Organization and Managing People - Term Paper Example

Organization and Managing People – Review Questions Power and Politics List and briefly describe SIX ways to influence bosses, co-workers and subordinates to do what you want them to do at work. Rational Persuasion: This entails the incorporation of logical argumentation and presentation of factual evidence to influence the other party. Inspirational Appeals: The utilization of referent power to generate other party’s keenness and eagerness by linking the appeals to the party’s beliefs, values and ideals. Consultation: This tactic encompasses the alteration of one’s demands or proposals to ensure that the party which is being influenced provides the necessary guidance or support. Personal Appeals: This tactic involves appealing to the relationship (e.g. friendship) that you have established with the other party for the purposes of influencing. Ingratiation: Observing the other party’s mood or ensuring that they are in a good mood before making a request or asking for something is termed as ingratiation. Pressure: Using coercive power through the means of making persistent demands, threatening the other party or launching constant reminders to ensure that the objective of influence is achieved. 2. Rational Persuasion, Inspirational appeals and consultation are considered as key ways the influence people at work. Explain how each can be used to get people in organizations to do what you want them to do. By employing the tactic of rational persuasion, individuals in the organization can be influenced by presenting them with a comprehensive and strategic argument that is able to back any proposal through the incorporation of rationale, logic and factual evidence such as statistical data. When applying inspirational appeals for example in the case of influencing a higher authority, an employee can identify the beliefs of his/her boss and ensure that the proposal or request demonstrates an alignment with those appeals rather than negating them. However, when the launch of consultation tactics within the organization involves requesting for the other party’s assistance in the matter or altering the proposal so as to convince them that their consultation on the matter is invaluable and thus, required. 3. List and discuss THREE likely outcomes of the generic influences Commitment: The establishment of a firm accord amongst the two parties that is based upon initiative and determination to achieve shared objectives. Compliance: The establishment of an agreement in which there is hesitancy regarding the matter, therefore, constant reassurance about the likely success of the accord is needed. Resistance: An outcome in which an agreement is not established because of a lack of common goals leading to argument or rejection. 4. Explain the difference between social- and personalized power Socialized power is based upon valuing the needs and concerns of other members while, personalized power encompasses actions that are taken to satisfy a manager’s personal needs. 5. Identify and describe the FIVE bases of power. Reward Power: Promoting conformity by incentivizing or giving rewards. Coercive Power: Achieving compliance through intimidation, threats or punishment. Legitimate Power: Achieving compliance by exercising formal power. Expert Power: Achieving compliance by demonstrating one’s superior skills or knowledge. Referent Power: Achieving compliance through one’s personal attributes that generate admiration, attraction or respect. 6. Explain with an example why empowerment is important in an organization Empowerment is the key to promoting employee motivation and launching power distribution to reaffirm an employee’s belief that the organization trusts his/her skills, knowledge and decision-making abilities. An example of this measure is a Finance Manager granting the Assistant Finance Manager the right to authorize daily sales reports which previously required the former’s signature. 7. Identify and explain TWO ways empowerment could be achieved Delegation: Members of the senior management can promote power distribution in the organization by granting their subordinates with decision-making authority. Participative Management: Employees can be encouraged to adopt a direct role within the entire decision-making process by identifying objectives and formulating strategies to meet those objectives. 8. What is participative management, and why is it important to power structure of an organization Participative management allows employees to adopt a more direct role in the entire decision-making process by setting goals and resolving organizational issues to achieve the identified objectives. It allows managers to distribute power in the company through the promotion of autonomy. 9. Explain why delegation is considered important in an organization Delegation encourages managers to distribute power within the organization. It empowers employees and enhances their level of motivation. 10. List TWO challenges and benefits of delegating work The challenges of delegating work are low self-confidence and lack of confidence in the subordinate’s ability to deliver effective results. The benefits are: employee empowerment and interpersonal contact. 11. To make delegation effective at work, what factors needs to be considered A manager needs to consider the following factors to make delegation effective: providing appropriate training to employees to ensure that they are able to manage tasks, encourage managers to delegate work, boost a system of participative management in the organization. 12. What is organization politics- Explain Organizational politics refers to those actions that are taken deliberately to promote or safeguard the personal interests of an individual or members of a group. 13. List and describe THREE sources which could contribute to political behavior that increases self-interest, while at the same time decreases the interests of organization. Network level: Actions that are taken to safeguard general self-interests in the organization. Coalition Level: Actions that are taken to safeguard particular self-interests of various groups in the organization. Individual Level: Actions that are taken by individuals to safeguard general self-interests in the organization. 14. Discuss what influence/s a manager could use to get an employee COMMIT to follow health and safety procedure in an organization By using rational persuasion on the basis of logical argumentation and evidence a manager can ensure that his employees commit to health guidelines in a company. The same could also be achieved through the tactic of pressure as a result of which constant reminders are placed in the company to promote compliance. 15. What is power and why is power important to managers in an organization? Power refers to the authority or level of influence that is held by managers to ensure that employees are committed to fulfilling their responsibilities. The presence of power is important in assigning work, managing employees and achieving objectives. 16. With an aid of appropriate diagram or otherwise discuss how power evolves from domination to delegation (Source: Kreitner and Kinicki) A transition from authoritarian power to power distribution is marked by a movement from domination to delegation. The latter is characterized by a high degree of empowerment. 17. Why is it important for managers to use personalized power? By using personalized power in the organization, managers can ensure that the extent to which they are able to influence their employees is increased or maintained to achieve desired results. Organization Design, Effectiveness and Innovation 1. Explain the difference between narrow- and wide span of control The level of supervision is higher in a narrow span of control in comparison with a wide span of control because the former has a greater manager-to-worker ratio. 2. Discuss with an example what a closed system is. How does this differ to an open system in an organization structure set up A closed system does not interact with the components of the external environment while, an open system such as an organization must participate in the external environment because it is reliant upon it for sustenance. 3. Discuss with appropriate examples the difference between: i. Functional structure ii. Divisional structure, and iii. Matrix structure A functional structure classifies groups in accordance with organizational functions for example marketing and human resources. A divisional structure classifies groups according to outputs for example, a shoe manufacturer making men’s, kids’ and women’s shoes. A matrix structure is an amalgamation of the elements of functional and divisional structure. 4. Which is the best organization structure to use for multinational organization like Toyota? Explain A Matrix Structure, because it allows the organization to manage its large-scale activities in an effective manner. 5. Which is the best organization structure for a company like ADNOC? Why? A Functional Structure because it produces only one product rather than a range of products. 6. Which is the best organization structure for a company like GASCO? Why? A Functional Structure because it produces only one product rather than a range of products. 7. Identify and list the FIVE principles of designing a horizontal organization Organization must occur in accordance with the entire workflow procedures The hierarchal structure must be shortened and several teams created Process team leaders should govern internal matters of teams A relationship between suppliers and customer must act as a driver of the system’s performance The team should be equipped with skills and training from external sources 8. How is a ‘hollow’ structure different to ‘modular’ structure? Use examples to explain this A hollow structure outsources processes while, a modular structure outsources parts. For example, Philips imports product components while, Apple outsources its manufacturing process. 9. Explain the difference between Mechanistic and Organic type organizations Mechanistic organizations are characterized by a strict bureaucratic structure, with a top-down communication network while, organic organizations abide by the maintenance of flexible systems that allow employees to fulfill a range of responsibilities. 10. Explain how contingency approach to organization design could easily be considered as an organic organization. A contingency approach allows the execution of an organizational structure that is based upon the specific requirements of a company rather than following strict guidelines of developing a structure that is rather mechanistic instead of being termed as organic. 11. Identify and discuss TWO approaches to decision making in an organization Centralized decision-making: Important decision-making is conducted by members of the senior management. Decentralized decision-making: Important decision-making is conducted by members of the middle and lower management. 12. Explain what is organizational design A systematic structure that is implemented in an organization to manage tasks, responsibilities, strategic development and human resource decisions to ensure that the organizational is able to meet its corporate objectives. Performance Management Q1. Performance management is an important activity carried out by the HR department on a regular basis. Discuss briefly the process of performance management? The process of performance management includes outlining strategy and the expected performance outcomes, applying the identified outcomes and linking them with the tasks that are assigned to employees, launching training initiatives to ensure that performance outcomes are met, evaluating and assessing performance once the task has been executed, highlighting areas of weakness to suggest improvement in performance and formulating performance results to understand the result of performance management systems. Q2. Based on your understanding and knowledge, briefly discuss any 5 benefits of performance appraisal. The benefits of performance appraisal are as follows: They allow managers to communicate organizational objectives and expectations to employees. Enhance the relationship that is shared between the manager and the employee. Increase the productivity of the company by identifying weaknesses. Assist the development of an effective human resource strategy for the future. Identify the areas in which employees need to be trained and equipped with skills to improve performance. Q3. List the different approaches used by organizations to measure performance of their employees. Discuss any two approaches in detail. Comparative approach: This approach is based upon the principles of comparative analysis and allows managers to contrast the performance of employees with one another. Attribute approach Behavioral approach: This approach makes use of instances in which employees have acted in a particular manner to guide the manager’s evaluation of their performance and subsequent feedback. Results approach Quality approach Q4. How do you differentiate between performance management and performance appraisal? Discuss your answer using an example for each. Performance management is a comprehensive, concurrent and systematic tool of ensuring that the effectiveness of employee performance is maintained throughout, while, performance appraisal is a tool that is only utilized on an annual basis by managers. Unlike, performance appraisal that is based upon top-down communication, performance management encourages interaction and communication between the employee and the manager to inspire a joint effort to enhance organizational performance. Q5. List the 5 criteria of performance measure that organization could use and explain brief any two in your own words. Strategic congruence Specificity Acceptability Reliability: This criterion is associated with maintaining uniformity and consistency in performance measures. Validity: This criterion is associated with ensuring that performance measures are designed in a comprehensive manner such that all pertinent areas of evaluation are addressed by the performance measure. Q6. Performance management helps organizations in achieving many purposes. Discuss briefly the 3 purposes of performance management? The three purposes of performance management are strategic, administrative and developmental. From a strategic perspective, performance management allows managers to link corporate objectives with employee performance so that the ideal employee is assigned with the specific tasks. The administrative purposes of the system are such that they are associated with the decision-making regarding compensation, incentives and promotion. The development purpose relates to identifying employees who are weak in certain areas and outlining the training needs of the company’s workforce to enhance productivity. Work Cited Kreitner, Robert, and Angelo Kinicki. Organizational Behavior. Boston, Mass: Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2013. Read More