Management Decision-Making Styles - Assignment Example

Final Exam Name Institution Tutor Date Question 1 The four major purposes and methods of interactive communication include; Task coordination, this involves a monthly meeting by departmental heads to deliberate on how every department is contributing to the goals of the organization. The second approach is information sharing where members of one department meet with affiliates of another department to share new data or information. Problem solving is another method where members of a department gather to brainstorm and examine how they can handle a certain problem, for instance, a budget reduction The fourth approach is conflict resolution whereby members of a department gather to discuss a conflict between departments or within the department. Question 2 The major management decision-making styles are; the analytical style. The tactic entails an in-depth appraisal of the situation. It involves looking at alternatives to direct the decision (Luthans, 2010). The benefit of the approach is that a manager can come up with quality decisions. The demerit is that arriving at a decision can be difficult and confusing since one has to examine alternative decisions. The second approach is the directive style where the decision maker uses their personal opinions, experiences, ideas, and judgments to make a decision (Luthans, 2010). The advantage of the method is that decisions are not interfered with and they can easily be made. An inadequacy of the approach is that by using a single opinion, it is possible to come up with wrong decisions. . The behavioral style involves consulting others whereby the manager is open to recommendation made by others and works towards avoiding conflict. The benefit of the tactic is that resistance to change may not easily take place. The disadvantage is that it can be difficult to come up with a decision that makes everyone contented. The conceptual style is another decision making tactic. It entails putting into consideration a wider perspective in making decisions including future options (Luthans, 2010). The benefit is that it enables one to deal with uncertainty that may emerge in future. The disadvantage is that it may result to uncertainty. Question 3 The four major sources of interpersonal conflict include personal differences which emanate from variations in individual personalities, for instance, one may be extremely emotional an aspect that may give rise to conflict. Another source of conflict is role incompatibility which arises when the duties of managers or employees in an organization are interdependent. For instance, a manager may come up with a decision that interferes with the other manager/ employee leading to conflict. Information deficiency is another source of interpersonal conflict. The conflict emanates from a breakdown in communication in the organization. A case in point is when two people are misinformed. Environmental stress is another factor that instigates conflict. For instance, working in an organization where employees are ill-treated or where resources are scarce can lead to stress which may steer conflict between the employees and the management. I think that the most relevant conflict in today’s organizations is one that arises from personal differences. In the context of my organization, I have noted that in most cases, conflict arises among employees because of the differences in their personalities. For instance, there is a certain category people who like to dominate others, such an attribute has often instigated conflict. Also, female employees are sometimes very emotional which often leads to conflict. Question 4 Stress is defined as the act of strain emotionally brought about by various demanding factors Five coping strategies for individual stress include Meditation; Soulful prayer and meditation go a long way in relaxing the mind and body. This helps in the release of both toxins and is considered therapeutic to the personality. Social support; this is necessary to enable an individual deal with any incident or incidents that may be deemed to be stressing to them. It encompasses speaking to a friend or relative whom one considers close. Exercise; Exercise could be quite beneficial to both the body and mind. If one sets aside a few minutes of exercise every day, the results could be quite beneficial in the long run. Taking a break from the object or activity stressing one is necessary in order to optimize on both body and mind. Keeping a positive mind, smiling; the two social aspects are necessary for one to recover fully from a stressful or potentially stressful situation. Question 5 Power is defined as the act of possessing control or influence behavior of a particular group or individuals or change the course of certain events. The difference between power and authority is that power seeks to manipulate others while authority is the right to manipulate or change others. Influence on the other hand is the ability to alter other people in general ways by changing their satisfaction and performance. Question 6 Reward power refers to that is based on a person’s ability to control resources while at the same time rewarding others. One example is whereby a supervisor in an organization rewards his juniors for a job well done. Coercive power refers to the ability of one to inflict punishment or threats aimed at making the other party believe it is out of objectionable behavior. This is best exemplified by a bully or rogue superior authority trying to get the best out of a junior under their watch. Legitimate power refers to power that is given rightfully to parties in order to influence others .In most cases this is recognized internally. One example of legitimate power is a democratically elected President wielding powers over a people who supposedly elected them. Referent power is that power that is formed from the desire of people to identify with the agent wielding power. An example of referent power is a group of people pledging loyalty to a given form of authority at a certain period Expert power is power that is attributed by persons to authorities in form of knowledge and expertise. This form of power can be best exemplified by granting power to an individual to for example, the head a department in a government institutions. Question 7 Managers that I worked for have exhibited a combination of expert and coercive power. It was both beneficial and detrimental to the organization in the long- run. I would say this because both the positive and negative effects of this forms of this power were visible in this form of leadership. For instance, there lack of democracy which results low employee morale and the lack of innovation. Question 8 I would be strong at exhibiting reward power. This is primarily based on the organization that I work for. In the association, there exists the belief that one should be rewarded for a job well done while at the same time emphasis is laid upon the control and optimization of resources. Question 9 The classical theory of group formation is grounded on the premise that the more activities an individual shares, their sentiments and interactions increase, as their interactions continue to expand, the more they are willing to work in groups. The second theory is the balance theory which argues that people are attracted to each other based on common attitudes which influence their need to work together to attain common goals and objectives. The Exchange theory of group formation postulates that groups are formed on the basis of the reward-cost outcomes of interaction. In order for a group to be formed, rewards that are greater than costs must exist. Question 10 Groupthink can be defined as an occurrence where group members make a collective decision without examining the situation accurately and objectively to come up with a rational and suitable decision. Some of the major characteristics of groupthink include illusion of invulnerability which is characterized by excessive risk taking and optimism. Another characteristic is that members of the group do not accept warning. Also, the group members do not embrace moral and ethical considerations when coming up with their decisions. Another attribute of groupthink is that any member who questions the collective decision is threatened or pressured. An example of group think that I witnessed in my organization is that one day an employee who was considered very brilliant and innovative came up with an invention that I thought was harmful to the organizations. I opposed the idea, however, every member of our department supported the concept without proper evaluation. The end result is that the new innovation affected the operations of the business. Question 11 One theoretical explanation for group formation is propinquity which is the assertion that individuals form groups due to geographical or spatial closeness. For instance, employees sharing the same office are likely to work together in the same group. Another theoretical explanation is due to common sentiments, interactions and activities which influence individuals to form a group. Groups can also be formed on the basis of common values and attitudes. Another theoretical explanation is based on the reward-cost outcomes of the interaction. If the rewards of the interaction are higher than the costs, people are inclined to forming a group. The explanation that is relevant to the study of organizational behavior is the view that group are formed on the basis of common sentiments, interactions and activities. Organizational behaviour is mainly grounded on interaction within groups consequently, the idea that groups are formed on the basis of sentiments, interaction and activities can effectively be studied within the subject of organizational behavior. Question 12 One political strategy discussed in the course is the coalition approach which involves forming a winning coalition. One can acquire power using the approach by uniting various factions who come together, a factor that can make one to easy ascend to power. Another approach is interacting with others with the objective of building positive relationships. It is possible to acquire power using the approach based on the fact that people may vote for an individual on the basis of the good relationship that they possess. Making strategic replacements is another political strategy. One can acquire power through the approach by providing key roles individuals that are bound to support their bid for leadership. Developing confidence is another political strategy that one can use to ascend to power within an organization. When one shows that they know what they are doing and that they are self-assured that they can deliver, then it possible to gain political mileage. Question 13 Approach avoidance conflict occurs when a person is motivated to attain a goal and at the same time he/she is motivated to avoid it. The goal may consist of both negative and positive characteristics for the person. A realistic example in the context of an organization is when the marketing department comes up with a new product innovation. The department may be optimistic that when the product gets to the market it will capture the consumers and the company will increase its sales. However, as the company begins to invest on the product development process and the product is introduced to the market, the negative effects emerge. For instance, the developed product may be substandard. Also, consumers may not purchase the products as projected earlier. The existing challenges may result to conflict and frustrations especially within the marketing department. Question 14 In order to improve communication effectiveness, the training department can establish an efficient feedback system whereby employees can receive information about their training progress and the areas they need to improve. Also, in order to improve communication effectiveness, it is essential to select the most effective communication channels during the training. For instance, a manager should examine the suitability of various channels of communication during the process. A case in point is evaluating when if emails, direct communication or memos will be useful during the training. Question 15 One specific consideration the magnitude or amount of information to be conveyed. Emails are better sent when one needs to convey a larger and more detailed message. This is because one is able to put his or her thoughts down more precisely depending on the time and details of the message to be delivered. Also, a second factor to consider is the issue of privacy and confidentiality. Direct communication creates an aura of confidentiality and privacy. Question 16 The major criticism of Herzberg’s two-factor theory is that it overlooks situational variables by placing emphasis on hygiene factors as the main element that can result to the motivation of the employees. I think that the theory contributes to the better understanding of motivation in the workplace. This is because hygiene factors are important in any workplace, in most cases what goes through the mind of every employee is the question ‘’ what do I get out of this job?’’ Consequently, it can be stated that the two-factor theory makes a contribution to the better understanding of motivation in the workplace. Reference Luthans, F. (2010) Organizational Behavior. Irwin. . Read More