Motivation, Stress, and Communicatio: Marketing Vice President of Limited Brands - Assignment Example

?Running head: JOB STRESS Motivation, Stress and Communication Nicole Monroe Insert School Affiliation Here Due Table of Contents Running head: JOB STRESS 1 Motivation, Stress and Communication 1 Nicole Monroe Insert School Affiliation Here 1 Due Date 1 Abstract 2 Table of Contents 2 Marketing Vice President of Limited Brands 3 Job description 3 Motivate Performance via Goal Setting Theory 4 Analysis 4 Nonverbal and cultural barriers to communication 6 External Peer-reviewed Sources 8 References 10 Marketing Vice President of Limited Brands Job description The Marketing Vice President is responsible for the development and execution of the communication and marketing strategy. In this position, the Marketing VP ensures that campaigns are executed in a consistent manner for the growth of business and enhancement of awareness of the organization’s brand equity. This position reports to the CEO and to the corporate executive leaders. Job responsibilities To manage the creation and execution of the marketing strategies and at the same time implement the tactical plans that meet the expectation of the company. Designing strategies for implementation of business development. Hiring and recruiting the sales force and the training and induction programs are to be managed by the VP. Evaluation and development in the business strategies. Managing the multimillion-dollar budget. Responsible for overall sales, pricing policies and business development of the products and services in the company. Work closely with the product development team, merchandise sales and other senior executives in order to create demand and brand recognition for the Company (Thuraya, 2012). Skills and Specification Excellent team player and leadership skills so as to motivate the employees and bring the best possible talent out of them. Strong verbal as well as written communication kills along with interpersonal skills. Must possess an analytical bent of mind and be good at building strong connections. Education and Qualification MBA with Marketing or Sales as specialization 10 years of marketing experience Motivate Performance via Goal Setting Theory Goal setting often plays an important role in the motivational programs and it would help the manager to get motivated to achieve a specific goal. Specific goals tend to lead to higher performance as compared to the generalized goals (DuBrin, 2011, p.400). Thus, the VP of Limited Brands would set specific goal in order to get motivated and work for the betterment of the organization. An increase in performance is directly proportionate to goal difficulty. The VP would set harder goals as the harder the goal is, the more it gets accomplished. Goals set will be used to evaluate and monitor the performance of the VP, as it increases the impact of goals set. The VP would relate its goal-setting objective to feedbacks from the senior members of the Limited Brands. Feedback is a motivational principle within oneself. Positive feedback would encourage the VP to repeat the same positive behavior and work. In a way, it can be said that building feedback is to set an achievable short-term goals. The accomplishment of goals gets measured at a regular interval. Thus, short-term goals also tend to increase the motivational level of both the employers and employees. The VP would also set a specific team goal in order to increase the productivity. The Vice President of Limited Brands is a huge responsibility. He needs to look after the marketing and sales and at the same time enhances the brand value, thus in the process he needs to be motivated so that all the responsibilities are performed effectively. Analysis Managing Stress Stresses are part and parcel of life especially in the work place. Job stress naturally occurs while dealing with various activities and objectives of the company. As Vice President of Limited Brands, huge responsibility overheads the VP and he is expected to carry out the responsibility in an effective manner. However, it is important to handle the stress in an effective manner in order to have successfully while operating the activities of the company. In order to succeed, the VP should convert the fear of stressful situation and address it as a challenging situation which needs to be solved by him in an effective manner without hampering the normal working conditions of the environment. Limited Brands has huge product diversity, so in the process of maintaining the brand value of Bath and Body Works, he needs to beat up the stress and work. The VP of Bath and Body has been categorized as a type B personality, who is patient and tries to maintain an interpersonal relationship with the employees. In addition, the VP is an optimistic person who takes things in a more relaxed manner even under pressure. Thus, stress will be taken in a positive manner and would work to overcome the stress. The VP of marketing might feel the stress due to the factors such as role demands or other task demands. Stress arising from task demands usually emerges from the changes which are enforced on the employees. Changes bring in uncertainty as well as unpredictability. Change may result from economic condition, leadership, technology and structure (Singh, 2009, p.84). The VP being on the top most position needs to handle the different external as well as internal changes and factors which might result in stress. The VP tends to face stress due to his role in the organization. A VP is supposed to have a huge responsibility towards the organization, employees, stakeholders, environment and other factors which are of utmost concern to the organization. He needs to manage and handle the stress in a way which would not hamper the normal working conditions. The VP possesses a type B personality, so it is assumed that he will handle it with utmost care and in a positive manner (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011, p.180). Steps in Managing Stress The VP of Limited Brands might come up with severe challenges and risks which might result in stress. The first step in managing stress is to recognize the effects of stress. The symptoms of stress include mental, social and also physical manifestation (Olpin & Hesson, 2012, p.113). Apart from this feeling of alarm, apathy and frustration may accompany stress. However, it is required for managers to learn more about stress management for situations when they are filled with stress. In the process of identifying the source, the VP should recognize whether the stress is caused due to work, internal thoughts and beliefs or from an actual situation or in some cases from both. It is necessary for the VP to set up realistic goals. Stress cannot be reduced overnight. Mangers and senior members of the organization, such as the VP, should know how to deal with stress. VP’s may consult their senior members as they might have encountered with similar situations. He may delegate workload to other members of the organization and may also enroll for stress management courses in order to improve his way of dealing with stress. He may train himself to remain calm during tough and stressful times. Stress may also be the result of a lack of organization. The VP should coordinate the workflow among the employees by prioritizing the functions tasks. Finally it is advised not to give up and to remain optimistic in every situation. Nonverbal and cultural barriers to communication The position described in the above paragraphs is that of the Vice President of marketing in Limited Groups. As a result, the VP needs to overcome all the barriers and work in coordination with other members of the company. He plays a very important role in the marketing division and all the decisions are made by the VP. Thus, it is extremely important for him to communicate effectively so that it does not result in any misunderstanding or chaotic situation. However, nonverbal communication is important as oral communication is usually accompanied by nonverbal cues which tend to have a great tendency of encumbering the right message. Not responding to communication is also often regarded as a barrier to nonverbal communication. In the organization there are people who tend to carry out communications verbally whereas others carry them out nonverbally. In case when a nonverbal person and a verbal person communicate with each other, it might result in a communication barrier. The VP should try to avoid such situations. He is responsible for all the activities of Bath and Body Works and thus, it is necessary for him to communicate properly. The next barrier in nonverbal communication is a term known as encroaching which means to touch the other person while conversing and moving close to the other person (Guerrero, et al, 1999). The VP should avoid such situations; if the members of the organization have the habit of encroaching others, he should work on it as it tends to create barriers for all sorts of communication as other employees and others might have a problem in communicating when they are not comfortable. He can address the person having such a problem personally and make sure that the next time he does not make such communication barriers. In addition to encroaching, negative nonverbal communication also acts as a barrier to communication. The VP should try to control the barriers of communication as it is his responsibilities to look after the marketing of Limited Brands and thereby increase sales. A barrier in communication might not result in effective outcome and thus should not be practiced both by the VP and his employees. Aside from the barriers to nonverbal communication, there also exists a cultural barrier to communication. The VP should possess appropriate behavior as he would deal with international clients and other important people, thus the need to understand the cultural rules and etiquettes in case of nonverbal communication becomes extremely important for the VP. Eye contact is based on cultural values and can pose a cultural barrier. It is necessary to follow according to the culture of different countries as the VP might have to interact with different people across countries. Thus, eye contact in the US is usually referred to as polite whereas in other countries such as Zimbabwe it is considered as rude (Krizan, et al, 2010, p.31). Gestures might also be regarded as a cultural barrier to communication. The VP must show appropriate gesture and avoid those which might pose cultural barriers. Misunderstanding in gesture might block a clear communication. In addition to gestures, showing emotions can also result in a communication barrier. Thus, the VP should try to avoid all kinds of communication barriers including both nonverbal and cultural communication barriers and work according to the different culture so that messages are communicated properly and the desired results are achieved, which would result in profitability of the company. External Peer-reviewed Sources In the article, (Motivating Others through Change and Challenging Times), (Manning) states that it is important for the vice president to get motivated and to work for it. There are usually different motivators for every person. The vice president may get motivated by fears or even through rewards (Breakthrough Consulting, Inc, 2009). It is said that the high performing managers usually embrace change rather than resist it. A vice president job is to inspire his team in order to succeed during uncertain times. According to studies, top managers who accept change in the present situation and who plan for the future are rewarded usually with motivated employees (Manning, 2011). It is necessary for the top management to set goals which are lofty and not easily achievable. But in order to attain the basis of goals, the top management should know how to break them into steps. As the goals are divided into more manageable way, it is thus possible to get the desired goal set for the organization (Breakthrough Consulting, Inc, 2009). References Breakthrough Consulting, Inc. (2009). Breaking down goals. http://www.improvingyourworld.com/motivation/breaking_down_goals_005844.html, Retrieved 2 May 2012. Breakthrough Consulting, Inc. (2009). Making motivation work for you. http://www.improvingyourworld.com/motivation/making_motivation_work_for_you_005852.html, Retrieved 2 May 2012. DuBrin, A. J. (2011). Essentials of management. USA: Cengage Learning. Manning, M. (2011). Motivating others through change and challenging times. Retrieved from http://theconsultingteam.com/Articles/motivatingthroughchange.htm. Retrieved 2 May 2012. Griffin, R. W. & Moorhead, G. (2011). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations. USA: Cengage Learning. Krizan, A. C. e al. (2010). Business Communication. USA: Cengage Learning. Olpin, M. & Hesson, M. (2012). Stress Management for Life: A Research-Based Experiential Approach. USA: Cengage Learning. Singh, K. (2009). Organizational behavior: Text and cases. South Asia: Pearson Education India. Thuraya. (2012). Vice President, Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.thuraya.com/careers/career-opportunities/vice-president-marketing. Read More