Final Exam MGT-322

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Signature Assignment: Managing and Leading Organizations
Stacey Troup
Managing & Leading Organizations/MGT-322
February 20, 2017
Glenn Zimmerman

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Signature Assignment: Managing and Leading Organizations
This Week 8 Signature Assignment will address several issues surrounding successful
management and leadership within an organization. Specifically, the premise posed as to
whether anyone can lead and how training and education can be beneficial to employee
development will be discussed. Additionally, I will discuss how managers and leaders affect and
change the corporate culture (in a positive way) while discussing why it is so important for
leaders to understand the corporate organizational structure and how it can help them in their
managing of people and resources. I will discuss why diversity plays a key role in the
development of successful business ventures and the need for managers to embrace and
understand diversity and what it brings to the table is key to helping them become better leaders.
Finally, I will provide “real world” examples of instances requiring a company to adapt to
change as well as specific deliverables for the change to be successful for the company.
Can Anyone Lead?
The idea of the ability of anyone to lead is not a new concept by any stretch of the
imagination. Companies have been trying to convert potential managers into leaders for as long
as businesses have been in existence. However, leaders are more born than trained for their
specific capacity. As we learned from previous weeks throughout this class, leaders are
responsible for the strategic vision and planning of the organization while managers are
responsible for the execution of the deliverables assigned to them from leaders in order to
achieve these vision objectives.
Leaders can be bred from successful managers provided they have the capacity for both
critical thinking skills as well as the desire to truly lead their employees to success. It is worth
noting that a vast majority of managers who attempt roles within leadership fail for one (or more)

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of six issues: virtuosity, affiliation, micro management, ego, victimization and lack of empathy
(Can Anyone Lead?, N.D.). To dive into this methodology a little deeper let us look at each of
the things that can cause failure, one at a time. Virtuosity, or virtuosos, hold their ideas close to
the heart and give little care to the personal care and growth of their employees. This is more of
a leadership trait and not the trait held by successful managers who are there to guide the success
of their employees. Affiliation, yet another management trait not held by managers, is the need
to be connected in some personal way to your employees to foster the feeling of the team.
Leaders do not possess this as they are the idea centers of the company and are more responsible
for designating deliverables to managers for their individual assignment to specific people for
completion, removing the “personal” factor from their interactions. Micromanagement, the need
to constantly recheck on deliverables rather than following the leadership model of trust that they
will be accomplished if the employee is left to their own devices. The ego-driven leader is in it
just to make themselves look good and that idea is counter to the leadership idea that people
complete goals to showcase the ability and strength of the team. Sometimes, the “victim”
management style goes hand in hand with the ego driven leader as these types of leaders are
always failing to see the successes of the group as their success, instead focusing on what could
have been or on circumstances beyond their control which affect outcomes. Managers who lack
a “common touch” of compassion or empathy for those who report to them, fail to advance
employees and often throw them “under the bus” to serve their over-eager egos (Can Anyone
Lead?, N.D.).
For effective managers to become effective leaders, they need to embrace training
initiatives presented as well as adapt their thinking away from task orientation to more broad
spectrum solution thinking. Begin with the right people – through evaluation of their skills and

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understanding of the organization (and its structure), then build on their listening and problem-
solving skills while looking at their motivating factors for becoming a leader (Fallon, 2015).
Only those employees who grasp the management style, possess the right set of driving factors
and who have a great understanding of the company structure, vision, and mission will make the
most effective leaders for the organization. Training programs can help hone these skills for any
employee you wish to move into a leadership role as these programs will help you evaluate the
worthiness and skill sets of your potential new leaders. As they become effective managers, they
grasp a greater appreciation and caring for the employees they manage and while becoming
effective leaders, they better learn to assign tasks with the understanding that the group will
satisfactorily complete these assigned tasks handed down.
Positive Change & Corporate Culture Shifts
We learn that a positive corporate culture drives employee satisfaction, company public
profile and retention of employees. The big question on the minds of many companies is how
they can affect positive change to their corporate culture while encouraging the embracing of this
change to their management and leaders.
There are four basic ideals that should be followed to effect positive organizational
change. The first of these ideals are the need for effective, open communication from managers
to their team members. Next, the need to motivate employees will create an environment
conducive to change and encourages employees on the team to work toward common goals. The
Third things managers can do to affect change is to build true teams. Team building promotes
synergistic teamwork whilst managers need to provide a clear definition of roles and
expectations of each member while embracing the diversity of work styles and backgrounds
among team members. Finally, managers need to act as “coaches”, allowing for the

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maximization of employee strengths as well as the improvement of weaknesses. “Mentoring,
counseling, training and effective feedback” are all effective behaviors which bring about
positive organizational change (Mollica, N.D.).
Expanding on these theories, Google has released Project Oxygen, which includes an
eight-point plan to help managers improve (thus improving corporate culture). Many of the
points of this plan emulate that of our original theory but expand on them through the addition of
three additional points. These additional points include the need for an expressed interest in the
success and personal well-being of the employees under managers care; the need for possession
of key technical skills to aide in problems which may arise along the way (guidance of team
members); and, finally, the need for a clear vision and strategy for the team. They continue to
expand on the idea of motivating employees discussed previously by adding that there remains a
need for “empowerment without micromanagement” (Morrison, 2012).
When a negative corporate culture exists, people routinely leave their employers causing
excessive turnover. The reasons cited for “why people leave their employers” include: there is
no feeling of connection to the company mission or they feel their work is irrelevant to the
company; they dislike or lack respect for their co-workers, and they have a bad boss (the biggest
pitfall for employee turnover) (Morrison, 2012). Embracing a positive corporate culture is key to
employee retention.
Organizational Structure
A pivotal component of effective leadership and management is the understanding of the
organizational structure. By having a full understanding of the organizational structure, leaders
are able to understand how goals and objectives towards deliverables are handed out and what
specific deliverables each department is responsible for delivering. Through this understanding,

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productivity and positive business performance are reached (Musibau , Cho, Ekanem Edem Udo,
& Ojpcjode, 2016).
Additionally, the understanding of the structure also aids in performance review needs of
individual department heads. While deliverables are handed down to managers for assignment to
individual staff members, leaders are able to identify specific things which need to be worked on
for future management growth.
Leaders & Diversity
As companies grow and expand into emerging markets and employees from diverse
cultural backgrounds relocate to U.S. based companies, it is imperative that leaders to not only
understand how diversity impacts the company in a positive way but to embrace these cultural
differences across the board to all employees.
Embracing diversity opens up the company to a pool of talent that they may not have
otherwise encountered. By embracing people of different cultures, backgrounds, orientations,
and other diversification standards, we can truly pull from a pool of talent that is best suited to
our overall goals, mission, and vision as a company (Woodson, 2013).
In order to truly embrace diversity, companies often conduct “diversity training”
designed for both anti-harassment reasons and cultural understanding reasons. When we
understand cultural differences and are able to come together as a team, we reach our objectives
as a company and a group in a more effective, conducive manner (Woodson, 2013).
To look at a company who not only embraced their diversity but has managed to pull this
all together for their betterment, we turn to Google. A majority of their staff are from culturally
diverse backgrounds around the world and the ideas they bring to the table in terms of
technology development have resulted in some of the most popular, every-day apps we all enjoy

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today. They offer team building environments similar to college campuses in order to foster this
inclusion of diversity in their people so that the teams are stronger and more productive as a
whole. Their cultural environment is a prime reason they are one of the most sought-after
employers in the world today.
Instances Requiring Change
As the landscape of many larger corporate firms change on a year to year basis, change is
often needed to be implemented in order to maintain success.
My former employer, iBeam Broadcasting, merged one year after they became that name
due to a bankruptcy and delisting on the NASDAQ. We were acquired by a Tulsa, OK company
called Williams Energy. Because of this transition, we had to be trained to the ways and means
of the parent company who acquired us and the training handed down from manager to
employee. I was the main person on the transition team who went to Oklahoma to learn policy
and procedure and then handed it down to the assistants across the country who reported to me
so that they could train their supervisors and down the line.
Another instance that required a change at a former employer was the hiring of our first
wheelchair-bound employee. The company took it upon themselves to install an elevator so that
he could maneuver around the floors with ease. Embracing this diversification resulted in our
tech support calls being handled in an expedient manner but it did take some training for the staff
to acclimate to his diversity issues.
Finally, when similar situations happen where a new President is brought in, there is
always a period of adjustment. People have to adjust to new ways and ideals as to the company
vision and mission as well as what they view as deliverables. This is very prevalent in the case
of UBS who recently brought on a new CEO as well as Credit Suisse’s CEO who have both

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shifted their company’s mission to empowering overseas countries instead of those in the U.S.
(Reuters, Fortune Magazine, 2015). In many unpublished instances, the company (UBS) lost
key employees because of the focus shift and those employees left the investment giant in order
to seek out a company whose vision and mission matched their own.
Conclusion
As companies seek to find managers who fit their leadership styles, it becomes
empirically evident that the need for diversification and inclusion are key to the company’s
success. Employees are hired from diverse backgrounds due to their empirical skill set and need
to be acclimated into the teams that are already established so that the structure of the team is not
interrupted or broken.
While managers guide the individuals on specific goals and paths to their success while
working on needed improvements, leaders are responsible for the strategic vision and mission of
the organization. By understanding, in full, how the organizational structures are implemented,
they are better able to make decisions on task assignment to managers as well as to provide an
accountability of deliverables, including communication of same.
Often, the idea to promote someone into a leadership role from either the outside of the
company or another position within the company exists. In order to effectively gauge the
readiness and skills of these individuals into these roles, leadership assessments are often
conducted so that a clear understanding of management styles, objectives and alignment with the
company vision exist.
In order to create and preserve a positive corporate culture, such as that exhibited by
Google.com, managers and leaders need to embrace the diversity of their employees while
allowing for clear communication, the ability for employees to do their job free of the

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overbearing arm of micromanagement, while encouraging team members to become part of a
team while feeling there are motivated and their work are key to this successful environment.
Employees often leave their jobs in negative work environments due to poor management or
leadership environments and the feelings that their job is irrelevant to the company. By
fostering a positive corporate culture we retain and draw key employees which help our overall
success as well as providing a vision for the future.
Finally, while we can often take all of these steps to ensure a positive environment,
sometimes things happen beyond the control of the company which requires an adaptation to
change. This can be anything from a change in management, ownership or being assigned to
another team other than your originally designated one. Regardless of the change, happy, strong,
employees who feel that they are part of the success of the company will embrace this change
and forge ahead for the company as if it were their own.
Regardless of the changes that happen within a company, when a group is a true team and
working toward a common goal in a positive work environment with proper leadership and
management in place, there is almost nothing they cannot accomplish as they will always stick
together to get the job done for the company. Google is a prime example of all points outlined in
this paper as well as a model company to base any positive environment on should a company
wish to change their corporate environment and embrace all workers as one.

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References
Can Anyone Lead? (N.D.). Retrieved from Legitimate Leadership:
http://www.legitimateleadership.com/2016/08/15/can-anyone-lead/
Fallon, N. (2015, 02 02). How to Train a Good Leader. Retrieved from Business News Daily:
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5818-leadership-training.html
Mollica, P. K. (N.D.). Organizational Change: what Effective Leaders Do. Retrieved from The
Centre Group: http://www.thecentregroup.com/organization-change-what-effective-
leaders-do/
Morrison, M. (2012, 08 22). Google's Project Oxygen - 8 Point Plan to Help Managers Improve.
Retrieved from Rapidbi: https://rapidbi.com/google-project-oxygen-8-point-plan-to-help-
managers/
Musibau, A. A., Cho, N., Ekanem Edem Udo, U., & Ojpcjode, F. P. (2016). HOW
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AIDS BUSINESS PERFORMANCE. CLEAR
International Journal Of Research In Commerce & Management, 7(8), 64-68. Retrieved
from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.lb-
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53091ac044be%40sessionmgr4008&vid=5&hid=4201
Reuters, Fortune Magazine. (2015, 10 21). Credit Suisse's New CEO. Retrieved from Fortune:
http://fortune.com/2015/10/21/credit-suisse-thiam-capital-hike/
Woodson, L. C. (2013). The utility of diversity training in the new millennium: Does it impact a
leader's ability to manage differences and create an inclusive work environment?(Order
No. 1542155). Available from ProQuest Central. (1425322085). Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1425322085?accountid=14375