About Us|Contact Us|Register|Login

[google-translator]

Grapevine

Grapevine
What is Grapevine? In every organization there exists an informal channel of communication called the grapevine in operation. It is called so because it stretches throughout the organization in all directions irrespective of the authority levels. Organizational Benefits that come along with Grapevine It is quite natural for a group of people working together to be interested in one another and talk about appointments, promotions, retrenchments or even domestic affairs. Some people derive extraordinary pleasure from gathering such ‘secret’ information and transmitting it to others. They are the leaders who control the grapevine. Soon this info reaches everybody and becomes an ‘open secret.’ Grapevine is more a product of a situation than of a person. Certain situations like insecurity of service, uncertainty over promotions, special increments to a colleague, certain innovations in the organization that are likely to affect the job prospects of the employees, are sure to activate the leaders of the grapevine that instantly spreads all kinds ofrumors in the organization. Communication Network of an Organization: The channel’s network is in a horizontal fashion as the communication is only between the workers of the same level of hierarchy. Apprehensions experienced by workers on matters like promotions and retrenchments become an obsession with them. Talking about them may not alleviate their fears, but it certainly provides them emotional relief. The existence of the grapevine proves that the workers are interested in their associates. The very fact they talk among themselves helps to promote organizational solidarity and cohesion. The management should work up this kind of situation to their advantage. How? Well, all information cannot be transmitted to the employees through the official channels. If there is some useful information unsuitable for being transmitted through official channels, it can be done through grapevine. The speed with which information is transmitted through the grapevine is just remarkable. Spot the Key Persons: The management should try to spot out the key persons involved in this process and keep them well informed to block harmful rumors reaching the employees. Also the grapevine can be used as an “acid test “to check the pulse of the employees. If there is any false rumor the management should immediately use the official channels to contradict and to dispel the fears from the minds of the employees. Grapevine might be Harmful Too: One of the major drawbacks of the grapevine is that it may spread baseless or distorted news which may sometimes prove harmful even to the employees. The information is sometimes incomplete leading to ambiguities. The swiftness with which the grapevine transmits information may even be damaging, before the management becomes aware of it and can take any rectifying steps. How to Handle the Rumor-Mongers? If the workers are associated with decision-making, the rumor-mongers will be automatically frustrated. If the workers are already aware, say, that the plant is to be modernized but the modernization process is not going to involve any retrenchments, the arrival of new machinery and engineers will not cause any undue apprehensions among them. Thus the harmful effects of the grapevine can be successfully counteracted. Organisations should indulge themselves in sending positive signals to the employees to win their trust and...
read more

Leader vs. Manager

Leader vs. Manager
Leader vs. Manager – what is the connecting thread? Who is a Leader? A leader is always looked up to, by his followers as they are truly inspired by his personality, behavior and the power of his words and actions. The intellectual ability of a leader is definitely on the higher scale than a non-leader and also the perceptual ability and decision making skills are amazing. The main idea of pondering over leadership is that how the qualities of a leader make him more successful and how those unique qualities can be acquired by a manager of a firm to influence a group towards achievement of goals. What makes a leader unique? Every individual is bestowed with at least one special quality that makes him unique. A leader obviously is inherent with so many good traits and qualities that influence others and the best part of the story is that he understands his own potential and employs the right skills at the right time. It is basically a personal quality of character in a man that influences the behavior of others in a productive manner.     Top 10 qualities of an effective leader; A man of charisma-the followers should be attracted by his magnetism and willingly contribute to the cause Should have a clear idea of future plans-Here he differs from the manager who is concerned more about the productivity Should be action-oriented, dare to achieve the impossible Should be tough at heart -stick to his principles and not a victim to circumstances Should be  flexible, when it comes to the #welfare of his people Maintain integrity and humility Value-driven to gather trust Open and honest in his endeavors Creative-the ability to think out of the box Should possess sense of humor that makes him an affable person and even serious issues can be dealt with ease     Is Manager a Leader too? Is it necessary that a manger has to be a good leader too? Of course yes. By virtue of being selected for the post of the manger, a person cannot manage the show. Unless he possesses the true qualities of a leader he cannot pull the strings tight and lead the organization in the right track. Without the right elements of leadership, he merely becomes a care-taker enjoying his pay and perks. He will not be liked by his subordinates if he doesn’t have that drive to make a mark of himself as an assertive person and in due course of time either he becomes the entertainer of the firm or he loses his integrity, both of which is not good for the organization’s efficiency and productivity. Roles of an efficient manager: A manager has the necessity to prove himself in terms of planning, formulating strategies, successful completion of targets, increased production, increased sales, acquisition of more orders, managing his team without much conflicts and above all make the team to abide by and obey his rules. A manager to be a successful leader need not be aggressive to prove his point but tough and determined to get things done. Big corporate firms frame ‘systems’ which are nothing but templates of action incorporating all the elements needed for execution in a tailor made fashion. A manager has to now focus on the strategic elements of management since the technicality is being taken care of by the systems. What is the right management approach? Managers expect subordinates to nod their heads in approval to whatever they say. This not the right approach; there should always be a reciprocal relationship between both the parties as in the case of a leader and his followers. A give and take policy makes you more...
read more