As you grow as a manager you’ll quickly discover that there are not only different levels of management but different levels of authority as well. Several individuals on the same level of management (middle management, for example) may have similar job duties but one may have a higher level of authority than the others.

The three main authority types are as follows:

• Line authority
• Staff authority
• Functional authority

Individuals with line authority are managers who have the ability to supervise employees or, in some cases, other managers. They give direct orders, evaluation performances, reprimand mistakes, and reward positive behaviours.

Those with staff authority are seen as advisors. They don’t necessarily have direct control over their subordinates but will help the managers beneath them to make decisions. They can and do have authority over their subordinates and can exercise that authority if the need arises. For the most part he will simply offer advice or assistance as it is needed in between taking care of his own day to day tasks.

Functional authority is often exercised by managers with staff authority as well. Functional authority gives individuals the ability to make decisions regarding the way a department will be run. They can create, manipulate, or change procedures in order to complete a project. Functional authority applies to the department the manager works in and no other. The marketing manager, for example, can not tell the accounting department that they must change their procedures.

What type of authority do you currently have in your own management position? Are you exercising your authority or are you depending on others because you are unsure of your own position?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

You’ve spent a lot of time interviewing, training, and working with the members of your team. I wonder, though – what characteristics did you look for as you chose your team?

There are five main characteristics that have a huge influence on the way your team performs when working together and they will make or break your team when it comes to successes or failures. They are:

• The level of desire your team has to do well combined with their skills and competence levels;
• The way the team has been designed from a geographical, functional, or hierarchial standpoint;
• Whether or not you have a leader (elected or appointed) or left the team without a leader;
• The way each person was assigned a role and the level of contribution each makes; and
• Your organisational culture (aka, diversity) – race, genders, etc.

Each of these characteristics is important on its own but, when put together, will blend to make a team that either works well together or has difficulties communicating or getting along.

Where does your team stand right now? Do your team members get along well or constantly argue? Is there anything you can change (from any of these standpoints) that will change the way your team works together?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Courses

Click below for a:
Free email course “Improve your Management Skills”

Earlier this week we spoke about the many facets of multiculturalism within the workplace which, ultimately, lead to workplace diversity. Today I’d like to take a closer look at each of those aspects.

Let’s start with age. The age of the average worker is increasing – less people are retiring at an early age. Medical care is better, which enables them to work longer; and others simply don’t have the option for retirement. We now have an eclectic mix of age groups scattered throughout the workforce. There are both pros and cons to having older employees in the workplace. While they’re more experienced (and often more professional), they also cost more to employ because they have different health insurance needs.

Gender is another important facet when it comes to organisational diversity. There are more women in the workplace today than ever before. Gone are the days when women were expected to stay home and merely cook, clean, and care for the children. Women now share positions in the workplace that they had never dared dream about, but they still have several challenges to consider. One such challenge is the “glass-ceiling” philosophy – in which a woman has trouble advancing to higher top-management type positions simply because of her gender. While this problem isn’t as prevalent as it has been in the past, it does still exist.

Ethnicity is another key player, and one that still needs quite a bit of attention. The ethnicity of the average workplace has changed significantly. Where we might have seen a primarly white workplace in the past, we are now seeing culturally diverse workplaces with even percentages of whites, Asians, Hispanics, and a number of other ethnic cultures. In the past different ethnic groups may have earned different wages or may have only been able to obtain low-level positions, but this is changing as well.

There are a few other things to consider when discussing organisational diversity and multiculturalism as well. We now have a wide variety of single parents, political viewpoints, sexual orientations, and even handicaps to consider.

Some corporations are better at dealing with these differences than others. As a manager, it’s your job to stay on top of changes within the industry in order to understand how each of these diverse groups affects the development of your workplace. Diversity presents a number of opportunities, but there are always challenges as well!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Every organisation has a distinct culture, but before we can delve into the nitty gritty details about those cultures and how they impact your job as a manager we must first clarify exactly what the term organisational culture refers to.

To begin with, the word culture is a term used to describe the beliefs, customs, attitudes, and characteristics of a specific group of people. When we look at specific organisations and the way their employees interact we are referring to organisational culture – the things employees do because of their beliefs, values, and attitudes towards their workplace and how things are done.

Within every workplace culture you’ll find distinct groups of people from various social cultures. You’ll have employees of different religious faiths and maybe even social status. When you have an organisation that is comprised of individuals from a myriad of different cultures you now have “multicultural” issues and concerns on your hands.

Multiculturalism is not necessarily a bad thing. Multiculturalism refers to the broad differences between cultures while diversity refers to some of the more definied or important differences such as age group, gender, ethnicity, and even sexual orientation. Diversity within an organisation is important as well.

In the coming days we’re going to take a look at organisational culture, why it is important, and how to manage diversity within the workplace. I think you’ll find some of the issues surrounding organisational culture to be familiar to your own workplace while others you may not have considered. Be prepared – we’re going to rip some of these issues open and take a look at them for what they really are!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”