthen the commitment of a team (Heathfield, n. d.). One should bear in mind that employees pay close attention to the competence of leaders. To a great extent, it acts as a cornerstone for the effective performance of this workgroup. This is why the power of expertise and charisma is essential for success. If a manager lacks these qualities, and effective team may never be formed.
Apart from that, managers have to persuade the team to be committed to the goals of the organization. To achieve this task, one has to explain that an objective is feasible and important (Zenger, Folkman & Edinger, 2009, p. 6). This is why the functioning of a team is not possible without effective persuasion. Certainly, these people can follow the instructions of a manager, but they will not take initiatives or display their best qualities. This is the main pitfall that should be avoided.
These issues should be considered by managers who may represent different levels of the workplace hierarchy. These professionals can manage different types of teams. The skills that have been described in this section can help these professionals enhance the performance of the company.
Reference List
Bateman, T., & Snell, S. (2011). Management: Leading and collaborating in the competitive world. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Heathfield, S. (n. d.). 12 Tips for Team Building. Web.
Williams, G., & Miller, R. (2002). Change the Way You Persuade. Harvard Business Review, 80(5), 65-73.
Zenger, J., Folkman, J., & Edinger, S. (2009). Stretch Goals. Leadership Excellence, 26(7), 6-7.