MANAGING THE MANAGEMENT

 

FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

 

MANAGING THE MANAGEMENT

 

The world of trade and commerce of today is the culmination of many a revolution and transformation. Today, we have factories manufacturing from as small as a pin to as big as an airplane and train. From a single person managed vending outlet to a big corporate and MNC, it has undergone a never-ending chain of phenomenal changes before assuming the gigantic proportions as obtaining today. The trend will of course continue forever.

 

For management of a corporate, we need to have an appropriate structure that should be employee/customer-friendly. There are many schools of thought on management. Some classical and orthodox concepts are given below:

 

Amoeba – Lack of robust direction from top management. There is an activity trap with structure, order, and guidance not flowing freely. Nobody knows what he/she does and is heading for.

 

Anarchy – A situation upheaval where leadership, responsibilities, functions and resources are in dispute and/or in conflict.

 

Buggy whip – Sticking to archaic and outmoded products, services and practices which no longer have potential for sustenance or further growth and development.

 

Myopia - There is no clear future orientation and lucid direction. Insouciant and nonchalant in strategy-making, lack of sense of direction and advance planning - doing day-to-day existence, without any proper thinking about future mould of organization – are the characteristic lacuna.

 

Rat-race – Noxious climate and contaminated environs emanating from excessively tyrannical, domineering, primeval, and slave-driving policies.

 

Remote control – Too much centralization of administrative and/or executive control with parent body; participation of personnel down the line is strictly prohibited in decision-making process; with no autonomy for people who matter, decision-making is fraught with flaws; even ‘difficult to implement decisions’ will be taken and imposed with inevitable failure and resultant chaos.

 

Some organization(s) might be suffering from one or more of the above-mentioned syndromes perhaps due to disinclination and failure to adapt to trendy changes. Even though there might be some short-term gains to be achieved through primitive ideas and retrograde steps to start with, it would prove to be counter-productive bound to fail in the long run ending up even in collapse of organization itself.

 

Prime objectives of any organization are to build brand image, goodwill among customers, and profit-making. Employees and customers being backbone of any organization, in all organizational endeavours, they should be taken into confidence in as many ways as possible. It is necessary for individuals to conduct themselves appropriately in a corporate set-up. The old school of thought i.e. ‘carrot and stick’ no longer holds good. Teamwork, team-spirit, motivation, inspiring subordinates, encouragement, appreciation, etc. are positive plumes of managerial flair and forte that work the best. Appreciation and rewards are real pep and fillip to the entire ladder of personnel. 

 

Man is both a social animal and political animal. Hence politics either in any family or organization can’t be altogether ruled out or rooted out. Politicking is part of any group and more so, in an organization. Any office or workplace can’t be an exception. Encouraging formation of a ‘gang’ or a 'coterie' with vested interests or individual/group politics may harm to the organization. Having said that politics is part of the game, let us not play foul in any form. 

 

Workplace communication must be simple, honest and sincere, coming out from the bottom of the heart. It must be open without any hidden agenda behind. If top-brass bosses encourage these good qualities and traits, they would percolate down and get inculcated in all thus becoming part of the organizational culture leading to robust organizational behaviour.

The more the gap is in between different personnel down the line and touch points in the managerial hierarchy ladder the larger will be the overall corresponding communication gap. Maintenance of self-assumed secrecy, traditional ego, etc. prevent vital information from percolating down to the personnel who mattered the most - which may affect ‘productivity’. Conducive and genial atmosphere, teamwork-friendly environment, scope for development of inter-personal relationships, scenario of ‘learn as you yearn/earn’ for more productivity, self-job-satisfaction, stress-free work ambience, etc. make an ideal workplace sure to increase productivity and profit. Not even a pay-hike in a pell-mell, chaotic and muddled work environment can guarantee self-satisfaction for a worker.

 

Last, nevertheless the least, a ‘win-win’ situation must be maintained among the employer, management, employees and clientele for the well-being of the organization.

 

 

R.SAMPATH

3/1/2022