How to Assess Effective Management?

An essential practice for the success of any organization.

Author: Matthew Retzloff
Matthew Retzloff
Matthew Retzloff
Investment Banking | Corporate Development

Matthew started his finance career working as an investment banking analyst for Falcon Capital Partners, a healthcare IT boutique, before moving on to work for Raymond James Financial, Inc in their specialty finance coverage group in Atlanta. Matthew then started in a role in corporate development at Babcock & Wilcox before moving to a corporate development associate role with Caesars Entertainment Corporation where he currently is. Matthew provides support to Caesars' M&A processes including evaluating inbound teasers/CIMs to identify possible acquisition targets, due diligence, constructing financial models, corporate valuation, and interacting with potential acquisition targets.

Matthew has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in German from University of North Carolina.

Reviewed By: Andy Yan
Andy Yan
Andy Yan
Investment Banking | Corporate Development

Before deciding to pursue his MBA, Andy previously spent two years at Credit Suisse in Investment Banking, primarily working on M&A and IPO transactions. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Andy was a Business Analyst Intern for Capital One and worked as an associate for Cambridge Realty Capital Companies.

Andy graduated from University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistics and is currently an MBA candidate at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a concentration in Analytical Finance.

Last Updated:November 23, 2023

How to Assess Effective Management?

Effective management is essential for the success of any organization. The way a company is organized determines its failure or success. The goal is to maximize efficiency while minimizing the resources used.

It seeks to achieve results by capitalizing on human and financial resources in specific contexts and focuses on adding value to its resources to achieve sustainable competitive advantages.

Skillful management is a critical factor for organizational success. An organization should observe and exercise several measures for performance management and clarify in its organizational policies the definition of an efficient manager. 

It is critical for a manager to drive organizational growth and development, motivate employees, and close any existing gaps between staff and the company. 

A business should invest its resources, such as time and energy, to enhance managerial effectiveness as a manager is one the most important assets of an organization. The manager sets the tone for employee engagement, turnover, absenteeism, and motivation. 

To assess the manager’s effectiveness, the organization should evaluate managerial quality and performance using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). In addition, all duties and responsibilities are designed on expectations that are meant to be SMART. 

A manager's effectiveness depends on the set objectives being specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time-bound. An organization must aim to be managed effectively, which can be done by company results and outcomes, human capital development, and work environment organization.  

Company results should be reviewed regularly to assess performance and outcomes over multiple years and decide the current management team's effective or ineffective nature. 

Positive net growth should be shown to determine whether the company’s management system is successful. A vital indicator of a company’s results is a financial analysis which includes a financial ratio, profitability, and cash flow analysis

An organization’s exponential growth over time is also an essential sign of growth, success, and profitability. In addition, it connotes the impact of an effective management team. 

The organization is critical for organizational success. However, in the absence of an efficient compilation of resources and planning, the corporate environment is a route to uncertainty, failure, and loss. 

In the presence of a properly formatted organizational plan, the company is transparent in its objectives and its steps to meet them. Thus, institutional success is characterized by prompt organization and planning with resources allocated efficiently.

Labor turnover and employee happiness are practical tools for organizational success using effective management—increased employee work satisfaction results in lower staff turnover and a more significant tenure at the company. 

Performance and results are also enhanced due to staff satisfaction as employees develop a more substantial commitment towards achieving organizational goals harmoniously. 

Effective management prompts regular employee training sessions to update their skills and ensure employees are up to date with the latest and recent technological changes and advancements, leading to positive company growth.

Indicators of Effective Management

An effective management's performance is determined by several factors in an organization, including: 

  1. Profitability
  2. Productivity Rate
  3. Technique Quality
  4. Feedback Response Rate
  5. Corporate Environment
  6. Employee-Manager Relationship
  7. Stakeholder-Manager Relationship

Profitability is a key quantitative measure of success for a company. Exceeding profit margins indicates effective management due to achieving beyond the scope of set the goal. Likewise, a positive net flow shows corporate success, and the current management style is effective. 

Productivity, also known as the production rate, is an important indicator of effective management assessment. A manager that is effective balances both quality and productivity efficiently. Increased output leads to economies of scale and cost cuts. 

The quality of the technique used to manage organizational activities facilitates organizational achievement of objectives. In addition, the technologies and infrastructure used can enhance operational efficiency and drive innovation. For example, a manager can use an employee satisfaction survey tool and other similar software to understand exactly what their employees need and want

An effective manager responds to feedback and monitors organizational functions efficiently. Feedback should be used to enhance the current company operations and drive the company’s activities close to the organization’s overall aim. 

The corporate environment determines management effectiveness; it involves the manager considering the health and safety of employees, providing a supportive team culture, and optimizing motivation to enhance cohesion between members and reinforce objectives. 

The relationship between employees and their managers is a foundation for assessing management effectiveness. A harmonious, non-conflicting relationship is critical to attaining organizational goals, and the quality needs to be evaluated. 

Lastly, an excellent stakeholder-manager relationship is important for management effectiveness. Fulfilling the needs of the various stakeholders is necessary to sustain a strong relationship with the community, leading to a positive image and reputation for the organization. 

All of these indicators listed and explained are essential for determining the progress of an organization toward its goals facilitated by the effectiveness of a manager. In addition, they can be tracked periodically to identify areas for improvement by the manager. 

Effective Management: Managerial Skills

Management skills are behavioral as they are not based on personality. They consist of a set of actions that are performed, leading to particular results. Other individuals can observe skills.

Management skills are also controllable. They are under the observation of the manager. They can be developed, and performance can be improved using practice and feedback. They also overlap with each other. 

Several organizations require practical management skills to tackle critical problems globally competitive and rapidly shifting environment. In addition, these skills support the company in organizing its efficiency and effectiveness. 

In a globalized and competition-intensive environment, careful planning and thorough yet effective management are needed. A manager’s quality and effective management style impact organizational culture by determining its productivity and efficiency, leading to success or failure. 

A manager requires the ability to coordinate, manage, guide, direct, and supervise organizational activities and processes. They should use planning, organizational, coordination, and communication skills to achieve effectiveness. 

All listed skills are necessary for leadership to inspire employees and subordinates to work towards organizational goals and share a combined vision. 

An effective manager is advised to have diverse skills to manage an organization effectively. Some of the necessary skills are creativity, problem-solving, communication, conflict management, and negotiation. 

Problem-solving involves identifying and analyzing a particular issue, determining its causes, developing options for the best outcome, and implementing those actions to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected decision. 

Communication skills require listening, presentation, feedback, and report-writing skills. 

Managing conflict involves determining the conflict source, understanding reconciliation conflict styles, selecting the best conflict strategy, and choosing the ideal skills for conflict resolution. 

Negotiation skills involve selecting the common negotiation mistakes, avoiding them, fostering rationalization and critical thinking, and developing negotiation skills to resolve conflict. 

Effective Management: Team Management

Successful organizations implement effective management teams to coordinate and manage the firm at all levels in the company’s structural hierarchy. They are defined as “a group of individuals, each of whom has a personal responsibility for leading some part of an organization, [and] interdependent to provide overall leadership for a larger enterprise.” 

A management team sets organizational goals, objectives, and priorities to make decisions, discuss problems, give advice, and monitor organizational activities. 

It can “provide the flexibility to transcend the traditional silo mentality that pervades many organizations and effectively manage the important but often ambiguous white spaces between those silos.” 

The team should ensure that its outcomes and results create positive reinforcement for organizational success by creating added value. 

The key results produced are direction, commitment, and alignment of organizational goals and objectives. 

In a managerial context, the direction is defined as “a reasonable level of agreement in the collective about the aim, mission, vision, or goal” of the organization in which the team is embedded.”

Management teams determine the organizational direction and ensure the direction is understood and comprehended by all members. Alignment is “the organization and coordination of knowledge and work.”

The goals, strategies, and processes of various company units and departments are symmetrically unified for efficient operation. Finally, commitment is  “the willingness of individual members to subsume their efforts and benefits within the collective effort and benefit.” 

Management teams that are committed work towards a shared goal, leading to the successful implementation of objectives. 
An effective management team facilitates well being, learning, and growth of each member. In addition, the design added value for organizational members when they reconcile for team meetings. 

Relevant information and advice are given to members, and each member improves within their role at the company. Emotional support is provided, and a higher level of interaction evolves. Members help each other by sharing resources and consulting each other for guidance. 

Qualities of an Effective Manager

An effective manager is a clear communicator. Communication skills are the most mandated skills necessary for both employees and managers. 

A manager should demonstrate the ability to negotiate and persuade effectively to ensure team success. The manager must facilitate achievements by developing guidelines to achieve tasks. 

An effective manager has a long-term vision of the company’s success and possesses the ability to define it. They must have a positive attitude with enthusiasm. Enthusiastic managers demonstrate a commitment using optimism. 

Managers need to show how they can lead and not only rely on expertise. Having technical expertise along with showing the initiative to inspire, challenge, and motivate has to be promoted to show capability. 

Another quality is being trustworthy. Trust is the building block for managers to delegate tasks to their team members and minimize control and micromanagement of employees, giving them the freedom to participate and autocratically complete their work. 

An effective manager needs to be able to manage stress and pressure under unforeseen and challenging circumstances. The manager needs to ensure they can handle conflict and resolve issues between parties to redirect all members toward the organization’s goals. 

A manager should optimize the appropriate leadership approach throughout the team development stage. All employees should be involved in the process as it helps develop loyalty and gives them a sense of belonging to create stronger organizational commitment

Moreover, managers must set deadlines and goals to help employees remain focused, keep them busy, and motivate them to produce output. Every employee should be spoken to about the organizational goals so they are aware of their responsibility. 

Therefore, effective managers need to have a suitable leadership approach tailored to the company’s needs and organizational goals. This is critical for achieving high profitability and maintaining a good reputation. 

To deal with a troublesome employee, the trouble and issue must be defined. A simple conversation with the employee eradicates the issue. Mentorship should be provided to support employees with feedback to enhance organizational performance. 

Poor performance within the organization must be addressed by the manager quickly to prevent the magnification of the problem and dispersion to other parts of the company. An employee may demonstrate disorganization in their work.

It is recommended that the manager provides guidance and help to support the employee in improving their performance. Training and mentoring are appropriate techniques for enhancing employee performance and contribution to the organization. 

Conclusion

Effective management is the key factor to company results and success. Therefore, it is necessary to efficiently manage organizational processes, tasks, systems, and responsibilities to achieve its benefits.

These advantages include higher profitability, lower labor turnover, high employee retention rate, increased levels of employee satisfaction and loyalty, enhanced organizational culture, and better relationships with stakeholders that lead to a strong corporate image. 

Managers should be trustworthy, reliable, inspiring, driven, and polite to their employees. A well-rounded manager is the best investment an organization can make to advance its standing in the market. 

This can help a company achieve economies of scale, better supplier terms, higher revenue, cost advantages, and overall continuity and survival. 

To assess effective management, several KPIs can be used, including profitability, productivity rate, technique quality, rapid feedback, company culture, and employee/stakeholder-management relationship. 

In conclusion, a good manager is the building block to gaining a competitive advantage and producing continuous growth, with organizational success being at the forefront of all objectives. 

Researched by Haniya Ahmad Wasim I LinkedIn

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