“Critically discuss the idea that to be successful today management requires influence not authority”;
“Managing is organizing: pulling things together and along in a general direction to bring about long-term organizational survival” (Watson, 1986, p.41). Appropriate management is required to ensure success to a business by bringing staff together on a common stand and getting the best out of them. The importance of management is to intensify the relationship between staff and getting them to work together as one. It is the management’s duty to make certain that staff are content with their job duties and ultimately deliver their best. Managers are responsible for planning, organizing, leading and controlling the business.
“The management role will thus be affected by economic and political situations, by the size of the organization, in family firms versus those owned by a variety of shareholders, and so on” (Needle, 2015). A sole trader of a small business will have a different management style to a large multinational company. Managing a public-sector business will use a different management style to a private sector business. “Some managers are effective by performing their role in an assertive, extrovert fashion, while others are equally successful ‘leading from behind’” (Needle, 2015).
Management is important for a number of factors such as helping to achieve company targets. When a business starts, its functions and precise goals are arranged in a manner which can only be accomplished if each segment of the business work together and effectively. Good management ensures that each section of the business works together to accomplish the goals set without any confusion. Without good management, each section of the business will try and achieve separate goals. Therefore, common goals will not be reached, which could lead to delays and bad quality work. Reduction in waste is also an important factor of why good management is needed. When a business is managed effectively waste is lowered, thus reducing overall costs.
There are many different types of management styles and every leader has a different style of managing the staff. According to Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1973) the main types of management are Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-Faire. Autocratic management style is where the managers don’t contemplate the thoughts of juniors. The staff are entirely reliant on their managers and don’t have the freedom to make choices by themselves, this is seen as an authoritative style of management. There are many advantages to Autocratic management such as that it offers motivation and rewards for the managers. Autocratic management allows for quick decision making because only one person decides on behalf of everyone. Also, it is effective when a chain of command is vital. However, there are many disadvantages such the fact that some people find it too extreme because the motivational style is perceived to be negative. Also, staff in an Autocratically managed business often lack motivation because they feel like they have no say in what they do. Therefore, annoyance, low morale and arguments are frequently developed in Autocratically managed businesses.
An alternative style of management is Democratic; where managers encourage advice from the juniors. This style of management is seen as using influence. The benefits of using a Democratic management style is that juniors feel more content because the managers consult with them when making a decision. Therefore, they feel more involved in the business. Another advantage is that because the staff are involved in what is happening in the business, they take more interest in what is happening and therefore are motivated in producing more for the business. However, there are also disadvantages to Democratic management such as the time it takes to make decisions because the manager has to consult other people before making a decision.
Laissez-Faire is another style of management that should be considered. This is where the staff make decisions and undertake work on their own, staff do not rely on the managers and know what is correct for them. An advantage to Laissez-Faire as a management style is that it encourages more ideas and the workers feel like they have a say in the business. Therefore, they are more interested in doing well for the business so that is can be successful. Also, many of the workers appreciate having some control in the business and therefore work more efficiently to ensure success for the business. However, there are also disadvantages such as a lengthy decision making cycle because more than one person is involved in the decision-making progress. Also, it is not always beneficial for low skilled workers, because they aren’t being pushed to their full potential and may lack motivation.
“Authority is the power or right to give orders and make decisions” (Mar, 2013). The majority of managers are in a position of authority because if they instruct an individual to do something, they usually comply with what they have been told to do; what varies between managers is how they use it. According to Max Weber (2009) there are three types of authority: Traditional, Rational-legal and Charismatic. Traditional authority is a when a manager is assumed to exercise the right to have authority and juniors do what they are told without questioning. This type of authority is reliant on the followers’ agreement of the authority, and it is important that they see Traditional authority as genuine. Rational-legal authority is similar to traditional authority but the managers rely heavily on rules and regulations and bureaucratic systems. The final type of authority is Charismatic, this is when the manager is inspirational and relies on the strength of their character to motive people.
Authority is important because it will aid in preventing chaos and it is helpful to outline a clear line of order in decision-making. This is key because a clear line of order could lead to an effective business, made up of solid and legitimate authority contacts between leaders and followers. However, there are many disadvantages to using authority in that for the workforce to be able to complete their job they need the collaboration of other people who are not in their direct line of command. Also, authority rarely offers an opportunity for feedback. This is crucial for a business, because it facilitates success to the business by making the managers aware of what they think they are doing right and wrong.
“Influence is the ability to affect ideas and actions” (Mar, 2013). Influence is fixated on having an effect on people’s personality and the way they reason. People in a position of influence should be able to have the skill to alter someone’s perspective or personality and to act in accordance to their desires. A business’ size has a significant effect on a manager’s influence. It is very difficult for a manager of a large business to influence and change compared to a manager of a smaller business. However, every business uses influence to some extent. Influence is an essential feature of life in a business and it would make it very difficult for businesses to function without some type of influence. Virtually all managers make an effort in influencing others within a business. The more power a manager has, the more effective and easier it is to influence people.
Power is the ability to influence others in a business. The methods used by a manager to alter the attitude, performance and thought of other people are called influence. Numerous tools have been established to analyze influencing tactics, but Kipnis and Schmidt, 1988 identify eight main influence tactics. The first tactic is rational persuasion; “the person uses logical arguments and factual evidence to persuade you that a proposal or request is viable and likely to result in the attainment of task objectives” (Yuke and Falbe, 1990 – all quotes). Next is the upward appeal, this is when “the person seeks to persuade you that the request is approved by higher management, or appeals to higher management for assistance in gaining your compliance with the request”. The third tactic is ingratiation; “the person seeks to get you in a good mood or to think favourably of him or her before asking you to do something”. Following this is exchange tactics; “the person makes an explicit or implicit promise that you will receive rewards or tangible benefits if you comply with a request or support a proposal, or reminds you of a prior favour to be reciprocated”. The next tactic is coalition; “the person seeks the aid of others to persuade you to do something or uses the support of others as an argument for you to agree also” . The sixth tactic is inspirational appeals; “the person makes an emotional request or proposal that arouses enthusiasm by appealing to your values and ideals, or by increasing your confidence that you can do it”. Next is consultation tactics; “the person seeks your participation in making a decision or planning how to implement a proposed policy, strategy, or change”. The last tactic is pressure; “the person uses demands, threats and intimidation to convince you to comply with a request or to support a proposal”.
Some see influence as not only a benefit to a business but a requirement for managers trying to inspire and encourage change. To attain success in directing staff through periods of change and alteration, managers have to be able to influence staff to overcome the anxiety of change. It is important for managers to be able to influence staff to understand that carrying out production on time in order to meet deadlines is favourable to both them and the business. Also, it is important that managers influence staff in a customer facing business to not only to accomplish tasks on time but to also increase sales and to deliver a service of a high standard. One of the most important reasons that managers use influence is to get all the staff in the business aligned with the businesses’ concept and vision. However, there are also a number of disadvantages. These include the fact that it can be costly to the business because often decisions can be inefficient because of the decision maker’s influence. Also, using influencing tactics can require considerable time and effort that could have been used elsewhere in ensuring success to the business.
There are many points to agree with the statement that to be successful today requires influence not authority such as the perception that authority is seen as a power whereas influence is seen as an ability. Some see that authority as requiring no specific expertise or abilities, while influence can be difficult because not many people obtain the capability to grasp that it demands a high level of intelligence emotionally and also generally. However, intelligent decisions should generate improved ideas and stronger direction. Another argument to agree with the statement is that authority can be expensive whilst influence is considered to be cheap. Some would say that authority requires a payment that is called transactional authority. This is when authority is used in a business which necessarily requires paying wages and bonuses. If an authority is paying an employee a reasonable salary, they expect them to do what you say. Influence is usually free because it is the consequence of words and relationships. Another point to agree with influence not authority is because influence is when others agree to your suggestions, it means that they accept and take on board what you’re saying. Authority suggests no such agreement. However, authority isn’t always accepted and is often resisted, whilst influence is usually accepted.
Because of the reasons identified my critical analysis is that the idea that to be successful today management requires influence not authority. It has been demonstrated that influence helps aid success whilst going through periods of transition and it is important that managers are able to influence staff to meet deadlines. Influence is cheaper to use rather than authority also it is a methodology that a business can utilize to improve because it facilitates feedback from staff on what they are undertaking and this is crucial for success to a business.
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