Introduction
Knowledge management systems (KMSs) are also described as people systems since they provide a stage for social interaction and reflection of the organizational management (Koenig, 2004). It is therefore important to get the people on board with the process of thinking towards strategic management plans so that they may know what the Vietnamese-American United Methodist Church (VAUMC) expects of them. Kotter (1996, pg. 85-100) gives advice on how the KM team should set expectations that can be exercised successfully by the people being managed. He states that for organizations to effectively manage all their resource persons, then it has to, provide proper directions for the people, keep the people involved, follow up targeted plans and routinely acknowledge the success of all the employees and stakeholders. However, according to Goldsmith, Morgan & Ogg (2004, pg. 157), the task of the administrative support of the church in northern Virginia is never easy to implement since people always seek to be led, not managed.
Body
This tendency implies that on very many occasions the employees of any organization do not like to be managed because, people never like being organized, directly controlled and planned, but they prefer being part of the managerial team and take part in the managerial processes by being partners in the value creation process (Buchanann & Huczynski, 2007). In as much as people hate direct management, they can be easily frustrated when proper management is not put in place. Therefore, for the church and the bible study group to run effectively, there is a need for inspired administrators to lead with charisma, courage, integrity and passion to provide proper directions (Goldsmith, Morgan & Ogg, 2004, pg. 157). The benefits of properly managing people cannot be underestimated because the church can only achieve their targets and plans by the skills and services of their people hence, they should always get the best management that can create high performing teams, effectively delegate and train/coach/mentor/develop their people.
The general desire of all employees and the stakeholders of the church is to be ruled by a leader and not a manager. However, this should never be the case because when we view the organizational interest we see that the manager should be the central figure to make key decisions from the information acquired about the church. An organization’s manager should be more than a leader because he is a historical and a future leader, teacher-oriented person, an information generator and a legal administrator (Koenig, 2004). On the other hand, a manager can act as a leader to a point that he uses the generated information to design the plans for future improvement within the organization. Nevertheless, leaders are incapable of running over employees and their targets to realize organizational goals; they always favor the organizational aims and appreciate the individuals’ goals as well. A manager’s role explicitly involves the guidance and management of the employees’ performances as individuals or as a team, setting performance objectives, providing feedback, appraising people’s performances, ensuring that good employees’ performances are rewarded and guiding the organization’s development (Bloisi et al, 2003).
Conclusion
For success in supervision and managing people, the church leaders and directors should learn how people’s behavior varies under different supervision approaches and apply the lesson learned. Church administrators should appreciate the diversities in human behavior and respond in specific ways to these behaviors. They should therefore have a clear vision and be able to inspire hope and confidence in the individual employees to improve their relationships with their subjects within the organization.
References
Bloisi, W., Cook, W.C., & Hunsaker, P.L. (2003). Management and Organizational Behaviour. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Educational.
Buchanann, D., & Huczynski, A. (2007). Organizational Behaviour (6th ed.). London: Prentice Hall.
Goldsmith, M., Morgan, H. & Ogg, A. (2004). Leading Organizational Learning: Harnessing The Power Of Knowledge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Koenig, M., & Srikantaiah, T. (2004). Knowledge of Management. Lesson Learned; What Works And What Doesn’t. Medford, NJ: Information Today.
Kotter, P.J. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.