Management Challenges in the 21st Century

Introduction

Management is defined as the process of administering and coordinating resources effectively and efficiently in an effort to achiever the goals of the organization. Managers plan, lead, organize and control. Managing in the 21st century can pose many challenges. Some of these challenges are telecommuting, globalization and diversity, and a changing legal climate.

Telecommuting

Information technology is making it easier for employees to work from home. Telecommuting has several benefits for employees: reduced cost for gas, more time to focus on work, luxury of working in his or her home, and a flexible schedule. Theses potential benefits sound great, but do they ultimately benefit a company? It is harder to manage employees in different locations and to track their productivity. A possible side effect to telecommuting may be that telecommuters may not bond with the non-telecommuting employees. Furthermore, employees who do not or may not telecommute may become jealous of those who do.

According to a survey by Mitel (2007), a leading provider of communications, nearly 65% of U.S. workers telecommute at least once a week and 40% telecommute full-time. The same survey reported 4 out of 10 companies in the U.S. encourage telecommuting. However, while employees feel telecommuting saves time and increases productivity, 54% of employers are worried about monitoring employee productivity. (Mitel, 2007)

Not every employee is cut out for telecommuting. Employees that are good candidates for telecommuting are those who are well-organized, good time managers, and self-motivated. Managers can use telecommuting effectively by extending the offer to employees who have these traits and whose work can be done with minimum oversight.

Managers should allow potential telecommuters to telecommute on a trial basis (one or two days a week) to evaluate whether the arrangement suits both the employee and the work. The employee should be accessible through at least one means of communication, and the burden is on the manager to rigorously track the productivity of the employee. With clear objectives and an agreed-upon weekly schedule, telecommuting employees can be as productive as on-site employees, and/or even more so. Lastly, perceived favoritism can be mitigated, to the extent possible, by making clear the criteria under which the telecommuting employee operates, by being open about the requirements that accompany the privilege of telecommuting, and by being open-minded about the concerns and requests raised by non-telecommuting employees.

Globalization and Diversity

America has long been known as the “melting pot,“ reflecting the broad range of ethnicities to be found in the United States. This diversity is a strength of the U.S., but in the workplace, different ethnicities can make communication difficult. Employees who speak English as a second language may have a difficult-to-understand accent, and many coworkers may not make the effort to ensure that actual communication has occurred. Coworkers may pretend to understand or simply avoid conversations because it is easier in the short term than making a conscious effort to communicate.

However, this clear communication is vital for effective and efficient management. Managers can mitigate this problem by spending a bit of extra time speaking with employees for whom communication may be difficult. Repeating what the employee says, or having the employee articulate points, will serve to improve both the employee’s ability to communicate and the manager’s ability to understand the employee. With patience and humility on the part of the manager, communication can occur across the language barrier, and the employee will feel more valued as a member of the team.

Communication, to a greater extent, also affects those who work globally. Neil Krupp, Vice President of Client Services at Global Lead Management Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio, says that managers can advance in their careers by developing additional managerial skill sets. According to Krupp (2006), global managers should speak their native language and at least one other. “While English is the accepted language of global business, linguistic dexterity demonstrates efforts toward understanding the hose country culture and customs and helps acquire knowledge of the history, geography and other aspects of the host culture.“ (Krupp, 2006)

There are also culture barriers in the workplace. Managers must work effectively with the diverse assortment of religions and cultures among his or her employees. They must also understand what cultural factors may influence an employee’s productivity and availability and find ways to work around these constraints. The effective manager must not simply wait for the employee to communicate these constraints,