SHOWING RESPONSIBILITY IN THE NAVY

Showing Responsibility In The Navy

Showing Responsibility In The Navy

Introduction

Everything accomplished by a manager relates to the effective use of control. In order to recognize this relationship, the purpose of management controls needs to be understood in the most simplest of terms. During the course of my study, I found a quote from an article in the Journal of Change Management that stated “Management control systems are formal, information-based routines that managers use to maintain or alter patterns in organizational activities”(Ford, M., & Greer, B., 2005, p.30). Since the job of the manager is to govern organizational activities, this quote concisely demonstrates the premise that everything a manager does relates to control. Of note is the point that these controls are all information-based routines that are a part of the organization. To key in on the term “information-based” implies that there is a reliance on the use on numerous modes of communication which can serve to remove some of the stigma from the word control.

Removing the Stigma from the Word "Control”MSN Encarta Online Dictionary defines the word stigma as “the shame or disgrace attached to something regarded as socially unacceptable (2007). To remove this shame or disgrace from managerial control requires managers to rely on well honed communication skills. Additionally, a basic understanding of social psychology can aid the manager by allowing them to understand how their team members beliefs, feelings and behaviors can be influenced by their actions. The goal of the deliberate communications and psychological understanding is to allow a manager to remove the negatives associated with control and replace it with a feeling of belonging and self worth in the individuals that form their team.

Responsibilities Tools

Used by Managers in the U.S. Navy and their EffectivenessWith 333,582 active duty sailors, 280 ships and 3700+ aircraft (Navy.mil, 2007), the U.S. Navy is a huge and diverse organization. Such diversity requires the employment of a whole variety of management control mechanisms. The different control mechanisms are employed based upon the mission and relative rank of the personnel that are being managed in order to ensure that effectiveness. For example, Recruits in basic training are first subjected to very strict behavioral controls in order to institutionalize their thought processes and actions. This type of control does not appeal to the individual, but it is not meant to. The intent is to build cohesion and esprit de corp. After several weeks of this restrictive control mechanism, recruits are transitioned to the more standardized bureaucratic control which is consistent with the manner in which the majority of the Navy operates.

Empowerment

Empowerment in the Navy facilitates greater Span of ControlThe very size of the Navy requires high levels of empowerment in order to function correctly. Span of control, as defined by our text is “The number of subordinates who report directly to an executive or supervisor” (Bateman & Snell, 2007, p. 266). Similar to the variety of management control systems employed by the Navy, so too is the empowerment ...