¶ … Management Skills Required of a Security Manager Loss Prevention Skills

Security managers' main responsibility is protecting corporate assets, including premises, finance, plant and personnel. Accidents are costly affairs -- damage occurs to property (premises and plant) as well as people (personnel). Further, the organization has to pay a worker who takes time off for recuperating from sickness or injury. Some injured employees might quit the job and their replacement requires funds as well (i.e., recruitment and training of new employees). Injuries bring negative publicity for the company, which also has to typically pay a large compensation for work-related injury. Another area of concern for security managers is loss of money or property to robbery or some other violent crime (Pepper 2006). Security managers also need to concern themselves with the impact violence has on the workforce. Violence at the workplace has positively attracted labor unions' attention in the hospitality and retail sectors. Employers have been warned that they would face prosecution if they fail to safeguard employees from witnessing and being subject to violence. Workplace violence only constitutes one element of safety and health legislation impacting security managers. With the legislation affecting a significant number of corporate activities today, companies might face serious consequences if they fail to comply with its obligations. Having a safe and secure workplace environment, in any case, represents a great management practice and makes economic sense. Security managers have to consider safety- and health-related matters, as well as risk of injury/harm to workers and possible terrorist or criminal action against the firm (Hughes, McLaughlin and Muncie 2002). Clearly, companies need to understand how much each asset is vulnerable. The belief that a threat existing is itself reason enough to take action, and security managers need not waste time over formal assessments, is a widespread misconception.

Importance

The key responsibility of security managers is preventing burglaries, letting security department personnel know of any suspicious activity occurring on premises, maintaining a safe and secure corporate environment, and offering sound customer service -- all of the above tasks aim chiefly at preventing property loss. Therefore, loss prevention ability is clearly the most vital skill for security managers (ASIS 2003; Hughes et al. 2002). The above management skill encompasses specialization in minimizing burglaries. Security managers are most commonly employed in stores, shopping malls, homes, and corporations for merchandise protection. Loss prevention by a security manager entails detaining any person caught trying to steal items or contact local law enforcement authorities in the event one witnesses such activity. Additionally, they need to keep an eye out for inappropriate or suspicious behavior, or theft, by workers.

A number of commentators contend that the task of providing security services has normally been considered the domain of retired armed forces members or police officers. The rationale behind this opinion is that these individuals are best equipped owing to their on-field 'experience', as against mere academic/theoretical knowledge on asset protection. The former's experience will likely be deemed as being relevant for the simple reason that they definitely and unavoidably possess security-related knowledge (Pepper 2006; Crawford 1998). Isn't this, after all, something the military and police forces handle on a daily basis? Moreover, concerned individuals would probably have held a certain rank previously, which helped them acquire 'leadership' or 'management' experience. The above views don't essentially mean that the security manager population has proven inefficient and not up to expectations. Rather, it might be an indication of the fact that companies have typically had poor expectations when it comes to their security manager's abilities (Broder 2006). Therefore, one must conclude that there has been quite a poor view of the security management profession in general, and this might be due to issues like knowledge and context.

ii. Risk Assessment and Management

Another main and highly crucial component of security management practice and skill is risk management. This element represents the whole risk management cycle of a corporation, right from risk assessment to the mitigation stage. Security managers are required to assess risk, clearly comprehend and communicate potential business impact, and suggest mitigation controls (ASIS 2003; Broder 2006).

Risk assessment commonly employs analytical tools, which may be quantitative, semi-quantitative or qualitative. This implies risk is actually measureable in some or other way and thus, can be eliminated. But culture and context have just as vital a role to play as actual physical reality. In simple words, risk assessment denotes a way to have a measure of certainty with regard to the future. Thus, security managers, being decision-makers, have the tool of risk assessment at their disposal for ensuring they engage in informed decision-making...

The use of any tool requires some level of skill; this holds true for risk assessment as well. In addition to risk assessment being made mandatory by safety and health legislation, several organizations, including governmental bodies, now require their leaders to be well acquainted with, and implement, risk assessment in various fields. Clearly, security managers are no exception. But evaluating risks and documenting one's findings does not suffice; one needs to take specific steps to tackle them.
Some activities crucial to effective risk management are: Having a process in place to classify assets and determine their ownership; Putting a structured, systemic process of risk assessment into operation; Making sure regular corporate impact appraisals are carried out; Making sure vulnerability and threat assessments are continuously carried out; Ascertaining and evaluating security countermeasures and controls from time to time, for risk mitigation to a low level (Broder 2006; Gill 1994); Incorporating risk, vulnerability and threat detection and handling into organizational lifecycle processes (for instance, procurement and development) and; Reporting appreciable risk changes to relevant managers for acceptance, periodically as well as on an event-guided basis.

The aforementioned task statements are representative of a vast scope of knowledge. Therefore, a security manager needs to be highly knowledgeable when it comes to vulnerabilities, threats and potential exposures. Simultaneously, he/she must have a grasp of risk assessment methods, likely mitigation approaches, and business impact and gap analysis techniques, in addition to sound knowledge of organizational security countermeasures and controls. Most importantly, for any decision-making connected with risk treatment, security managers need to know how they must communicate with the senior management team on the company's risk tolerance, and contribute to identifying and managing enterprise-level risk (ASIS 2003).

Importance

Risk identification in as broad a context as possible is a trait that can be developed by professional experience. In a certain level of detail, it is covered with respect to many fairly specific areas of senior qualification processes. But the overall depth and breadth of subjects (generic or core) included in case of acquisition of recognized professional qualification are accessible by applying for and studying each assessment's/exam's syllabus, generally operative in module form. Relevant professional organizations' offices normally provide requisite details (Crawford 1998).

In the consideration of personnel for attending an external training function, instead of merely instructing specialists of given levels to be present, concerned authorities need to ensure the persons chosen for attendance are actually in a position to appreciate and understand the presentation's finer points and not be out of their depth in the program setting (Gill 1994). Carefully reviewing event program in addition to other indicators of targeted attendee appropriateness is important. The recognition of the business need for the security sector, together with demands by enterprises on individual security personnel, has been considered in legislation for controlling, regulating, and to a certain extent, training and professionalizing the security manager profession (Holmes, 2002).

iii. Leadership Skills

Generally, much of management function entails observing, sensing, and reading other people's behavior. A security manager, in a way, does what anybody would do in a social setting. However, their behavior is done with a fixed purpose and via complex networks of relationships amid highly varied role sets (for example, balancing the typically differing expectations of superiors, workforce, and customers). Using ideas of self and personal experiences, a security manager attempts to deduce what is happening in another's mind. Security managers participate in a sort of 'inner dialogue' for determining the best course of action. The above function is, in some sense, 'role taking'; i.e., it necessitates social empathy wherein an individual considerately and imaginatively places oneself into another's mind, predicting their responses to event flows. Through accurate modeling of other people's behavior, as well as proper attribution of intent, one will be in a good position to act suitably and thoughtfully (Mullins, 2001). Senior security executives who enact their entrepreneurial role, for instance, need a change manager's facilitation and communication skills. In other words, they need to work with groups, explain plan abstractions' meaning with regard to practical action, motivate individuals to mull over their normal script, and realize what their limitations are and strive to conquer them (Rollinson, 2002). Furthermore, it means playing the role of catalyst, aiding people in finding confidence to view things from a fresh perspective and try new behaviors. A number of social skills are involved here, namely, posing wise questions, 'playing the devil's advocate', summarizing, ventilating fears, developing understandings, inspiring, convincing, and creating…