MANAGERIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS IN PUBLIC SECTOR



TOWARDS EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE

By

MALAMI MUHAMMAD MAISHANU PH.D

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

USMANU DANFODIYO UNIVERSITY, SOKOTO

AT THE MANDATORY CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL TRAINING (MCPT) OF THE INSTITUTE OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS OF NIGERIA (ICPAN)

VENUE: GIGINYA HOTEL, SOKOTO

DATE: 2ND AND 3RD AUGUST 2007

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The public service is the biggest employer of human resources in this country and so it is more important than ever that we endeavour to make the best use of that resource. It is imperative therefore that we harness the energy of those who work in the service in order to realise their full potential and maximise their contribution.

This paper outlines in straightforward terms the very simple actions that managers or administrators need to take to develop their managerial skills and get the best out of people for the benefit of their communities. In order for managers to fulfil their roles as successful leaders, they must posses certain skills and qualities. Although some people are lucky enough to be born with the required characteristics, good natural leaders tend to be an extremely rare breed. Most people have to work hard to learn, practice and perfect the skills of leadership.

There are many skills categorised under conceptual, human and technical that a manager or administrator should learn and acquire. These skills range from communication, financial, delegation, risk, contract, performance, information, change, project, decision-making, interpersonal, negotiation, analytical etc. However, due to space and time limitation, this paper will only discuss some of those that are cogent to providing good leadership in the public service.

1.2 DECISION-MAKING SKILL

A decision is a choice amongst several alternatives whereby a person or group of people forms a conclusion about a situation. The purpose of decision making is to direct behaviour towards a future goal. If there were no alternatives, there would be no need for a decision. To decide also means to pass judgement or to make up one’s mind. It implies two or more alternatives under consideration, with the decision maker choosing one of them to end his or her deliberation.

An integral element of the managerial task is organisational decision making – choosing an overall strategy, setting specific objectives, designing structures and processes, selecting people, delegating responsibility, evaluating results, and initiating changes. Our understanding of management can be enhanced by viewing it from a decision-making perspective and recognising that managerial decision making is a sequential process rather than an act, in that problems are seldom resolved once and for all. Subsequent decisions are affected by previous decisions and developments over time. It is a process that includes searching out and recognising problems as well as analysing them (inventing, developing, and evaluating alternatives) and choosing courses of action to be implemented.

To take effective decisions a manager must:

Consider – The time scale of the decision, the background, and the implications

Consult – All those affected by the decision

Crunch – Make the decision clearly and promptly

Check – Monitor to make sure the decision has been carried out and it works

There are several ways of reaching a decision and it is important for a manager or administrator to be aware of them. This does not mean that there is only one way, the best method depends on the decision and its significance.

Majority Vote – This is the commonest way of reaching a decision. It is quick and can give the impression that the group is making real progress. Of course, the reality is rarely that simple. Think about what happens in a political debate. The majority might win, but the minority does not exactly swap sides – they just wait for something to go wrong and then say ‘I told you so’! If the decision is fairly trivial and will not seriously affect the outcome of the organizational work, then majority votes may be useful. But if you need the full commitment of the group it is better to try a different method.

Consensus of Silence – This is the assumed close beloved of salespeople. Here the manager usually asks a closed question that requires only a yes/no reply, such as, ‘Does anyone have any objections?’ Most people do not like to break the silence and object because they feel embarrassed at not having understood properly. Alternatively they may be bored or desperate for a break. It is difficult to think of a situation where the assumed close is a valid approach. It can in fact be a relief to people when there has been a long debate and there is no real conclusion. The manager may say, ‘Would anyone object if we left this and come back to it another time?’ You may even hear a spontaneous round of applause!

Shouting down objectors – This method of decision making is well known. It is based on shouting down any objectors, and is popular with people who have particularly loud voices. Unfortunately, these people are often highly opinionated and the combination of the two characteristics presents a challenge for even the most seasoned leaders. A third characteristic which can result in an impossible combination is if the person concerned is in a position of power of influence. Frankly the group members might as well go home if this happens!

Unanimous Decision – There are of course a few times when a decision is made unanimously. This is the fourth style and can be achieved by any of the above methods.

Compromise - Usually the option of the least resistance or most common denominator is taken. It can be appropriate if the decision is a minor one.

Consensus – This is the most appropriate if the group is not unanimous on an issue. For some reason some people associate consensus with anarchy. They assume that it means everyone has to debate and discuss extraordinarily. It is, they say, not the stuff of ‘real’ managers. However, consensus decision making is very different from the above description. It requires a ground rule to have been agreed in advance that says, ‘We agreed that all decisions will be made from the point of view of the group/department/ministry/etc and not from an individual’s position.’ This means that not everyone will wholly agree, but they will at least accept the consensus decision. Then when it is time to make a decision the question is phrased as, ‘From the ministry’s viewpoint what do we think?’ or the equivalent. This removes most of the emotional concerns that hinder decisions and aligns everyone’s thinking.

1.3 DELEGATION SKILL—A KEY TO SUCCESS

A. Meaning an importance of delegation

Delegation is a skill of which we have all heard - but which few understand. It can be used either as an excuse for dumping failure onto the shoulders of subordinates, or as a dynamic tool for motivating and training your team to realize their full potential. (Palsgrave 1530)

As the ancient quotation above suggests, delegation is primarily about entrusting your authority to others. This means that they can act and initiate independently; and that they assume responsibility with you for certain tasks. If something goes wrong, you remain responsible since you are the manager; the trick is to delegate in such a way that things get done but do not go (badly) wrong. Delegation underpins a style of management which allows your staff to use and develop their skills and knowledge to the full potential. Without delegation, you lose their full value. With delegation, your staff have the authority to react to situations without referring back to you.

Effective delegation of functions and authority downwards is a rather difficult task for most managers. Even when functions are delegated downwards, authority to perform is usually held back or diluted by most managers. To reduce such tendency, it is specifically stated in section 7 of Decree 43 of 1988 that minister should not only delegate functions to the Director-General, but that ‘there shall be further delegation of powers and functions down the line of each ministry.

B.   How to delegate effectively

1.   Make sure individual has knowledge and ability to do the job

2.   Individual must have interest in doing the job

3.   Explain task to be accomplished

4.   Make the project their project

5.   Provide support and reference material

6.   Define and state authority necessary to do the job

7.   Establish time table

8.   Provide adequate time to perform the job

9.   Institute automatic feedback controls

10.   Follow-through

11.   Never undermine a delegated responsibility

12.   Use positive reinforcement

C.   Why do some staff members resist having responsibilities delegated to them?

1.   They do not wish to make the necessary decisions involved

2.   They are not sure how much authority they have

3.   They do not feel equipped to handle the work and believe that they do not have enough information or direction

4.   They are not prepared to accept responsibility

5.   They do not see what is in it for them

6.   They have made mistakes in the past that have embarrassed them or made you angry.

7.   They are not aware that you have actually delegated something to them.

8.   They feel that they already have too much to do.

9.   They think the task is inappropriate for their job category or temperament.

D.   Some Common Reasons Why We, As Managers, Fail To Delegate

1.   You feel that you must do everything and think that no one else can do it as well.

2.   You may lack confidence in your staff.

3.   You might be a perfectionist.

4.   You might not like change.

5.   You may have an inferiority complex.

E. Tasks That Should Not Be Delegated

1.   The Signing of Cheques

2.   The Final Word on Collection

3.   Spot Checking on Financial or Personnel Records

4.   Making the Final Decision on Major Management Policy

1.4 COMMUNICATION SKILLS

It has been said that management is concerned with the way jobs are done through other people. Communication therefore is the means whereby people in an organisation exchange information regarding the operations of the enterprise. It is the interchange of ideas, facts and emotions by two or more persons. Without communication business environment, government, and public activities cannot exist; it is by communication that we become aware of other people’s needs and wants and hence act accordingly. In fact without communication nothing can happen, no instructions can be given, no orders taken, and no contracts made with the individual worker. The administrative machinery of any organisation will simple break down.

Effective communication is therefore based on certain principles

• Clarity – the language used should be clear and concise, the user should bear in mind the objectives of the communication.

• Attention – attention should be paid by the recipient of the communication – lack of careful attention is a human failing.

• Integrity and sincerity – the more employees are told of the organisation and its future, the more they will respect the integrity of management and morale will be raised and harmony of working encouraged. Any changes should be carefully explained at an early stage. Communications should wherever possible also be sent down the accepted line of authority, because if people are by-passed they lose status and resent the action.

• Choice of media - There are three main methods of formal communication available at work:

Oral – informal and formal meeting and interviews, the telephone, casual conversations, tapes etc

Written – letters, memos, reports, books, notice boards, etc.

Visual – non verbal signs, colours, diagrams, gestures, facial expression etc.

Written communication is the most fallible. Firstly, there is no guarantee that it has reached the right destination. Secondly, there is no guarantee that it has been read (notice boards and circulation systems are obvious examples). Thirdly, there is no guarantee that it has been understood (one cannot, of course, ask questions of a memo).

Oral communication is much more immediate and personal but suffers from lack of permanence. In particular, records may be needed for legal or procedural reasons. For effective communication, therefore, the rule is to speak, then to back up in writing.

At the informal level, channels of communication include: unrecorded or informal consultations with staff which sometimes management may exploit; social occasions when management make informal addresses; and grapevine.

Chairing meetings more effectively

Public service managers spend more time in meetings than most of their counterparts in industry and commerce. Meetings are a vital part of the organization of work and the flow of information. They act as a mechanism for gathering together resources from many sources and pooling then towards a common objective. It is important therefore, that these meetings are as productive as possible. Our best chance to influence this is when we are in the chair. To chair effectively we must:

Prepare – Preparing a meeting requires answering certain questions:

Should you cancel?

As with all conversations, you must first ask: is it worth your time? If the meeting involves the interchange of views and the communication of the current status of related projects, then you should be generous with your time. But you should always consider canceling a meeting which has little tangible value.

Who should attend?

You must be strict. A meeting loses its effectiveness if too many people are involved: so if someone has no useful function, explain this and suggest that they do not come. Notice, they may disagree with your assessment, in which case they should attend (since they may know something you do not); however, most people are only too happy to be released from yet another meeting.

How long?

It may seem difficult to predict the length of a discussion - but you must. Discussions tend to fill the available time which means that if the meeting is open-ended, it will drift on forever. You should stipulate a time for the end of the meeting so that everyone knows, and everyone can plan the rest of their day with confidence.

Plan and write agenda

The purpose of an agenda is to inform participants of the subject of the meeting in advance, and to structure the discussion at the meeting itself. To inform people beforehand, and to solicit ideas, you should circulate a draft agenda and ask for notice of any other business. Still before the meeting, you should then send the revised agenda with enough time for people to prepare their contributions.

Conducting the meeting

First, start the meeting on time – it is a discourtesy to those already there to delay for one or two latecomers. Second, whether you actually sit as the Chair or simply lead from the side-lines, as the manager you must provide the necessary support to coordinate the contributions of the participants. The degree of control which you exercise over the meeting will vary throughout; if you get the structure right at the beginning, a meeting can effectively run itself especially if the participants know each other well. In a team, your role may be partially undertaken by others; but if not, you must manage.

Maintaining Communication

Your most important tools are:

• Clarification - always clarify: the purpose of the meeting, the time allowed and the rules to be observed (if agreed) by everyone.

• Summary - at each stage of the proceedings, you should summarize the current position and progress: this is what we have achieved/agreed, this is where we have reached.

• Focus on stated goals - at each divergence or pause, re-focus the proceedings on the original goals.

Code of conduct

In any meeting, it is possible to begin the proceedings by establishing a code of conduct, often by merely stating it and asking for any objections (which will only be accepted if a demonstrably better system is proposed). Thus if the group contains opinionated wind-bags, you might all agree at the onset that all contributions should be limited to two minutes (which focuses the mind admirably). You can then impose this with the full backing of the whole group.

Matching method to purpose

The (stated) purpose of a meeting may suggest to you a specific way of conducting the event, and each section might be conducted differently. For instance, if the purpose is:

• to convey information, the meeting might begin with a formal presentation followed by questions

• to seek information, the meeting would start with a short (clear) statement of the topic/problem and then an open discussion supported by notes on a display, or a formal brainstorming session

• to make a decision, the meeting might review the background and options, establish the criteria to be applied, agree who should make the decision and how, and then do it

• to ratify/explain decisions, etc.

As always, once you have paused to ask yourself the questions: what is the purpose of the meeting and how can it be most effectively achieved; your common sense will then suggest a working method to expedite the proceedings. You just have to deliberately pause. Manage the process of the meeting and the meeting will work.

Support

The success of a meeting will often depend upon the confidence with which the individuals will participate. Thus all ideas should be welcome. No one should be laughed at or dismissed ("laughed with" is good, "laughed at" is destructive). This means that even bad ideas should be treated seriously - and at least merit a specific reason for not being pursued further. Not only is this supportive to the speaker, it could also be that a good idea has been misunderstood and would be lost if merely rejected. But basically people should be able to make naive contributions without being made to feel stupid, otherwise you may never hear the best ideas of all.

Responding to problems

The rest of this section is devoted to ideas of how you might deal with the various problems associated with the volatile world of meetings. Some are best undertaken by the designated Chair; but if he/she is ineffective, or if no one has been appointed, you should feel free to help any meeting to progress. After all, why should you allow your time to be wasted?

If a participant strays from the agenda item, call him/her back: "we should deal with that separately, but what do you feel about the issue X?"

If there is confusion, you might ask: "do I understand correctly that ...?"

If the speaker begins to ramble, wait until an inhalation of breath and jump in: "yes I understand that such and such, does any one disagree?"

If a point is too woolly or too vague ask for greater clarity: "what exactly do you have in mind?"

If someone interrupts, you should suggest that: "we hear your contribution after Mr. X has finished."

If people chat, you might either simply state your difficulty in hearing/concentrating on the real speaker or ask them a direct question: "what do you think about that point."

If someone gestures disagreement with the speaker (e.g. by a grimace), then make sure they are brought into the discussion next: "what do you think Mr. X?"

If you do not understand, say so: "I do not understand that, would you explain it a little more; or do you mean X or Y?"

If there is an error, look for a good point first: "I see how that would work if X Y Z, but what would happen if A B C?"

If you disagree, be very specific: "I disagree because ..."

1.5 CONCLUSION

The success of a leader or manager often depends upon the ability to solve problems, make decisions, delegate responsibilities and communicate effectively etc. In today’s highly volatile environment, a manager has the responsibility to update his knowledge and skills in order to deliver not only effectively but efficiently. Thus, skill acquisition should be a continuous process to meet up with the demands of work place.

REFERENCES

Appleby R.C. (1994), Modern Business Administration, Pitman Publishing Company, London

Forrest A. (1983), Delegation, The Industrial Society, London

Gerard M. B. (2003) The Art of Delegation,

Smith E. P. (1984), The Manager as a leader, The Industrial Society, London

Smith J. (1996), Empowering People, Kogan Page, London

Thorn J. (1983), Effective Management in the Public Service, The Industrial Society, London

Wilson G. (1999), Problem-Solving and Decision-Making, Kogan Page, London

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