Management Consulting For Jones Co. Ltd: Observations And Recommendations

Observations and Recommendations for Jones Co. Ltd

The above given scenario is possible as it is evident from the theoretical governing of virtue and vice, which states as following (Van Hooft 2014):

John Adair’s action centred leadership model is referenced in many training programmes. Adair says that leaders have three core areas of responsibility:

1. Achieving the task
2. Building and maintaining the team
3. Motivating and developing the individuals

Action Centred Leadership requires that you find the right balance between the task, team and individual.

The above-cited model helps understand the usefulness of the power of leadership as it governs the task achievement at any cost. The model does not allow any backups from any kind of critical situations, which in the given scenario was the case with Mr. Edward.

• Legitimate Power
• Reward Power
• Coercive Power

• Referent Power
• Expert Power
• Information Power

Legitimate Power is related to the position or status of the person in the organisation. The person believes that they have the right to make demands on others and expect them to be compliant. Legitimate power gives the leader/manager power over their direct reports. The more senior a person is and/or the more people they may have in their team the positional power the person perceives that they have. All managers have some degree of positional power.

The purchasing problem of the company can very well be solved with the help of the Just in Time (JIT) strategy, which helps effectively manage the purchasing by allocating the requirements at the time when it is needed the most. This helps save time as well because the purchasing then happens to be in control. Following is the theoretical concepts behind JIT (Tayur, Ganeshan and Magazine 2012):

“What does ‘Just in Time – JIT’ mean: Just in time (JIT) is an inventory strategy companies employ to increase efficiency and decrease waste by receiving goods only as they are needed in the production process, thereby reducing inventory costs. This method requires producers to forecast demand accurately. This inventory supply system represents a shift away from the older just-in-case strategy, in which producers carried large inventories in case higher demand had to be met”.

Participative decision-making (PDM) is the extent to which employers allow or encourage employees to share or participate in organizational decision-making (Probst, 2005). According to Cotton et al. (1988), the format of PDM could be formal or informal. In addition, the degree of participation could range from zero to 100% in different participative management (PM) stages (Cotton et al. 1988; Black & Gregersen 1997; Brenda, 2001).

 PDM is one of many ways in which an organization can make decisions. The leader must think of the best possible style that will allow the organization to achieve the best results. According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, workers need to feel a sense of belonging to an organization (see Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). This guide towards a conclusion that management should take advices from every single stakeholder as no one knows who can supply with the best of the decision (Saaty and Peniwati 2013).

Expansion Options and Decision-Making

This very well illustrate the facts that Mr. Edward should go for forming team members to make efficient decisions.

Some leadership theories are extremely effective in incepting the true management skills in its bearer. The vision of Mr. Edward can be efficiently handled if its managers are trained and developed under the supervision of some of the following leadership theories:

Trait theories argue that effective leaders share a number of common personality characteristics, or “traits.” Trait theories help us identify traits and qualities (for example, integrity, empathy, assertiveness, good decision-making skills, and likability) that are helpful when leading others. However, none of these traits, or any specific combination of them, will guarantee success as a leader. Traits are external behaviours that emerge from the things going on within our minds. Nevertheless, these internal beliefs and processes are important for effective leadership (Northouse 2012).

Behavioural theories focus on how leaders behave. In the 1930s, Kurt Lewin developed a framework based on a leader’s behaviour. He argued that there are three types of leaders (Day and Antonakis 2012):

1. Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their teams. This style of leadership is considered appropriate when decisions need to be made quickly, when there is no need for input, and when team agreement is not necessary for a successful outcome.
2. Democratic leaders allow the team to provide input before making a decision, although the degree of input can vary from leader to leader. This style is important when team agreement matters, but it can be difficult to manage when there are lots of different perspectives and ideas.
3. Laissez-faire leaders do not interfere; they allow people within the team to make many of the decisions. This works well when the team is highly capable, is motivated, and does not need close supervision. However, this behaviour can arise because the leader is lazy or distracted; and this is where this style of leadership can fail.

Having our needs met is great motivation for loyalty and continued productivity. We all consider work a place to get our physical needs met: work for money to exchange for shelter, food, etc. However, leaders may utilize the rest of the pyramid to inspire their teams.

Encourage a sense of safety and security in your team by letting them know you appreciate their efforts. If they make mistakes, consider it a learning experience and help or encourage them to correct errors and try again. By doing this, you avoid a worker feeling insecure and wondering if she may be fired, which will decrease her motivation and productivity.

Work is not a social event, but people who work together may be at best friendly and kind, and at the very least courteous and civil. If you are managing a team of workers, know that your behaviour will likely be mirrored, and you may promote appropriate treatment of each other by simply being nice to people.

You cannot build workers’ self-esteem by berating them, or complimenting everything they do. The key is to offer both praise and constructive criticism. If they do something poorly, explain how they may do it better. For self-actualization, consider how workers see their jobs. Chip Conley saved his hotels using Maslow’s pyramid. He wants all of his employees, from managers to housekeepers to have a voice (Petri and Govern 2012).

References

Broad, C.D., 2014. Five types of ethical theory (Vol. 2). Routledge.

Day, D.V. and Antonakis, J., 2012. Leadership: Past, present, and future. The nature of leadership, 2.

Northouse, P.G., 2012. Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage.

Petri, H.L. and Govern, J.M., 2012. Motivation: Theory, research, and application. Cengage Learning.

Saaty, T.L. and Peniwati, K., 2013. Group decision making: drawing out and reconciling differences. RWS publications.

Tayur, S., Ganeshan, R. and Magazine, M. eds., 2012. Quantitative models for supply chain management (Vol. 17). Springer Science & Business Media.

Van Hooft, S., 2014. Understanding virtue ethics. Routledge.