Individuals are distinctively different from each other. It is easy for some individuals to undertake certain activities but difficult for other individuals to undertake similar activities. Therefore, it is vital for an organization to understand the strengths and weaknesses of its employees. This would reduce the effort that an organization may use in training its employees how to perform certain activities with ease. This is because “it takes much more energy to improve from incompetence to mediocrity that it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence” (Drucker, 2005, p. 102). Therefore, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of employees would improve the efficiency and productivity of the employees and the organization.
Proper management of individual employees requires the management to know the values of the individual employees. The values of individual employees determine their willingness to undertake certain activities. These values should the compatible with those of the organization. To conform to the values of employees, organizations should engage in ethical activities. If the values of individual employees do not conform to the values of the organization, individual employees may resign from their jobs since they do not find their jobs pleasurable. This may make the organization lose its valuable employees. An organization may determine the conformity of values of employees to those of the organization during the hiring process. This would lead to a significant reduction in the turnover of employees due to incompatibility of values (Drucker, 2005). If the values of individual employees conform to the value of the organization, the employees are likely to be highly motivated in their jobs.
An organization should also be able to determine the leadership qualities of individual employees. This is because certain employees may perform exemplary as subordinates but perform poorly as leaders. Good leaders should be able to bold decisions. However, neurotic imposters may be unable to undertake bold decisions once they assume leadership positions due to fear of failure (de Vries, 2005). The fear of making decisions may be detrimental to the performance of the organization. Therefore, it is vital for the organization to determine the level of responsibility that individual employees may assume without compromising their performance.
The main aim of empowerment is to increase the productivity of employees. Empowerment makes employees to assume more power and authority. This increases their confidence, which is vital for improved productivity (Walker, 2012). The ability of employees to take more responsibility for their activities is critical for the success of the empowerment strategy of any organization. Therefore, it is vital for the management of the organization to determine whether the employees would improve their performance if they assume more responsibility. In addition, the organization should determine whether the values of the organization conform to those of individual employees. Empowering employees to undertake activities that are incompatible with their values would be a waste of time and money for an organization. The hiring process is vital in determining individuals whose values are compatible with those of the organization. Ensuring that employees assume additional responsibilities gradually would help in determining how the additional responsibilities affect the productivity of the employees.
It is vital for the management of an organization to have a good understanding of individual employees. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of employees would help in formulating job descriptions that would improve the productivity of employees. This would improve the efficiency and productivity of employees and the organization.
References
Drucker, P.F. (2005). Managing oneself. Harvard Business Review, 100-109.
de Vries, M.F.R. (2005). The dangers of feeling like a fake. Harvard Business Review, 108-116.
Walker, A. (2012). Empowerment. Vermont Nurses in Partnership. Web.