Effective Management

Running Head: EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT

Effective Management: Dr. Bob Frederick

MGMT 535: Managerial Communications

October 7, 2009

Abstract

Effective management can be defined in numerous ways. If one were to run an internet search using the term "effective management" numerous step-by-step guides on how to be an effective manager will quickly fill the computer screen. Principles, practices, skills and strategic plans in achieving management effectiveness are offered by a variety of outlets including scholars, consultants, experts, theorists, and the list continues. How is then that with all these outlets available, effective business management is still hard to come by? Perhaps, the key is to understand the components of an effective leader and exercising those skills when the situation calls for it. This document will highlight some of the challenges and difficulty in being an effective business manager or leader.

Southmont University

Southmont State University was as an institution that adopted policies in support of continuing education programs for their employees. The policy included service training programs in addition to college credit courses for employees seeking an undergraduate degree. These programs included the Employee Education Program and the Staff Scholarship Program. Additionally, the University was regarded as an organization that held strong commitments to affirmative action. In support of this commitment, the University also adopted the Black Staff Scholarship Program. Dr. Bob Frederick served as the Dean of the College of Business at Southmont State University supervising over 100 faculty members and 20 administrative staff members at the university. Of the four employees in his office, his administrative assistant, Laura Adams, found herself subject to disciplinary action to be taken by the University's central administration.

The issue

Laura Adams had been employed by the University for nearly 10 years. In addition to her full-time position at the University, Laura was also working toward her undergraduate degree in Business Administration. After pursuing the degree for 7 long years, graduation was a mere 2 classes away for Laura. As a motivating factor to finish these 2 classes quickly, she was notified that the degree requirements originally in place when she entered into the program would expire at the end of the summer term. Consequently come fall term, students in the program would need to complete a new calculus course under the modified degree requirements.

Given this information, Laura was determined to complete the program and graduate at the end of summer during August commencement. Unfortunately, of the two classes she needed to graduate, one of them was only offered during work hours from 10:50am to 12:30pm. As clearly stated in the Employee Education Program regulations, classes must be taken outside normal university working hours. Exceptions to this rule can be made if the employee is within six credit hours of graduation and a required course is not available outside of the normal working hours. These exceptions, however, were subject to approval by the president of the university.

In light of the situation and Laura's determination, Dean Frederick gave her approval to take the course during the day, provided that she makes up the lost time. As such she forfeited her 1-hour lunch period and made up the remaining 40 minutes of loss time after work hours. In a random classroom enrollment audit, Laura's name was revealed on the class roster which was clearly scheduled to meet during normal working hours. With a clear violation of policy at hand, the issue was escalated up the chain of command on up to Lawrence Sheffield, vice president of Business and Finance. Coupled with this issue was the fact that a similar case existed in which the student was not subject to disciplinary action. It was learned however, that the specific case in question actually involved a black student, who fell under the umbrella of the University's Black Staff Scholarship Program. The specific advantage of this policy entitled black employees to take courses during normal working hours in order to complete a degree and become eligible for positions of higher salary, as mandated by the University's desegregation agreement resulting from the civil rights suit Powell v Morgan.

Dean Frederick and Laura both felt that if one student was allowed to break the mold, why shouldn't another? The real question is whether or not this is a case involving discrimination? Does it really draw in the controversial issue of Affirmative Action? Or was this a case of complacency on the part of Dean Frederick and his management of the situation involving Laura Adams? Although the qualities of an effective manager calls for care and concern over their employees, at the end of the day, those concerns do not supersede the manager's ultimate responsibility to the organization and compliance with the policies of such.

The Next Steps

Effective managers must possess the qualities of an effective leader. Effective leaders should have qualities such as integrity, honesty, commitment, and passion. A level of planning and competency is required. "A Manager has to take a long-term view; while a team member will be working towards known and established goals, the manager must look further ahead so that these goals are selected wisely. By thinking about the eventual consequences of different plans, the manager selects the optimal plan for the team and implements it. The manager ensures that work is not repeated nor problems tackled too late and that the necessary resources are allocated and arranged" (Francis, 2007).

Clearly, Dean Frederick made his decision concerning Laura in haste. Dean Frederick is a manager. "Explicit in the program guidelines was the statement that supervisors, in recommending staff scholarships, must give employee job performance and university goals highest priority" (Hattersley, 2008,