Leadership

The difference between leadership (line authority) and management (staff authority) is the area of control over different processes that happen in every organization. Line authority basically refers to the authority executed by those managers that are directly responsible for the operational results of the company, and, having this capacity, coordinate the work of the organization at large anddifferent levels. Staff authority is associated with advising or consulting positions, managers that help line managers, but do not have direct authority over the subordinates of line managers. While it is apparent that human resource managers have staff authority, in some situations they may partially execute line authority, and their decisions may be superior to those made by the line managers. Inthe process of staff authority execution, such advisors intervene into process to conduct their professional duties.
Probably the best-known intervention is the teambuilding process. A series of experiential learning’s assists in facilitating this process. This process is based on the idea that all individuals are different and that each brings a unique set of skills into a job. It isbecause of these differences that problems may occur. These differences can also provide the keystone of success. Teambuilding focuses on building positively on individual differences. No one can expect everyone in an organization to like one another. That is not the goal of teambuilding. Its goal, rather, is to leave personality differences behind, focus on the task, and work together to achieve amutually accepted goal. This takes time, patience, and a strong leader at the executive level that is not going to accept anything less. Staff managers, as a part of their duties, are responsible for employee relations in the company. Employee relations activities in an organization are varied. Some are oriented toward ensuring that open communications take place while others are aimed atdeveloping and implementing corporate policies. Employee relations is also very active in ensuring that complaint procedures exist for employees in unionized organizations, called the complaint procedure. It is important to make a distinction between labor relations and employee relations. Often, companies have one or the other, but not both. On the surface, both conduct many of the same activities,i.e., counseling employees on performance problems, facilitating the complaint procedure, and maintaining corporate policies. The biggest difference lies in the area of flexibility. Employee relations departments face fewer constraints than labor relations departments, which must deal with representing a union. The degree of these constraints is contingent on the terms and conditions of theagreed-upon contract. It has been said that employee relations is what you do when no union is present--fail at employee relations and you will have labor relations.
Organization communications is a catch-all phrase used to describe many activities in the organization, which are also supervised by staff managers, that is, HR professionals. It encompasses how workers are being treated by management;how information is being spread to employees and how workers perceive the culture, working conditions, and complaint procedures. This multi-faceted approach rests on the idea that people can talk to one another. Differences may arise, but a mechanism should be in place to mediate them before they become major disasters.
Organization communications is also built on the belief that workersshould have some say in respect to the quality of work life. Employees are probably the best source of information regarding happenings and operations in an organization. Accordingly, they need to be polled periodically, randomly perhaps, to obtain a perspective on how the work force is doing. This quick assessment also gives workers the opportunity to vent any problems they are experiencing....