Problem Statement
Is There a Competency Gap In Leadership Capabilities In The Management Cycle Of Dsl?
How Significant Is The Competency Gap?
What Interventions Or Tools Would Be Suitable In Closing The Gap?
Is Strategic Planning Performed Regularly And Made a Top Priority?
Do Top Officials Take Formal Responsibility For The Firm’s Strategic Planning Process?
Kubr (2002), stated the primary purpose of a “preliminary problem diagnosis is not to propose measures for solving the problem, but to define and plan a consulting assignment, and realistically to assess opportunities for helping the client” (p.159). In the initial interview with DSL’s CEO, we discussed in-depth about identifying possible leadership competency gaps of the leadership team members. He explained that recurring issues with employees, customer job losses, has made him question the effectiveness of his management team capabilities. Although the CEO has established a concrete vision, mission and core values for the company, it lack a proper operating structure in which the leadership team was hired to implement. He realizes its time for prompt organizational change and development to take place. Due to the short time frame for this project, the action plan will be formulated no later than ten days, in order for a quick implementation. Appendix 1, shows assignment work schedule.
- Management development assessment, an initial investigation to be conducted on the leadership team functions, their strategic planning processes and leadership activities.
- Strategic Planning, based on the assessment, a customize strategic plan to address each issue and detailing the planning processes
- Leadership development, for each role identify key performance goals, their level of skills and knowledge and line of communication
- Employee training needs assessment, job descriptions and revision of employee handbook
Here are some potential results after completing this assignment.
- Leaders would have a clear and common understanding of the company’s vision and goals
- Effective communication instil across all levels
- Leaders would be generally more proactive in decision-making, problem solving and coordination
The second phase of the consulting process is also known as the “operational phase or diagnosis”. At this point, the problem will be examined in great detail, identify factors which are causing and influencing the problem and prepare all the necessary material needed to develop a solution to the problem (Kubr, 2002, p. 179) . In this section, in order to prepare the necessary information for the formulation of a solution; the problem will be restated and analysed, description of approaches and methods used to retrieve data and review of related literature connected to the problem.
The aim of the consultancy research is to conduct an assessment on DSL’s leadership team members to identify possible leadership gaps which is affecting the business holistically.
To successfully execute the assignment, the following activities were undertaken:
- Reviewing of company existing policies and procedures
- Coordinate quick, comprehensive practical assessments of all management and staff internal functions
- Analyse the problem with fact analysis
This section describes the methods and approaches for performing the assignment.
A research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection, measurement and analysis of data in a manner that aims to address the research problem in a logical manner (Nabi, Islam, Dip, & Al Hossain, 2017). For this assignment, the research design was a descriptive survey through questionnaires, individual level assessment and organizational document review. This involved reviewing leaders mission, goals, monthly targets and central lines of communication. This activity provided great insights into their perceived leadership competencies, strengths and weaknesses.
Competency Gap Analysis
For this assignment, interviews were conducted with team leaders who consist of the general manager and two supervisors (Appendix 2). Also, in order to get an overall understanding of the problem, ten employees were informally interviewed (Appendix 3).
To complete the gap analysis, standard self-assessment questionnaires were used to examine competency areas, see Appendix 2.
In the Barnard Keys and Thomas case, leadership can be defined as “the process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically towards achieving objectives” (Nair & Malewar, 2013, p. 80). In conducting the competency assessment of the team leaders through open question interviews, they displayed a laissez-fair leadership style, in which subordinates are left alone to work with minimal direction and supervision (Curry, 2017). DSL’s leadership officials lack relevant qualifications and experience needed for effective decision making, strategic planning, coaching and mentoring, effective communication skills and project coordination. For example, due to inadequate supervision from the team leaders resulted in poor utilization of resources and complacency.
According to author Maslow (1954) hierarchy of needs, employees are always directly influenced by motivation to satisfy their esteem, physiological safety, social safety, psychological and self-actualization levels. Contrary to Maslow’s theory, based on the findings in the assessment, employees indicated they were not motivated to work under the current leadership because of their unamicable relationship due to lack of: communication, improper structure and feeling a sense of underappreciated.
According to Wheelen et al. (2014), the strategic planning process “includes environmental scanning (both external and internal), strategy formulation (strategic or long-range planning), strategy implementation, and evaluation and control” (p.38). In understanding DSL’s company policies and procedures, the leadership team were questioned on their strategic planning processes. The findings indicated the team leaders do not encourage the company’s mission, vision and core values. It was apparent the team leaders operated without a strategic plan and did not conduct any formal analysis, for example a SWOT or PESTLE to evaluate factors affecting the business.
AJ Agrawal mentions in his blog, a business that has poor management personnel in place has multiple problems. The issues begin internally and begin to show themselves externally. Eventually, this affects the overall aesthetic of a business as poor reviews come in and employees begin to quit unannounced (Agrawal, 2016). This idea by Agrawal is revealed in DSL’s leadership team, for instance, based on the finding, employees viewed meetings held by the GM and supervisors as a hassle which were not productive but rather routine instead of being strategic in nature. Also, team leaders did not- 1) manage expenses to capital budgets, 2) set monthly sales targets, or 3) execute customer jobs in a cost and time effective manner.
Managerial Leadership Challenges
At this phase specific parameters are developed for strategic planning which will address certain priorities.
Based on the research question; ‘What interventions or tools would be suitable in closing the gap’? The following are some solutions to help develop DSL’s team leaders and close the competency gaps found through the assessment.
Strategic Leadership Training- Authors (Neatby, Rioux, & Aubé, 2015), proposes a multi-dimensional framework for top management members who wish to become more effective organizational leaders. The dimensions are “1) Contributing to quality strategic decision making 2) ensuring decision implementation 3) promoting efficient team collabration 4) addressing organizational performance issues 5) maintaining productive relationships with peers” (p.59). Consequently, based on this proposal a development plan will be formulated in collabration with a local business training school which will focus on getting the managers equiped with modern leadership concepts, knowledge and skills.
Promoting and building a team environment- In a case study conducted by the students of Edith Cowen University, revealed a number of attributes needed for successful teamwork : commitment to team success and shared goals, interdependence, interpersonal skills, open communication and positive feedback and commitment to team processes, leadership and accountability (Tarricone & Luca, 2002). It will be beneficial for DSL’s team leaders to incorporate these attributes which can create a synergy to foster a caring environment where members are able to learn, contribute openly and grow. The introduction of regular team building exercises will have a definite positive impact on the team.
Recognition – Author David Novak argue that, “we need to recognize the tremendous value people bring to their work, regardless of their role in the organization. Recognition isn’t just about implementing employee programs to check them off a list; it’s about bringing out the best in people and improving your company’s bottom line” (Novak, 2016). To emphasize, both the CEO and team leaders need to understand and implement various motivational strategies because acknowledgement of employee’s efforts can be a powerful strategy which can take the business to a higher level.
Effective Communication- It is the responsibility of a manager or leader to ensure employees work “towards the same purpose through open lines of communication” (Mattson, 2017). It is important for DSL’s team leaders to strengthen their communication with employees so that issues can be resolved quickly before major problems occur. Open conversations helps to establish a more proactive method to problem solving.
For this assignment, after working closely with the CEO on the diagnostic phase, at the end of the action planning phase, I would present my proposal for approval in order for corrective measures to take place before the fourth phase of implementation can start. At this point, an intervention can be decided after which the outcome will be evaluated. This assignment will use the individual intervention approach, in that, it is “focused directly on helping humans develop to a higher level of functioning and are in the form of workshops and seminars” (Kurpius, Fuqua, & Rozecki, 1993, p. 604). For example, to address the identified managerial leadership gaps the following intervention steps would be taken:
- The leadership team would learn how to create strategies through a series of off-site retreats which will include classroom training and practical application
- The team would learn how to develop a SWOT analysis for certain situations, develop specific initiatives and implement action plans
- The team would also gain knowledge and experience through coaching and mentoring program
Strategic Planning
Evaluation within the consultation process is a form of systematic inquiry which recognizes the “importance of evaluating interventions following their implementation” (Kurpius, Fuqua, & Rozecki, 1993, p. 605). This consulting assignment will follow the evidence-based evaluation approach. Author (Motamedi, 2015) explains this type of approach “offers valid and reliable information on the efficacy of consulting efforts and provides opportunities to generate knowledge, learning, improvements, and innovation” (p.2). To facilitate the development of evaluation for DSL, the involvement of all the stakeholders is required to have a dialogue regarding the scope and desired outcome. Frequent follow-up meetings will be conducted to assess the impact of the interventions mention previously to determine the success and fail points.
Conclusion
To conclude, by using the consulting process for this assignment into the initial investigation of DSL’s managerial leadership competency gaps, in the end, produced tailor-made solutions for filling the deficiency gaps. These deficiencies which lead to the company facing issues with employees and customer losses. These leadership competency gaps were:
- Lack of teamwork within the workforce
- Ineffective lines of communications between GM, supervisors and employees
- Insufficient competencies in strategic planning
- Inadherent to the company’s vision, mission and objectives
By assisting the team leaders to identify these inconsistencies, they can now develop the skill-set necessary for a modern leadership directive- to inspire, lead employees, conduct strategic planning and implement management chang
References
Agrawal, A. (2016). 7 Problems that Occur with Poor Management Skills. Shopify Blogs. Retrieved from: https://www.shopify.com/content/7-problems-that-occur-with-poor-management-skills
Curry, K. (2017). What Is Laissez-Faire Leadership? The Pros and Cons of the Delegative Leadership Style. Very Well Mind: Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-laissez-faire-leadership-2795316
Designer Systems Limited. (n.d.). Designer Systems Limited: Retrieved from https://www.designersystemsltd.com/#top
Kubr, M. (2002). Management Consulting: A Guide to the Profession. International Labour Office Geneva.
Kurpius, D. J., Fuqua, D. R., & Rozecki, T. (1993). The consulting process: A multidimensional approach. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71,6; 601-606.
Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and Personality. London: Harper and Row.
Mattson, D. (2017, November 21st). The Importance of Communication Between Managers and Their Team. Sandler Training: Retrieved from https://www.sandler.com/blog/importance-communication-between-managers-and-their-team
Motamedi, K. (2015, January). A framework to evaluate consulting efforts: Evaluation research and consulting engagements. Graziadio Business Report, pp. 1-9.
Nabi, N., Islam, M., Dip, T. M., & Al Hossain, A. (2017). Impact of Motivation on Employee Performances: A Case Study of Karmasangsthan Bank Limited, Bangladesh. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 7: 293.
Nair, P., & Malewar, S. (2013). Effective Leadership-Employee Retention-Work Life Balance: A Cyclical Continuum. Journal of Business and Management , 10, 80-86.
Neatby, J., Rioux, P., & Aubé, C. (2015). The Organizational Leadership Role of Top Management Team Members: A Multidimensional Conception. Organization Development Journal, 33,3, 55-77.
Novak, D. (2016, May 9th). Recognizing Employees Is the Simplest Way to Improve Morale. Harvard Business Review.
Sadler, P. (1998). Management Consultancy: A handbook of best practice. London: Kogan Page Limited.
Tarricone, P., & Luca, J. (2002). Successful teamwork: A Case Study. Herdsa.
Wheelen, T., Hunger, J. D., Hoffman, A. N., & Bamford, C. E. (2014). Strategic Management and Business Policy: Globalization, Innovation and Sustainability. Pearson.
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