The Responsive Manager / Leader
The standards or a pattern of responsive manager that is discussed in this article is pertinent to all levels of management. In general it is related to organization, concerned with fulfilling the needs and wants of its customers, employees and stakeholders. It also involves non-supervisory employees of organization accountable to their managers, co-workers and customers.
His Influence
Responsive manger builds mature bonds with all the people around him on the basis of trust and respect. Employee works more positively and diligently and takes extra steps in helping their manager, whenever needed aiding organization to grow. This is because employees find a reliable and a consistent manger at their service every time they want. Therefore an atmosphere or environment of interdependence based on trust, concern and respect get established into an organization.
Responsive manager not only leads or helps its subordinates but also assists in a big way to its superiors also. He has the quality of affecting or influencing the people in positive way that rests above in his hierarchy. They act according to the needs of heir superiors or bosses. Thus they exhibit a very important and a useful role.
Contrast to this, unresponsive manager shows limited influence over others. People around him find it tough to trust and respect him whole-heartedly because of his formal position. They hardly expect any amount of welfare from him. Unresponsive mangers are known to be self-centered, self interested in their own profits rather than the welfare of the people around him.
They are perceived as people responsible for empire building and organizational protection rather than working in accordance to the needs of organization. So they are unreliable and unwanted and useless members of organization.
Responsive mangers possess variety of abilities and skills, they has good listening powers. They listen to both the sides, knowing the real facts. They posses the knack of knowing of those needs and desires of its people which are not even expressed verbally.
Responsive manger not only finds out the ongoing daily activities and needs of various people around him but also make deliberate efforts to fulfill these wishes and desires. He tries to accomplish the desires of both superiors as well as his employees. He also strives to solve the problem faced by people around him.
For example, I am in charge of automating an office system in government unit, but somehow, the Management Information Systems people shows some disapproval in going our way on the project, and assured us that they will not like do so in near future also.
As a consequence their cooperation (required for the project) was erratic and unreliable. As team leader, I went through series of roadblocks; despite this our Assistant Deputy Minister was adamant and wanted to see this project to come alive and we to bear the frit of success.
I, on a regular basis reported back to our Director, outlining the growth and roadblocks. Every time I commune roadblocks with the Director, they were eradicated and removed within a short period of time. The Director In addition to this advised and guided me on how I should deal with the "systems people" so that I can deliver maximum impact on them. Irrespective of number of roadblocks, the project was finished on time and was very successful, causing much disappointment to the system people.
Though, this is a simple story but a significant one. In the above situation the Director was very well able to spot the project leader's requirements with respect to his job. He showed him the smooth path to win. The Director was not only able to eradicate obstacles and realize the need of the project leader. He, on a deeper level responded in such a way, which teaches the Project Leader, various methods of becoming more efficient thus it can be concluded that the Director performed his role very successfully, though all the needs were not expressed either specifically or explicitly.
Likewise the unresponsiveness of department of MIS can also be discussed. They instructed, protest and expected dire consequences, instead of offering reliable and approachable help. They paid attention on other factors relating to control and those, which appears to be on their wish list. They offered no response to their client’s needs.
Ultimately, their lack of receptiveness put them in an opposite situation of losing the control over the project. As a result, their overall position in the organization suffered both in the eyes of organization and individuals. They were seen nothing more than as barriers, instead of being valuable.
For example, an employee works in a government office from a year, having moved from a different city. In an informal conversation, the supervisor sees that the employee is not looking at his best. When The employee elucidate that he is not feeling well late and talked in very tired and overwhelmed voice, The supervisor came to know that the employee didn't have a local family doctor, and thus helped him in arranging an appointment with nearest doctor.
Though, this is a very minor case. In this example we see that the supervisor was able to make out that the employee was in need of some help, though the staff member did not state this explicitly. Also Note that the manager didn't pressurize the staff member to go to the physician but identified his need, tartan them out, and then acted upon it.
The above two are well-described examples of commitment and loyalty. Responsiveness forms an important component of management success, allowing and helping supervisors and managers doing their work effectively and efficiently.