Management Styles of Ursula Burns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management Styles of Ursula Burns - Essay Example The world continues to grow and flourish because of management and its leaders. This report will involve a study of management and its history in brief; further, an attempt will be made to understand management in contemporary times using an example of a current thriving business. A brief study on Xerox Corporation and its evolution under the able leadership of its CEO Ursula Burns will help in understanding the challenges in modern businesses. In this process, management qualities of Ms Burns that helped Xerox will be highlighted. 2. Management: Management may be defined as the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals, working together in groups, efficiently accomplish selected aims (Koontz, H & Koontz, H.W, p.5). These individuals and groups accomplish their aims through a systematic approach that forms the main functions of management, such as planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling (p.6). Managers own the responsibility of performin g and/or supervising these functions, and hence need specific skills and knowledge related to these functions. 2.1 History of management: The concept of management has existed since centuries back, but it has received much attention only during last century. One important historical development related to the study of management can be traced back to the writings of Walter Puckey’s writings named ‘What is This Management?†(Witzel, p.4). Studies related to this concept were begun at the Harvard Business School by the then dean, Edwin Gay, during 1908 (p.5). The main areas of focus in management study at that time included the terms manager, factor, administrator and executive, with each term having specific meaning based on the functions performed by these individuals. However, the concept of managers is the most cited one in management texts, owing to their functions (pls see appendix 1). 2.2 Current management concerns and challenges: Trends in management have be en constantly changing because of technological advancements, changes in attitudes of customers and clients, changes in employee expectations, changes in market, globalization etc. Hence, the most prominent challenge in management field relates to ‘change.’ Managers are under constant pressure from superiors and external entities to bring about improvement in their performance outcomes in every manner. This subsequently challenges skills and knowledge. In most of the cases, managers also own leadership responsibilities besides managerial functions, which necessitate constant interaction, coaching, guidance, supervision and motivation of their team members. Constantly changing circumstances put greater pressure on managers to meet their employees’ expectations in terms of skill upgradation, mentoring, motivation, conflict resolution, etc. Managers should also deliver constant improvement in order to sustain their organization’s good performance, or have to compete against better performance from rivals in the field in order to sustain the organization’s position in the market. 3. Who is Ursula Burns? Ursula Burns, the CEO and Chairman of Xerox Corp, USA, is one of the most powerful women in the world as per Fortune magazine’s list. Her success at Xerox stands as an example of efficient and effective management overcoming all hardships and leading the company to success. A brief study on Burns life and career would help in understanding the underlying reasons for her achievement. 3.1