The individual and the organisation in a changing world of work
A manager is a person who plans, organises, leads and controls the work of others to reach goals. Becoming a manager means moving from doing the work yourself to getting it done through people.
The worker and the organisation make a deal, partly written (a contract) and partly unwritten (a psychological contract): the worker gives time, skills and effort; the organisation gives pay, safety, training, fair treatment and a sense of belonging. Problems start when one side feels the deal is broken.
Issues in this relationship include work-life balance, job security, fair pay, diversity and inclusion, health and stress, and privacy when work is done on screens.
Work is changing fast: more technology and automation, more contract and gig work, more teamwork across countries, and the need for lifelong learning.
Job design and work arrangements
Job design means deciding the tasks in a job so people are productive and motivated.
- Job rotation: move between jobs. Less boredom, more skills, but time to learn each.
- Job enlargement: add more tasks at the same level (horizontal).
- Job enrichment: add responsibility and decisions (vertical). Often the most motivating.
- Teams: self-managed groups own a whole piece of work.
| Arrangement | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Flextime | Fits family and travel | Harder to meet together |
| Remote work | No commute; wider hiring | Isolation; blurred home-work line |
| Hybrid | Mix of focus and contact | Needs careful scheduling |
| Job sharing / part-time | Keeps skilled people | Hand-over effort |
| Contract / gig work | Flexible for the firm | Less security for the worker |
A problem-solving model and innovation
Managers face problems every day. A clear model stops guessing:
- Define the problem in one sentence.
- Find causes: collect facts, ask "why" several times.
- List options: brainstorm many solutions.
- Choose: judge options on cost, time, risk and effect.
- Act: plan who does what by when.
- Review: measure the result; if it did not work, go round again.
Innovation (new products, new processes, new ways to serve customers) keeps a business alive when markets and technology change. Managers encourage it by giving time, small budgets and permission to fail safely.
Intrapreneurship
An intrapreneur is an employee who acts like an entrepreneur inside an organisation: spots a chance, builds a new product or process, and takes ownership, but uses the company's money and brand.
Common practices: idea boxes and online idea platforms, innovation time (a share of the week for own projects), internal hackathons, small pilot budgets, internal start-up units, and rewards for ideas that work. Famous products such as sticky notes and some popular email and game services began this way.
Assess yourself: are you curious, willing to take sensible risks, persistent, good at teamwork and at selling an idea? Set one SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to grow one of these skills.
Communication for managers
Communication is a loop: sender → message → channel → receiver → feedback. Without feedback you never know if the message was understood. Noise (jargon, distractions, a bad connection) blocks it.
- Documents: emails, memos, letters, reports and minutes should have a clear purpose, a short subject line, plain words and correct spelling.
- Displays: charts and tables should be simple and labelled.
- Presentations: know your audience, open with the main point, use few words per slide, speak clearly, make eye contact, and invite questions. In a group, share roles and practise hand-overs.
- Tools: email, chat, video calls, shared documents and project boards; choose the channel to fit the message (bad news face to face, details in writing).
- Vocabulary: use correct business words (budget, deadline, stakeholder, revenue) and a polite tone.
Try it
Pick a small problem at home (for example the morning rush). Run the six steps with your family and write a 5-line email-style summary of the plan.
Key formulas and definitions
- Problem solving: Define → Causes → Options → Choose → Act → Review
- Job enlargement = more tasks, same level; job enrichment = more responsibility
- Communication loop: sender → message → channel → receiver → feedback
- SMART goal: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
Worked examples
1. A cashier also starts stacking shelves and checking stock, at the same level. Which job design?
Job enlargement: more tasks at the same level.
2. A cashier is now allowed to approve refunds and train new staff. Which job design?
Job enrichment: more responsibility and decisions.
3. Deliveries are often late. Apply the six steps.
Define: 30% of deliveries arrive late. Causes: routes planned by hand. Options: route app, more drivers, earlier start. Choose: route app (cheap, quick). Act: trial in one area for a month. Review: late deliveries fell to 10%, so roll it out.
4. A manager emails a big change and gets no replies. Which part of the loop is missing?
Feedback. She should check understanding, for example with a short meeting or questions.
Common mistakes
- Jumping straight to a solution before finding the real cause.
- Mixing up enlargement (more tasks) with enrichment (more responsibility).
- Thinking intrapreneurs must leave the company. They innovate inside it.
- Sending important or sensitive news only by chat. Pick the channel that fits the message.