Managerial Excellence

By S. Iyer, Employers Federation of India, Mumbai

1. What is Managerial Excellence? 2. Difference between Managerial Excellence & Business Excellence. 3. Managerial Competencies. 4. Developing Managerial Roles & Skills. 5. Managerial Skills learnt by experience. 6. Efficiency x Effectiveness = Results (Gets the Manager from being good to excellent). 7. Mastering the Managerial Skills to bring out Excellence in yourself & others.

Manager
A Manager is someone who gets things done. He starts with an objective given to him by others (organization, department, management, superiors etc). He understands & interprets his goals. He sets out an action plan & mobilize the resources (men, material, money, budgets & other support) require to achieve them. While achieving his goal, he monitors the progress all the way.

Types of Managers
Doers. Managers who gets things done. Achievers. Managers do more than what they are required to do. Visionaries or entrepreneurs. Visionaries are leaders. They are often creative, restless & think big. They want to make an impact. Missionaries. They are mission driven. Their goals are not personal but more social & community related.

Qualities required for being a Manager

Knowing & performing various roles & activities effectively (versatility). High sense of efficacy (usefulness) or self-image. The ability to recognize that success or failure comes from their action through hard work & perseverance. Value driven & highly ethical. Good team workers. Strong & credible communicators. Good delegators who manage time & talent efficiently. Proactive, change oriented, problem solvers. Possess a powerful combination of motives & appropriate leadership styles & skills.

Managerial Excellence
Displays command over his or her functions. Demonstrates good leadership skills. Obeys & respects companys policies & procedures. Gets the best from each & every employee. Takes his employees along with him (team player).

 Ex: Manager who attends his duty by coming early & leaving late as compared to others. Involved & concerned with subordinates. Works well with his peers. Resolves / handles problems & situations. Fully in control of his or her section & function. Attempts to improve the way the job is done. Handles all his resource (men, machine, materials, time) in an optimum manner.

Business Excellence
Is an outstanding practices in managing the organization. Achieving results. All based on a set of fundamental concepts or values. These practices have been evolved as models. These models have been developed & continued through extensive study of the practice & values of the worlds highest performing organizations.

Different Models of Business Excellence (Different Practices)

Leadership Strategic Planning Customer and Market Focus Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management Workforce focus Process Management Business Results

Competency
Any underlying characteristic that requires performing a given task, activity, or role successfully can be considered as Competency. Competency may take the following forms: Knowledge Attitude Skills

Managerial Competencies
Behavior Listening Delegating Planning Inspiring ownership

Alignment with the business strategy Involvement of key stakeholders Content that is straightforward and clear Integration into HR practices Communication of the model Continued refinement as the work environment changes

Core Competencies
Core competency refers to management's set of skills, knowledge or expertise in a particular area. Core competency can be thought of as what an individual or enterprise is best at; for example, a software development firm's core competency would be coding and debugging programs, whereas an accounting firm's core competency would be performing audits even though both companies apply software and accounting systems in their processes. Core Competencies are those capabilities that are critical to a business achieving competitive advantage.

Managerial Roles & Skills

To meet the many demands of performing their functions, managers assume multiple roles. A role is an organized set of behaviors. Henry Mintzberg (1973) has identified ten Sub roles common to the work of all managers. The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional.

According to Mintzberg (1973), managerial roles are as follows:

1. Informational roles 2. Decisional roles 3. Interpersonal roles

 1. Informational roles: This involves the role of assimilating and disseminating information as and when required. Following are the main sub-roles, which managers often perform: a. Monitor-collecting information from organizations, both from inside and outside of the organization b. Disseminator-communicating information to organizational members c. Spokesperson-representing the organization to outsiders

 Decisional roles: It involves decision making. Again, this role can be subdivided in to the following: a. Entrepreneur-initiating new ideas to improve organizational performance b. Disturbance handlers-taking corrective action to cope with adverse situation c. Resource allocators-allocating human, physical, and monetary resources d. Negotiator - negotiating with trade unions, or any other stakeholders

 Interpersonal roles : This role involves activities with people working in the organization. This is supportive role for informational and decisional roles. Interpersonal roles can be categorized under three subheadings: a. Figurehead-Ceremonial and symbolic role b. Leadership-leading organization in terms of recruiting, motivating etc c. Liaison-liasoning with external bodies and public relations activities

 Management Skills A manager's job is varied and complex. Managers need certain skills to perform the duties and activities associated with being a manager. What type of skills does a manager need? Robert L. Katz (1974) found that managers needed three essential management skills 1. Technical 2. Human 3. Conceptual

 Technical skills: The ability is to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. All jobs require some specialized expertise, and many people develop their technical skills on the job. Vocational and on the job training programs can be used to develop this type of skill.

 Human Skill : This is the ability to work with, understand and motivate other people (both individually and a group). This requires sensitivity towards others issues and concerns. People, who are proficient in technical skill, but not with interpersonal skills, may face difficulty to manage their subordinates. To acquire the Human Skill, it is pertinent to recognize the feelings and sentiments of others, ability to motivate others even in adverse situation, and communicate own feelings to others in a positive and inspiring way.

 Conceptual Skill : This is an ability to critically analyze, diagnose a situation and forward a feasible solution. It requires creative thinking, generating options and choosing the best available option. A mark of a good leader is to be able to provide consistent motivation to his team encouraging them to attain excellence and quality in their performance. A good leader is always looking for ways to improve production and standards. Here are six management skills you can develop as a leader in working to create a quality effective team.

 Observation This is an important aspect that often gets neglected due the demands on a leader's time and schedule. Observation and regular visits to the work environment are a priority and should be scheduled into the calendar. Observing employees at work, the procedures, interaction and work flow is foundational to implementing adjustments to improve results. To have credibility, a leader needs to be seen and be known to be up to date with what is happening in the work place.

 Monitor Employee Performance Employee performance needs to be monitored in mutually accepted ways. Policies and procedures need to be clear. Conferencing should be on a regular basis and not just when there is a problem. Assessments and evaluations should not be merely all formality or viewed a necessary paperwork to be done and filed away. Individual and group conferencing should be undertaken not only to monitor performance, but with the expectation of on going professional development and support. There should be frequent encouragement and clear criteria for on going goals both for the group and individual.

 Implementation of Professional Development Programs A good leader evaluates weaknesses and provides training and development strategies to strengthen the weaker skills in the team.

Demonstrates Working Knowledge and Expertise Good leadership comes from a place of strong knowledge and experience of the production and process leading to results. If a leader does not possess all the expertise and knowledge personally, then regular consultations with experts involved in the departments should be held. This is important in order to maintain an accurate and informed overall picture.

 Good Decision Making Good leadership is characterized by the ability to make good decisions. A leader considers all the different factors before making a decision. Clear firm decisions, combined with the willingness and flexibility to adapt and adjust decisions when necessary, create confidence in the leadership.

 Ability to Conduct and Evaluate Research On going review and research is vital in order to keep on the cutting edge in business. While managing the present to ensure on going excellence in product and performance, a good leader is also able to look towards the future. Conducting and evaluating research is an important way of planning and being prepared for the future. Excellent leadership is always pro active rather than reactive. By developing these six managerial skills builds a solid foundation for success.

Management Skills learnt by experience

Management is the mixture of science and art. So one should be equipped with theories and principles first then he/she can implement it in real which is art. If experience is taken, without having the skills in classroom will not have a better result. So, management skills taken in classroom helps the person to think in that direction.

 Its not about how to gain a skill, its about matching the real time with theories. Class room provides you the platform but in the actual scenario you learn more being a part of industry where so many dependents follow your decisions. Wrong decision are never forgotten, giving you a chance to improve and good ones no doubt builds confidence.

 Managerial skills which we learn from the classroom does not always help in our practical life. Managerial skills are gained from the elders as well as by bookish knowledge because elders have already gone through that phase.

Efficiency x Effectiveness = Results

Both these words seem similar & thus confusing. Effectiveness means doing the right things. Efficiency means doing them right. Both of them are extremely essential for setting goals, analyzing ones work carefully, determine priorities & always focus on the highest - value use of the time.

 An organization which fails to achieve desired goal cannot be called either efficient or effective. Goal achievement may be stated as an objective index of effectiveness of an organization. But, goals (ends) while taking into account the process (means) will forfeit the very purpose of goal achievement. It is not, for instance, sufficient for an organization to have attained the desired level of production but equally necessary with what level of cost and quality. If the cost of production increases due to wastages and the quality deteriorates, the goal achievement will not reflect effectiveness of organization. It may be a case of rather ineffectiveness.

 Thus, effectiveness is a continuous or an ongoing process in an organization. The effectiveness is brought about by the manager in the context of ever-changing organization goals by restructuring available resources, altering technologies, modifying climate and developing goaloriented strategy of performance of employees.

 On the other hand, efficiency, implying elimination of wastages is an important variable of organizational effectiveness. It will depend on proper management of man, material, machine, methods and money. All these resources being limited in supply, it is the manager prerogative as to how he utilizes these resources to optimal use in the least possible time. Needless, to mention that, Management of man requires proper selection, development, compensation, direction apart from proper structural design. Leadership may also play the role of both direction and motivation. Materials management and machine maintenance are separate important areas of management which dictate the level of organization efficiency.

 Effectiveness or otherwise of an organization is related to the efficiency with which the organization has carefully and skillfully studied its environment setting. Its programs, policies, strategies for growth and development are intimately related to the economic, technological, social and psychological environments. The organization is required to have an in-depth knowledge of the market forces, monetary, fiscal and other policies of the Government, the position of factor supply, the state of national economy, international economic milieu and such other factors which have an important bearing on the effectiveness of an organization.

 Any business organization in order to achieve their results has to follow the principle of economy. Economy in business means that you achieve business goals at the lowest possible expenditure of time and resources. Economy in your personal life means organizing your activities so that you achieve more and more of the things you want and need at a lower and lower cost in terms of time and energy.

In order to achieve organizational effectiveness, manager need to continuously pose himself the following questions on a regular basis. 1. What I am doing that I should be doing more often?

2. What am I doing that I should be doing less of?

3. What am I not doing that I should start doing if I want to achieve results? 4. What am I doing today that I should stop doing altogether?

Commitment
There are no degrees of commitment. Either you are committed or not. Commitment means necessarily doing what it takes to get results, no matter what. When results come slowly, instead of quitting, one needs to redesign his schedule.

 When the schedule is ever-changing & routine workout time seems practically impossible one needs to create time for the work to get done. There will always be temptations to procrastinate (put off things) but just take action. Action cures fear & the fearful job once seemed not possible gets done.

Mastering the Management System

Integrity Act as a role model to others in terms of their day-to-day demonstration of principled and ethical behavior Take clear ethical stands even if they are unpopular Take the initiative to raise concerns about the ethics of a given situation Can be counted on to do what they say

 Professionalism Themselves demonstrate, and expect from others, basic professional discipline (punctuality, respect for normal hours of work, appropriate use of office equipment and telephones) Define performance expectations and quality standards

 Are conscientious and efficient in achieving results Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressures

 Respect for diversity Understand diverse worldviews and are sensitive to group differences Express their own views without imposing them See diversity as opportunity, contribute to an environment where diverse people and perspectives can thrive

 Self awareness Are aware of how their emotions affect their performance Have a realistic sense of their personal strengths and limits Are reflective, learning from experience

 Self Confidence Present themselves with self-assurance; have presence Balance self-confidence with a sense of humility about themselves Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressure

 Emotional self control Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments Handle difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact Are consistent in their behavior towards others

Conscientious (meticulous / diligent) Meet commitments and keep promises Are organized and careful in their work Accept responsibility for their mistakes

 Optimism Focus on what can be done in a given situation, rather than focusing on problems Focus on possibilities and opportunities Are energetic and enthusiastic, creating enthusiasm in others Foster a favorable atmosphere for the accomplishment of organizational goals

 Achievement Orientation Set challenging goals for themselves and the team Pursue goals with energy and enthusiasm

 Empathy ( Understanding / Compassion) Are attentive to non-verbal clues and body language of others Show sensitivity and understand the perspective of others Listen effectively to others

 Discretion (good judgment / maturity) Respect the privacy of others Recognize and respect the boundary between personal and professional issues Are able to keep confidential things confidential

Strategies for developing Managerial Excellence

Power of Contribution What contribution am I going to make to other people to cause them to want to give me the amount of money I want to earn or acquire?

 Failure to execute is one of the biggest problems. Do not confuse activity with accomplishment. At the end of the day, the accomplishment is what counts. Most of the people are not sure exactly why they are on the payroll of the company & thus fail to contribute size ably.

 Your valuable asset in terms of cash flow is your earning ability. Your ability to work continuously, regularly, meticulously, ceaselessly, quickly without getting weird by applying your knowledge & skills will bring you not only thousands of rupees into your life every year but you will be termed as the most valuable employee in the company.

 Plan & prepare thoroughly before you begin. Apply Pareto Principle the 80 / 20 rule. 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results. Concentrate on your efforts of those 20%. Before you start, organize them by value & priority.

 There will not be enough time to do everything, but there will always be enough time to do the important things. Identify. Sit with your boss, dept, section. Leverage your talents & throw your whole heart into doing those specific things very well. Identify your key constraints. Take one step at a time. Put pressure on yourself.

 Maximize your personal powers. Identify your periods of highest mental & physical energy each day & structure your most important and demanding tasks around these times. Motivate yourself & others into action. Do the most difficult task first. Create large chunks of time. Develop a sense of urgency. Single handle every task.

Develop the Habits

3 qualities to develop the habits of focus & concentration, which are learnable. Decision, discipline & determination. First, make a decision to develop the habit of task completion. Second, discipline oneself to start the task & see it as completing it. Do it with determination until the habit is locked and becomes a permanent part of your personality.

Invaluable Concept
Decide to earn Rs. 50,000/- per month i.e, 6 Lacs per annum. Out of 365 days in a year, leave out 52 Sundays, 30 days PL, 8 days CL, 8 days ML & 10 days are your paid holidays. Let us take assume that we all work for 250 days, i.e., for each day of 8 hrs work, you have to earn Rs. 2,400/-.

 Accordingly, you come up with a rate of Rs. 300/- per hour. What is the hourly rate that you earn today & the hourly rate you want to earn in future? Take an inventory on a hour to hour basis whether you spend on a no value, lowvalue or high value activity which entitles to earn that kind of money.

Top 10 Companies (10 GPTW) A Study by THE ECONOMIC TIMES

Google India Private Limited, Bangalore. Intel Technology, Bangalore. Make My Trip (India), Gurgaon. American Express, Gurgaon. Marriott Hotels India, Mumbai. Classic Stripes, Mumbai. Scope International, Chennai.

 Agilent Technologies, Gurgaon. Claris Life Sciences, Ahmedabad. Netapp India,Bangalore.

 Recommended Books: Managers who make a difference (Sharpening Your Management Skills by T.V.Rao). Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen by Porus Munshi. Business Maharajas by Namratha Jagtap.