Essay Example: The Skills And Roles Of A Manager In Crisis Management

1. The Skills And Roles Of A Manager In Crisis Management

A manager plays a very significant role in an organization. A manager's roles are based on three things that have been classified as per the duties they have in the organization. These tasks can be classified into decisional, interpersonal, or informational roles. Managers should be very careful when carrying out their roles since the entire organization depends on them, especially in times of crisis (Ammeh, 2013). They should make wise decisions that lead to the growth of the organization rather than failure.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Interpersonal responsibilities

In the article, the managers played a crucial role in planning the fate of the company after COVID-19. Managers play various interpersonal roles, including planning on the staff's motivation, training of staff, and staffing. They provide leadership to the team and manage the performance and responsibility of everyone in the organisation. They should be the leading examples in the organization, so the other staff does the same (Ammeh, 2013). For example, during a crisis, the decision to cut off salary should first be embraced by the managers before the decision is transferred to every other staff in the organization.

Another role is to maintain relationships with external parties. Contact with external parties is achieved through the manager communicating with other contacts that relate to the organization. In addition to that, a manager should also engage with the individual within the organization (Daft, 2014). He should be ready to listen to the opinions and views of other people regarding the company. Relation with other parties is very important for solving a crisis as it helps make the decision looking into multiple alternatives.

Managers carry out a figurehead role, which entails performing symbolic duties in ceremonies, social events, and legal matters. Managers hold positions as leaders of organizations; hence they should be leading examples and a source of inspiration; this enables the staff to respect the authority they have. In case of a crisis, the manager should explain the situation to the other staff and bring out clear information on the company's measures to solve the problem.

Informational roles

The airlines had to make decisions to protect both the future of the company and the future of the employees. Airlines worldwide have been forced to take hard measures to preserve cash flow for the organizations. Not left behind, the Malaysian Airline decided to cut off the salaries for their employees and reduce some of the allowances. Also, there is a grant for a non-paid leave for whoever is willing. The article explains why the company took such measures to deal with the crisis. A manager is the spokesman of the organisation. They are responsible for letting the staff and the public know about the company's plans, policies, strategies, and results regarding certain issues. They also provide information regarding the organization, such as its goals and objectives to the people outside. A manager is a disseminator of information from source to source. They also interpret and integrate diverse perspectives. They make sure that every staff and colleague learn about important information regarding the organization; this can be done by sending emails or memos to the staff (Hammond, 2006). A manager makes sure that the wellbeing of the organization is perfect by monitoring the organization activities. They seek and receive thorough information regarding the understanding of the organization and its environment. They make sure that the team is effective in its activities of production.

Decisional roles

The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, is a crisis that most companies were not ready for hence did not have enough time to make a decision. Most airlines were not ready for such a great number of flight cancellations, a situation that they were not ready for. The airlines had to make decisions to protect both the future of the company and the future of the employees. A manager looks outside of the company to understand more of its environments, such as the competitors; this helps to implement new changes in the organization. The manager should understand the setup of the organization, identify a problem, and help find a solution. The manager should have good relations with both the people of the outside and the inside to help him carry out negotiation roles such as resource exchange. Managers also play the role of taking corrective action during crises and other conflicts. They should take charge when the organization has a problem (Obi, 2016). The manager also plays the role of resource allocation. They provide funding and other resources to the organization as well as making or approving organizational decisions.

Skills of a manager

A crisis is a part of every organisation's growth. Managers must have specific skills to help them deal with a certain crisis when it comes.

Interpersonal and communication skills

For managers to function effectively, they must have the ability to communicate and relate to others well. Managers get their job done through others they manage; hence a manager should have good and strong communication and interpersonal skills to avoid communication breakdown between them and their staff. With this, in case of a crisis, the staff can trust the manager's decision and work towards finding a solution. Also, communication skills help a manager when it comes to marketing the organization and giving more information about the organisation. The skills help the manager to bring out the goals and objectives of the company in a way that attracts other people to be part of the activities of the organization for example, with good communication skills; a supplying company will be able to attract customers hence building a market for the organization. The manager should also be able to command his authority in a respectful manner both within the company and outside to gain influence.

Conceptual and decision skills

This is very important to help the manager to make sound decisions that will move the business forward. For an organisation to be successful, the manager must be able to make and execute decisions. They should be able to understand different aspects of the organization and how they relate with each other; this is very important during a crisis because the manager can bring a connection between different things and come up with decisions that do not affect other areas but work towards positive results for the entire company (Obi, 2016). The manager should learn from other organisations who are competitors and employ some tactics that bring a difference with others. To perfect these skills, they should be ready to learn from their employees who happen to have different knowledge of ideas.

Technical skills

The manager should be able to carry out all tasks of the organization. They must be able to employ and implement the latest technologies. They must be able to analyze problems and develop solutions in case of a crisis in the organization. They should be able to identify roadblocks towards the success of the company and deal with it. In cases of conflict, the manager should be able to employ new measures to help solve it. For example, with globalization, meetings do not have to be physical but can be done through social media platforms.

2. Was The Decision Made By The Malaysian Airline Suitable For Everyone In The Organisation?

The decision was not suitable for everyone in the Malaysian Airline. They would have involved all parties in the decision making to allow everyone to share their opinions.

Decision-making process

Decision making is part of the activities that every company, to help come up with decision strategies that bring clarity in case of confusion and crisis. The group involved in decision making must choose the final decision from other alternatives depending on the crisis (Hammond, 2006). The team involved in decision making should be able to develop accurate strategies to produce maximum success (Ammeh, 2013). Decision making involves risk-taking, hence the team involved should be ready to deal with ambiguity and threats. In making the decisions, the company should be ready to use the required funds and resources to make the chances of getting the right decision many; in most times, however, the right way to make the best decisions is not clear for the company to the point that the leaders are not willing to use resources in decision making.

Stage 1: identifying and diagnosing the problem

This first stage entails describing the problem and the threats that the problem has posed to the organization. Leaders are obligated to make responsible decisions to keep the companies afloat amid the crisis.

The main problem facing the Airline is the downturn that is a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has led to the ban on all international flights. Several flights have been canceled, leaving the Airline in a financially unstable state. The Airline was forced to suspend its operations, hence no revenue temporarily. The pandemic has affected all the employees of the organization. The management should engage all the employees in decision making. The idea of a salary cut, withdrawal of allowances, and the unpaid leave should be looked into, and decisions regarding this should include all parties to allow the employees to give out their opinions.

Stage 2: Generating alternative solutions

In this stage, the managers and those involved in decision making should come up with many alternatives to create a wide range in which the best decision will be made. The company may also put into consideration solutions that were used long ago. To come out of the pandemic stronger, companies should work on managing the effects clearly and passionately. First of all, it lets the company employees know about the company's turbulent position and together come up with ideas regarding the solutions they intend to put in place.

The kind of problem that the Airline is facing has not been experienced before there is no such pandemic that has occurred in recent years. The organization had no time to make permanent solutions, but they had the opportunity to come up with solutions that prevent the organization from collapsing due to bankruptcy. The organization should put across measures that prevent or minimize expenditure. For instance, for the Airline, they can cut off on advertisements.

Stage 3: Evaluating alternatives

This stage entails looking keenly into the different alternative decisions and coming up with the best decision. The group should look into the consequences of all the alternatives if implemented. The alternatives should be able to meet all the goals and objectives of the organization. The alternatives should solve the problem by using the lowest cost and achieving the highest gain. The alternatives should be able to prioritize the goals of the company. Employers should clearly understand all the possible solutions as well as the current situation of the company.

Stage 4: Making the choice

In this stage, the group can choose a decision that realizes the best outcome, choose an acceptable decision, although no the best or choose to achieve the best possible balance among the goals. The choice made should be able to meet the goals of the company (Hammond, 2006). For example, if the goal is to secure jobs and reduce the expenditure, both of these should be put into consideration.