Dual Leadership: Description and Clarification
Mixed Management: A Combined Approach to Effective Leadership
In the realm of business management, a unique style known as mixed management has emerged. This approach combines elements of tactical and strategic management to produce a collaborative style that aims to maximize a company's success. For projects, this means staying within budget and meeting deadlines.
To grasp the rationale behind this innovative approach to leadership, it's essential to understand the fundamental aspects of both tactical and strategic management.
Tactical Management: A Directive Approach
Tactical management stands as the antithesis of strategic management. In this style, managers adopt a more directive and controlling role. Companies often embrace this style under the following conditions:
- A team primarily composed of new or inexperienced employees
- Tasks requiring precision
At this level, managers function as supervisors, dictating the methods by which tasks are completed. They also monitor employees to ensure compliance with instructions. Though this approach may provoke feelings of monotony and pressure for some employees, it ensures that new and inexperienced workers execute their tasks correctly without committing avoidable errors due to lack of expertise.
Strategic Management: Empowering Employees
In contrast, strategic management aligns with a more delegative approach where managers grant employees a significant degree of autonomy. The manager trusts their workers due to their experience, allowing them to handle assignments as they see fit. In this style, managers often delegate tasks, form teams to collaborate on project planning, and involve employees in decision-making processes.
Yet, strategic management may overlook immediate operational demands and require time for implementation, making it less suitable for addressing short-term needs or challenges.
Cultivating an Effective Manager: The Balance of Styles
While not all employees are inexperienced, some have spent years acclimating to a corporate environment. To manage experienced employees successfully, managers should adopt a strategic management style. This approach helps avoid frustration among team members and maintain productivity levels.
On the other hand, when dealing with new and inexperienced employees, a tactical management style is more appropriate. Managers must determine the tasks at hand and establish the correct methods for completing them. This approach ensures that new employees avoid fatal mistakes due to their lack of experience until they become adept at their tasks.
An effective manager understands that employing both styles is vital to managing diverse teams effectively. By blending strategic planning with tactical execution, managers can effectively address both their long-term vision and immediate needs. This balanced approach provides the opportunity for flexibility in decision-making while maintaining strategic direction.
It's important to note that managing both strategic and tactical aspects can be complex, requiring significant resources. Balancing short-term and long-term goals can at times result in conflicting priorities within the organization. Nevertheless, the strategic and tactical blend can be particularly beneficial by striking a balance between long-term vision and short-term execution.
Sources:
[1]Management Style: Importance, Type, When Appropriate Adopted (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/management-style.asp[2]Hill, C. W. L., & Schroeder, J. L. (2012). Strategic management: Competitiveness and globalization (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.[3]Wickramasinghe, S. (2017, January). Strategic management: What it is and why it matters for better governance. World Bank.[4]Tata, M. (2016, March 10). Strategic vs. Tactical Leadership: How to Balance Both. Forbes.
In the context of managing diverse teams, an effective leader employs a blended management style that combines elements of strategic and tactical approaches. While this can lead to complex decision-making, it ensures that both short-term goals and long-term vision are addressed effectively, catering to both experienced and inexperienced employees in a business setting. To achieve this balance, finance plays a crucial role in resource allocation for tactical execution, ensuring successful completion of projects as well as sustainable long-term business growth. Additionally, strategic management, with its focus on delegating tasks and empowering employees, can nurture innovation and productivity, further contributing to the success of the business.
