Prinicples of Management - Term Paper Example

Because those working in IT always need to plan ahead for the future, this makes them the best suited to be able to change management styles at short notice. Also, because there is a risk involved with most forms of leadership, those in IT are able to balance the risks and rewards and choose a successful strategy. IT managers also have to have good communication skills due to the technical terms involved; this can be beneficial when giving simple tasks that need to be done correctly. Because IT consultants always have to take onboard advice from their customers, they are best placed to listen to the needs of their staff.

Also, because innovation is an important part of IT, this skill can be used to change as technology improves. Ben quotes Machiavelli, who says that “whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times” (Ben, 2012). Finally, a good leader needs to understand the needs of their employees yet are aware of organizational objectives; IT personnel can achieve this because they always have to satisfy a number of different people. Needed: Managers Who Are Leaders - In this article by Michael Maccoby, he discusses the need for research and technology manager to lead more than they manage.

Research and technology is seen at the forefront of offering solutions to problems on a global scale. Innovation forms a big part of this since new ideas are constantly being sought. Many people find it easy to come up with new inventions; these people are known more as inventors. It takes innovators to be able to take a concept and market it to a wide range of people. In order to accomplish this, high collaboration and teamwork is necessary. Jim Meier is quoted as saying that seven factors are needed for achieving high performance collaborative teams, such as common purpose, trust, clear roles and responsibility, support, directed action, continued excellence, vitality and resiliency (Maccoby, 2009, p. 58). Even though the use of teams can be helpful, something more is required.

Exceptional leadership is absolutely necessary when in comes to organizing a highly successful team. Meier says that trust is a key factor when it comes to a team being able to follow everything that a manager tells them (Maccoby, 2009, p. 59). A good leader needs to contain three elements in their management philosophy: ethics, moral reasoning, and practical values (Maccoby, 2009, p. 60). Developing Research/Technology Leaders - Michael Maccoby starts out with a comment that most managers have had some form of training in order to make them a better leader.

Maccoby backs up this argument by saying that there are over one and a half million references for the Google search term “leadership training” (Maccoby, 2007, p. 65). However, many of these leadership training programs are ineffective. Maccoby proposes that research technology leadership training in particular should be centered on the four Ps: purpose, processes, people, and presentation (Maccoby, 2007, p. 66). For the first P, purpose, technology leaders often don’t understand why they are even doing a project let alone know how to successfully complete it.

The first subject that leadership training should deal with is purpose, because this is the first step required to successfully run a project. For the second P, process, leaders need to understand the role that each team member or department has to offer. Once the process of an organization is made to run efficiently, it is that much