Your management style will, to some extent, depend on personal factors such as your values, the relationships you have with your staff and the type of industry your business is operating in. That being said, some fundamental principles can be applied to make any management make effective. Effective management does not only focus on driving your employees to make them work more productively, it involves increasing workplace happiness and engagement.
Effective Management Principles
In order to improve your management style, you need to focus on both the principles and the techniques of effective management. Some of the fundamental principles that are used by the most effective managers include:
- Consistency
Before any management approach can be effective, it first needs to be consistent. Managers must treat every member of the team equally, rewarding and discouraging the same behaviours each time they appear.
- Honesty
Honesty is another key management technique. Maintaining honest and professional relationships with members of staff has been found to increase trust, confidence and respect for your role as manager.
- Motivation
As a manager, motivation should always be one of your key guiding principles. This involves both monitoring motivation levels and continuing to understand what it is that motivates the individuals you are managing. Studies have found that 70% of employees surveyed are motivated by praise and reward.
- Encourage Open Communication
Effective managers are those that encourage a culture of open communication. This does not only involve the manager communicating the purpose, task or goals of an organization, but encouraging an open and respectful flow of ideas. Managers should aim to encourage employees to vocalize their thoughts and options even if they contradict with the manager’s ideas.
- Provide Training
Managers who provide and encourage employee education and training will help employees develop skills and knowledge relating to their area of interest. This will help you increase the staff potential and quality of your employees.
Effective Management Techniques
The techniques listed below are the most useful methods that will help you to manifest the principles needed to become a more effective manager.
Brainstorming Meetings
Creating regular brainstorming sessions is a great way to encourage communication, as it shows your employees that you want and value their ideas. Regular brainstorm meetings will also help to foster a culture of innovation within your organization.
Use Employee Engagement Solutions
In order to be an effective manager, you first need to ensure employee engagement. The term employee engagement refers to the extent to which a member of staff aligns with the goals of an organization. An engaged employee is one who goes above and beyond, is more hard-working, motivated, and more likely to remain with your company in the future. Employee engagement solutions from inpulse.com provide managers with an invaluable tool. Their solution enables you to track employee emotions and engagement so you can enhance the employee experience, providing you with the HR analytics needed to decrease employee turnover.
Create a Code of Conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules, responsibilities and norms that applies to every individual working in the organization.
The purpose of creating this code of conduct is twofold. Firstly, it is there to ensure good behaviour. Secondly, it is there to safeguard employee safety and happiness. The code of conduct will show employees that you value their welfare and encourage them to come forward if they are uncomfortable or unhappy with any action, safe in the knowledge that they will be heard and taken seriously.
