Riordan Manufacturing is the company that employs specialists of a total number of five hundred fifty. Since the company bears the title of the industry leader in the sphere of plastic injection molding, this status, strong respect, and financial prosperity are the results of the skillful organization and great attention to organizational change and development. They are always aimed at the facilitation of changes that enhance the development of an organization (Jex & Britt, 2008).
Executives of Riordan Manufacturing clearly understand the importance of management and leadership for the successful functioning of the corporation, taking into consideration that management and leadership have profound differences between them: focus, treatment of human factor, and attitude to change. Thus, the assessment of differences between management and leadership may help to find equilibrium between them. This is necessary and useful for us to follow the mission established by the company.
One of the key directions chosen for the focus of the mission of Riordan Manufacturing is to remain the leader in the industry and to continue to identify and establish industry trends. This is possible due to the inclusion of Six Sigma, specific business management, strategy into the company’s mission. Thus, the effect of management as presented by the implication of Six Sigma as the strategy aimed at the improvement of quality of products manufactured and optimization of business processes. However, as far as networking of the company is concerned, employees’ attitudes may be harmfully affected by the introduction of the Six Sigma management strategy and the staff may need a certain reward to increase their motivation for work.
However, leadership and its focus on the human factor affects the organizational structure of the company by means of the implementation of a team-based organizational structure (Jex & Britt, 2008). Thus, leadership is the basis of employee relations in Riordan Manufacturing since it focuses on the employees instead of the assessment of the outcome of the working process. Leadership positively affects employee relations policies, for instance, an “open-door” policy. “Open-door” policy implies that the members of staff have a right to share their professional ideas and concerns with high-level supervisors if they have reasonable objections to innovations or other changes provided. Since the focus of leadership is on people, it helps to maintain the atmosphere in the company that follows the principles of our mission: access to information regarding the company and proper support of the staff.
While leadership is the driving force of healthy networking within an organization, management with its precise focus on planning, performance assessment, adequate system functioning is urgent for Riordan Manufacturing. This can be explained by the specificity of the company: it is a virtual organization that has facilities in Georgia, Michigan, and China. Territorial fragmentation demands a strong managerial system since this specific structure is an obstacle to the creation of a coherent culture of Riordan Manufacturing. While leadership assists in the establishment of cultural and social networking inside the company, a thought-out and time-tested organizational hierarchy serve as the guarantee of effective control of business processes and manufacturing of the products. Finally, the chiefs of the departments possess the leadership skills and knowledge necessary for successful management. Thus, harmonious interaction of leadership and management ensures the prosperity of Riordan Manufacturing.
Reference List
Jex, S.M., & Britt T.W. (2008). Organizational Psychology. A Scientist-Practitioner Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.