Report: Developing Managers and Leadership Styles at Thomas Cook

This report analyzes the development of managers within Thomas Cook, a global travel company. It explores various management and leadership styles, including autocratic, democratic, transactional, and transformational approaches, and assesses their impact on employee engagement and organizational effectiveness. The report examines communication strategies, organizational culture, and the role of HR in developing managerial skills, including a SWOT analysis of the author's own management capabilities. It also outlines future career objectives and strategies for professional development, including enhancing communication and conflict management skills to achieve the goal of becoming a chief HR manager. The report emphasizes the importance of strong leadership, motivation, and effective communication in achieving organizational goals and fostering a positive work environment, with a focus on the hospitality industry.

THE
DEVELOPING
MANAGERS
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................3
TASK 1.................................................................................................................................................3
A.......................................................................................................................................................3
B.......................................................................................................................................................4
TASK 2 ................................................................................................................................................5
A.......................................................................................................................................................5
B.......................................................................................................................................................6
TASK 3 ................................................................................................................................................7
A.......................................................................................................................................................7
B.......................................................................................................................................................7
TASK 4.................................................................................................................................................8
A.......................................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................9
References..........................................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
The developing manager is important aspect that relates with the up gradation of
professional skills and knowledge in executives. This further help them in attaining the industry
benchmarks and taking the organization to new heights. Developing managers is important aspect
as it help in rendering benefits to the organisation (Wu and Lee, 2007). The manager play a
effective role in the accomplishment of overall objectives of business, therefore its overall
development is crucial aspect for entity. In this report, various aspects of developing manager will
be studied in the context of Thomas Cook. It is a British global travel entity, headquartered in
Peterborough and founded in 2007. In this report, different learning styles will be compared.
Further, analysis of own management skills. Assessment about own management skills and
performance will be provided. Thereafter, objectives will be set and targets will be developed
considering own potential.
TASK 1
A.
Management is a systematic measure undertaken for managing, organising and coordinating
business activities. It focuses on effectively managing the business operations by controlling the
actions of the staff members and organising them in a productive and well defined manner. There
are mainly four functions of management which includes controlling, planning, staffing and
organizing. All the above mentioned aspects helps in attaining productive results for business
growth and development. Leadership is an interpersonal process through which a leader inspires,
guide and influence all members of a group towards accomplishment the firm's goals and
objectives. The executives within the organization are required to perform multiple responsibilities
and roles. The effectiveness of the executives is determined through its style of handling contrasting
situations. The management styles can be featured in terms of making decisions and relating to
subordinates (Berghman and Vloebergh, 2003 ). The appropriate management style enable
executives in heading forwards and attaining the overall goals of company. The different
management styles that can be used by manager of Thomas cook are discussed as follows:
 Autocratic style: It is important style that enable mangers to take its own decision without
seeking the participation of organizational members. This style is used when prompt
decision is taken and employees lack required knowledge and skills.
 Democratic style: It is effective style that enable the managers to assure proper
involvement of members before taking any final decision. It help in boosting their morale of
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employees as they part of decision making process (Fan, Wong and Zhang, 2007).
 Laissez fair style: This is unique style where complete freedom is provided to employees to
take business decisions. The manager in this style, focuses on the other important areas that
assure growth and success such as strategy for expanding into new market.
From the critical analysis of Thomas Cook, it has been identified that managers use different
leadership style based on the needs of entity. In case decision regarding entering into new market is
taken than autocratic leadership is used. On the other hand,decision regarding introduction of new
machine and other operational change is to be taken than democratic leadership style is used. With
the help of management styles, executives not only assure proper control but also facilitate the
empowerment of its members. Other than this, the leadership characteristics of executives of
Thomas Cook has been identified. They have strong interpersonal, communication, decision
making, analytical and creative and critical thinking skills the executive assure they are confident
and have positive attitude towards its members (Holm, 2006). The managers are required to ensure
proper coordination and cooperation among members so that mutually beneficial goals are
identified. Furthermore, consideration can be given on the new and modern management styles
which help in attaining maximum productivity of members. Such as:
Transactional style: It is important style of leadership that evolve use of rewards and punishments
to stimulate members to perform or refrain from performing certain things. The manager under this
leadership style focuses on supervision, team performance and overall management (Keller, 2009).
The objectives are determined by leader and after the completion of task the actual performance is
matched with the expected one. On the basis of attained results which are further compared with
benchmarks, the rewards or punishment are decided.
Transformational style: In this style, the leader has competence to inspire and motivate followers
to attain outcomes greater than originally planned. This style is founded on high employee
engagement through regular communication among leader and members (Mano 2010). The planned
aims and objectives are clearly declared to the team and a executives use different strategies and
mode of communication to encourage the team to accomplish those objectives and intensify
productivity and efficiency of business.
B.
Communication is important process that enable the flow of information from leaders to
members within the company. It further play crucial role in developing strong interrelationship with
members and other individuals or groups in the market. With the help of strong communication
system the management of Thomas cook can have proper knowledge about the needs and issues of
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employees (Merryl and et.al., 2013). In order to assure effective employee engagement, the
communication is very important. Thereafter, to ensure smooth flow of operations the management
must emphasis on strong and clear communication system. In this respect, digital techniques and
processes can be used.
Presently, in Thomas Cook there is vertical structure, due to which employees cannot have
direct interaction with the executives. This further obstruct the free flow communication between
management and employees. The information is often delayed or does not reach in actual sense.
Therefore, it is important for company to make some viable changes so as foster the effective
communication process. In this respect, flat structure can be considered which enable the members
to have direct interaction with the top executives (Trong, 2013). Therefore, they can discuss the
creative ideas, issues faced during work so that proper solution can be obtained. There are
contrasting mode of communication that are used by the employees of Thomas Cook. Such as,
emails, letters, memos are used by employee to transmit information.
Other than this, there are various group discussion, meetings and brain storming session that
are organized to enable exchange of information, ideas and other messages between managers and
organisational members. Thereafter, to strengthen present communication system, management can
use proper training programs. The employee lacking the communication skills can be trained
through brain storming, session,debates and conferences etc. that further boost the public speaking
skills of an individual (Alna 2010). Other than this, company can design a interactive portal where
employees can communicate directly with their co-workers, managers etc. to discuss the issues
faced by them. Organizational culture is related to to the joint behaviour, policies, code of conduct
and ethical practices followed within an company. It help in connecting the employees as a whole
and assist in obtaining the best outcome from them (Cravens, 2014). Organisational culture of
Thomas cook is a role culture and it helps the firm to increase its productivity and efficiency level.
It help in reducing a number of confusion at workplace by assigning each person a specific role and
task according to their capability and skills etc. that helps an organisation in attaining their goals
and objectives in a well desired manner. The mentioned culture has helped the business unit in
creating a significant and well defined impact on business growth and development of the business
unit.
TASK 2
A
Presently, I am working as Junior HR executive at Thomas Cook. My main responsibility is
to attract skilled and competent individual to work for the company. My duty is to assure right
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person is appointed at right job on right time. The main roles and responsibility of me as a manager
of Thomas Cook are highlighted as follows:
 Managing human inventory: Being a junior HR manager my key responsibility is to fill
the vacant job position effectively by attracting suitable candidates to apply for the post and
thereafter selecting the best candidate from the available pool.
 Training and development: In order to upgrade the skills and knowledge of employees as
per the industry benchmark. It is important for me to organize training and development
session for members as per their needs.
 Motivation: Being a manager it is my duty to boost the morale of employees and inspire
them to accomplish the goals of company. I can use different monetary and non monetary
rewards to get maximum performance from employees. Such as, recognition, cash bonus,
responsibility, financial incentives etc.
 Proper coordination and management: As representative of the HR team of entity, it is
my responsibility to have prefect coordination among different teams and members. This
will help in successful attainment of mutually desired goals.
Furthermore, the assessment of my own skills and inefficiencies is provided with the help of SWOT
analysis which is as follows:
Strength
 Strong written communication skills
 Effective interpersonal skills
 Positive attitude
 Innovative thinking.
 Good networking contacts
Weakness
 Poor verbal communication skills
 Lack of conflict management skills
 Poor time management skills
 Lack of confidence
 Poor technical knowledge
Opportunities
 Positive trends in HR field
 Opportunity to gain knowledge through
higher education
 Training and development session
 Self managed learning or enhancing
personal development.
Threats
 Negative trend in HR field
 High competition in market
 Lack of growth and development
opportunities
 Hindrance in training and education.
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B.
On the basis of critical analysis of own SWOT analysis, it has been identified that it is
important for me to turn my weakness into strength. This will not only assure my overall
development but also result into high productivity and improved worth to Thomas Cook. In this
respect, I can frame objectives regarding development of own potential. They are as follows:
 To enhance the verbal communication skills in 6 months by participation in training and
development session, seminars and group discussion etc.
 To improve conflict management skills in 3 months. In this respect, guidance can be taken
from seniors, regular meetings can be taken with employees so as to identify their issues on
time (Bonnici,2011).
 To enhance the time management skills within 2 months by setting priorities, preparing
work chart or schedule etc.
 To participate in group discussions and seminars for boosting the confidence.
 To improve the technical skills in 6 months by participating in different work shops, training
and development sessions etc.
 To assure personal and professional development by reading different books, news, journals,
online articles on hospitality industry and trends etc (Cook, 2009).
TASK 3
A
In future, my aim is to become the chief HR manager of leading hospitality company of UK;
Marriott hotel. It is reputed and luxury chain of hotels that provide best hospitality services to its
customers. As, key HR manager in cited hotel, I will be required to perform leadership and
motivational role. Being a leader, it will be my responsibility to inspire employees towards the
objectives of business. For this aspect, I must provide proper knowledge to organizational members
about the vision and mission of company. Therefore, members will know what is expected from
them. Leadership is art of influencing people to attain a common objective. It further refers to
ability of individual to motivate, inspire and develop a environment for each person to pro-actively
involve in accomplishing the vision of company. Further, I must motivate employees to accomplish
the overall objective of entity by performing beyond their potential. In this respect,I can use my
communication skills to seek maximum involvement of members in performance of different task. I
can encourage them to give creative ideas which can be implemented in company. This will boost
their morale as there innovative skills will be effectively used. In order to lead and motivate the
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members there must be regular discussions through meetings, group discussion and brain storming
sessions. A clear and well designed job description must be prepared so that members have proper
understanding of their roles and responsibilities and meet the expectation of entity in best possible
manner. Each and every member must have clear cut knowledge of the objective of business.
Further, effective guidance must be provided to employees so they can perform the assigned task
properly without mistakes.
B
From the critical analysis of above discussion, it has been identified that I am still lacking in
some areas and my performance is not up to the benchmarks. The major decisions that I have taken
are reviewed as follows:
 To provide proper understanding about the objective of Thomas Cook to team members.
 To assure employees are acquainted about their roles and responsibilities.
 To assure effective employee involvement through strengthening communication etc.
 To render need based training and development sessions to employees (EBoaden, 2006).
Justification: The proper understanding of duties and roles will help in reducing the confusion
among members. This will help them in putting the efforts in right direction. The employee
engagement will enable management to influence members to take challenging roles and accept
changes easily. It will also improve the staff retention rate and their overall productivity. With the
help of training session the performance of members will be improved and the chances of wastage
of resources will be less.
However, still improvement can be done in the way of management used by manager.
Recommendations regarding which is as follows:
 To assess the performance of employees at regular interval of time and encourage them by
appraisal.
 To use motivational theories like, Maslow Need hierarchy to have more positive
contribution of employees towards goal attainment process.
 To use modern methods of communication such as,video conferencing, social networking,
mobile application and interactive sites.
 To use management games and curricular activities as a tool to enhance coordination among
members.
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TASK 4
A
Skills are the set of assets to a individual who endeavour for employed in a company.
Management and personal skills are the most considerable factors of an individual seeking to
develop a career in a hospitality business (Beausaert, 2013). With the help of management skills, I
can effectively handle the resources and make optimum use of them. I can use my skills to take
fruitful business decisions. I can use my good network to expand the business of my company and
get positive reviews of my work. The coordination skills will help in managing teams and getting
their maximum productivity. Also, the chance of conflicts will be reduced so that it does not hamper
the work of company. Other than this, I can also use my personal skills to assure attainment of
business objectives. I can use my positive attitude in tough situation like, loss in business etc. My
creative skills can be used to attain competitive advantage in market. With the help of my
experience, I can provide professional advice to my subordinates.
B
Career planning is a process in which people involve in thinking of values and skills that help
them in exploring and ensuring work life that fits with the various situations in future. In order to
assure success in my career, there are various skills that are needed. These skills will help me in
attaining professional standards (Personal development review. 2013). There are various types for
career planning are self-assessment, career exploration and Action for career plan. In self-
assessment people are aware about their interest, aptitude, needs and skills and analyse it with their
current job that helps them in finding out that they are in right job or not. Career exploration is
another type in which people developing their career path gather all available information and find
out the opportunities that fit with their skills, knowledge etc. Whereas take an action, evaluation of
self-assessment and are put career plan into an action by matching with opportunities.
First of all, it is important for to enhance my planning skills to that is can determine strategies
for attaining future growth and success. Further, I must improve my critical thinking skills so that I
can think about positive and negative aspects before taking any decision. I must improve my time
management skills so that I can complete the assigned work on time. Thereafter, I can work upon
my analytical skills which will further assist in breaking down the issues into smaller parts, so as to
determine their relations and to identify the impact of any issue for others. I must possess strong
administrative skills so as to perform the day to day effectively in company.
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CONCLUSION
Summing up the entire report, it can be concluded that it is important for entity to develop
its manager so they can give their best performance in the company. Also, developed managers are
more effective in motivating, engaging and retaining the competent workforce. There are various
leadership and management skills that can be used by manager of Thomas Cook such as democratic
, autocratic, transactional or transformational style.
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REFERENCES
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Boaden, J. R., 2006. Psychology of Motivation. Nova Publishers.
Bonnici, C., 2011. Creating a Successful Leadership Style. R&L Education.
Cook, S., 2009. The Effective Manager. IT Governance Ltd.
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and its assessment instrument for principals. Journal of Educational Administration. 521(1).
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Merryl and et.al., 2013. Self-directed Learning: Critical Practice. Routledge.Tomlinson, H., 2004.
Educational Leadership: Personal Growth for Professional Development. SAGE.
Trong, T., 2013. Leading to learning and competitive intelligence. Learning Organization. 20(3).
pp.216–239.
Wu, W. W. and Lee, Y. T., 2007. Developing global managers’ competencies using the fuzzy
DEMATEL method. Expert systems with applications. 32(2). Pp. 499-507.Benefield, N. And
Online
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