What are the challenges of being a manager in a contemporary organization?
Introduction
Today’s managers are joining and getting management positions in a rather short period. The appearance of the workplace has undergone drastic changes with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. There has been a big shift with changes on an unprecedented scale in digitization at the present-day workplace. Since today’s managers are increasingly working alongside very smart robots and work is increasingly being completed through digital mediums, present-day managers must have computer skills (Collins et al., n.p.). This essay will analyze the duties of a manager and the abilities necessary to manage in the current environment.
Duties of a Manager and the Abilities Required to Manage Currently
One of the effects of increasingly adopting digital medium is that where, how, and when we work undergoes a revolution. With consistent connectivity, working away from the traditional office, and virtual teams increasingly becoming popular, the situation is most likely to remain as the new norm even after a vaccine to COVID-19 is found (Collins et al., n.p.). In present-day Australia, managers should develop their worker’s skills instead of overworking them. Additionally, contemporary managers should care about the welfare of their workers and have computer skills. Giving workers excessively high workloads contributes to the deterioration of their mental health when combined with a lack of capacity to regulate the amount of time that workers are given to complete a given task or when the nature of the job becomes boring (Dixon, n.p.).
Jobs that place high demands on the employees together with low control can cause cardio-vascular heart disease in workers. On the other hand, heavy workloads are good for their health. Today’s managers play a more dynamic role and require a dynamic range of skill sets. Contemporary managers should have good relations with their employees and the ability to compress time to meet set deadlines. They should also design flexible work plans for older workers and those with the responsibility of caring for their parents or children. These plans can include adjustments in the work start and stop times, leave, remote working, and reduced work hours. Managers should also consider the welfare of casual employees (Dixon, n.p.).
The Continuing Management Themes in the 21st Century
Demographic adjustments in human resources at today’s workplace, with more and more workers aging, more variety of ethnic and cultural people, and more women entering the workforce, have presented new challenges to modern-day managers by challenging important guidelines on leadership and management, for instance, if or when the normal dependence on social contact and hierarchies are effective methods for managing and supervising work. Additionally, increased application of technology, and financial pressures have brought new approaches to work (Collins et al., n.p.).
Researchers have come up with five themes: culture, initiative management, capabilities and resources, leadership, and strategy. The strategy theme sets a foresight of change and ensures that it is in line with the organization’s plan of action. It also guarantees that change management strategies are being created established on the organization’s level of preparedness for change. The leadership theme adjusts, inspires, and ensures that people are always stimulated and committed to the transformation. Leadership is important to ensure that the top-level administrators’ goals match with those of employees, and other stakeholders. The capabilities and resources theme makes sure that the ability, experience, and integrity of the sponsors, managers, and implementers of change are in line with organizational objectives. The initiative management theme ensures that the approach of change being made is being implemented under the change plan laid down. It also makes sure that the change management approach and actions are being adopted into the general project master plan. The cultural theme institutionalises the approaches of fresh development in the culture. It realises the cultural issues inspiring or blocking the change (Elkattan, n.p.).
Conclusion
This essay analyzed the duties of a manager and the abilities required for them to carry out their duties in the current environment. Today’s workplace has transformed especially with the advent of COVID-19 that has encouraged remote working. The types of jobs workers engage in indirectly affect their health, hence managers should introduce flexible work conditions, such as suitable times to start and end their work, remote working, or reduced work hours for workers who are elderly, or have caring duties at home. Present-day managers in Australia should adopt the continuing management themes in the 21st Century to enable them to adequately deal with the constantly emerging challenges.
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