Assignment Exercises for Applying Conceptual Blockbusting

The problem I am going to solve is managing people in a team. The role of manager is not an easy one. As a manager you have to inspire and lead a person to accomplish goals which is not an easy task. After reading the case study we learn that effective management is necessary in order to avoid problems. To be a good manager you must maintain balance between authority and respect for your peers. They must be capable enough to sustain the business. They are people that are responsible for the success or failure of the organization. The traits that a leader of organization exhibits really matters. The evolution of the global economy and changes in technology is making leaders overwhelmed and they are facing challenge of keeping up with the pace of technology. Emotional Intelligence and soft skills can really help leaders of the future in keeping up with changing business environment. To cope up with the future challenge’s leaders must be proactive and learn to tackle problems as they come. Soft skills can also greatly help boost productivity level and engage with their co-workers on a deeper level. Future leaders must also aspire to learn new technologies so that they have technical abilities to better manage the organization. They should also focus on how they will meet the global challenges. Another quality that a leader must possess is knowledge of global market. These qualities can be achieved by training and development of leaders.

2. Four Alternative Solutions to the Problem
Effective Communication

            Maintaining good communication with your team members and keeping them in the loop and updated about on-going projects will help them in meeting deadlines in time. You should be constantly in touch with you team so to give them courage that you’ve got their backs. Encouraging feedback can also help make communication better. You should keep your doors open for the team for questions so they can tell you the challenges they are facing.

Managing Conflict:   Ignoring the conflicts will only lead to problem getting worse and worse as we’ve seen in the case study of Mann Gulch incident. Conflicts are daily part of life. Each person has its own point of view and the can clash sometimes. You should take it as a responsibility to effectively manage your team members. You should set some rules and regulations to avoid conflict. You can overcome this by actively engaging with your team members and listening to their difficulties and problems. Diversity is also the factor of conflicts.

Delegate Jobs:           Effective communication and managing conflicts will help you get closer to your team members. This will enable you to find their strength and weaknesses. By building a strong relationship with your team you can assess them individually and if you find right assign a person part of your job to make them feel empowered and part of the project. Picking the right individual that can perform the job and use authority in a right manner is   very difficult task. Acknowledging Effort: Acknowledging the effort of your team members helps in boosting their morale. You should not be always criticising your team. You should be appreciating their efforts when they’ve done good work. This will encourage your team and they will give their best to the project and helps in meeting deadlines.

3. Evaluate the alternatives

There should be a mechanism which responds to employees’ issues quickly. The organization faces problems mostly because of behaviours of people and lack of proper communication structure. To overcome problems organization must pinpoint critical areas and work on communication gaps. A proper communication channel will help leadership in making smart decisions for the organization. A good manger should develop active listening skills to better understand the situations. Communication skills are essential for a manager to be able to achieve the goals of the organization.

Managing conflicts is another difficult task and requires good leadership skills.

If managers do not give attention to conflicts it can escalate and further worsen the situation. Timing plays a vital role in managing conflicts. You should manage conflict as they rise and listen to all people involved in the conflict and base your decision on evidence and proof. You should not take leadership as a popularity contest. As a manger it is your duty to ensure that each team member despite his cultural background is treated on equal terms.

Delegation of jobs will also help in taking the burden of your shoulders and focusing on making strategies for the future. You can overcome this problem by matching the abilities of the person to your requirements. You can delegate small tasks to newer members to build up their confidence level and as they progress you can delegate them more tasks. If you find a person that you think fits all the requirements and can stand beside you in experience and skills, you can delegate whole authority to that person.

Acknowledging effort will encourage your team and they will give their best to the project and helps in meeting deadlines.                                            

4. Proposed Solution to the Problem

            After analysing the case study, we can see that overconfidence and being not listening to other people can make situation worse. The solution to the problem is effective communication. Effective communication will help you in decision making. Effective communication channel helps in finding small discrepancies in the process. Listen to the feedback of people and incorporate that feedback into decision making. In case of a conflict listen to the all the parties involved and make your decision based on evidence. If you not handle conflict properly the problem can escalate and make situation worse. Keep your team members updated on the project and communicate your plans. Tell them about the problems and difficulties they can experience during the project to make the prepared for the upcoming situation. Share your experience and knowledge with your team members to help them in facing problems. It can also help them in building their problem-solving skills. Also, you can delegate your power to an individual team member who you think is showing good leadership skills and can handle difficult situations.