building-a-better-boss

building-a-better-bossPagePAGE12ofNUMPAGES18Caseapplication1:BuildingABetterBossGoogledoesn’tdoanythinghalfway.Sowhenitdecidedto“buildabetterboss,”itdidwhatitdoesbest—looksatdata.Usingdatafromperformancereviews,feedbacksurveys,andsupportingpapersturnedinforindividualsnominatedfortop-managerawards,Googlecorrelated“phrases,words,praise,andcomplaints”tryingtofindwhatmakesforagreatboss,theproject,dubbedprojectoxygen,examinedsome100variablesandultimatelyidentifiedeightcharacteristicsorhabitsofGoogle’smosteffectivemanagers,herearethe“bigeight.”Haveaclearvisionandstrategyfortheteam;HelpyouremployeeswithcareerdevelopmentExpressinterestinyourteammembers’successandwell-beingHavetechnicalskillssoyoucanadvisetheteamBeagoodcommunicatorandlistentoyourteamBeagoodcoachBeproductiveandresults-oriented;andEmpoweryourteamanddon’tmicromanageAtfirstglance,youareprobablythinkingtheseeightattributesseemprettysimplisticandobvious,andyoumaybewonderingwhyGooglespentallthistimeandefforttouncoverthese,evenGoogle’svicepresidentforpeopleoperations,LaszloBock,said,“Myfirstreactionwas,‘that’sit?’”Anotherwriterdescribeditas“readinglikeawhiteboardgagfromanepisodeoftheoffice.”But,astheoldsayinggoes,therewasmoretothislistthanmeetstheeye.WhenBockandhisteambeganlookingcloserandrankorderingtheeightitemsbyimportance,ProjectOxygengotinteresting---alotmoreinteresting!Andtounderstandthis,youhavetounderstandsomethingaboutGoogle’sapproachtomanagementsinceitsfoundingin1999.plainandsimple,managerswereencouragedto“leavepeoplealone.Lettheengineersdotheirstuff.Iftheybecomestuck,they’llasktheirbosses,whosedeeptechnicalexpertisepropelledthemtomanagementinthefirstplace.”It’snothardtoseewhatGooglewanteditsmanagersto---outstandingtechnicalspecialists,Mr.Bockexplains,“intheGooglecontext,we’dalwaysbelievedthattobeamanager,particularlyontheengineeringside,youneedtobeasdeepordeeperatechnicalexpertthanthepeoplewhoworkforyou.”however,ProjectOxygenrevealedthattechnicalexpertisewasrankednumbereight(verylast)onthelist.So,here’sthecompletelistformmostimportanttoleastimportant,alongwithwhateachcharacteristicentails:Beagoodcoach(providespecificfeedbackandhaveregularone-on-onemeetingswithemployees;offersolutionstailoredtoeachemployee’sstrengths)Empoweryourteamanddon’tmicromanage(giveemployeesspacetotackleproblemsthemselves,butbeavailabletoofferadvice)Beinterestedinyourteammembers’successesandwell-being(makenewteammembersfeelwelcomeandgettoknowyouremployeesaspeople)Beproductiveandresults-oriented(focusonhelpingtheteamachieveitsgoalsbyprioritizingworkandgettingridofobstacles)Beagoodcommunicatorandlistentoyourteam(learntolistenandtoshareinformation;encourageopendialogueandpayattentiontotheteam’sconcerns)Helpyouremployeeswithcareerdevelopment(noticeemployees’effortssotheycanseehowtheirhardworkisfurtheringtheircareers;appreciateemployees’effortsandmakethatappreciationknown)Haveaclearvisionandstrategyfortheteam(leadtheteam,butkeepeveryoneinvolvedindevelopingandworkingtowardtheteam’svision)Havetechnicalskillssoyoucanadvisetheteam(understandthechallengesfacingtheteamandbeabletohelpteammemberssolveproblems)Now,managersatGooglearenotjustencouragedtobegreatmanagers---theyknowwhatbeingagreatmanagerinvolves.Andthecompanyisdoingitspart,aswell.Usingthelist,Googlestartedtrainingmanagersaswellasprovidingindividualcoachingandperformancereviewsessions.YoucansaythatProjectOxygenbreathednewlifeintoGoogle’smanagers.Bocksaysthecompany’seffortspaidoffquickly:“wewereabletohaveastatisticallysignificantimprovementinmanagerqualityfor75percentofourworst-performingmanager.”Question1DescribethefindingsofProjectOxygenusingthefunctionapproach,Mintberg’srolesapproach,andtheskillsapproach.Throughthearticle,wecanknowthatthereareeightcharacteristicsinProjectOxygenusedtobuildagreatmanager.Theeightcharacteristicsofagreatmanagerwhicharetheymusthaveaclearvisionandstrategyfortheteam,helptheiremployeeswithcareerdevelopment,expressinterestintheirteammembers’successandwell-being,havetechnicalskillssomanagercanadvisetotheteam,begoodcommunicatorandlistentotheirteam,beagoodcoachtoleadthem,beproductiveandresults-orientedandempowertheirteamanddon’tmicromanage.ThefirstcharacteristicofProjectOxygenwhichisclearvisionandstrategyisrelatedtoplanningfunctionasplanninginvolvesdefiningtheorganization'sgoalandhowthegoalcanbeachieved.Itcanhelpthemanagerstosetoutaclearstrategyandvision(Hill,2012).Too,conceptualskillisrelatedtothischaracteristicbecausethemanagersmusthaveabilitytothinkovertheoverallconditionsinthemarketbeforetheysetoutthestrategy.Informationalroleisalsoappliedinthischaracteristic.Thisisbecausetheinformationisrequiredtosetoutaneffectivestrategy.Withoutsufficientinformationfromoutside,itisunableformanagerstoknowwhatshouldbecontainedinvisionandstrategy.Thesecondcharacteristicofbigeightwhichishelpingemployeeswithcareerdevelopmentinvolvesleadingandcontrolling.Leadingisrelatedbecausetheexperiencedmanagercanleadandmotivateothernewmanagersbytheiractions.Theycanbethemodelforthem.Controllingisrelatedbecauseitmonitorstheactivitiesofothers.Italsoprovidestherequiredinformationtotheworkersandlowerlevelmanagers.Also,itiselaboratedwithtechnicalskillandinterpersonalrole.Anexperiencedmanagermusthavespecificknowledgeaboutajobbeforehecanhelpotherstoimprovetheirjobperformance.Too,leaderininterpersonalrolecanhelpintraininganddevelopingmanagers.Expressinterestmembers’successandwell-beingconsistsofleadingfunctionandhumanskill.Thischaracteristicinvolvesleadingfunctionbecauseitcanmotivatetheothers.Someonewillfeelcomfortableandtrytoworkharder.Too,humanskillisrelatedtothischaracteristicasitcanhelptoimprovetherelationshipbetweenmanagersandotherworkersormanagerswhichmayimprovetheabilityofmanagerstoworkwellwithothers(http://www.managementstudyhq.com/managerial-skills.html).Next,havingtechnicalskillssomanagercanadvisetotheteamiscompliedwithcontrollingfunctionbecauseitcanhelpmonitoring,correctingandadjustingothers'activities.Technicalskillisrelatedtothischaracteristicasmanagersmusthavespecificknowledgesothattheyareabletoadvisetheteaminspecificfield.Withouttechnicalskill,themanagerscannotprovideusefulinformationtothosewhoaredoingwronglyeventheyareexcellentinotherskillssuchasconceptualandhumanskills(Robbins,1988).Leadingandhumanskillareappliedtomanagerssothattheycanbegoodcommunicatorandlistentotheirteam.Leadingisinvolvedtothischaracteristicbecausemanagershavetodealwithpeoplelikeslistentotheirteam.Humanskillcanhelpmanagerstobeagoodcommunicatorastheyhavegoodrelationwiththeteammatesandeasiertocommunicatewithothers.Moreover,beagoodcoachtoemployeesineveryorganizationwhichinvolvesleadingandcontrollingfunction.Too,technicalskillandhumanskillarealsoconsistinginthischaracteristic.Leadingisinvolvedinthischaracteristicbecauseagoodcoachhastoleadtheiremployeetodowellineveryorganizationandhavetocontrollingthemtoavoidriskhappened.Also,managershavetousetheirtechnicalskilllikesknowledgeandtechniquestoleadtheiremployeestoperformingwellinjobeffectively(HYPERLINK"http://www.managementstudyhq.com/managerial-skills.html"http://www.managementstudyhq.com/managerial-skills.html).Humanskillsarealsoconsistinginthischaracteristicbecausemanagershavetobuildupagoodrelationshipwithemployeessothattheycanworkwelltogethertoreachthetarget.Beproductiveandresults-orientediscompliedwithorganizingandcontrollingfunction.Itisalsocompliedwithdecisionalroleandconceptualskillswhicharethetwovitalrolestosuccess.Organizingisusedtoactivateplansanditcanleadalltheemployeestoreachthetargetofproductivethattheyset.Controlling,defineasmonitoringemployees.Managersusethistoreducetheriskondoingwrongtogetthebestresults(Banerjee).Also,decisionalroleisconsistedinthischaracteristicbecausemanagershavetomakearightdecisioninproductionandresult-oriented.Conceptualskillwhichreferstotheaptitudeisrequiredtoexpressideas.Lastly,empoweringtheirteamanddon’tmicromanageisthelastcharacteristicofbigeight.Skillapproachwhichisconsistedinthischaracteristicishumanskills.Humanskillsaredefinedastheabilityofmanagerstoworkwithotherpeopleinacooperativemanner.Thisskillrelatedtothischaracteristicbecausethegoodrelationshipbetweenmanagersandemployeecanhelptoempowertheirteam.Besides,managersshouldnotbetoomicromanagetotheiremployeebecauseitwilllowertheirjobperformanceastheirstressesincrease.Question2AreyousurprisedatwhatGooglefoundoutabout“buildingabetterboss?”Explainyouranswer.IamsurprisedthatGoogleunderstoodabouttheimportantofamanagerinacompany.BystudyingPrinciplesofManagement,weunderstandthethreemainreasonsaboutwhymanagersareimportant.Firstly,organizationsneedtheirmanagerialskillsandabilitiesmorethaneverintheseuncertain,complex,andchaotictime.Secondly,managerialskillsandabilitiesarecriticalingettingthingsdone.Finally,thequalityoftheemployeerelationshipisthemostimportantvariableinproductivityandloyalty(Robbins,1988).Interviewpeoplewholeavingacompany,theyhadoneofthreereasons,ortogetherofall.Thefirstisthatpeopledonotfeelaconnectiontothecompany.Thesecondisthattheydonotliketheirworkmates.Thethirdistheyhaveaterribleboss,andthiswasthemostimportantreasonwhyemployeeisleavingtheircompany.Mr.LaszloBockservesasSeniorVicePresidentofPeopleOperationsatGoogleInc.HetellsastoryaboutamanagerworkedinGoogleInc.Employeesdidnotlikehimanddespiseshim.Hewasmanagingthemtoodifficult.Theythoughthimbossy,arrogantandcannotcommunicate.Theywantedtogiveuphisteamandhopetochangetootherteam.“Heisclever,buthedidmanythingswrongwhenitwasdoingtoleadingintheteam,”Mr.Bocksaid.Hewasverydispiritedandhedidnotknowhowheshoulddo.Googlegaveone-on-onecoachingtohimbecauseGooglebelievesthatthecompanyhascoachesortrainedonstaff,betterthanhiringfromtheoutside.Afteroneyear,heisactuallyimprovingmore.Itisstillnotgreat,butheisnotworstandhegotpromoted(Bryant,2011).IunderstandsomuchaboutwhatMr.Bocksaidabouttheimportantofamanager.Agreatbossreallycanchangeourlifeandinspireus.ThemanagerofGooglewasverybadanddislikedtogivepeopleopportunitybeforeapplying“buildingabetterboss”.Googlewouldloseateamoragoodmanagerifthecompanydidnothelpthemanagerinhowhecandoitorimprovehimself.Allowme,toshareanexamplefrommypersonallife.Iwasafirstmanager4yearsago.Istillrememberedthatallemployeeslikedmymiddlemanagersomuch.However,whenshegotpromotedandhadtoleaveus,wegotanewmiddlemanager.After2weeks,Idecidedtoresign.Thereasonwasbecausethenewmiddlemanagerdidnotgiveanyopportunitytootherandjustthoughtaboutherself.GooglethinksmoreimportanttothefutureofGoogle.Theyofferedalotofperkstotheiremployees.Googlehopestobuildthecompanylikethefamilyforemployeesandkeepslowvariable.GooglewantstoknowwhatworksatGoogleratherwhatworkedinotherorganisations.Notonlyhavethat,GooglethoughtmoreimportanttothefutureofGoogle.TheywantedtobuildbetterbosstohelpGoogletoabetterdevelopment.Question3What’sthedifferencebetweenencouragingmanagerstobegreatmanagersandknowingwhatbeingagreatmanagerinvolves?Therearesomedifferencesbetweenencouragingmanagerstobegreatmanagersandknowingwhatbeingagreatmanager.Asweknowthat,knowingtobeagreatmanagermeanssomeonehastheknowledgeofbeingagoodmanagerandencouragingamanagertobecomeagreatmanagerismorelikelytoanactionwhichcanhelpamanagertohavethecharacteristicsthatagreatmanagermusthave.Anactionshowssupportingandgivessomesuggestionstothemanagersshouldperformwellintheirworks.Besides,managerscanmotivateandencouragemanagersbyhavingacampaign.Thecampaigncanbeatrainingclassoratalkbysuccessfulandexperiencedmanagersorbusinessmen.Forexample,‘leadingonlearning’isoneofthecampaignsthatcelebratesandpromotesthehugeadvantagesoflearningatwork.Furthermore,praiseisalsooneofthewaystoencouragemanagers.Praise,itcanmotivatethembetrothedintheworktheydo,andbemorededicatedintotheirorganizations(Givingpraiserecognizinggoodwork).Forexample,thecountryculturelikeAmericancultureisexcellentinthisareabecauseAmericanpeoplearenotreluctanttopraiseotherswhentheyaredoingwellintheirwork.Infact,praisingalwaysmotivatesothersandimprovestheefficiencyandeffectivenessoftheirworks.Moreover,trustisanimportantthingtobuildarelationshipbetweencompanyandmanagersandisalsooneoftheencouragingmethods.Forexamples,managerscandecentralizethepowertomanagersespeciallytothosewhoarelowerlevelmanagersinmakingdecisionandothers.Therefore,thelowerlevelmanagerswillfeelsatisfactionandgratitudebecausethecompanybelievestheircapabilities.Intheotherhand,knowingtobeagreatmanagerisdifferentfromencouragingmanagerstobegreatmanagers,becauseitisknowledgeabouthowtobeagoodmanagerswhileencouragemanagersareknowledgeabouthowtomotivatemanagers.Toknowhowtobeagreatmanager,amanagermustknowwhatfunctionsare,skillsandrolesrequired.Agreatmanagerhastoperformwellinfourmanagementfunctionswhichareplanning,organizing,leadingandcontrolling.Amanagermusthaveskillsapproachsuchastechnicalskills,humanskillsandconceptualskills.Amanageralsomusthavethreemanagerialroleswhichareinterpersonalroles,informationrolesanddecisionalroles."Therearestillplentyoftimelessprinciplesthatmakegreatmanagers,andgreatcompanies,great"(Hunt,2010).Thosefourfunctionsareimportanttoeverymanagerbecauseithelpstoplanandtoaccomplishtheorganization’sgoals,toestablishthoseplanswhileleadingemployeesintheirownrolesandcontrollingtheplantofunction.Thoseofthesewillhelpmanagerstobecomeagreatmanagerandtheycanrunbusinesssmoothlyandhandleallthethingswell.Althoughtheyaredifferentinseveralareas,theirrelationshipcannotbeneglected.Themanagerswhowanttoencourageothermanagerstobegreatmanagersmustknowhowtobeagreatmanager.Itisnecessaryforthemtohaveknowledgeabouthowtobegreatmanagersbeforetheyareabletoencourage.Iftheydonothaverelevantknowledge,whichmeansthattheydonotknowhowtobeagreatmanagerthemselves,thenitisimpossibleforthemtoteachothermanagerstobegreatmanagers.Inconclusion,wecanknowthatknowingtobeagreatmanagerisdifferentfromencouragingmanagerstobegreatmanagersbecauseofthereasonsstatedabove.Question4WhatcouldothercompanieslearnfromGoogle’sexperiences?TherearemanybenefitsthatothercompaniescanlearnfromGoogle’sexperience.Firstofall,othercompaniescanlearnhowtobuildagoodbossinthecompany.Ratherthantellingthemhowtobecomeagoodmanager,thosecompaniesisbetteraturgethemtobecomeagreatmanager(Bryant,2011).Buildingagoodbossisveryimportantbecauseagoodbossisveryimportantindealingandcontrollingthebusinessactivitiesorotheraspectsofthecompany.Therefore,throughGoogle’sexperience,companiescanacknowledgemoreaboutbuildingofagoodbossandlearnthewayorsolutionleadtoabetterboss.Besidesthat,companiescanlearnthewaytobecomeagoodcoach.Withtherealtoolstoputtheoryandtoolsintopractice,goodcoachinghelpstobuildacompanyculturebasedonownershipandaccountabilityandbacksuptherightideas(Raymond,2013).Agoodcoachingisveryimportantbecausetheyprovideguidance;supportandagoodcoachalsohelptofigureoutthewayofcreatingthebusiness.Hence,goodcoachcanhelpthecompaniestounderstandwhatreallymakesabusinessbecomesuccessful.Therefore,companiescanacknowledgemoreinformationaboutcoachingthroughGoogle’sexperience.Furthermore,companiesalsoabletolearnhowtohelpemployeeswiththeircareerdevelopment.Careerdevelopmentisveryimportanttoallemployeesbecausecareerdevelopmentisoneofthemostsignificantfacetsinaperson’slife.Interferenceorpracticesthatareusedtoenableapersontomakemoreeffectivecareerdecisionsalsocanberefersascareerdevelopment.Therefore,throughGoogle’sexperience,companiescanhelptoescalateeachemployee’sperformanceandenableindividualstotakeadvantagesoffuturejobopportunities.Moreover,companiesalsocanhelptofulfilltheiremployer’sgoalsforadynamicandeffectiveworkforce.Next,companiesalsocanlearnhowtoimproveemployeeproductivity.ThroughGoogle’sexperience,companiescanlearnthesolutionorsteptoimproveemployeeproductivity.Companiescanimproveemployeeproductivitybyputtingemployeesinamoreproductivementation.Moreover,throughGoogle’sexperience,companiesalsocanlearnhowtoincreaseproductivityandthemoraleforanemployeroranemployee.ICAREattitudeamthekeytosuccessforanemployeeandanemployer(Sandra,2013).AccordingtotheICAREattitude,Istandforintegration,Cstandforcollaboration,astandforaccountability,RstandforresponsibilityandEstandforexcellence.Therefore,companiescanlearnfromGoogle’sexperienceiftheywantedtoimprovetheiremployeeproductivity.Question5WouldyouwanttoworkforacompanylikeGoogle?Whyorwhynot?Myanswerisyes.Firstly,weshouldknowabouttheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofcompanieslikeGoogle.Googlehasmadeanameforitselfasaninnovativeorganization.Theword Google isDERIVEDFROMthewordknownasGOOGOL.Itmeansthatwhenwewriteonewordonsearchingengine,thepageisdiscovered100results.Google'spowerfuladvantageisjustsimplesearchengine.Theycouldbecomeaworld'smostinnovativecompaniesbecauseoftheirsearchengineandstrategies.Andhere,I'llshowyoumostimportantadvantagesofGoogleeducation.FirstoneisComputingandProgrammingExperience.Googlegivesexperiencetopeoplebeforeworkincompany.ItbringshightechnicalthoughtbeforeyouarehiredbyGoogle.Andsimplyyoucandiscipline.SecondoneisLeadforComputerScience.Itisthesystemthatnotonlystudycreativethinking,butalsostudyaboutcomputerexpertly.Googleprefersthateveryemployeehaveexpertknowledge.ThirdoneisAppInventor.Theyspendlowcostforteachingartofdevelopmentbutemployeesmakealotofinnovativeideas.ItismotorofGoogle.FourthoneisComputerScienceSummerInstitution.CSSIisfornextgenerationofcomputerscientists.CSSIresearcherexpectsfutureeconomy.So,theycanreacttowardrapidlychangedworld.FifthoneisScholarships,Internship,andAmbassadorProgram.Googlegiveschancestopeopleforgettingmoreeducationinrelatedfield.Studentsgetalotofchancestoestablishmoreeducation.SixthoneisOnlineMarketingChallenge.Collegestudentscancompetethemselvesononline.Itmakesthemtoimprovetheirthinkingstatefromnormaltocreative(Lucas,2013).Allegedly,inconclusion,IreallyagreethatGoogleisthemostinnovativecompanyallovertheworld.Andmyanswerisyes,becauseifGoogleconcernsabouteducationfornormalpeoplewhocandidatesonGoogle,Iamstronglysurethattheyhavealreadybuiltupamazingadvantagesforemployees.AndifweworkinGoogle,wecandevelopourthinkingandexpectthatwhatwillbethefuture.Googleisthemostinnovativecompanyallovertheworld.AndGoogleischangingwithworld.References:BrianHill,(2012)TheImportanceofPlanninginanOrganization|Chron.com.Viewedon7/11/2013.RetrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-planning-organization-1137.html"http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-planning-organization-1137.htmlArthitaBanerjee,WhatistheImportanceofControlinmanagement?Viewedon10/11/2013,RetrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://www.preservearticles.com/2012051932632/what-is-the-importance-of-control-in-management.html"http://www.preservearticles.com/2012051932632/what-is-the-importance-of-control-in-management.htmlHYPERLINK"http://www.managementstudyhq.com/managerial-skills.html"http://www.managementstudyhq.com/managerial-skills.html,managementskill,managementstudyHQ,viewedon9/11/2013Robbins,S.Act1988,Management,Pearsoneducation,TheUnitedStatedEditionAdamBryant(2011)Google’sQuesttoBuildaBetterBoss.Viewedon11/2013,RetrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/business/13hire.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&"http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/business/13hire.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&JonathanRaymond(2013)WhatisBusinessCoaching,viewedon2/11/2013.RetrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://emyth.com/blog/what-is-business-coaching/#.Uoh8_eKbF0B"http://emyth.com/blog/what-is-business-coaching/#.Uoh8_eKbF0BSandra(2013)Howtoimproveemployeesproductivity.Viewedon15/11/2013.RetrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://impac.org.au/how-to-improve-employees-productivity"http://impac.org.au/how-to-improve-employees-productivityLucas,E(31,May,2013)Top10GoogleEducationAdvantagesandDisadvantages.Viewedon05/11/2013.RetrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://www.onextrapixel.com/2013/05/31/top-10-google-education-advantages-and-disadvantages/"http://www.onextrapixel.com/2013/05/31/top-10-google-education-advantages-and-disadvantages/HYPERLINK"http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/giving-praise.htm"http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/giving-praise.htm,GivingPrais-CommunicationsSkillsTraining,Mindtools,viewon02/11/2013JanetHunt(2010)thefourfunctionsofmanagement.viewedon09/11/2013,retrievedfromHYPERLINK"http://voices.yahoo.com/the-four-functions-management-6002470.html"http://voices.yahoo.com/the-four-functions-management-