The issue of what constitutes the best management style is extremely relevant. Organizations want to outperform their competitors and choose management styles that fit their organizational and market realities. It would be fair to say that there is no best management style. Only managers who are flexible in their decisions and can successfully re-adjust to the changeable conditions of organizational performance have solid chances to meet organizations’ strategic objectives.
Therefore, it is essential that managers are able to define their best features and create a general picture of the preferred management characteristics and styles. This knowledge will help organizations to achieve the desired fit between management practices and their business and market ambitions (Barringer & Bluedorn, 1999).
Like any other manager, I find the process of self-analysis extremely fascinating. Based on Ungvari’s (n.d.) article, I exemplify a unique combination of a Logical Processor and Hypothetical Analyzer. Logical processing is my primary style, whereas Hypothetical analyzing adds value to my logical and methodological skills. According to Ungvari (n.d.), “logical processors are detail oriented and prefer clear, comprehensive assignments with logical outcomes.”
A mechanic in the military, I am bound to fulfill logical, well-structured, clear and comprehensive assignments on a daily basis. The army itself and its organizational atmosphere impose clear standards of performance and demand precise and comprehensive organizational responses.
As a Hypothetical analyzer, I enjoy task complexity and weight numerous alternatives, before taking a decision that will lead me to the desired outcome (Ungvari, n.d.). there is a positive relationship between managerial behaviors and organizational cultures/ styles (Saadler-Smith, Hampson, Chaston & Badger, 2003). My preferred style is equally the result of my personal features and character and the product of the organizational influences in the army.
The Logical Processor and Hypothetical Analyzer create a new, Conservator’s profile (Ungvari, n.d.). The latter is characterized by “strong adherence to procedural and methodological techniques” (Ungvari, n.d.). This style ideally fits in organizational environments with maximum stability and minimum downsize risks (Ungvari, n.d.). This is particularly the case of military organizations and environments, where strict adherence to rules and procedures, subordination and clarity of tasks and commands, as well as commitment to the basic standards of conduct predetermine the success of all practical initiatives. In 1977, Weigley wrote that strict adherence to approved policies and regulations had to become the defining feature of American military successes.
Little has changed since then. My striving to comprehensibility and logic facilitated my assimilation into the military culture. I am brief and concise in my communication with colleagues and supervisors. I am logical in my decisions. I realize that, at times, my conservative commitments and beliefs may become too rigid and unpractical. However, at the current stage of professional development, there is an optimal matching between what I do and what I am expected to do in this organizational atmosphere. Simultaneously, even the most stable environments require a certain degree of professional and managerial flexibility, to be able to satisfy the changeable demands of organizational performance.
The issue of what constitutes the best management style is extremely relevant. Based on Ungvari’s (n.d.) article, I exemplify a unique combination of a Logical Processor and Hypothetical Analyzer. Simply stated, I am a Conservator who demonstrates strict adherence to procedural techniques, enjoys complexity and stability, and weighs numerous alternatives before taking the best decision. Certainly, conservative beliefs may be too rigid and unpractical; however, in the current situation, there is an optimal matching between what I do and what I am expected to do in the military. My knowledge of the preferred management style will help me to re-focus my decisions and efforts in ways that benefit my organization and my professional career.
References
Barringer, B.R. & Bluedorn, A.C. (1999). The relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 20, 421-444.
Sadler-Smith, E., Hampson, Y., Chaston, I. & Badger, B. (2003). Managerial behavior, entrepreneurial style, and small firm performance. Journal of Small Business Management, 41(1), 47-67.
Weigley, R.F. (1977). The American way of war: A history of United States military strategy and policy. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Ungvari, S.F. (n.d.). (TRIZ)OE = Improving TRIZ results by dynamically matching tools to teams. The TRIZ Journal. Web.