Leadership And Management

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Roles and Responsibilities of Organizational Managers and Leaders in Creating and Maintaining a Healthy Organizational Culture

a. Differentiate between management and leadership within your selected organization.

People have varied concepts or an indirect perplexity about leading and managing. In many circumstances, the terms are interchangeably used to mean the same thing. There is a difference between leading and managing and somehow this must now be clearly defined.

Several management theorists attempted to make a clear distinction between leadership and management. According to some, managers do the right things while leaders do things right (Bennis, 1991). This means that the manager's responsibility lies in efficiently guarding the company policies and physical resources while leaders are more concerned with guiding and giving inspiration to workers with a certain perspective of attaining the company's vision.

Leadership is simply one characteristic of management. It is an important component in a manager's directing roles. However, inspiring people does not make one a complete manager, one also needs authority to push or regulate company policies. Although, not all work scenarios require managerial skills or leadership skills, however, there are circumstances wherein both will be needed.

William Roper's article on Why the Problem of Leadership in Public Health emphasized that most public health workers have low morale due to the public's perception of public health as dirty and low paying job. In this particular scenario, the leader's role is deemed essential in boosting worker's morale. The leader can empathize and inculcate certain values and perspectives in inspiring employee's sense of self worth. The manager's skill in this situation is not necessarily called for.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) works for public health safety. Good organizational management and corporate image is necessary to ensure effective delivery of public service. This type of business or service needs good organizational management and public relations in order to foster good relations with the customers. However, this will be realized through cooperative and highly motivated workforce. But workers' motivation may depend upon the leadership and management approaches.

According to the General Accounting Office report in 2004, the CDCP underwent considerable management challenges including strengthening of leadership and managerial capabilities. The company identified the specific needs particularly the restructuring of managerial positions. Through organizational development the CDCP defined the roles of the managers as well as leaders which resulted to positive reactions from the personnel. The restructuring boost up people morale after the managerial structure is firmed up.

As a manager or a leader, it is important to be aware of the distinct responsibilities between the two roles. Mostly assuming the mantle of both is difficult but may be advantageous as a manager. Jill Geisler in her article Are You a Manager, a Leader, or Both? stated "Not every manager is a leader. Not every leader is a manager. You can be both, if you choose to."

A leadership with management appears to be the best organizational management system that will take care of both humane and administrative area. In this approach, the leader guides workers into certain direction and administers resources to achieve the perspective. The CDCP indeed was successful in restructuring management system which was beneficial not only to the workers and company but the customers as well.

b. Describe the roles that organizational managers and leaders play in creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture in your selected organization.

If workers are happy in their jobs the company gains commitment from them. If one is placed in an unhealthy environment one is creating an unhealthy individual. There is such a link between workers and workplace. Healthy work environment begets healthy workers and consequently robust production. Maintaining healthy organizational environment is essential in ensuring business growth.

But who is responsible for creating a healthy organizational culture? How can a manager or a leader create this kind of working environment? A leader can play a lot of roles in this scenario. He can stir the emotions of the people and create the concept of teamship to unify people into the same perspective. He can help build good self-esteem and values-based environment.

However, these characteristics are put into flesh by enabling company policies and programs that are supportive of employee's welfare and healthy workplace. In this particular scenario, the manager's role is deemed essential. It is within his capacity to provide the resources and steer programs that will be supportive of creating healthy organizational culture.

As the company grows, the more difficult it is to manage the work and the people. CDCP's services grew over the years from simple communicable diseases treatment to a wider scope of public health safety. The organizational growth means new requirements, additional work for personnel and identified gaps brought about by the changes.

The organizational changes may have adverse effect on the work environment and the worker. Hence, as part of CDCP's transformation efforts in addressing structural changes particularly management, the company defined the specific responsibilities of each designation especially the manager's duties and responsibilities.

The increase in the number of workforce and vague management structure created problems within the workplace including low morale state of workers, high turnover, job future ambiguity, distrust / disrespect towards colleague and the management. These are signs of unhealthy organizational environment.

CDCP restructured the management set-up which eventually provided clear directions and functions of the workers. The manager has its distinct responsibility to direct the functions and oversee company operations. A leadership role is determined through goal setting and direction efforts. These organizational changes created a positive impact on the workers which brought CDCP to a higher quality level of services.

"A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily a leader," (Allen, 1998). The success of an organization is determined by the kind of leadership that is demonstrated.

c. Explain how the four functions of management