Discussion : Choosing a Manager
Do you think a team will be happy with a manager who shares a good rapport with the team members but is unable to help them during crunch situations? Or will a team be better off with a manager who does not mix well with people but is always able to help the team members? Consider a third situation in which the manager shares a good rapport with the team members and is also able to help solve their problems. Obviously, the third situation is a win-win situation.
To achieve a win-win situation, a manager must be able to fuse the business strategy with technology, the organizational structure, and available resources. To do so, the three basic required skill sets for a manager are interpersonal skills, technical skills, and conceptual skills. These three skill sets allow a manager to make spur-of-the-moment decisions, soothe disturbances among team members, and disseminate information, wherever required, to ease the workload.
Scenario: You have to hire a manager to supervise the call center in your organization. There are two candidates vying for the position. One has strong interpersonal skills; the other has strong technical and project management skills.
Post by Day 3 a substantive response of approximately 200-250 words that is an analysis of the hiring scenario. Your analysis should address the following:
Which of these skills is more important?
For the selected candidate, what type of management development program would you use to strengthen the area of improvement?
Justify your responses.
Use the Week 6 Discussion 1 Template (located in this week's Learning Resources) to develop a draft of your response. Then, post your finalized statement to the Discussion Thread.
Read a selection of your colleagues' postings.
Respond by Day 6 with at least 75 words each to two or more of your colleagues' postings in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Make a suggestion.
Expand on your colleague's posting.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you learned and the insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.
Be sure to support your work with specific citations from the Learning Resources and any additional sources.
Note: Refer to the Week 6 Discussion 1 Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. Your Instructor will use this rubric to assess your work.
Week 6 Learning Resources
Required Resources
Readings
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices(5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall.
Chapter 11, "Employee and Management Development" (pp. 399-434)
Chapter 11 deals solely with the development of managers in an organization. In this chapter, you will study the roles, traits, and strategies of managers in an organization. You will also explore the various developmental strategies and training programs that benefit the development of managerial roles in an organization.
Focus on the reasons for and implications of creating training strategies for various managerial levels in an organization. This will help you create training programs focused on management needs, and bridge the gap between organizational goals and management principles.