B. Interpersonal People Skills

Structural change has affected the relationship between modern managers and their staff; some would say it has been a revolution. While the introduction of new management philosophies, such as change, service and quality improvement, have been more evolutionary than revolutionary in many countries, an emphasis on the need for transformational leadership practices has been a common result. As managers and leaders are finding out, there is a need for management to clearly identify and convey the prevailing strategy and gain commitment from staff to make it happen. Studies around the globe are also focussing on how the interpersonal communication skills of a manager affects staff understanding and commitment to the long-term success of an organisation.

This theme will explore topics related to how the manager's role in the modern organisation is as much an interpersonal skills issue as interpersonal skills is an issue that impacts the capacity to lead and manage. The difference in this twisted logic is quite important to grasp. As the theme title indicates, interpersonal people skills cuts across both communication and management theories. One is not isolated from the other.

Note:

From a communication perspective, we could merge this topic with Theme 1 on leadership and management as an interpersonal task that managers must perform to develop and maintain effective working relationships. From a management perspective, however, we can view interpersonal people skills as a means by which the organisation can build a corporate culture that is highly supportive of the overall vision and organisational purpose. How we merge these two perspectives, and how we can make them work in practice, is the challenge facing us in this theme.

Against a background of organisational changes taking place in public and private sector organisations across the world today, a concentration on interpersonal communication alone will not yield a complete learning experience for those of you wishing to apply interpersonal skills to different contexts of organisational life. To approach people management skills as an interpersonal task independent of how managers need to communicate will also deny how organisational activities and culture can be best managed. This theme will encourage a broader outlook and investigate the implications of management theories and practices with respect to how managers communicate and interact with people. In this exploration, our intent is simple. It is not to replace previous management theories or philosophies with a better one. Neither is it to spend a lot of time comparing and contrasting interpersonal communication techniques to produce the 'best' approach. Rather it is to emphasise one fundamental principle: that the use of interpersonal people skills must suit the individual's