The first importance of knowing my ideal work culture is that it would enable me to treat employees with respect. It is important for employees to be accorded reasonable treatment because this motivates them to contribute positively towards achievement of organizational goals.
The second importance is that knowledge of my ideal work culture would enable me to develop strategic and operational goals that are important for the success of my business enterprise. For instance, it would be possible to know how to distribute different tasks among employees who have the expertise and capability to deliver good results. This is only possible when an individual has good knowledge of the ideal work culture of the business organization (Linehan, 2001).
The third way through which knowledge of my ideal work culture would improve my business is by enabling me to develop operational plans to deal with competition. Competition is a sensitive business issue that individuals should know how to deal with in order to succeed. This is based on analysis of factors that either enhance or hinder business performance. Knowledge of my ideal work culture would therefore be critical towards the achievement of business goals and objectives through sustained competitiveness.
SWOT Analysis
In order to conduct a SWOT analysis in an effective manner, certain key competencies are required. The first competency is the ability to scan a business environment in order to identify the internal and external factors that contribute towards business failure or success. The second competency required to conduct a SWOT analysis is leadership effectiveness. Leadership plays an important role in any business organization because without it, analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats cannot be effectively done. The third competency required in a SWOT analysis is organizational structures and systems. These are crucial because they provide the necessary frameworks to carry out the analysis.
My competencies are closely related to the competencies of conducting a SWOT analysis. For instance, a SWOT analysis requires effective leadership for identification of different factors that affect business performance. It also requires a clear understanding of the environment in which a business organization operates. These competencies are closely related to the ones required to conduct a SWOT analysis (Understanding Organization and Organization Culture, 2012).
Functional Areas of the Business
Human Resources
The human resource department is one of the most important functional areas of my business organization. It plays an important role in ensuring that employees are recruited and trained well to perform their jobs effectively. The department is headed by a manager who ensures that employees fill out important documents. Some of the documents show the amount of money they are deducted every month while others show their eligibility to work in the organization. It is the responsibility of a human resource manager to determine the minimum and maximum salaries for employees based on their qualifications and comparable salary patterns in the industry.
Marketing
Another functional area of my business organization is the marketing department. This is a crucial area that determines whether the business would succeed or not. It is comprised of marketing professionals who fix prices of different products that are introduced to customers. They first carry out market research in order to find out the needs and wants of the customers. This helps my business to position its strategies in an appropriate manner. Marketing managers are responsible for developing the most effective advertising and promotional strategies required in order to popularize products of the business. In addition, they come up with budgets for different advertising campaigns done on radio, TV and the internet. Distribution channels are also important for my business hence the marketing managers have to identify the most suitable ones. The marketing department is therefore a functional and important area that performs critical business roles (Understanding Organization and Organization Culture, 2012).
Customer Service
Customer service is also another functional area of my business organization. It is comprised of customer service representatives who deal with sensitive and urgent customer concerns. For instance, some customers might want to get detailed explanations about certain products while others might experience certain problems as they use products bought from the business. It is the responsibility of customer service representatives to handle such issues to the satisfaction of the customers. This department deals with customers in a courteous and professional manner to ensure that they are satisfied with services and products they get from my business organization.
My Roles as a Manager
A manager plays an important role in a business organization. Without his/her input, it is difficult for the most important activities in business organizations to be performed. He/she ensures that the resources available are used in an efficient and effective manner. This is achieved through coordination of all employees to work towards the achievement of a common goal.
My first role as a manager is to communicate the goals and objectives of the business organization to the rest of the employees. For the goals of the business to be achieved and its vision realized, communication must be effective. Once employees own the vision of the business, it becomes easy to encourage them to work towards its realization because they feel that they are an important part of the business organization. This requires effective and persuasive communication and it is one of my roles as a manager.
My second role as a manager is that of decision making. As a manager, I am supposed to identify suitable ways of communicating changes that are supposed to take place in the business organization. Setting goals of the business organization is also a critical role for the manager. Employees require motivation and this means that as a manager, I have to be close to them for support and motivation. They feel confident and energized when they are praised for doing their work effectively. As a manager, I am also supposed to correct mistakes committed and provide constructive feedback. Decision making is therefore an important role that I would perform.
The third role that I would perform as a manager is conflict resolution within the business organization. It is a common thing for conflicts to arise in business organizations thus it is important for a manager to have the capability to resolve them in a manner that satisfies all employees. This ensures that the quality of the work they do is satisfactory. The implication is that a manager has to play an important role in increasing productivity of the employees. It is imperative for me as a manager to realize that the success of my business organization relies on the input of employees. As a result, their level of satisfaction would determine the extent to which my business enterprise would succeed. Highly motivated employees would work hard for the success of the business organization. As a manager, I would serve as an example to the employees to realize the success of the business organization.
The fourth role that I would perform as a manager is that of a counselor. It is natural for employees to have personal challenges that might affect the way they do their work. During such situations, employees look up to the manager for assistance and guidance. As a manager, I would be able to identify problems among them, whether business related or personal. This would ensure that all employees remain focused towards the achievement of business goals. Managers who distance themselves from personal problems of the employees contribute towards the failure of their businesses because employees cannot perform well while struggling with personal problems (Linehan, 2001).
The fifth role that I would perform as a manager is that of an evaluator. As a manager, I am supposed to make an analysis of different situations and work patterns to ensure that standards set by the business organization are adhered to. In order to achieve this, I would evaluate information presented to me to ensure that it conforms to the standards of the business organization.
Finally, as a manager in my business organization, I would perform the role of an innovator. A successful manager is one who is capable of identifying new methods of completing tasks in order to increase efficiency. Innovation would be critical for the growth and success of my business organization because it would reduce costs and enhance work performance. As a manager, I would ensure that innovative strategies are adopted by all employees for the business to succeed.
References
Linehan, M. (2001). Networking for female managers’ career development. The Journal of Management Development 20(10), 823-829.
Understanding Organization and Organization Culture. (2012). Web.