Identifying the Issue

Strategic Issue for Analysis: Increasing Managerial Completion of Daily Tasks

The strategic issue at hand is the low completion rate of daily job duties within the Security Operations Management Team (SOMT). Due to a vague set of tasks and responsibilities, continual additional assignments made by senior managers, little accountability, and no repercussion, many SOMT managers consistently fail to complete daily job duties. Daily tasks such as team and individual check-ins, attendance reviews/disciplines, assigned projects, labor and time recording duties, and more, directly impact operational efficiency, employee performance, and our overall effectiveness. When we fail to complete daily tasks our teams suffer from communication breakdowns, unmet goals, and lower team morale.

As a leader, this issue requires strategic intervention to analyze the underlying causes and develop viable solutions for long-term improvements in managerial performance. Focus will be on setting clearer expectations, improving time management, fostering accountability, and ensuring the SOMT managers have the resources and support needed to complete their duties effectively.

Context and Background

Many of the SOMT members report a heavy load of daily tasks but cannot articulate or prove what they have completed throughout their days. Further, tasks within general view are not completed during certain shifts and in certain areas showing that SOMT managers are falling short of completing assigned duties due to poor time management, unclear priorities, a lack of accountability, and a general sense of “someone else will take care of it”.

Impact on the Department

Incomplete managerial tasks create gaps in operational oversight, leading to missed opportunities, unresolved issues, and a misalignment between team objectives and broader organizational goals. For instance, when managers do not reconcile employee time recording issues in a timely manner, overpayments -that cannot be recouped- are made creating a loss for the department. Further, incomplete tasks lead to disengaged teams, team conflict, disgruntled employees, lower productivity, and even company/state/federal regulatory non-compliance – all of which hinder growth, job satisfaction for all, and more.

Managers’ failure to properly execute daily tasks can contribute to personal stagnation and is a detriment to team performance. When managers are not fulfilling their responsibilities, driven peers are affected, picking up the slack. Moreover, subordinate employees feel the absence of leadership leading to confusion, frustration, and disengagement.

Environmental Scan

An environmental scan has helped identify external and internal factors influencing this issue. Analyzing the department’s environment, we can better understand what is contributing to the low completion rate of managerial duties and identify areas for intervention.

Local Economy

The local economy has stabled and is growing since the reopening of the Resort Business post COVID-19 closures. However, the department faces pressure due to being non-revenue generating, and though we have added more Security Officers, due to a greater Guest population, increase in new construction projects and special events, there has been no increase of managers. This has required SOMT managers to juggle multiple tasks, which may be contributing to poor time management and task completion.

Demographics

The department’s managers vary in experience, from newly promoted individuals (6 weeks) to veterans (20+ years). This mix can cause inconsistencies in task completion and leadership effectiveness, as newer managers may lack the confidence or skills needed to prioritize effectively, ask for assistance, or clearly understand expectations and veterans may not feel it “their place” to intercede and instead grumble about unfinished work, finish it themselves, or become disengaged. Regardless, the department’s culture has leaned heavily on flexibility and multitasking which has led to overlooking structured job duties and focusing on reactive tasks that seem important in the moment.

Competitors

Benchmarking among competitors is relatively difficult and idealistic guesswork must be leaned on. Others may be placing an emphasis on structured work schedules, time management training, and task delegation tools. Some may also be integrating performance tracking software that provides clear and instant accountability, making job completion easy to track. Further, there may be some trend for leadership coaching and task management software that assists managers in staying focused on objectives. Companies offering these resources may have a competitive advantage in organizational efficiency.

Trends

More organizations are investing in leadership development programs that include training on time management, delegation, and effective task prioritization. Digital tools and project management software allow teams to track and manage daily tasks more effectively; however, if not implemented properly with oversight and accountability, it could lead to disjointed workflows and increased managerial burden.

Opportunities

Introducing and implementing effective productivity tools could help SOMT managers prioritize and track their daily duties more efficiently. Listing team and individual daily responsibilities, creating a culture of integrated team dynamics, being open to feedback, and asking for help not seen as weakness would bolster individual and team efforts. Offering leadership training and coaching on time management and task delegation and prioritization could directly impact managerial effectiveness and completion of job duties.

Threats

Disengagement and burnout are the greatest threats to the Security Operations Management Team. Lack of communication and clear expectations has led to some managers believing some tasks are not their responsibility (disengagement) and others are trying to juggle their workload and more to ensure important tasks are complete – these go-getters are at high risk of burnout. Both disengaged and burned-out managers have, are, and will lead to greater decrease in team morale.

Page updated

Report abuse