THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF SCOUT COMMISSIONERS.

CONVOCATION:

Who is a Commissioner?

Wikipedia defines Commissioner as the principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something, the noun's second meaning).

In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to include a variety of senior officials, often sitting on a specific commission. In particular, commissioner frequently refers to senior police or government officials

Under Non-Public entities; In the Salvation Army the rank of Commissioner is the second-highest attainable rank and the highest rank by appointment, as the rank of General is by election. It is one of the original ranks of the Army and has been in use since 1880, the first Commissioner was George Scott Railton.

Within the Scout Movement, a Commissioner is a senior adult leader who is responsible for the management of some aspect of Scouting and/or the leadership of other adults, as opposed to adult leaders who lead youth members.

ADULT FUNCTIONS IN SCOUTING

Scouting is a Movement for young people in which adults provide guidance and support to the young members. Adults fill a variety of functions, most of them as volunteers. These fall into three broad

Categories:

a)    those who operate directly with young people or their leaders in a leadership and training function (they are called Unit Leaders),

b)   those who operate directly with adults in a management, leadership and support function. (they are called commissioners)

c)     those who fill administrative and support functions and have little direct contact with young people or their leaders (they are called administrators).

Within all these groups, there will be some who also act as trainers. They provide both formal and informal training opportunities to help other adults develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to carry out their function to the best of their ability and at an optimal level of performance.

UNIT LEADERS:

ü provide role models, inspiration and encouragement;

ü support, counsel and advise young people as they develop;

ü train and instruct young people in technical and social skills;

ü give guidance on questions of belief, values and principles;

ü facilitate the execution of the program, as determined by the young    people themselves, i.e. they enable ideas to be translated into reality;

ü provide opportunities for self-discovery so that growth may occur;

ü help young people become responsible, self-governing and self-determining, by providing them with opportunities to plan and lead;

ü help young people to be responsive to their environment and to others, so that they may take a constructive place in society.

COMMISSIONERS:

The functions of those “leaders of adults” are similar to those of the leaders themselves. They:

1. provide role models, inspiration and encouragement to leaders
2. Fulfill the management functions – recruitment, training and support    Revaluation support, counsel and advice in relationships both with young people and between leaders;
3. train leaders in technical, relationship or leadership skills;
4. guide leaders in questions of belief, values or principles
5. facilitate the provision of programs and activities for young people by    providing funding, facilities or administrative support on a wider basis  than the Troop or Group;
6. encourage leaders to be more enterprising, adventurous or innovative in the provision of programs for young people;
7. provide opportunities for self-awareness and self-confidence training for their adult leaders, that they, in their turn, may have more confidence in young people.

Because face-to-face support of people is both time consuming and

emotionally exhausting, albeit also stimulating, those in leader roles can be relieved of much of their routine paper-work by administrators, who are concerned mainly with the management of systems, organizations, finances or properties rather than of people.

ADMINISTRATOR

Administrators play a vital role because they relieve the Unit Leaders’ and commissioners’ administrative work load, enabling them to spend more of their time and effort in the support and training of members or other leaders. Administrators are adults who, whilst they support the aims of the Movement, may not have the time, skill or inclination to work directly with young people or other adults. They are frequently people with professional expertise in finance, management or office skills who are willing to put those skills at the disposal of leaders whom they recognize to be ‘doing a good job’. There are a variety of administrative functions:

1. Committee Chairman and members
2. Treasurers, Secretaries, Auditors, Registrars, Record keepers
3. Quartermasters
4. Campsite administrators or wardens
5. Advisers on finance, investments, legal matters, insurance, religion, buildings or public relations
6. Editors, writers, typists.

These jobs need not be done by leaders themselves. There are many ex-Scouts, retired leaders, parents or well-wishers who are happy to help in these functions in order to maintain contact with the Movement or support its work.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMISSIONERS:

1.    PROVISION OF RIGHT TYPE OF LEADERSHIP IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS: Commissioners are tasked with the responsibilities of providing right and required Leadership process towards proper Scouting Management. The Leadership processes range from:

-         Trait Leadership process

-         Transformational Leadership process

-         Transactional Leadership process

-         Toxic Leadership process

-         Situational Leadership process

-         Shared Leadership process

-         Autocratic Leadership process

-         Laisser Faire Leadership process

-         Servant Leadership process.

2.    FULFILL MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS/SKILLS:

Management is a process of Planning, Organizing, Directing (Leading) and Coordinating Activities. Commissioners should be able to align his/her Management processes to the World Organization of Scout Movement (WOSM) Vision-Mission-Core Values.

Meaning of Management: According to Theo Heimann, management has three different meanings, viz.,

1.    Management as a Noun: refers to a Group of Managers.

2.    Management as a Process: refers to the Functions of Management i.e. Planning, Organizing, Directing, Controlling, etc.

3.    Management as a Discipline: refers to the Subject of Management.

Management is an individual or a group of individuals that accept responsibilities to run an organization. They Plan, Organize, Direct and Control all the essential activities of the organization. Management does not do the work themselves. They motivate others to do the work and co-ordinate (i.e. bring together) all the work for achieving the objectives of the organization.

Management brings together all Six Ms i.e. Men and Women, Money, Machines, Materials, Methods and Markets. They use these resources for achieving the objectives of the organization such as high sales, maximum profits, business expansion, etc.

Level 1 of the Management Skills Pyramid shows the basic skills any beginning manager must master. It is the foundation of the management skills pyramid, which shows the skills a manager must master to be successful and shows how these management skills build on each other toward success.

Basic Management Skills

There are four basic management skills anyone must master to have any success in a management job. These four basic skills are plan, organize, direct, and control and are discussed separately in detail below.

              

Level 2 is the team building skills any developing manager must master. It is the next level of the management skills pyramid, which shows the skills a manager must master to be successful and shows how these management skills build on each other toward success.

Team Management Skills

There are three categories of team management skills anyone must master to have any success in a management job. These are motivation, training and coaching, and employee involvement.

        

Level 3 is where the developing manager must master personal development. It is the next level of the management skills pyramid, which shows the skills a manager must master to be successful and shows how these management skills build on each other toward success.

Personal Management Skills

There are two areas of personal management skills you must master to be successful as a manager. These are self-management and time management. We discuss these in detail below.

Self-management

By this point in your development as a manager, you are good at assigning work to your employees and coaching them through the difficulties so they can produce their best work. You know how to motivate them and discipline them. You have built them into a team. But are you as good at managing yourself as you are at managing others? Do you stay focused on the tasks that are truly important and not just urgent? Do you do your job the best you are able?

• Take Ownership of Your Job
  Every job you do has your "signature" on it. Do it the best you can; do it the best it can be done. That is how you succeed.
• Scruples Are A Good Thing
  There is a reason for that little voice in your head. Listen to it. Don't just do things right, but also do the right thing. You will do a better job as a manager if you don't have to waste time remembering what lies you told to whom.

              

Managerial Skills

Management is a challenging job. It requires certain skills to accomplish such a challenge. Thus, essential skills which every manager needs for doing a better management are called as Managerial Skills.

According to Professor Daniel Katz, there are three managerial skills, viz.,

1.    Conceptual Skills,

2.    Human Relations Skills, and

3.    Technical Skills.

According to Prof. Daniel Katz, all managers require above three managerial skills. However, the degree (amount) of these skills required varies (changes) from levels of management and from an organisation to organisation.

The above picture or diagram shows the managerial skills which are required by managers working at different levels of management. The top-level managers require more conceptual skills and less technical skills. The lower-level managers require more technical skills and fewer conceptual skills. Human relations skills are required equally by all three levels of management.

1. Conceptual Skills

Conceptual skill is the ability to visualize (see) the organization as a whole. It includes Analytical, Creative and Initiative skills. It helps the manager to identify the causes of the problems and not the symptoms. It helps him to solve the problems for the benefit of the entire organization. It helps the manager to fix goals for the whole organization and to plan for every situation. According to Prof. Daniel Katz, conceptual skills are mostly required by the top-level management because they spend more time in planning, organising and problem solving.

2. Human Relations Skills

Human relations skills are also called Interpersonal skills. It is an ability to work with people. It helps the managers to understand, communicate and work with others. It also helps the managers to lead, motivate and develop team spirit. Human relations skills are required by all managers at all levels of management. This is so, since all managers have to interact and work with people.

3. Technical Skills

A technical skill is the ability to perform the given job. Technical skills help the managers to use different machines and tools. It also helps them to use various procedures and techniques. The low-level managers require more technical skills. This is because they are in charge of the actual operations.

Apart from Prof. Daniel Katz's three managerial skills, a manager also needs (requires) following additional managerial skills.

4. Communication Skills

Communication skills are required equally at all three levels of management. A manager must be able to communicate the plans and policies to the workers. Similarly, he must listen and solve the problems of the workers. He must encourage a free-flow of communication in the organization.

5. Administrative Skills

Administrative skills are required at the top-level management. The top-level managers should know how to make plans and policies. They should also know how to get the work done. They should be able to co-ordinate different activities of the organization. They should also be able to control the full organization.

6. Leadership Skills

Leadership skill is the ability to influence human behavior. A manager requires leadership skills to motivate the workers. These skills help the Manager to get the work done through the workers.

7. Problem Solving Skills

Problem solving skills are also called as Design skills. A manager should know how to identify a problem. He should also possess an ability to find a best solution for solving any specific problem. This requires intelligence, experience and up-to-date knowledge of the latest developments.

8. Decision Making Skills

Decision-making skills are required at all levels of management. However, it is required more at the top-level of management. A manager must be able to take quick and correct decisions. He must also be able to implement his decision wisely. The success or failure of a manager depends upon the correctness of his decisions.