Managerial Effectiveness

Topic 2:4 Managerial Effectiveness

Managerial Effectiveness

Over the past years there has been a explosion of books and articles about managerial effectiveness and how it can increase productivity. Companies are trying to improve executive skills through:

Ø education programs,

Ø sensitivity training and

Ø participatory management

Despite these efforts some managers have continued to perform in the managerial style of a past era, characterized by self-serving attitudes, empire building and autocratic methods. These styles include the following:

1. The Godfather – despite the current emphasis on teamwork and participatory management, the Godfather style still prevails in management.

2. The Ostrich – Ostriches love the status quo and fear discord. Ostriches believe firmly in no confrontational approaches to problem solving and they avoid issues and debate.

3. The Do-it-yourself - Do- it- yourself managers want to handle everything themselves, especially more challenging assignments.

4. The Detailer – this is the type of manager who wants to know everything their subordinates do "in detail".

5. The Politician – politicians tell us what we want to hear and because of that many of us like to work for politicians. Their superiors like having them around for the same reason. One of the drawbacks to this style is that politicians tend to over-say things.

6. The Eager Beaver – beavers build large dams to interrupt the flow of water, so Eager Beavers Managers create ever-greater workloads and eventually interrupt the smooth functioning of their organisations.