PDF Analysis of manager - Information Technology

Analysis of manager:

Matt Morley, Director of Information Technology for Nugget Markets, Inc, leads his team of eight with what Grid International describes as a dominant style of 9,9 Sound (Contribute and Commit) and a back-up of 1,9 Accommodating (Yield and comply). (Grid International, 2007) Mr. Morley himself describes his management style as "servant leadership", believing he works for his team, and not the other way around. (M. Morley, personal communication, October 5,2007) He welcomes input from not only his immediate team, but his "larger team" of the ten stores his department serves and strives for continuous improvement of not only his department, but of the company as a whole.

The Grid International 9,9 objective style is particularly well-suited to Nugget Market, where open and honest communication is highly valued. "If you have a problem, get it out into the open and work through it" is a good description of Mr. Morley's communication style with his associates. In a high stress department such as Information Technology, which is responsible for the information service needs of ten stores, being able to have an open dialogue with team members is important to keep the department as a whole running smoothly and operating at peak efficiency. Mr. Morley understands that sometimes robust dialogue is vital to keep the team focused and moving in the right direction. In return, he expects his team to be open and honest with him about their needs and concerns, and they feel that they can come to him with any concerns, suggestions or criticisms and be genuinely listened to. (K. Scott, personal communication, November 9,2007) As a manager he is prepared to make tough decisions regarding his staff, and knows that sometimes the necessary addition or subtraction of one team member can

change the dynamic of the entire team. (M. Morley, personal communication, October 5, 2007)

The driving characteristic of the 9,9 style is not differentiating between concern for people and concern for results, which Mr. Morley displays every day. Unlike the 9,1 style which sees a high concern for people at odds with concern for results, Mr. Morley believes that it is only natural to show concern for his associates, and that that concern, rather than hindering results, encourages them. He shows real interest in his team, and pride in their accomplishments, which motivates them to strive for better results. "As a leader...to have your team rewarded is the best reward one can receive!" (M. Morley, personal communication, October 5, 2007) Mr. Morley considers his team's accomplishments his own, and rather than be disappointed when someone leaves or is promoted to another position, he is proud. A former teammate, Erica Greer, is now a store director. "The thing about Matt is he always has a zillion things on his plate and you can ask him to do a zillion more for you and he never hesitates, never acts like you are inconveniencing him, and he is always there to support and praise his team." (E. Greer, personal communication November 14, 2007)

Mr. Morley pushes his team to succeed by setting department goals and giving his team the tools they need, such as cross training within the department. While some team members have more specialized job descriptions, such as software development, nearly every member of his eight person team can step in to another associate's shoes to help out when needed. He also looks to grow his associates into other positions. Because he started the department he has always been actively involved in opening new stores within the chain, and setting up their P.O.S. (point of sale) departments which are responsible

for all pricing within the store and are extensions of his department. It is something that he loves doing, but this year, with the opening of the latest store in March, he handed over the reigns to his P.O.S. team lead so that she could run the opening herself. A member of his team for 10 years, Kim Scott says of Mr. Morley, "[Matt] is not afraid to put responsibility onto you, and then observe your progress, watch you fail so you can learn from it, then guide you to the correct end result. Don't get me wrong, he likes it even more when we succeed the first time, but he knows that failure is not always a bad thing." (K. Scott, personal communication, November 9, 2007). The view that his team can learn from failure and that they can fail without fear of recrimination is a part of Mr. Morley's management philosophy and mirrors the Grid International assertion that the 9,9 style allows "the freedom to test the limits of success with enthusiasm and confidence." (Grid International, 2007) When team members, including associates in the stores and at corporate, have ideas or suggestions he listens.

In Mr. Morley's case the back-up style of 1,9 is not just used when the dominant style is inappropriate. He sees it as being integrated into his daily relationships with his team and other members of the company; used when needed to backup the more aggressive 9,9 style, when more finesse is needed. Because of the stressful and timesensitive nature of the work it is important to have results in the forefront of the team's thoughts and actions. However, periods of stress need to be balanced with understanding for associate's needs. Occasionally results can be put on hold to concentrate on the team and their needs and concerns; this will make the team work better and more efficiently, which will be evident in the results. This understanding requires patience, the patience to hold off on results for the present in order to gain better results in the future.

When asked, Mr. Morley describes his management style as "servant leadership". "Servant leadership emphasizes a personal relationship with employees, a commitment to helping them grow as individuals, and a commitment to creating an ethical and caring organization."(Singer-Gordon, 2005, p.276) He believes he serves his team and together they serve the stores and their guests, and works to be the leader his team need him to be, rather than demanding that they change for his needs. "Matt believes in the upside down pyramid. We are our own bosses and he is giving us the tools to succeed." (K. Scott, personal communication, November 9, 2007) Part of this means finding the right person for the right job. Within the Information Department this is accomplished by crosstraining associates and giving them responsibility ? in this manner they learn what they are capable of, and can develop the confidence needed to move up within the department and the organization. But being a "servant leader" does not mean allowing associates to walk all over you in the name of serving them. People are best served by being held accountable to goals and responsibilities.

There is no conflict between the Grid International 9,9 dominant/ 1,9 backup style and servant leadership. Instead, they are very similar in that they both stress a high regard for team members. The Grid International 9,9 dominant style's additional concentration on results is not in opposition to servant leadership if you believe that providing focus is serving associates. Greenleaf (1998) wrote in The Power of Servant Leadership "We know how to transform institutions so that they will be substantially more serving to all who are touched by them"(p.23). In leading his team, and being an example for the rest of his company, Mr. Morley is doing just that: serving everyone he and his team encounters, from vendors to guests. Mr. Morley exemplifies the best of both the Grid

International and Servant Leadership styles, leading his team with true concern for their well-being and advancement and vision for what he needs them to accomplish, believing that, ultimately, the accomplishments of his team are his most lasting legacy.

Organizational Plan:

The Point of Sale department is an integral part of the Information department at Nugget Market, and is responsible for all pricing within the ten store Nugget/Food for Less chain. Using the Six Sigma doctrine can improve the ultimate goal of the P.O.S. (Point of Sale department, responsible for pricing of the bulk of the grocery department in the stores) which is price integrity with guests (shoppers). Price integrity entails every product on the shelves scanning correctly, and every product having an accompanying price tag. This goal ensures that guests know every time they visit the store that the price they see on the shelf tag is the one they will be charged. Six Sigma and DMAIC offer the chance at making a fresh start for point of sale price integrity for many departments. (Pande, 2000, p.150)

Define:

Price integrity is the goal of the Point of Sale department, a sub-department of the Information Technology. Fewer EC04's represent the goal of price integrity at store level. EC04's are records of items are not on file ? the item does not have it's barcode on file in the main database and will not ring up. When a product will not ring up at the cash register an EC04 is produced. If the item barcode does not scan the register produces a

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