wwebdbwevdbsoeoetsveeoetebewew yp yu Ww vy wv ww Ww t 2 12 Management styes J Ee brief “atitionally, the model for leadership in business has been the army. Managers and army officers give orders, and their subordinates cary them out. Managers, ike army officers, maybe sent on leadership courses to develop their leadership sklls. But some would say that leaders are born, nat made, and no amount of training can change this. The greatest leaders have charisma, 2 powerful, attractive quality that makes other people admire them and want to follow them. A leader ike this may be seen as a visionary. Leaders ae often described as having drive, dynamism and energy to inspire the people under them, and we recognise these qualities in many famaus business and politcal leaders. The leadership style ofa company’s boss can influence the management styles of ll the managers in the organisation. In some Asian cultures, theres management by consensus: decisions are not imposed from above in a top-down approach, but arrived atin a process of consultation, asking all employees to contribute to decision making, and many western companies have tied to adopt these ideas. Some commentators say that women will Become more important as managers, because they have the power to build consensus ina way that the traditional authoritarian male manager does not. One recent development in consensual management has been coaching and mentoring. Future senior managers are ‘groomed! by existing managers, in regular one-to-one sessions, where they discuss the sls and qualities required in thelr particular organisational culture. ‘Another recent trend has been to encourage employees to use their own initiative: the right to take decisions and act on their own without asking managers fist. This is empowerment. Decision making becomes more decentralised and less bureaucratic, less dependent on managers and complex formal management systems. Ths has often been necessary where the number of management levels is reduced. This is related to the ability of managers to delegate, to give other people responsibilty for ‘work rather than doing tll themselves. Ofcourse, with empowerment and delegation, the problem is keeping control of your operations, and keeping the operations profitable and on course. This is one of the key issues of modem management style. Empowerment related to the wider issue of company ownership, Managers and employees increasingly have shares inthe fims they work for. This f course makes them more motivated and ‘committed tothe frm, and encourages new patterns of more responsible behaviour. Robert Benfarl: Understanding and Changing Your Management Style, Jossey-Bass, 1999 Gareth Lewis: The Mentoring Manager, Financial Times Prentice Hal, 999 Erie Patsloe: The Manager as Coach and Mentor, Chartered institute of Personnel and Development, 1999 Role of the Menager, Financial Times Prentice Hall (Heriot Watt BA course), 1998 John Wilson: Management Style, Hodder & Stoughton, 000 103,