Who Is the Boss? Relationship between the Boss and the Manager

Introduction

Businesses and nonprofit institutions all have goals and objectives, mainly written as the quality policy and it is the responsibility of the management to ensure that these are met through a synchronized process of creation of an effective, organized, and efficient workforce. The management avails the necessary resources as well as welfare and motivation for the workforce to achieve the necessary result. Management in such a case can be defined as the process of controlling, coordinating, and overseeing the performance of staff in their premises, be it a business organization or a charitable institution. Management, as the governing body of an organization, consists of numerous personnel headed by the manager. As illustrated by Kreitner (2012), the manager is responsible for fulfilling the three main aspects of management: planning, monitoring, and rewarding.

The Manager

A manager oversees and is answerable to all operations in business, institution, or a particular project. Often, the manager is the sole decision maker in a company. Making very critical decisions affecting the company depends majorly on the experience gained from realities other than academia. This is the major reason as to why management roles are mostly given to promoted staff that is conversant with the company, its culture, its day to day activities, and its short-term and long-term set objectives, rather than someone new to it. The promotion is predominantly based on the successful performance of the individual in the previous level of operation (Kreitner, 2012).

Managers are involved in a vast variety of roles and responsibilities bestowed on them given that they are the ones answerable to the boss. They also engage, encourage, and motivate staff. Therefore, the managers weigh and choose the appropriate actions and influence the team to take them right to enhance the productivity of the firm propelling it towards its outlined goals. The team, however, starts with the manager, primary decision maker.

Roles Involved In Management

The roles of management can normally be classified into the following three broad categories, interconnected with, supplementing one another, and targeted at the single desired outcome:

Planning

The most important step for productive management is the first to be done on most occasions. Planning the work before working the plan is a motto mainly adopted by a performing management team. Disastrous results are faced when the management fails to do the prior proper planning and haphazardly stumbles attempting to meet the set objectives. This phase is essential not only to the main manager but also to the project manager and the production manager, to say nothing of the personnel put in charge of any department of the firm. (Kreitner, 2012).

Appropriate planning which leads to meeting the set objectives starts from their analysis in relation to the potential of the firm and formulation of a realistic method that may lead to attaining them. One mistake made by managers is setting unrealistic goals. Inasmuch as the aim should be high, the bar should not be set above the ceiling. They should be attainable and achievable without overstraining. Managers should, therefore, dedicate adequate efforts and time to outlining a proper plan before they start working (Kreitner, 2012).

Monitoring

In the current world of management, managers are encouraged to ensure employee empowerment and reduce the act of herding them by walking around the working area. Empowered employees are given authority to make decisions that may diverge from the standard operating procedures so long as they are legal and meant for the goodwill of the firm. Rayasam (2015) denotes that in some companies of the current market employees are empowered to the point that the idea of the boss no longer exists. However, due to the fear of failure, managers find themselves perambulating the working station in the act of monitoring operations. A rigorous and active but pertinent monitoring procedure is essential for the success of the management process (Kreitner, 2012).

The monitoring process involves in-depth surveillance of the operations of each department in the company as well as the individual staff. The manager should, therefore, be a hawk-eyed individual who can identify a minor problem that may be a stumbling block on the path towards achieving the set objectives. He thus needs to keep a close contact with all employees in the firm, either directly or indirectly. This will help the manager reward the most productive and deserving workers and offer constructive criticism to those who need to pull up their socks (Kreitner, 2012).

Rewards and Employees Welfare

The quality policy as well as the goals of a company should be pronounced to the staff by the management team with utmost clarity. The staff is thereafter expected to put their full efforts aiming to hit the set objectives of the firm. Inasmuch as some managers fail to see the total contribution of certain employees catering for the firm’s ability to achieve its aim, the reality is that employees need to be given constant encouragement through rewards and consideration of their welfare; otherwise they will lose interest in achieving more. Rewards may manifest in increased salaries, public appreciation and recognition, as well as bonuses and promotions. Rewards majorly boost morale and enhance a healthy competition between the employees, thus enable the management team to move closer to achieving the set goals (Kreitner, 2012).

Consequently, the capability of a manager to put the three processes into good use determines the ability of the firm to go for the desired results. Managers are thus requested to put the three aspects of management together to pave the way towards meeting the goals.

The Boss

In most large companies, the term boss cannot be referred to a single individual since they have a board of directors headed by a chairman. The chairman, together with the board members, therefore expect a continuous, exclusive report from the general manager about the progress of the company in a given time interval. Since they are the largest shareholders in the company, it goes without saying that they expect positive returns of their money (Kreitner, 2012).

The boss or the chairman of the board of directors in a company, unlike the general manager who is chosen by merit, is in most cases a “won” or inherited title. The chairman is the largest shareholder and can thus influence the board to fire a manager that does not perform according to their expectations. In some companies, however, the boss doubles up as the managing director when they are confident about their leadership and managerial skills. This mainly happens when the boss started and pioneered the company and saw it growing under his watch (Kreitner, 2012)

The Relationship between the Boss and the Manager

The boss needs results and reports from the manager, and these should be positive, debiting his or her bank account. The boss fears for his money as well as his reputation in case the company route turns south. The boss is hence capable of punishing the manager through suspensions, demotion, and even suing them (White, 2012).

Most managers find the bosses very narcissistic, egocentric, picky, and lacking understanding of the operations of the business. The manager is expected to be able to find ways of dealing with the boss as well as controlling the employees to ensure that the company complies with its objectives. Warrell (2014) suggests numerous ways that may be adopted by the managers in dealing with a tyrannical boss. To start with, the manager should put themselves in the shoes of the boss. It is useful to know what the boss likes, what they care for, and what turns them off. They should also understand the scale the boss uses to measure their success.

Secondly, it is paramount to try to ensure that the manager gains trust from the bosses. This is achieved through making the right decision even if it might not interest the boss. Showing the boss your principality in decision-making is essential for your winning their trust. Finally, one is expected to stand up against a bully. The manager should be able to show his worthiness to the boss and make him pay respect in return. The manager is the de-facto owner of the company or the institution. He should avoid being cowed by the boss and should be free to speak up against retrogressive behaviors or ideas the boss brings forth.

Conclusion

The boss and the manager are like Siamese enjoying a symbiotic interdependence relationship. The boss entrusts the manager with his capital and his institution while the manager delivers to the boss the profits of the business. For businesses in which the boss doubles up as the general manager, all the task of overseeing the business is bestowed on him by other shareholders. A manager, being the mastermind of all operations going in the company, should be a decisive and a well-experienced person to have a cordial relationship with both his employees as well as the boss. The latter, on the other hand, should similarly be an understanding but “aggressive” fellow to get things done according to his vision. A good relationship between the manager, the boss, and the staff enables the company achieve the expected benefits.

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