Principles of Leadership and Management

Management Level 3

Principles of Leadership and management

Understand the principles of effective Decision making

Explanation for the importance of defining can be:

Objectives – if there is more than one objective then it is important to rank the objectives in order of priority and risk of criticality to the outcome of the management of the task or project. High risk or high priority objective should have decisions made against them first and knowing the risks and priorities will allow managers to make a better and more informed decision.

Scope – knowing the specific details of the tasks and jobs that need to be achieved to meet the objective and reach a successful conclusion. The scope (specific tasks involved) can then be delegated and allocated out to people within the team who have the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise to carry out the task. This will also include knowing what resources will be needed – time, physical, equipment etc.

Success - To be able to do this successfully the learner needs to mention that the criteria can include delivering the task or project on time, within budget and within the required deliverables. It is important to decide how they can be achieved in order to ensure that all parts of the task or project is completed and achieved on time and fully.

Assess why it was important to analyse the potential impact of your decision making.

Assessment of the importance of the potential impact can include:

• financial implications on too much resource being used or too little being used

• allocation of work to specific people, ensuring that correct knowledge and expertise is given against each aspect of the task or project. If this is not done correctly it could mean the task or project being delivered late or not at all

• As a manager your full understanding of the brief for the project or task – if this is not clearly and fully understood then incorrect decisions can be made, jeopardising the task or project as a whole.

Why was it important to be able to obtain sufficient valid information in order to enable you to make an effective decision?

Importance on obtaining sufficient valid information can be:

To enable managers to know which parts of task or project will need to take priority and this in turn will lead to deciding to whom, and why, tasks within the task or project need to be allocated. This then allows the manager to be able to allocate suitable time for each aspect of the task/project ensuring that all individual deadlines are met. It also allows the manager to see any potential risks or barriers to the successful completion of the task/project. If information obtained is not sufficient or valid, then the successful completion of the task/project will be seriously compromised, as the team could be working towards an incorrect target and goal through mis-information.

Alignment importance answers given by learner can include the following:

• to ensure that tasks/projects being undertaken will benefit the business in terms of sales, productivity, meeting customer requirements (internal or external)

• continue to ensure that work being done meets with the ethical, moral, financial reputation/view of the organisation and thus lessen any risk of negative impression externally

• by following procedures set by the organisation, the manager can ensure that work is up to standard and in line with rules of the organisation. Thus lessening any risk of non-compliance that may be legislative, regulatory or organisational.

Explain two different ways that you validated information that was used within the decision making process.

The two ways information validated need to be individual to the learner, and their own specific experiences given. However these validation ways could be:

• Integrity of person/s or site/s information came from

• Checking information against details and specification of task/project requirements

• Against other information received and being used already.

Explain how you did, or would, address issues that could obstruct the achievement of targets and quality standards.

Firstly, the learner needs to identify issues that he/she had to address or could address. These could be:

• Financial

• Resource based – equipment, time, information

• People.

The above issues can hamper (obstruct) the achievement of targets and quality standards as follows:

Financial, Resource based, People – if not enough budget is allocated to the task/project then the quality of the productivity or the product may be slightly inferior or sub-standard for the organisation. Likewise this has a direct impact on the resources and people used and if these are lacking, it could have a detrimental impact on the target as it could potentially be missed completely. This would be due to lack of personnel or resources for the task/project.

The learner should mention that these can be addressed by:

• Being clear at the onset of the task/project of the budget, resourcing allocations in terms of people numbers, equipment needed and analysing where there may be a lack of resource/knowledge to compete the task/ project successfully

• Discussing the issues openly and professionally with others and especially stakeholders to enable potential compromises to be given and agreed

• Communicating clearly with all personnel involved with the task/project as to what the objectives, requirements are

• Continuous monitoring of progress of task/project so that any issues can be identified and dealt with early rather than late.

Explain the differences in influence that managers and leaders have on their teams.

Difference in influence of managers and leaders can include:

The main responsibility of a manager is to: plan, organise, lead and control. The main influence a manager has over a team is the fact that he/she is a manager and the team will be influenced by that manager by virtue of the position rather than because members of the team are following the person they believe in. The primary function for the manager is to achieve organisation objectives and this is the influence they have on their teams e.g. ensuring the jobs get done.

The main responsibility of a leader is to: communicate, motivate, inspire and encourage employees towards a higher level of productivity. The main influence a leader can have over a manager is that team members will follow a leader because of who that person is and because of the team belief in the leader. Leaders tend to show personal passion and are an inspiration to team members.

Evaluate the suitability and impact of two different leadership styles in the given contexts.

Models can include the following:

Context - An extremely capable and knowledgeable team member who is a self-starter and has been assigned to a complex and difficult task.

• Leadership styles and evaluation of suitability - Participative leadership style – this is suitable as it allows the team member to make own decisions on task completion, helps to keep the team member motivated.
• Transactional leadership style – this could be suitable if the team member responded positively to reward based task completions. Assumption from manager is that the team member only works for reward or punishment
• Leadership style and impact of these on the context - Participative style – would have a positive impact on the context, as the team member would be given the opportunity to be responsible and make decisions.
• Transactional leadership style – Would have a negative impact on the context as this team member being extremely capable and knowledgeable may not respond well to relinquishing all responsibility and may prefer the decision making authority rather than being rewarded.

Context - A team working routinely with highly toxic and dangerous chemicals on a daily basis.

• Leadership styles and evaluation of suitability - Charismatic leadership style – would be good for motivating and inspiring team members but not suitable for routine tasks with high risk.
• Bureaucratic leadership style – good for highly risky situations as managers follows rules rigorously.
• Leadership style and impact of these on the context - Charismatic leadership style – Impact would be negative as following routines is important in a high risk environment and although it is good to motivate teams, a more directive approach of leadership would be more appropriate.
• Bureaucratic leadership style –Impact would be positive as all team members would be very clear about procedures and rules that have to be adhered to in a highly risky environment.

Analyse two different theories and models of motivation, explaining how these could be applied in a work environment.

Analysis of any theory model of motivation e.g. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Keller’s model of motivational design.

maslow's hierarchy of needs
Source
Each of us is motivated by needs. Our most basic needs are inborn, having evolved over tens of thousands of years. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs helps to explain how these needs motivate us all.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself.
Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development.
Conversely, if the things that satisfy our lower order needs are swept away, we are no longer concerned about the maintenance of our higher order needs.
Maslow's original Hierarchy of Needs model was developed between 1943-1954, and first widely published in Motivation and Personality in 1954. At this time the Hierarchy of Needs model comprised five needs. This original version remains for most people the definitive Hierarchy of Needs.
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Self-Actualization needs - realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences
Activity: Do your own research and find out how MaslowsHierchy of needs is illustrated in a diagram.
Herzberg's main theory and its significance
Herzberg was the first to show that satisfaction and dissatisfaction at work nearly always arose from different factors, and were not simply opposing reactions to the same factors, as had always previously been (and still now by the unenlightened) believed.
In 1959 Herzberg wrote the following useful little phrase, which helps explain this fundamental part of his theory, i.e., that the factors which motivate people at work are different to and not simply the opposite of the factors which cause dissatisfaction:
"We can expand ... by stating that the job satisfiers deal with the factors involved in doing the job, whereas the job dissatisfiers deal with the factors which define the job context."

Model information should include as follows: need – behaviour – satisfaction. Learner needs to mention these within their analysis.

Application of the models in the workplace should include – building of belonging, relationships, learning and retaining information, gaining experience and reputation for work being completed well.

Understand the role, functions and processes of management.

Analyse a manager’s responsibilities for planning, co-ordinating and controlling work

Analysis of a manager’s responsibilities for planning, co-ordinating and controlling work can be – these are the most common functions of a manager and should be performed during normal work.

•Planning should take account of planned and unexpected contingencies, plans should be flexible enough to be amended as and when needed.

•Co-ordination involves bringing together and harmonising different work based activities across the business. It also involves ensuring overseeing of work delegated to team members and others involved in work.

•Controlling helps managers to identify when objectives are not going to plan and allows managers to make alternative arrangements and adjustments as necessary in order to correct the deviations.

Explanation of how managers ensure that team objectives are met can be

Consider smart targeting for all team members, close monitoring of progress of individuals and overall team objective, building commitment from the team and each person in the team, being clear about objectives so that all team members know their own role and responsibility within achieving objectives, renegotiate with team members as necessary.

SMART
Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-bound. If you're setting a standard, or an objective for yourself, or agreeing an objective with another person, the task or standard must meet these criteria to be effective. The same applies to communications which urge some sort of action or change by the audience/listener/reader.

Explanation of how a manager’s role contributes to the achievements of an organisation’s vision, mission and objectives.

This is effectively the personality of an organisation; if the organisation has clear vision, mission and objectives then the manager knows the culture he/ she is working within and achievements made can be set against these parameters. The manager is the person who ensures that the team also works within these parameters and monitors the progress of achievements against the given rules and procedures, ethos and culture.

Analysis of theories and models of management

Learner should be able to refer to at least two theories and models:

•nudge theory – modern change management concept that helps managers to understand people’s way of thinking, helping them to improve upon this and managing change of all types.

•Corporate governance - manages the risk involved within leadership, authority, ego, wealth creation, responsibility, ethics etc. and how these issues reconcile and conflict within organisational and market settings.

•Tuckman’s forming, storming, norming and performing model – explains team development and how teams mature into co-operative working that can work independently.

Activity: Do your own research to understand more details of the above listed theories or outline any others you may come across whilst doing your research.

Explanation of how the application of management theories guide a manager’s actions

Information and explanations on how directive a manager will need to be dependent on the theory used, how hands on a manager needs to be with managing different aspects of team behaviours, thinking processes and motivations and commitments. How directive a manager is regarding risk for the organisation and cost to reputation as a whole – this fits in with ethos and culture.

Explain the possible operational constraints imposed by budgets.

Operational constraints could be:

•Staffing levels – increased or decreased

•Allocation and procurement of resources and materials

•Ability to be able to forward plan effectively – workwise and also growth wise

•Inability to gain loans or financial backing from investors, banks, etc

•Allows organisations to stage growth and expansion.

Explain the relationship between business objectives and performance measures

•The objectives are set first and within this key criteria of outcomes are set also.

•This then feeds into the performance measurement across all levels of personnel within the organisation and is linked into specific job roles and outcomes of performance levels expected within each role.

•These outcomes against each aspect of the performance indicators then feeds back into the organisation overall objectives.

The features of a performance measurement system

The main / key features arethat it has to be reliable and good. The performance system could include – information needs to be quantitative, measurable, easily understood by everyone using the system, visible and appropriately used, measures outputs as well as inputs, encourages trust between parties using the system, measures only key indicators, is easy for the collection and utilisation of information and data.

How to set key performance indicators (KPIs) –

make sure that what is being set is measurable, map core business processes, mapped core business processes are aligned to roles, responsibilities and any factors for success that are critical to the business, select the KPIs based on success criteria established, set target and review dates.

The tools, processes and timetable for monitoring and reporting on business performance

Ensure monitoring is based on a clearly formed plan and can be chart driven e.g. as for project management, plans should have the KPIs on it so that it is clear that this is what is being monitored against, it should also contain the timetabling for reviews and when these will take place, what data collection method will be used and where the data information will come from, responsibilities, analysis and then any actions following the monitoring and reporting.