Managing People and Organization: A Case Study on Littlepay

This report provides an in-depth analysis of managerial roles within Littlepay, an Australian startup. It begins with an executive summary outlining the report's objectives, which include examining the roles of managers and the challenges they face in the current business environment. The report then delves into a literature review, exploring various perspectives on managerial effectiveness and the importance of skills like negotiation and employee motivation. A company profile of Littlepay is provided, followed by an examination of its operational structure. The core of the report focuses on the roles played by managers at Littlepay, including setting objectives, organizing tasks, and motivating employees. The report also identifies challenges such as maximizing employee productivity, crisis management, and implementing organizational change. Finally, the report offers lessons learned and recommendations for future managers to enhance their effectiveness, concluding with a comprehensive reference list and appendix.

Running head: MANAGING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATION
Managing people and organization
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Executive summary
The aim of this report is to discuss about the roles played by the managers in their organization.
Littlepay is an Australian startup that is chosen for the analysis. In addition, this report also
discussed about the challenges being faced by the managers in the current business scenario.
This report also critically analyzed the roles of the managers in the current business scenario
with the help of different journal articles. It is concluded that managers are having number of
challenges in fulfilling their managerial objectives. A few measures are being recommended that
will further help the future managers in enhancing their effectiveness in managing the business.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Scope of the report.......................................................................................................................3
Literature review..............................................................................................................................4
Company profile..............................................................................................................................5
Company operations........................................................................................................................6
Roles played by the managers.....................................................................................................6
Setting objectives.....................................................................................................................6
Organizing...............................................................................................................................7
Motivating the employees........................................................................................................8
Challenges for the managers........................................................................................................9
Maximizing the productivity of the employees.......................................................................9
Crisis management...................................................................................................................9
Implementing organizational change management...............................................................10
Lessons learnt................................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
Reference.......................................................................................................................................12
Appendix........................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
In the current business scenario, one of the major sources of gaining competitive
advantages for the contemporary business organizations is the leadership roles or managerial
roles. This is due to the reason that managers are the one who are responsible for driving their
business organizations through challenges and gaining profit in the long term. However, the
approach being followed by the managers is different and varied in nature (Boc, Vaculik &
Vidrikova, 2013). This is due to the reason that the situations being faced by the business
organizations are different and varies from organization to organization. There are number of
instances where the different approaches initiated by the managers got failed or succeed. Thus, it
is important to consult with a particular manager in order to identify the attributes managing in
the organization.
The aim of this report is to discuss about the managerial roles being played in Littlepay.
Moreover, the roles played by the managers along with the challenges being faced by them will
also be discussed in this report. A few recommended steps will also be discussed to enhance the
future effectiveness of the managers.
Scope of the report
In this report, the manager and founder of Littlepay, Michael Walters are being
interviewed in order to gain the insights about his attributes and approaches in relation to
managing his organization. The approach to the managerial roles will also be critically evaluated
with the help of the different articles. However, this report will not cover the feedback and
opinion of the employees regarding the managerial approach in the organization.

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Literature review
There are number of authors who are given different opinions and views in regards to the
effectiveness of the managerial roles in the organizations. According to Kozina (2014), one of
the major roles played by the managers in their daily business operation is negotiating with
different internal and external stakeholders. According to the authors, negotiation is one of the
important roles for the managers due to the reason that the negotiation skills of the managers
determine the profitability of the organization. In addition, as per the authors, negotiation skills
of the employees also determine the relationship with the suppliers, relationship with the
employees and with other stakeholders.
Another effective view given by Rae (2013), regarding the alternate roles played by the
authors. According to the author, it is the responsibility of the managers to manage the level of
motivation and satisfaction of the employees. This is due to the reason that benefits and facilities
offered to the employees in their workplace are initiated by the managers. The authors have also
stated that it is the effectiveness of the managerial skills of the managers that determine the
extent to which the employees will be motivated in their workplace and are satisfied with their
job roles. According to the authors, this will in turn determine the productivity of the
organizations due to the reason that having satisfied and motivated employees will help in
enhancing the performance of the organization.
On the other hand, there are some different views given by some authors regarding the
managerial roles in the organization. According to de Oliveira, Escrivao, Nagano, Ferraudo and
Rosim (2015), managerial roles in the small and large business organizations are different. This
is due to the reason that in the case of the small business organizations, managers are having

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added roles over the managerial roles played in the large organizations. This is due to the reason
that in the small organizations, managers are given the role of leadership also in addition to the
core managerial roles. Thus, the role of the managers in the small business organizations are
more diversified that that in the large organizations. On the other hand, it is also stated by the
authors that in the large organizations, managers are only given the role managing the daily
operations of the organizations. They are not entitled for the added role of leadership.
Thus, it can be concluded that managerial roles are having different approaches in
different organizational situations and there are number of diverse roles being played by the
managers. It is also concluded that the roles played by the managers are different in different size
of the organizations. However, it should also be noted that managerial roles are one of the most
important roles played in the contemporary business organizations and it is also the major factor
in determining the potentiality of the business.
Company profile
Littlepay is one of the most innovative and successful startup of Australia in the recent
time. They provide cloud based financial solutions to different transport operators and other
service providers. The major competitive advantages of their business is that they provide ban
grade secured service to the operators quick and swift open payment system. The major objective
of Littlepay is to offer the online and cloud based payment facilities to the small organizations
that do not have the access to lager source of capital (Stockwell, 2018). Currently, they are only
having their branches in London and Melbourne and the total employee size is also limited
within few thousands. Michael Walters is the founder of Littlepay and he is also entitled for the

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daily managerial roles. Apart from him, there are some other managers for the respective roles
and departments in the organization.
Company operations
From the interview that is conducted with the managers of Littlepay, there are number of
findings being identified including their core roles and challenges they are facing in initiating
their roles and responsibilities. The following sections will discuss about the findings from the
interview process.
Roles played by the managers
Setting objectives
One of the major roles played by the managers in Littlepay is setting the objectives.
According to the opinion of the respondent managers, they are responsible to set the business
objectives for the future. It is also being stated by them that the more experiences of the
managers also helps in setting the objectives of the business. This is due to the fact that there are
number of factors that should be considered in setting up the objectives. One of the major factors
is the necessary infrastructure for the fulfillment of the objectives. Thus, it is one of the major
roles played by the managers in determining the organizational infrastructure and setting up the
objective accordingly.
According to Volberda, Van Den Bosch and Heij (2013), responsibility of setting up
objectives is one of the major roles for the managers and it determines the future potentiality of
the organizations. This is due to the reason that organizational stakeholders will play their

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respective roles only according to the determined objectives. Thus, according to the authors, the
more effective will be the objectives, the more favorable will be business potentiality.
Organizing
From the interview process, another major role of the managers being identified is
organizing the organizational tasks. According to the respondents, it is their responsibility to
properly organize the organizational elements and present it in more presentable manner. This is
one of the most complex roles for the managers due to the reason that majority of data inputs
stays in unorganized manner and it is the role of the managers to come up with the solution in
organizing the data inputs. In the case of Littlepay, this is role is having more importance for the
managers due to the reason that it is a small organization and they are not having much
hierarchical levels. Thus, it is the responsibility of managers to organize all the elements of the
business and run the business accordingly.
According to some authors such as Scott and Davis (2015), organizing is also one of the
major and most important roles of the managers. This is due to the reason that according to the
authors, managers are the responsible stakeholder in the organization who is entitled to manage
the daily business operation. Thus, it is important to have the capability of organizing in order to
effectively run the daily business operation. In addition, it is also being stated by the authors that
in the case of the small organizations, the organizing role of the managers is more evident due to
the fact that in the small organization managers are having less supports in the organizations.
Thus, they have to play the organizing role singlehandedly.

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Motivating the employees
Motivating the employees is actually a prime responsibility for the leaders. However, in
the current business scenario, the difference between the leader and the manager is much less.
This is due to the reason that according to the respondents, managers in the Littlepay also pays
the role of motivating their employees in the organization. They have stated that Littlepay is
having smaller number of employees and it is the responsibility of the managers to enhance their
effectiveness and the productivity by means of motivating and engaging them in their workplace.
Moreover, due to the fact that Littlepay is a small organization with having smaller employee
strength, it is more important for the managers to act as leader for the employees. Managers are
the one who are responsible to maintain the favorable working environment in the organization.
According to Buble, Juras and Matic (2014), in the current time, it is important for the
managers to play the leadership roles in the organization. This is due to the reason that the
current working culture is much different than it was a decade ago and thus it is important for the
managers to maintain the effective and ideal working environment in the organization in order to
achieve the maximum productivity. It is also being stated by the authors that in the small
business organizations, the difference between the leaders and managers is much less compared
in the large business organizations. This is due to the reason that in the case of the small business
organization, managers are only one who belongs in the upper level management and they are
one who looks after every single organizational aspect. Thus, it is more important for the
managers in the small business organizations to portray their leadership skills in addition to their
basic managerial skills.

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Challenges for the managers
In addition to the roles played by the managers in the organization, there are number of
challenges also being identified from the interview process. The following sections will discuss
about the challenges faced by the managers in the organization.
Maximizing the productivity of the employees
One of the major challenges being faced by the managers in fulfilling their managerial
roles is maximizing the performance of the employees. This is due to the reason that in the
current business organizations, employees are more diversified in nature and thus they are having
more different and varied expectations and requirements from the managerial levels. Thus, it is a
challenge for the managers to meet all the diverse requirements for the employees. According to
Van Wart (2013), one of the major challenges for the managers and leaders in the current
business scenario is meeting and managing the diverse need and requirements of the employees.
It is stated by the authors that with the change in the business and organizational culture, the
approach of the employees is also changing and it is much difficult for the managers to cope up
with this change. This led to the reduction in the organizational as well as employee productivity.
Crisis management
The current business scenario is plagued with number of crisis originating from different
business contexts. Thus, it is also one of the major challenges for the managers in the
contemporary business organizations to cope with the frequent origination of the crisis in the
business. According to Herbane (2013), managers are having an important role in the crisis
management in the organization. This is due to the fact that the strategies initiated by the
managers will determine the effectiveness of the crisis management. However, it is also being

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stated by the author that the current business scenario is witnessing more frequent emergence of
crisis in the organization. Thus, it is becoming difficult and challenging for the managers to
change their managerial approach frequently. Thus, in majority of the cases the managerial
approach of the managers gets ineffective.
Implementing organizational change management
Another major challenge being faced by the managers in the current business
organizations is implementing the change management in place. This is due to the reason that the
current business scenario is rapidly changing and evolving and thus it is important for the
managers to change the existing business processed and policies and implement the new and
more effective one. However, in this case, the major challenge being faced by them is from the
side of the employees. According to Jackson (2016), one of the major challenges being faced by
the managers in implementing the change in the organization is the resistance from the
employees.
According to the authors, employees tend resist in change management in fear of not
adopting the new system in the workplace. Moreover, it is also stated by the author that there are
different considerations of the employees should be determined by the managers in the process
of change management that is not possible and difficult for the managers. Thus, this is also
another major challenge being faced by the managers.
Lessons learnt
One of the most interesting lessons leant from the experience of conducting the interview
is the relationship between the employees and managers. This is due to the reason that it is
during the time of the interview that the managers are having single information of their

12MANAGING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATION
employees. This is actually helping them in determining the requirement of the employees and
initiating the strategies accordingly. Thus, the interesting part of this evaluation is that effective
managerial roles can only be played when the relationship between employees and managers will
be favorable and effective. Managerial roles in Littlepay are effective only due to the reason that
each and every internal stakeholders of the organization is involved in the managerial process.
Conclusion
Thus, it is concluded that in the current business scenario, managerial roles can only be
effectively played by considering different aspects. This is due to the reason that external factors
in the current time are changing rapidly and it is important for the managers to cope up with the
change. This report recommends that future managers should be more knowledgeable in current
business affairs in order to effectively fulfill the managerial roles. This is due to the fact that
without having the proper knowledge in the current affairs, it will be difficult for the managers to
forecast the business potential and will face difficulty in setting up the objectives. In addition, it
is also being recommended that future managers should be more open-minded in order to accept
the change in the business scenario. They should be ready and equipped to accept the change and
effectively organize the business process accordingly. If the managers are flexible enough in the
business change process, then it will be beneficial in motivating the employees also in change
with the situation and scenario.

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Reference
Boc, K., Vaculík, J., & Vidriková, D. (2013). Risk analysis in managerial process and fuzzy
approach. Transport and Telecommunication, 14(3), 214-222.
Buble, M., Juras, A., & Matić, I. (2014). The relationship between managers’ leadership styles
and motivation. Management: journal of contemporary management issues, 19(1), 161-
193.
de Oliveira, J., Escrivão, E., Nagano, M. S., Ferraudo, A. S., & Rosim, D. (2015). What do small
business owner-managers do? A managerial work perspective. Journal of Global
Entrepreneurship Research, 5(1), 19.
Herbane, B. (2013). Exploring crisis management in UK small‐and medium‐sized
enterprises. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 21(2), 82-95.
Jackson, D. (2016). Dynamic organisations: the challenge of change. Springer.
Kozina, A. W. (2014). Managerial roles and functions in negotiation process. Business,
Management and Education, 12(1), 94.
Rae, K. (2013). How perceptions of empowerment and commitment affect job satisfaction: a
study of managerial-level effects. Accounting, Accountability & Performance, 18(1), 35.
Scott, W. R., & Davis, G. F. (2015). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural and open
systems perspectives. Routledge.
Stockwell, P. (2018). littlepay. Retrieved from https://littlepay.com/about.html

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Van Wart, M. (2013). Lessons from leadership theory and the contemporary challenges of
leaders. Public Administration Review, 73(4), 553-565.
Volberda, H. W., Van Den Bosch, F. A., & Heij, C. V. (2013). Management innovation:
Management as fertile ground for innovation. European Management Review, 10(1), 1-
15.

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Appendix
1. What is primary role for you in the organization?
2. What are the secondary roles for you?
3. Is there any added responsibilities undertaken by you?
4. How much you think about your organizational contribution?
5. What are the major challenges being faced by you?
6. What is the importance of having effective relationship with the employees?
7. Do you think that there is difference between the leadership and managerial roles?