Doubling the management positions in different organisations is rapidly catching on as a flexible work arrangement. With the current economic realities, it is prudent for businesses to make an organisational adjustment to compete and grow as well.
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For businesses to compete on a global scale, there’s a need for responsiveness and 24/7 availability, especially in project management. Therefore, it becomes quite a challenge when companies rely on the current system to deliver results. The current system of management is not sufficient and it’s mostly retrospective. This means it’s almost impossible for individuals in managerial positions to be involved in the day to day business. Furthermore – as shown by e.g. Wirecard – single persons in positions of power, bearing too much decision-making powers, may easily lead to malversations.
Therefore, for companies utilising such a management system, it may be time to review the system’s efficacy. At the same time, they should consider implementing a new organisational structure. This way, a company would be taking heading in the right direction in better managing its team and reducing on the risks. One of the best ways to do this is by making two professionals head one department instead of one. However, the real question is, can this new system increase the company’s productivity? If it does, how best can it be implemented? Therefore, read on to understand how best companies can implement this new organisational structure and why it should be implemented in the first place.
Is Doubling Management Positions a Viable Solution?
This new organisational structure can easily be seen as an alternative management solution rather than the mainstream organisational structure. What many of these businesses fail to understand is that the system offers the best of both worlds. Essentially, the system provides round-the-clock cover while two individuals are morphing into one and delivering better results. The system is actually a mark of success.
Reasons Why You Should Double Management Positions
Managerial positions require full-time commitment. However, achieving organisational responsiveness and alertness of all levels of a project may be virtually impossible. Some areas may never be attended to if something is not done about it. After implementing the new organisational structure, you will see why you should have done it earlier. There are many reasons or benefits of implementing this work arrangement in the office. In this section, you will learn more about why you should consider doubling management positions in your business.
1. Improves Organisational Diversity
Businesses that understand the concept of diversity in the workplace invest their time and effort, ensuring that there is inclusivity at the workplace. However, you should understand that diversity in the office doesn’t only relate to how people identify themselves but also matters how other employees perceive them.
Diversity in the workplace covers everything gender, sexual orientation, nationalities, gender, age, and physical attributes. Furthermore, ensuring diversity in the workplace will go a long way in enforcing the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, especially the Diversity and Equal Opportunity Standard 2016. According to GRI, actively promoting diversity in the workplace can generate immense benefits for the team. For instance, it would help in gaining access to more diverse set of potential workers. The benefits are far-reaching, even into the society, not only for the team. Therefore, as you consider promoting a team member as a second manager, consider all these things.
2. Helps in Better Decision-Making
When it comes to making organisational decisions, two heads are always better than one. Two people working together have improved chances of making better decisions concerning the team as opposed to when they’re working alone. The deliberations in the decision-making process will be sounder. Two heads working together will come up with a consensus on the best way to go about things, considering diversity because competencies won’t lie on one person but two. Therefore, the chances of improving organisational efficacy increase. The decisions made when two heads come together will be based on statistical averaging, social motivation and sound argumentation rather than using personalities to make a decision.
3. Enhances Workplace Collaboration
Collaboration in the workplace for a team shouldn’t just be a trend, but rather a crucial component for a healthy and thriving team.
Collaboration in the workplace is synonymous with teamwork. Therefore, when you double the management positions, you essentially cultivate the spirit of teamwork. Since the managers have to work together, it will promote sharing their skills and ideas for them to achieve a common objective for the team. When employees see managers brainstorming ideas and solving problems together, they will also emulate and learn how best to divide organisational responsibility while working together to better their results. When managers collaboratively meet set goals, it goes a long way in driving productivity and filling employees with a stronger sense of purpose than ever before. Furthermore, the managers will be a position to provide better support to their team members.
4. Increased Efficiency
As mentioned earlier, two heads work better than one. When these two managers collaborate on a project, it cements the working relationships among the team members. When working with one person in a managerial position, it can be challenging for one person to strive to meet the organisational goals. However, adding another person to work hand-in-hand with the manager will help ease the strain; thus, reinforcing the leadership making it span better than before, which boosts the managerial efficiency. When there is efficiency at the top, it will trickle down to other team members.
5. Less Risk for the Company
Any team is bound to have lone fighters. Such individuals in the workplace can be detrimental to the efficacy of the whole team. Lone in fighters in any organisation don’t see the value of working in teams and would rather work alone. They don’t like playing partner in anything, which can be tricky in the workplace. Such individuals focus on competing other employees instead of working together for the common good. Therefore, it is riskier to work with such individuals because they will do anything to get ahead, which might mean risking the team’s productivity.
Therefore, to avoid such lone fighters coming up, doubling the management positions would be the best way to go. It will be a symbol of inclusivity and ensuring every person in the team understands the benefits of working together instead of working against each other.
6. More Competition to Some Extent
When a manager works alone, it is very easy to work while eyeing a higher managerial position. Therefore, it is very easy to lose sight of the current position and what is required of them in that position since. There priority will be to get the next position instead on staying motivated to work effectively at their current position.
This means that for you to make this individual to concentrate on their work at that particular management level, you introduce some form of competition. You can do this by doubling that position. In this way, the other head will stop concentrating on that higher position and gets motivated on how best he/she can perform in their current position. A little bit of healthy competition in the workplace is good. Moreover, it will encourage them to spread their wings and network more.
7. Split Responsibilities
Promoting another team member to become a manager can help in splitting the operational duties. However, it would be best if the managerial responsibilities remain the same but capitalise on assigning specific duties to each manager. It will help them specialise in their responsibilities. Furthermore, it will help improve the team’s productivity without one person feeling overwhelmed.
8. It Helps in Charting the Organisational Structure in a New Way
Adding a new manager in the team to create double positions in the management level will disrupt the old organisational structure. Hence, you will have to chart a new structure. Charting a new organisational structure can be a chance to review the current structure and finding ways to improve it. However, you have to attach a great level of significance to the new chart networks so that responsibilities don’t overshadow each other. This can easily lead to tensions in the work place. Furthermore, it may cause confusion among employees on who to report to during the project.
How to Make it Work
This new management system where the benefits offered outweigh the drawbacks needs to be implemented with care, as the challenge might come in during the implementation of the new management programme. Here are some very effective tips on making the new work arrangement work to serve the organisation’s interest.
1. Identify all positions to be doubled
In some cases, it may be virtually impossible to double some managerial positions. Therefore, it is important to analyse all the management positions to determine where to start as you progress. In some cases, the subordinates might even develop a preference over the managers put in charge. Hence, care should be taken when identifying these jobs to avoid any biases as a result. Moreover, it imperative to do this so that you make real management change but avoid increased costs. Therefore, the best way to do this is by making one of the team members the second head.
2. Have the managers draft their personal job proposal
When you promote a team member to become the second head of a project, it is very easy for them to feel like their jobs collide. This can easily lead to confusion and misunderstanding in the workplace. Therefore, you can make these two new heads sit together and draft their job proposal. They can decide on how best they can work together without feeling like one is overshadowing the other. It will be a way of making the heads own the new work arrangement. Chances are there might be very few modifications upon review of the draft.
3. Develop a highly-detailed work plan
The preparation of a very detailed work plan will go a long way in increasing alertness and responsiveness in the work environment while ensuring smooth transitions between projects. Furthermore, it will enable them to understand their work hours and job functions better as they handle different situations. It will help in ensuring that there is a round-the-clock cover.
4. Implement a regular management reporting plan
A regular management reporting plan will enable these heads in the managerial position plan how regularly they provide reports. It could be daily, weekly, or monthly. Working together to deliver these reports is an incredible way of ensuring that they work together to boost efficiency rather than work against each other. This is because they will understand that inasmuch as they have specific duties, they also have collective responsibilities to make the team meet certain goals by the end of the day, week or month.
Establish a trial period
Once you have all these things set-up, you need to establish a timeline for the new organisational structure to fit in the system. Keep a close eye on how it works and review the progress periodically. This will help you understand the feasibility of the structure and where it works best.
Bottom-line
It is about time many companies embrace this new management system because it is a force to reckon with. This is especially true if they want to achieve global scale responsiveness. Moreover, if set up properly, the new organisational structure will help improve workplace efficiency, reduce the risks, and split responsibilities. Furthermore, it will enhance collaboration and improve workplace diversity, which will ultimately increase productivity on overall. Contact us for discussion and implementation about doubling management positions.
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