New Managerial Tools and Technologies

Computers, the internet, and mobile telephones have vastly impacted managing all kinds of work forces, from sales organizations which have long been remote to more traditional office-based workers who can now work remotely as well. While in some cases, such as sales management, managers’ tasks have been simplified by this new technology, in others, such as traditional office-based workers who are now working from home or remote offices, the job of managers has been greatly complicated. Overall, however, managing multinational organizations and widely disparate locations has been simplified by technology. Mobile phones, email, chat, instant messaging (IM), and online collaboration have made the management of a remote sales force or other work force both more efficient and more effective.

Changing Role of Remote Management

Addressing the issue of remote management, Mewton (2005) suggests that old-line management philosophies of top-down decision making, centralized operations, and the controlled flow of information does not work in today’s diversified workplace. Frontline workers need and have access to much more information than even their managers had in the past. For managers the task becomes one of relating to their staff since they infrequently interact face-to-face. Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) stress that the availability of remote communication tools—mobile phones, email, instant messaging—creates only the “opportunity to connect” (p. 2), it takes effort to lead through these tools, and leaders need to be aware of and use their own competencies of self-awareness, active listening, compassion, empathy, and integrity to motivate remote workers (Mewton, 2005).

Remote Sales Force Management

Sales forces have long be...

... middle of paper ...

...nd salesperson work outcomes: The moderating effect of salesperson location. Journal Of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 20(3), 161-171.

Evans, R., & Abbott, W. (2010). Remote working and its effects on business relationships. Manager: British Journal of Administrative Management, 2010(69), 28-29.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Mewton, L. (2005). A question of leadership. Leadership In Action, 24(6), 14.

Ravichandran, T. T., & Liu, Y. (2011). Environmental factors, managerial processes, and information technology investment strategies. Decision Sciences, 42(3), 537-574. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5915.2011.00323.x

Temkin, B. D., Mines, C., & Gardiner, K. M. (2002). Tech recovery update: The tipping point in 2003. Cambridge: Forrester Research.