Introduction
Performing managerial tasks in the present-day world is becoming complicated due to the evolution of the field, resulting in the modification of all procedures. It is conditional upon the change in the way people communicate, which implies innovations applicable to all areas of companies’ activity. Therefore, the majority of challenges in this respect can be examined through customer relationships, managers’ mindsets, organizational structure, and the required degree of flexibility in regular operations.
Customer Relationships
The principal aspect crucial for grasping the meaning of managerial issues in the current business environment is the interactions between companies’ representatives and their customers. According to Haenlein (2017), prioritizing this area of work is one of the main provisions used for ensuring the productiveness of various organizations. Meanwhile, this condition is unstable, and its development over time presents new challenges to managers in the absence of effective coping techniques. Thus, even though there is a definite similarity between strategies of the past and present, the main difference is in the present-day focus on strategic options in maintaining the communication (Haenlein, 2017). In this way, the occurred shift can be characterized as the understanding of the failure of viewing customers as investments, which are guaranteed when the offer is attractive enough (Haenlein, 2017). At present, following these outdated rules will indicate the impossibility for businesses to remain competitive in the market. Thus, managers’ responsibilities are becoming more complex due to the need for an individualized approach to interactions with clients instead of the sole orientation on the product value, which was deemed sufficient in the past.
Managers’ Mindset
The mentioned ideas regarding customer relationships are complemented by the necessity to readjust managers’ perceptions to provide them with sufficient guidance in the decision-making process. This task is critical due to the fact that the success of initiatives of companies in the modern world significantly depends on these specialists’ creativity. This stance is confirmed by the researchers, who proved the correlation between design thinking, which is a thorough assessment of situations concerning the emerging circumstances, and the outcomes of companies’ activity in the long run (Schumacher & Mayer, 2018). In other words, in order to efficiently perform managerial operations, one needs to take into consideration the possibility of shifts in customer preferences, technological advances, and evolving business models (Schumacher & Mayer, 2018). Otherwise, the affected organizations will not be able to claim the value of their products or services, and this condition will eventually lead to their perception as a traditional enterprise with limited capabilities.
Organizational Structure
Another problem related to the complications in work performed by managers is organizational structure, which is also influenced by the market conditions. In this area, the number of participants in the case of team projects and the patterns of coordinating their performance are the two circumstances, which determines the results of their activity (Jaques, 2017). As follows from the assumptions presented by Jaques (2017), the available options are focusing either on the improvements of the existing processes or empowering individuals to take on the responsibility for specific tasks. In this way, they can be applied depending on the current needs of organizations, and the careful selection of one or another method of operation is vital for profitability and productiveness. In the past, the situation was less complicated since the first approach was preferable, and no one attempted to question its feasibility (Cardinal, Kreutzer, & Miller, 2017). Currently, this issue adds to managerial challenges as it implies the requirement of regularly evaluating the external circumstances of each designed project and being capable of moving from one mode to another in a timely manner.
Organizational Control
Considering the above factors, including complex patterns of communication, attitudes of the personnel to performed tasks, and the need for selecting the orientation on either individuals or teams, organizational control presents a challenge for managers. Its significance is conditional upon the necessity to focus on both the external environment and internal conditions of businesses (Cardinal et al., 2017). From this point of view, the success of this initiative is essential for the outcomes as they correspond to the efficiency of appropriate instruments, whereas the old frameworks do not provide sufficient guidance in this regard (Cardinal et al., 2017). Hence, the need for maintaining a balance between formal and informal techniques, the required levels of coerciveness, and singular or holistic measures adopted for this purpose (Cardinal et al., 2017). In other words, the multi-faceted nature of organizational control in present-day companies can be viewed as a critical challenge for managers, who strive to guarantee profitability and effectiveness of regular procedures alongside unexpected circumstances.
Conclusion
To summarize, the principal managerial challenges of the 21st century are related to several aspects that are significant for survival. They include the need for adopting an individualized approach to clients, applying critical thinking skills to analyzing situations, and shifting the focus between teams and employees. Also, these conditions correlate with organizational control, which is the requirement for maintaining the proper coordination of the above factors and innovative management techniques.
References
Cardinal, L. B., Kreutzer, M., & Miller, C. C. (2017). An aspirational view of organizational control research: Re-invigorating empirical work to better meet the challenges of 21st-century organizations. Academy of Management Annals, 11(2), 559-592.
Haenlein, M. (2017). How to date your clients in the 21st century: Challenges in managing customer relationships in today’s world. Business Horizons, 60(5), 577-586.
Jaques, E. (2017). Requisite organization: A total system for effective managerial organization and managerial leadership for the 21st century. New York, NY: Routledge.
Schumacher, T., & Mayer, S. (2018). Preparing managers for turbulent contexts: Teaching the principles of design thinking. Journal of Management Education, 42(4), 496-523.