Interview
Introduction
The interviewee is the president of the concourse institute. The major area of interest is recruitment and how companies can ensure that they get the best hand for the job. The president of a company is responsible for all the employees at the organization. Concourse Institute is located in Mumbai and is specifically interested in IT courses. As explored in this paper, Kolb’s experimental learning theory, Ajzen’s planned behavior theory, Schwartz value motive theory and the six hats thinking tool explain how managers perform their role. A manager’s greatest asset is people, and when handled effectively, a manager is able to achieve their goals and objectives as well as those of the organization.
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used for this research. The research conducted an interview to collect primary data. The interviewee was selected from a well-known organization so that they could act as a representative of other managers. The data from the interview was then combined with other scholarly articles to complete the research. Limitations of the study include the fact that only one interview was conducted.
Results
Organizations are moving beyond offering large packages as a means to satisfy their employees. Exceptional managerial skills will ensure that current and prospect employees are thrilled to work for an organization. Not all companies can afford to offer employees the highest prices, but all employers need exceptional employees. Most companies are looking to offer their clients a signature experience. All companies are looking for talented employees and to recruit and retain calls for a better value proposition than what other employers are offering. Managers need to ensure that their employees are excited about working for them and will not jump on the next big offer by their competitors. Employees who are satisfied with their place of work are exemplary . A signature experience can be offered to the employee at the recruitment stage. Some companies prefer a team-based hiring experience which provides the candidate with an opportunity to understand how working for the company feels like. Other companies put candidates through a series of interviewers before they can finally get a chance to work for the company. Probation is one of the many signature experiences which offers the candidate the opportunity to decide if they still want to work with the company. Signature experiences provide a candidate with an opportunity to decide which company best suits their needs . Other companies especially those that are keen on teamwork will allow team members decide if the candidate is fit to work with the company or not.
Managers are looking to match the workplace with the emotional satisfaction of the employee. While some employees enjoy achieving as a team, others are loners and would prefer to work alone. Other individuals are keen on creating a legacy and seeing to it that whatever they are doing will make a difference in the future. Others need security which comes with a clear definition of roles and rules. Companies ought to be clear to their employees what kind of experience they are going to offer to the candidate. The value proposition should be clear in the processes of an organization. Managers who can offer their employees with a value proposition have a low turnover rate . Employees get to select out and in most cases employees who last for more than four years, stay a lifetime, decreasing the turnover rate to zero. Employees who are emotionally excited about their jobs are more productive, innovative and collaborative. Excited employees act as better representatives of the company to the customer.
Managers need to consider the importance and relevance of the value proposition to their employees. In some instances, the value proposition tends to grow its usefulness forcing the manager to reconsider. JetBlue is a low cost airline which offered its reservation agents a chance to work from home . The purpose of this arrangement was to ensure that the company offered its employees a certain value proposition since they could not afford to offer the same enumeration packages as other airline companies. Reservation agents were offered the opportunity to work from their homes. Other companies such as the Trilogy Software which requires employees who are very entrepreneurial offers its candidates with a training period for three months which puts them on weekly assignments.
Discussion
The role of the manager is to manipulate the behavior of commodities by manipulating the behavior of people or employees. The role of the manager can be divided into five task which includes setting objectives. It would be misleading to presume that a manager will make all the right decisions. However, an effective manager should be able to make the right decisions most of the time . By setting goals, a manager should be to make decisions which will enhance the achievement of these goals. A plan is a foresight into the future in which the manager is able to anticipate potential hindrances and requirements and plan for them in advance.
Organization of the human resource is also another crucial function played by a manager. The manager organizes human resource by dividing the tasks into manageable bits which can be achieved by individuals and proceeds to divide these roles among employees. The integration function is also another role played by the manager. The manager is expected to ensure that the human resource is motivated. The manager achieves this through effective communication between the management and the employees. The manager achieves this through pay, placement and promotions . Performance should be measured regularly by the manager. This is done during appraisals and analysis of the performance of the employees based on targets set beforehand. A manager's greatest asset is people, and these people need to be developed. Well-developed employees provide maximum benefits for the manager.
The managerial role is a learning process which the manager acquires over time. The manager acquires the skills over time and continues to perfect them. The Kolb’s experiential learning cycle involves a cycle of processes which includes an actual experience, a reflection of the experience, conceptualization of the experience and eventually there is the application of what was acquired from the experience in real life . The more experienced a manager is, the more effective they are likely to be. The manager has to be actively involved through the four stages of the cycle for the learning process to be effective.
The six thinking hats tool by de Bono can be used by managers and team members to become more focused productive and involved psychologically. Managers require the six thinking hats strategy for their planning function. The first hat requires the manager to get all the facts straight and gather all information necessary to their managerial role. The manager proceeds to set goals or benefits which they hope to achieve. The black hat anticipates all hindrances and possible outcomes which might come between the manager and the goals. The red hat focusses on intuition which the manager applies from previous experiences. Emotions and feelings are major players when dealing with intuition. The green hat calls on the manager to look beyond the culture of the organization and venture into new possibilities. The blue and sixth thinking hat ensures that all the other hats are properly adhered to .
The theory of planned behavior argues that there are number factors which influence behavior. These factors are influenced by the intention behind a certain behavior. Intention is determined by factors such as attitudes, beliefs towards a certain behavior and norms . A manager should be able to manipulate these three factors so as to get the right behavior from people. Most managers understand the importance of attitudes, norms and beliefs, and are trying to hire those with those which correspond with their goals, or change these characteristics in the people they hire. Understanding these characteristics in an individual enables one to come up with effective interventions.
According to Schwartz, an individual’s values motivates them to behave in a particular way and also dictates their attitudes towards various issues (Schwartz 17). These values form a person’s personality which is different from our values, attitudes, norms and beliefs. For groups to continue functioning there is the need for cooperation and supportive attitudes amongst group members. Members are encouraged towards values which commit them to identify with fellow group members, to form positive relations amongst themselves and be loyal to one another. Individuals should be motivated to spend their time in productive work, solving problems and coming up with new ideas. Human nature seeks gratification of personal desires and needs which should be in line with the goals of the group (Schwartz 15).
Conclusion
In conclusion, a manager has a number of functions which they are expected to fulfill. A manager’s greatest asset is people. How effectively a manager handles people determines their success in achieving their set goals and objectives. The managerial role is a learning process that takes time and experience to master. A manager is not expected to make the right decisions at all times, but an effective manager should be able to make the right decision on most occasions. A manager should be able to understand the behavior of the people and ensure that employees have the right attitudes to enable them to achieve their goals and objectives. The managerial process requires adhering to a strict procedure which includes getting facts, setting goals, anticipating difficulties, exploring new territories and coming up with ways to ensure their success.
Works cited
Ajzen, Icek. "The theory of planned behavior." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (1991): 179-211. Web. <http://www.cob.calpoly.edu/~eli/Class/p1.pdf>.
Dow Jones and Company. "What do managers do." The Wall Street Journal (2016). Web. <http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-do-managers-do/>.
HBR. What it means to work here. 22 March 2007. Web. 4 June 2016. <https://hbr.org/ideacast/2007/03/harvard-business-ideacast-35-w.html>.
McLeod, Saul. Kolb- Learning Styles. 2013. Web. 4 June 2016. <http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html>.
Schwartz, Shalom H. "An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values." Online Readings in Psychology and Culture (2012): 1-20. Web.
The de Bono Group. Six Thinking Hats. n.d. Web. 4 June 2016. <http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php>.
