By Dr Kellen Kiambati
Success in 21st century careers depends on changing our thinking, strategies and behaviours to those that work in the new ever-changing and challenging environment. There is need to expand your knowledge, free up your thinking, and offer your inspiration and strategies to meet the challenges of the times. The art of managing is changing, and at a rapid pace. In today’s corporate world, managers are continually discussing the everyday nature of business and the effects on them but very few of them are properly focusing on managing itself.
The new generation of employees entering the corporate door posts a threat to the traditional top-down, authoritarian management practices, which expected employees to be loyal and faithful to the employer no matter how they are treated. The business world has changed, and the twenty-first century management systems will depend on its fundamentals; leadership, processes, and organizations.
For twenty-first century management, new managerial skills are developed for all managers: to earn the loyalty of employees by offering them exciting and entrepreneurial chances for personal growth and empowerment in organizations that are fair, flat and flexible. In a fair organization, employees will respond best to management skills that are up front, unbiased, and honest. In a flat organization, unnecessary layers of management are eliminated and internal bureaucracies are minimized. In a flexible organization, employees are customer-driven and quick to adapt the fast changing of technology and workplace.
The challenges faced by today’s twenty-first century managers in such a dynamic organizational environment will require a new managerial mind-set, strong vision, problem solving skills, and leadership styles. Mind-sets may be defined quite simply as habits of mind: automatic ways of perceiving and thinking about the world. (Gardiner) Many managers today are rigid and lack flexibility; it is a persistent problem for effective managers to develop good managerial and organizational strategies. Twenty-first century manager should crack and discard the traditional managerial mind-sets of ‘l am the boss, its not my problem if my employees are not motivated, I will talk and you will listen.’
Managers in the twenty-first century should serve as facilitators, coaches and team leaders. Managers should view all employees as associates, colleagues, and valued co-workers. A bossy manager not only would he or she not get his or her employees to work efficiently and productively, instead it could create chaotic work environment and behind-the-back laughter toward the manager. Let the nineteen-century manager weaken and the twenty-first century manager beckon.
Managers should delegate work to all employees appropriately and effectively. This will make employees feel like they are being entrusted with responsibility and feel like they are part of the team and company’s success. After delegation, it is important to have some form of follow-up with the employee. This ensures that he or she is comfortable with the responsibility and at same time the manager is showing continued support and interest, without interfering the work. Monitoring gives the employee a chance to voice any concerns, clarify any unclear points, and feel recognized for what he or she is doing. It also gives the manager the opportunity to ensure that the responsibility has been delegated successfully.
Motivation
Being a twenty-first century manager, motivation is the most important factor in order to build and maintain a successful business. Organizations will be constantly dealing with changes either in technology or in the business environment. Managers need motivated employees to learn, change, develop, and be constantly looking for new ways to improve. In order to gain employees motivation, managers must respect every employee by treating everyone consistently and fairly. Respect makes people feel that they matter and are important to the organization.
Recognition
Another motivation factor is recognition. Recognizing employees’ contributions can be meaningful, with either intrinsic or extrinsic rewards for service, or even buying a chocolate bar or a cup of coffee could mean that the employ ee’s hard work has been noticed. Employees will be willing to take on more responsible and challenging jobs.
Listening
A keen, patient ear to employees, peers, co-workers, and customers is a core, foundational skill for successful management. The ability to listen is key to developing and maintaining relationships, making decisions, and solving problems. Open communication is absolutely necessary between managers and employees.
Diversity
Organizational diversity in the workplace has been recognized as an employment equality issue. Although, diversity in the workplace can be a benefit in the success of an organization, it goes beyond employment equality, it provides an environment that respects employee differences. Diversity nurtures an environment that values the differences and maximizes the potential of all employees. Diversity in the workplace is important in many ways. It is illegal not to hire an employee due to race, age, or sex. In order to create an organizational culture that supports diversity, you must have management commitment, education with training, and follow up evaluation. First, you must adequately determine workforce and organizational needs for creating a diverse workplace. Find out what employees are concerned about. Management can form focus groups. The needs and expectations of a diverse workforce vary by organizational and functional levels. You may determine if the organization has trouble hiring employees that would add to the diversity.
In an organization with diversity, which, if any, areas of the workforce are being treated inappropriately? Has the organization impressed upon its leaders and managers the benefits that come from managing diversity appropriately? Administrative and management commitment is crucial for diversity efforts. Senior management must provide leadership through example. To gain support from administration, you need to directly link diversity to the business. Be specific as to where the diversity issues lie. Are they employee or customer issues? Or both? Provide data regarding the opportunities in the marketplace for diversity.
Diversity training is beneficial to every organization no matter how large or small. Harmonious diversity in the workplace is achieved by promoting and creating a more inclusive work environment that is leveraged and maximizes diversity. The leverage and harmony of diversity is almost impossible to achieve without effective training. Diversity training aids in understanding how the human differences can effect or influence relationships in the workplace between peers, subordinates, supervisors and even customers.
The modern workforce is made up of many people who are of different races, genders, sexuality, culture, and ages leading to a vast diversity. Many companies have recognized this fact and are beginning to pay close attention to the need for diversity training as a number one priority. In diversity training, employees are educated on how to deal with people who have different traits than themselves. They also gain skills necessary to deal with and function in a diverse world.
Diversity in the workforce has been growing steadily over the years. Earlier, there was a very different profile in the workforce, in both demographics and attitudes. It was more harmonious, with a large majority in a few visible minorities. The individuals who were “different” were assimilated into the workforce, isolated from the majority of workers or ignored.
