Interview with Manager Y (Male)
Maryam: Hi, thank you for taking part in this interview it is for my research project from uni and also have you got the consent form I gave you I would like to collect it now.
ManagerY : Yes Maryam I have it here for you and of course you are welcome
Maryam: so I will be asking you several of questions mainly to do with your ideas as a manager of this place and obviously if you want me to repeat the question or if you do not understand a question then I can elaborate for you. Errrm, I want you to know that is kept 100% confidential, no names are mentioned in the study and there is 100% anonymity. Also as already stated…erm in the consent form I would just like to ask you again if it is ok that I am recording this, it is mainly just so that I could refer back to it if I have missed anything out.
ManagerY: Ohh yeah that’s absolutely fine. How long do you think this interview might take?
Maryam: Depending on how long or short your answers are it could take up to 20 minutes may be longer or may be shorter I don’t have the exact time. Sorry! There are 14 questions though am not sure if that helps.
ManagerY: No problem that is absolutely fine.
Q1(Maryam): So…How would you describe your Management style?
Answer (Manager): Eerm I would say I am the type of person who has to get things done! I like to have a team briefing before work to let the team know what has been going on… both good and bad i.e. profit, goals, productivity and so forth… I also like to make sure every employee knows what they are doing and has a task to do. Errm I think I manage things quit well, I often try to do things that would benefit the employees, passengers and the company so I try to make sure I give everyone the right role to ensure that everything is done efficiently and correctly.
Q2: What would you do if you had an n employee doing their job inefficiently?
Answer: Well usually when this happens I would pull the employee to one side and ask what happened, I try to follow up on the problem and sometimes if it seems like something serious then I would tell the employee what they are expected to do and what they are doing and some cases not doing. I then eerm ask them why they think this is and if it continues I write a report about it and put it in the file.
Q3: Do you believe that every employee should be trained on everything?
Answer: Yes and no….
Maryam: can I ask why?
ManagerY: Well… my main goal is to make sure that everyone can do what they are expected to do, usually I will always have someone who is very good at one thing and not so good at something else… errm, I do like to train everyone on everything with time, but often I find that there is no time and what I like to do is get the main training out of the way errm for example everyone has to be trained on the desk but not everyone has to be trained in the lounge.
Maryam: ok that’s fair enough, so this leads on to my next question quite well…
Q4: How Do You Delegate Tasks?
Answer: So I am always present when we interview a potential employee, we often ask them question about themselves and so forth. With their answers you often find out immediately what they would be really good at. Like you for example, straight away I thought, yeh you have amazing people skills and would be really good with customers, straight away I thought you are better suited to stay at the main desk.. However with that said, I try to get everyone trained on everything and err during their training I get to see what they easily pick up and erm what they find hard to sort of grasp or get their head around. So I often know what tasks suits who the most by trying to see which environment they work best in whether it is the desk or the lounge or whatever. Sometimes they tell me well… like they ask if they could work at a specific place and if if suitable then yeh why not.
Q5: How Do You Keep Staff Members Motivated?
I like to think that the job itself is quite motivating but erm I do praise and recognise good work and I make sure that the employee is aware that I recognise their good work. I often bring sweets and little munchies as they like to call it and encourage them that once the work is done they can errm grab a cup of coffee or something. Errm in essence I try to make them think that the job is rewarding because we also pay them during their break so they know eerm like if they produce good work once it is all over and done with they can go to the back office and relax. So I think that motivates them. Well I like to think so. Also I would write on the white board in the office the employee of the week and give them a little price if they give good service.
Q6: What is Your Biggest Management Weakness?
Answer: Errm hahha oh dear, I think that sometimes I come across like it’s all work work work… but I think it is mainly when we are busy I like everyone to stay on task so I would say my weakness is that I always need the task to be done and sometimes we both know how busy this place gets that is absolutely impossible. So err perhaps I need to be a little bit more patient and not demand for things to get done that soon especially when it is very busy
Maryam: yeah I have noticed that, like we are sometimes busy like last Saturday we were really busy and you wanted some paperwork printed or something and we didn’t really have enough people to do everything requested on time.
ManagerY: yeah you are right and that is what I mean, I understand of course that sometimes it’s just the fact perhaps we don’t have enough staff so errm yeah it’s all something’s I need to improve on I guess.
Q7: What do you look for in an employee?
Answer: Someone who has good communication skills, errm we get all kind of guests visiting the airline and it is very important to have people who can communicate effectively. They need to be able to understand people well and of course be able to respond to situations. Well let’s just say customer service is key. And also of course as well as being very well presented they need to have a very good work ethic. That way I can rely on them.
Q8: What is your viewpoint of management?
Answer: I think management is hard, errm of course time consuming, but I think it is rewarding, I don’t think managers know what they are getting themselves into until they are in it. And errm if I am being entirely honest, I think only a certain people can be managers as I think you really really need to have a back bone because you have to deal with all sorts you know, all sorts of employees and other managers and of course all the other dilemmas that we have to face. So I think management is a not for everyone but for errm those with a strong backbone. The kind of people who can overcome problems and hold their head up high.
Q9: What is your definition of success?
Answer: Success? Hhhm… wow that is an interesting one, errm, success is, I mean in my opinion, just in general accomplishing something greater than your expectations. For instance, I did not ever think I would be a manager for an airline company as big as virgin so errm yeah I guess I can call it success perhaps. Being able to achieve almost the impossible.
Q10: What is your definition of failure?
Answer: Failure… failure is in my opinion err… when you set out to do something and don’t actually do it or errm when you do not believe in yourself to do something greater then yourself. Yeah I think that is failure to be honest is giving up.
Q11: Do you consider yourself a risk taker or do you like to play it safe?
Answer: Ooh yes I am definitely a risk taker!
Maryam: interesting… what makes you think you are?
Answer: well… for example, I have meetings with other managers and I am not scared to put my ideas forward. Also errm I think I take many risks within this company some I think if I am being entirely honest, one thing I always do is take risks. I wouldn’t go in great detail because errm of course you are recording me.. hahha errm but yes definitely a risk taker.
Maryam: ok thank you.
Q12: How do you react to problems?
Answer: Errm. Usually I try not to get mad. I often errm ask the person that made the problem what went wrong and then after that try to solve it by working together with them. Of course many problems arise in this working environment as you are aware but, depending on the problem there is different ways of solving them. Many problems regarding passengers would involve offering an apology or errm sometimes some kind of deal or discount.
Q13: Why do you think people want to be employed by virgin?
Answer: I think the company has a good image, errm its very popular, the pay is great, and of course the discounted fares. Also I think most of the employees like the time and half pay when they do overtime I think they find it rewarding.
Q14: How well do you know your employees?
Answer: I like to think I know everyone quit well, well, I know some more or better then I know others but I have had at least one or two one to one conversations with me so I pretty much know them all.
Maryam: Well thank you… for taking part in this interview it means a lot I hope I haven’t taken too much of your time.

Analyse the interview above using your own interpretation talk about
•what type of dealer ship skills the manager has
•include leadership theories and strategies
•talk about the good and bad of the leadership skills the manager has

The main dissertation question is:
An investigation into how management leadership styles affect employee motivation,

Use as many references as needed!