MANAGERIAL EFFECTIVENESS

Managerial effectiveness is a leaders ability to achieve desired results. How

well he applies his skills and abilities in guiding and directing others determines
whether he can meet those results effectively. If he can, his achievements are poised
to help the organization gain a competitive edge.
Gauging Managerial Effectiveness
Managerial effectiveness is gauged by the results a leader achieves. Results are
generally believed to be influenced by the organizations established culture. A good leader
must adapt to the organizations culture and make sure his skills are aligned with organizational
goals in order to achieve positive results.
The Skills of an Effective Manager
A manager has a combination of technical, people and conceptual skills that can make
him an effective leader, according to theoretical models of leadership.
Technical skills include specialized training, skilled performance of specific tasks,
expertise in a specific field or industry and the ability to apply specialized knowledge to tasks
and objectives.
People skills include the ability to work well with others, motivate workers, resolve
conflicts, delegate roles and communicate objectives clearly.
Conceptual skills are broader and more self-actualized. They include the ability to see
the organization in the context of its industry, the ability to understand how each part of the
organization functions as a whole, the ability to visualize a future course of action based on
current organizational and industry trends, the ability to analyze and diagnose complex
situations and the ability to understand the interrelationships at work in the organization.
Achieving Results
Senior management is responsible for identifying the core competencies of the
organization and making sure those competencies are complemented by its managers and its
overall workforce. It is up to senior management to strategically place a manager in the
department where his skills and competencies will reflect the current and future needs of the
organization in order to effectively achieve results that benefit the organization in the short- and
long-run.
An Example of Managerial Effectiveness
The results of a marketing project spearheaded by a finance manager, for example,
would not be as strong as the results achieved by a marketing manager who is well-versed in
market strategy and research. Choices such as these significantly affect an organization's
overall performance. Managerial Effectiveness: Managing the Self and Others

In the past, employees were expected to be efficient in producing the desired results
and their efficiency was measured in terms of the outputs delivered relative to the inputs used
(Managerial Efficiency). Now, the focus has shifted to effectiveness. Effectiveness involves
doing the right things, in the right way. Effectiveness is particularly important in the case of
managers, as they are responsible for the performance of others.
However, effective management starts at a personal level, before moving on to the
personnel level. Effective managers are role models for subordinates. They play a vital role in
improving the overall effectiveness of the organization.
There is a general misconception that managerial effectiveness is an inherent quality
that cannot be learnt. However, if effectiveness was something innate, we would not see so
many successful managers or successful organizations. The reality is that effectiveness can be
learnt, and with practice, be perfected. In short, managers can be trained to be effective.
There are no specific personality traits common to all successful managers. Some of
them are analytical while others are intuitive. Some are good decision-makers, while others are
good planners. However, all these managers have one characteristic in common:
They are effective in whatever they do and whatever they are. Successful
managers may be intelligent, imaginative, and knowledgeable. However, only effectiveness
translates this intelligence, imagination, and knowledge into results, and ultimately makes a
manager successful.

Managerial Effectiveness: Overview

Effective management is about doing the right things at the right time. In the face of
downsizing, mergers, etc., organizations need managers who are not only efficient but also
effective. The responsibilities of managers and the competitive pressures on them have
increased their need to be effective. Efficient people do things right whereas an effective
person does the right things. Effective managers, on the other hand, are both
effective and efficient.
The basic responsibility of managers is to manage people. To be effective at
managing people, they must be good managers of themselves. Some managers believe
that effectiveness is something a person is born with and cannot be inculcated. However,
effectiveness can be taught and mastered with practice. The training for effectiveness involves
identifying the importance of knowledge and people for an organization.
Effective managers prepare plans after taking into account the knowledge and
information they have acquired from various experiences or from various reports. They organize
activities based on plans and organizational objectives. Effective managers know where
their time goes and how it is spent. They focus on how they can contribute to the
organization. Effective managers focus on the results that can be achieved rather than

the tools or techniques to be used.

They make use of their own strengths and the strengths of their superiors, subordinates,
and colleagues for productive purposes in the organization. They recruit people based on their
strengths and use the strengths optimally. Managers need to perform many activities.
However, effective managers prioritize activities and perform one activity at a time.
This helps them to focus their resources on one task at a time and so, to produce quality
results. In the process, they also minimize the possibility of making mistakes. In addition to
prioritizing activities, effective managers posterioritize unimportant or less important activities.
Posterioritizing means postponing unimportant activities to a later date.
Effective managers make decisions in a systematic manner. They collect all the
information about available alternatives and weigh their effect on the decision. They make a
decision after identifying the cause and try to avoid its recurrence. Managers must also be
effective in communication. Since they deal with other people, improper communication can
lead to misunderstandings and conflicts.
Effective managers need to communicate at two levels, namely, the organizational level
and individual level. They need to be effective at both levels. Effective managers allow their
subordinates to participate in the decision-making process. This encourages the subordinates to
contribute to the organizational productivity. Finally, effective managers take ethical decisions in
their work life.
They give importance to ethics and value commitment to an organization. They
inculcate ethics in subordinates and the environment as well. In addition to these
characteristics, managers need to learn about stress management, time management,
creativity, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, leadership skills, and multicultural skills to
become more effective.
A Competitive Edge
In the long run, managerial effectiveness has the potential of creating efficiencies that
create

sustainable

competitive

advantage

against

rival

organizations

and

increase

opportunities for future enterprise. It also fosters individual growth in the manager and his
followers and, over time, generates shareholder value for the organization.
Managerial competencies are the skills, motives and attitudes necessary to a
job, and include such characteristics as communication skills, problem solving,
customer focus and the ability to work within a team. While businesses have long been
capable of analyzing and utilizing financial and other "hard" assets, the human assets involved
in managerial competencies are harder to fit into an equation. While skills and knowledge are a
part of a manager's competency that can be measured fairly easily, intangible assets like
effective communication and teamwork, while essential, are harder to pin down and evaluate.
According to the "Gwinnet Daily Post," "Traditional wisdom says that success or failure is

largely determined by your skills and knowledge. But there's a third element of success that's
more intangible." The third element is ethos, or the mindset, attitudes and beliefs that a
manager brings to the job. A highly skilled computer programmer, for example, who refuses to
interact with the development team on a major project can turn out to be more of a liability
than an asset in spite of his technical skills
Top Management Competencies for improving effectiveness
The top six management competencies identified are oral and written
communication skills, creative problem solving, results orientation, teamwork skills,
and customer focus. Other competencies include flexibility, dependability, and
imagination. Part of the ethos of a competent manager is his ability to get along with
other members of the workforce in collaborative projects while retaining a focus on
the goals of the company.
How to Develop Managerial Competencies for improving effectiveness
One of the most important elements of a business is the competency of its leadership.
Inspiring, effective leaders can push employees further and keep a business on the right track.
Ineffective leaders can cause problems with low-level employees and may miss important
trends

that

hint

at

upcoming

negative

events

or

problems.

Developing

managerial

competencies is a complex process that demands commitment from every level of an

organization.
Instructions
1.

Develop custom managerial advancement programs for each individual in your

leadership staff. While each program does not have to stand on its own, it should still
reflect the unique motivations, experiences, and expectations of the person working
through it.

2.

Teach your managers to understand their roles more thoroughly. A large number of
managerial training programs focus on day-to-day task and overlook important aspects
like conflict management and developing individuals. Showing the managerial staff that
they are responsible for the well-being of those they supervise is critical in creating
effective leaders.

3.

Provide ample support to your managerial staff in the form of experienced leaders with
a proven record of accomplishment. Surrounding your new managers with competent,
talented, and inspiring leaders will provide them with both a role model and a source of
information as they encounter new situations.

4.

Perform regular check-ups with your managerial staff and their subordinates. Try to get
an idea of how they are performing, whether their staff feels adequately represented,
and whether they are helping to advance their employees and the concerns of the
company. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the manager to discuss the results of

these check-ups and work on an action plan for improvement

Leadership and Change Management for Managerial Effectiveness
Leadership is the function of influencing the behavior of others. In an organization, a
leader has to influence all the members to carry out the various activities. Leadership skill can
be developed through continuous practice. Leaders should have a vision about the organization
which would enable them to see where they want the organization to be in future. Their vision
should also help the organization to achieve a better position than the present one.
Another important skill required by leaders is the ability to persuade. Persuasion is
aimed at making a person or a group accept as their own, a product, person, idea, thing, or
opinion that the person would otherwise not accept. This skill is of everyday use to leaders. In
persuasion, enough attention should be given on how the message is presented. The leaders
should be able to motivate the employees to achieve the vision which they have for the
organization.
Leaders can motivate by developing an environment in the organization in
which the jobs provide inspiration and satisfaction. This would influence employees
to contribute in all possible ways to increase the productivity of the organization.
Motivating employees requires the leader to have an understanding of the nature of employees,
their goals, expectations, etc.
Conflicts occur in organizations very often and the leaders should have the necessary
qualities to handle the situation. Conflict management requires leaders to have four
necessary skills -- the ability to communicate assertively, listen actively, solve
problems, and negotiate effectively. Leaders also have to develop various tactics to
achieve organizational objectives. They have to develop relations outside their chain of
command which may become useful for them in certain occasions.
Managing change is another challenge that a leader faces. The leader needs to control
the forces for change existing in the organization to ensure successful change. Suitable
management processes and a supportive corporate environment are essential for change to
take place in organizations and the leader has to ensure that they are available. For the success
of any organization, a proper direction is essential. Direction means setting clear goals and
guidelines for the subordinates to follow.
The staff has to be directed by the leader, who should provide effective measures for
everyone in the organization to follow. While setting the direction, the leader has to maintain a
healthy level of flexibility. While making changes in an organization, a leader may encounter
resistance in various forms. It is the function of leaders to take measures to ensure that
changes are properly implemented even if there is resistance to them. This can be
done by helping the subordinates to understand the benefits that they would get from the
proposed changes.
Organizations may encounter crises in various forms like natural disasters, terrorist

attacks, failure of a new product in the market, takeover bids, etc. Appropriate crisis
management is essentially for the organization to tide over the consequences of any such crisis.
Communication plays a vital role in crisis management and it is necessary to have a proper
crisis communication plan to manage the proceedings in the eventuality of a crisis.
Leaders are often faced with situations which require them to take decisions in the face
of risk. In such a situation, they have to collect all the relevant information about the
opportunities available and the probable outcome under each opportunity and with the aid of
their own experience and take decisions.
Multi-cultural Communication Skills for Managerial Effectiveness
Each organization functions according to the culture of the society in which it functions.
Culture is the sum total of values, beliefs, behaviors, customs, and attitudes that
differentiate one society from another. The elements of culture include values and
attitudes, religion, communication, language, and society. All these elements interact with each
other and cause an impact on the environment in which a business organization functions.
Managers who work in a business environment need to equip themselves with all the
necessary skills required for functioning efficiently. They have to develop their multicultural
skills by understanding the culture of a particular organisation and respecting its customs and
traditions. There are various elements of culture, like customs and traditions, mannerisms,
values and attitude, religion, etc., that are of importance to business.
Communication is an important part of any business. Especially in business, any
mistake in communication will prove costly for a firm. Firms have to be careful when negotiating
business deals and using non-verbal communication. The various forms of non-verbal
communication are appearance, posture, eye contact, paralanguage, and symbolism. Any
person who has to work in a multi-cultural business environment should attain cultural fluency,
which is the ability to perform like a person of the native culture.
Stress Management for Managerial Effectiveness
Stress is the body's reaction to the external demands placed upon it by the
environment. Stress can be either good or bad. Good stress creates the necessary excitement
to perform an activity. This type of stress is temporary and has no long-term effects on the body.
Bad stress creates an alarming reaction in the body. It affects the body's immune system and
has detrimental affects on the body over a period.
There are many sources of stress for an individual. It can be family, friends, workplace,
superiors, and colleagues. The sources of stress for an individual should be identified. The
effects of stress may include minor symptoms like headache, irritability, loss of concentration,
loss of appetite to major symptoms like insomnia, amnesia, heart attack, ulcers etc. Stress
should be identified and treated in the early stages or it could result in a burnout. A severe case
or neglected case of stress leads to burnout.

Stress can be handled by practicing yoga, meditation, pranayama etc. In order to treat
stress-related disorders, holistic therapies like aroma therapy, massage therapy, etc., can be
very effective. Exercise, diet, and rest play a vital role in stress handling.
A healthy person is better at handling stressful situations than an unhealthy person. A
working person should learn to balance work and personal life to lead a happy life.
This work- life balance can be achieved by giving importance to both work and personal life.
Organizations should help their employees achieve work-life balance, as this has an
effect on the productivity of the organizations. Spirituality at the workplace has become a
necessity in today's world. The practice of spirituality at the workplace enables an individual to
deal with stressful situations. It provides an individual with the strength to face unforeseen
situations without panic. Spirituality helps a manager to deal with stress internally instead of
looking for external solutions.
Time Management for Managerial Effectiveness
Time is a very important resource. It cannot be saved and used later, it can only be
spent. Therefore, a manager must spend time wisely. Effective time managers can balance
all aspects of their lives effectively. Time management is the art of doing things
based on priority. An analysis of time is the basic step in time management and time logs
play a vital role in this.
Time logs are maintained to record how time is spent. Over a period, the time logs help
in identifying the time-wasters. Time-wasters are those activities which are not important or do
not require immediate attention. They can be internal and external to a manager. Internal timewasters arise due to personal disorientation, procrastination, or the inefficiency of the
individual. External time-wasters are meetings, interruptions, the Internet, poor communication,
and socializing.
Another category of time-wasters are time abusers. They waste time with their
inadequacies like perfectionism and preemptiveness.
After the time-wasters have been analyzed, it is time to start planning. Planning
involves identifying objectives, which can be for either the long-term or the short-term. A plan
involves identifying the time and resources required to achieve the objectives. A long-term plan
has the overall objectives and goals of the manager.
A short-term plan has the activities to be performed to achieve the objectives of the
manager. A short-term plan is a subset of the long-term plan. A manager should consider the
time factors, resources available, and nature of activities while preparing a time plan. Plans can
be prepared on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. A weekly plan is the most
effective because it provides both short-term and long-term perspectives.
After planning comes the setting of goals. Goals are a numerical or quantitative
representation of a desired result. The plan should be in harmony with the goals. Managers

should set SMART goals i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed goals. Once the
goals have been set, the managers should start planning to achieve the goals. The strategies
to achieve goals include scheduling, delegating, and controlling time-wasters.
Scheduling is queuing up of activities depending upon their priority. Delegating activities is
assigning activities to others to reduce wastage of time.
Creativity in Management for Managerial Effectiveness
Creativity is the process of creating something novel and appropriate. It is the ability to
create or bring into existence an idea. Creative ability is the ability of a person to use new
approaches and methods to create a novel idea. Many people use creativity and innovation
synonymously. However, while creativity means bringing an idea into existence,
innovation is about putting the idea into practice. Creativity is the source of
innovation.
Innovation can be revolutionary or evolutionary. A revolutionary innovation is a pathbreaking one whereas evolutionary innovation is an improvement or extension of the existing
ideas. Creative people are very curious, sensitive, adventurous, risk taking, imaginative, and
independent in thinking and judgment. They are visionaries and are persistent in their efforts
and take unconventional paths.
Creative people may also exhibit symptoms of anxiety, nervousness, and depression.
Creativity is also affected by the fluency, flexibility, and originality inherent in an individual.
Creative thinking involves exploring, inventing, selecting, and implementing.
The exploring stage involves identifying alternative courses of action. The inventing
stage involves identifying techniques and methods to help in creative thinking. The selection
stage involves analysis of ideas and information.
The implementation stage involves selecting the best idea and implementing it. A
review must be made after the implementation. Creativity gives an organization a competitive
advantage and a unique identity over its rivals. Nevertheless, creativity in organizations can
exist only with supportive environments. An organization that has a creative culture can nurture
new ideas, diverse thoughts, and encourage risk taking nature.
Managers usually have well defined responsibilities, duties, powers. So it can be difficult
for them to be creative. They can be creative in framing management policies, in team building,
making plans, etc. Some of the barriers to creative thinking are fear, anxiety, pessimism, stress,
and environment. The creative thinking ability can be stunted due to fear of failure, fear of
humiliation, fear of risk taking, etc.
Many people believe that creativity is inborn and cannot be developed. But by
identifying and overcoming the barriers, creativity can be developed in an individual. In order to
develop creativity, a creative and encouraging work environment has to be created.
Apart from overcoming the barriers, managers can use certain tools and techniques to

develop creative thinking in organizations. There are various techniques for creative thinking
like brainstorming, attribute changing technique and morphological analysis. Creative thinking
can be stimulated using lateral thinking, the Delphi technique, and mind mapping.
Emotional Intelligence in Management for Managerial Effectiveness
Dr. Peter Salovey of Yale University and Dr. John Mayer of the University of New
Hampshire coined the phrase "emotional intelligence" in 1990. They defined emotional
intelligence as "a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's
own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this
information to guide one's thinking and action."
In 1995, Daniel Goleman published a book "Emotional intelligence, why it can matter
more than IQ." With that book, the concept of emotional intelligence got worldwide attention.
Goleman defined emotional intelligence as the 'capacity for recognizing our own feelings and
those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in
our relationships.'
Emotional intelligence has four major components: Awareness of the self,
Management of the self, Social Awareness, Management of Relationships. Emotional
intelligence is very important for a person to succeed in modern organizations.
A person who is higher in the organizational hierarchy requires greater emotional
intelligence than a person in the lower levels of organizational hierarchy.
The nature of emotional intelligence required by persons also depends on the kind of
profession they are in. At the workplace, a person who has emotional intelligence would have
the abilities - to recognize emotions, to use them to assist the thought process, to be aware of
emotions, and to control emotions. At the workplace, emotions play a crucial role. There are
both positive and negative emotions at play in the workplace.
Negative emotions create hurdles in the attainment of the goals of the organization, and
the managers have to analyze the factors that cause such emotions in order to do away with
them. Positive emotions at the workplace are conducive to the better functioning of the
organization as it can lead to better productivity. Such emotions are to be identified and steps
taken to retain them.
Emotional intelligence is imperative for the success of a person in an organization.
Emotional intelligence can be learned at any age, and many organizations provide emotional
intelligence training for their employees. Organizational training for providing emotional
intelligence mainly involves four stages; preparation, training, application, and evaluation.
Interpersonal Skills for Managerial Effectiveness
Interpersonal skills are the capacity to understand and manage the feelings,
actions, and motivations of one's own and also of others in social settings. In other
words, it is the ability to interact effectively with others. Interpersonal skills are an

essential quality to succeed in modern organizations. This skill is critical for managers in the
various interactions that they have to have with superiors, peers, and subordinates.
They should be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. This skill can be used to
motivate subordinates and control various organizational situations. Communication skill is an
important component of interpersonal skill. The characteristics of the individual and also the
situational factors play an important role in interpersonal behavior. Interpersonal skills can be
developed through constant practice. Two factors are of prime importance in developing
one's own interpersonal skills developing skills to improve one to one interaction
and developing the skills to understand the behavior of others.
Transaction Analysis, developed by American psychiatrist Dr. Eric Berne is one important
technique used for developing interpersonal skills. This is a part of organizational training in
many organizations around the world.
The important ideas in transactional analysis are the ego states (Parent, Adult, and
Child), the type of transactions (complementary, crossed, and ulterior transactions), Games,
Strokes, etc. A basic understanding of these ideas is required to use the concept of transactional
analysis for improving interpersonal skills. TA helps to understand communication better and
thereby improve the interpersonal skills of people.
It is also a powerful tool in organizational training. An understanding of TA helps people
to modify their own behavior in order to obtain the required behavior from others. TA helps
people to develop leadership qualities. With the aid of TA, it is possible to know the ego state
from which people operate, and this recognition can help them to adapt their leadership style to
suit the situation. It is also possible to identify the ego state of subordinates and an appropriate
stimulus can be provided to get better response from them.
EFFECTIVE LEADER MANAGER IN YOU
Today's world demands from you a separate code of behavior as a Manager. You have to
prove to your people that you are with them and you are only a facilitator and not a manager.
Challenges have to be created by you and if nobody gives you a part in their script, you have to
create your own script. Being self driven is one of the sure features of a Leader Manager. You
have to live, eat and sleep 'quality'. You have to deliver what you promised. You have also got to
take responsibility for whatever happens. Only people with guts can take responsibility. People
with guts take calculated risks too. But, over and above all, you have to be remembered for
making a positive change in the lives of people around you. Yes, the Leader manager lives
beyond his time in the organisation by leaving a legacy. He also takes care of the following
points to get the best out of the people around him.
1.

Natural, instinctive behavior is not always appropriate in the workplace. Make an effort
to produce behavioral patterns that lead to effective teamwork in your employees. Try
to influence behavior than to change personalities.

2.

Encourage and reward constructive behavior.

3.

Add public praise to private words to bring in the pride of working for the organisation.

4.

Ask questions that encourage total honesty.

5.

Give people ample opportunity to express and vent their feelings.

6.

Keep asking questions till you understand what the other party means.

7.

Practice reading people's body language.

8.

Go to the rescue at once if people show that the task is beyond them.

9.

Avoid giving false assurances. Be frank if the news is not good.

10. Insist on people: working together and communicating freely openly.

11. Go out of your way to chat to your people informally as much as you can.
12. Ask people for suggestions and complaints.
13. Act swiftly to deny rumors if they are inaccurate.
14. Give people the opportunity to show that you can trust them.
15. Make sure you address people's intellectual and emotional needs.
16. Listen to unhappy members and officers. . They can reveal serious problems.
17. Try making everyone a CHAMPION.
18. Investigate whenever members' attendance goes down.
19. Let people enjoy their work. People who enjoy their work produce the best results.
20. Apply discipline, coated with empowerment and trust.
21. Try to learn the long-term goals and aspirations of the people and assist in the
realisation of such goals.
22. Make consistent performance and continuous improvement the watchword in your
organisation.
23. If mistakes are made, ask yourself whether you played a part in the same.
24. Do not ask 'WHO', but ask 'WHY', 'HOW' and 'now WHAT'
25. Encourage people to suggest solution s' to solve problems.
26. Use opportunities to lead from the front and to show by example.

27. Allow people and create opportunities for people to show that they can manage.
28. Allow people to take decisions that they can make just as well as you.
29. Encourage acceptance of and desire for change at all times.
30. Celebrate achievements and. evaluate failures.
31. Never give in to unreasonable demands; but always seek for compromise.
32. Never take sides in a quarrel. Be clearly impartial and transparent.
33. Surprise people with rewards they do not expect.
34. Value your people. They deserve the same treatment and respect as your customers.
35. Encourage people to work together as partners who help each other.