In today’s economy being a leader or a manager entails a lot of responsibilities individually, organizationally and or globally. Managing big corporations is not an easy task because it involves managing and improving social, environmental, and financial goals of an organization simultaneously, without making major tradeoffs (Epstein, Buhovac, Yuthas, 2010). In other words, the manager has to be able to balance all aspects of the business using ‘formal’ such as policies, procedures, technology and ‘informal’ systems such as organizational culture and its people, to attain structural goals. In an attempt to make any changes, according to HR Magazine, 2009, a manager has to first focus on the most important aspect which is the sustainability of an organization that integrates knowledge, management practices, organizational culture, leadership, ethics, HR participation, responsibilities, and financial-wellbeing (p. 2). Each contributes to the building of the business with the establishment of specific organizational core values and ethics that represent an organization.
Establishing such system is a very difficult task, for it requires the participation of all member including the management. In fact, the biggest driver in sustainability is the leader who establishes espoused values, which are the beliefs, philosophies, and norms that are in compliance with organizational rules and policies. He also creates and strengthens the organizational culture, which stabilizes institution, allows employees to identify themselves with the organization and facilitates the desired behavior of the employees (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson, 2013).
But to develop such culture takes a long time and a lot of effort to make the change happen. There are some management practices that could be utilized in contribution to a sustainable organization and they involve leading with confidence, developing a clear vision, creating a strong motivation, creating integrated communication and changing management strategies (Yates, Vallas, 2012). When building the sustainable organization, communication, trustworthiness, clarity and engagement in learning are always at the top of the list and serve as the basis of a good leadership. A good manager must be able to convey the direction of the business, instill confidence in employees, promote collaboration through effective communication with employees, hence building the sense of “togetherness” as a backbone of the relationship (Yates, Vallas, 2012). An effective manager can accomplish those goals by clarifying personal values, goals, and beliefs, ensuring alignment between his/her ethics and those of the organization’s (Posner, 2010).
References:
Colquitt, J., Lepine, J., & Wesson, M. (2013). Organizational behavior: Improving performance and commitment in the workplace (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 16, “Organizational Culture” (pp. 516-546).
Epstein, M. J., Buhovac, A. R., & Y Yuthas, K. (2010). Implementing sustainability: The role of leadership and organizational culture. Strategic Finance, 91(10), 41-47.
Leveraging HR and knowledge management in a challenging economy. (2009, June). HR Magazine, 54(6), 1-9.
Posner, B. B. (2010). Values and the American manager: A three-decade perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 91(4), 457-465.
Yates, K., & Vallas, S. (2012). The character of communication. Communication World, 29(3), 23-26.
