Question.3006 - Short Answer (5 points each) 1. Describe when (i.e. situations, nature of tasks, etc.) teams should be used? When they should not? 2. Describe the window and the mirror phenomenon? What does this phenomenon teach us about the characteristics of great leaders? 3. For which kinds of tasks (manual, rudimentary vs. cognitive, complex) do monetary performance incentives actually lead to better performance? Why? 4. Provide a practical, specific example of each of the core job characteristics from the Job Characteristics Model. Example: One way to give an employee more autonomy is to reduce the number of supervisory reports he/she is required to write. 5. Describe the difference between adverse impact and disparate treatment. How is adverse impact calculated? 6. Why is it so important to have a balanced approach to control (i.e. what happens if a company overemphasizes one type of outcome)? Which control perspective (e.g. financial, internal, innovation, customer) is typically overemphasized? Essay (10 points each) 1. Micron, a memory chip developer and manufacturer, exists in a fiercely competitive industry. There are 4 primary competitors and several smaller competitors. This competitive rivalry is the main cause for a steep drop in memory chip (used in smart phones, cameras and cars) prices. While the company still emphasizes research and development as it pursues new technologies, process and product waste control is now equally emphasized in the latest strategic plan. With the cost of memory chips falling, the company must control production costs. Gina is an R&D process control systems engineer at Micron. She explores and tests new methods for streamlining operations. One of the reasons Gina got hired is because she demonstrated a competence that many in her field cannot equal. Paul is a product technician. His primary responsibility is to operate manufacturing equipment. In terms of A, B, or C positions, what is Gina’s position and what is Paul’s. Provide necessary rationale for your evaluation (tell me the defining characteristics of the position). Then tell me on what basis (e.g. performance, job, or market) their compensation is determined. 2. You self-select into a student group in one of your college courses for the purpose of completing a group project. Your group is comprised of students with different backgrounds and strengths relevant to the subject area. The project objective is complicated and will require creative and critical analysis. To achieve the best outcome, what type of task interdependence method (pooled, sequential, or reciprocal) should your group adopt? Provide rationale for your choice (i.e. why is that method best in your situation). Then tell me how you would logistically manage group activity using the selected method (e.g. when would you meet, what would meetings be like, how would work be assigned and accomplished, etc.). Extra Credit 1. List the 10 most important things you learned about management (or life) this quarter. (10 points)
Answer Below:
? Describe when (i.e. situations, nature of tasks, etc.) teams should be used? When they should not? Answer: The various situations when team can be utilized are tasks where multi-disciplinary requirements are necessary for completion of projects. Team works better in smaller team size. Larger number of members is not suited for teamwork. Bigger size of team usually leads to confusion and wastage of time of the members. They spend lesser time on productive work and more time on bringing about consensus. This makes the task of team difficult to perform. A project which has clearly divisible tasks is easier to be distributed within team. A team will not be able to perform where tasks are not clearly defined and have a level of ambiguity. Members that are likely to have clash of attitudes and behavioral patterns are generally not suitable for major tasks. However, some tasks which require break-away from established systems and calls for new ideas. Here, teamwork with strikingly different attitudes is desirable as that shall provide fresh and divergent ideas to the project. Hence, teams are suitable for structured work process which provide clear role divisions and for works that can be completed with smaller team size. In other situations and works teamwork is not desirable and becomes counter-productive and leads to a fall in the work productivity. (Levi, 2010) ? Describe the window and the mirror phenomenon? What does this phenomenon teach us about the characteristics of great leaders? Answer: The window and mirror phenomenon describes the internal and external motivation of leaders while they deal with their team members. In this phenomenon, whenever a leader enjoys success, he looks out of the window and credits the role of his team for the success rather than accepting it in his own name. In the event of failure a true leader holds the mirror and owns up the responsibility for the reasons of failure rather than putting blame on his team members. In effect, he praises and focuses on his team’s role during the times when it performs well but he accepts complete responsibility for things which do not go well. He acts as a complete team- player who recedes to the backstage when success is showered but comes across as strong leader to protect his team in case of negative situations. This phenomenon explains that great leaders have the characteristic of being selfless who do not work for petty personal goals. Rather, they are characterized by altruistic thoughts and rarely seek praise but continue to suitably highlight their team members. Their only goal is to motivate and raise the morale of the team members in order to achieve organizational goals. They are someone who is willing to take risk and actively support innovation. (Ruch, 2005) ? For which kinds of tasks (manual, rudimentary vs. cognitive, complex) do monetary performance incentives actually lead to better performance? Why? Answer: Monetary incentives provide necessary motivational push for employees to carry out work with better productivity levels. In the manual and rudimentary work like those working on the shop-floor level, monetary incentive is a strong incentive. Employees in such work role have a strong affinity to improve their work standards in case they are provided higher salaries and monetary payouts. In contrast, those employed in complex and cognitive tasks are less likely to be motivated through monetary incentives alone. For these employees other incentives like recognition, job enrichment, promotion avenues and work challenges are equally important. The reason for such assertion is that employees working in the rudimentary level of works are normally employed in low-paying jobs which are not completely capable of meeting their financial requirements. In such a scenario they respond positively for any change in financial considerations they receive at their workplace. On the other hand, those employed in cognitive and complex work are invariably those employees whose basic financial needs are comfortably being met and so money does not drive them much. Rather they are more focused on self- actualization. Hence, monetary incentives lead to better performance in manual and rudimentary tasks as compared to cognitive and complex tasks. (Lawson, Jones & Moores, 2000) ? Provide a practical, specific example of each of the core job characteristics from the Job Characteristics Model. Example: One way to give an employee more autonomy is to reduce the number of supervisory reports he/she is required to write. Answer: Skill variety: In this characteristic an employee is expected to be provided multiple skills which are higher than his usual area of work. For example, a baggage handler in airport should be provided training in taking care of responsibilities of dealing with customers on the front-desk, handling customer queries, taking flight bookings, etc. These provide a sense of importance to the employee which motivates him/her. Task identity: An employee should be allowed to perform higher degree of tasks so that he can feel ownership pride and motivation within himself. For example, a programmer should be provided tasks to write codes for entire project rather than working on a specific portion. Task Significance: It undertakes providing a degree of importance and significance to the tasks performed by the employees. A call centre employee answering to customer queries can be made to feel that her calls provide better customer satisfaction and branding for the company. Autonomy: This focuses on providing optimum level of freedom to employees to get work done. Employees can be given the freedom to complete tasks from their homes rather than being forced to come to offices always. Feedback: This provides the employees knowledge about the level of effectiveness they have at workplace. A relationship manager in banks should be provided knowledge about the decision of clients with whom they were interacting to open a new account. This way they shall get a direct feedback about their performance. (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2009) ? Describe the difference between adverse impact and disparate treatment. How is adverse impact calculated? Answer: Adverse impact relates to a situation where in an employee feels he has been discriminated on the basis of his association to a specific race, group or ethnic section. It is against law to discriminate among employees on the basis of these or any other similar parameters. If an employee experiences adverse impact from the employer he can move court to seek redress. Even disproportionate impact of the affected person can be termed as adverse impact. Disparate treatment is considered as a case herein an employee claims to have been treated differently as compared to employees in similar situations. So, while adverse impact focuses on a single employee, disparate treatment establishes negative sanction to employees while making a comparison with similar other employees. Under disparate treatment an employee feels being singled out by the employer. He might also be treated in a less favorable manner by the employer to establish disparate treatment. Adverse impact is calculated through four-fifths rule. “A selection rate for any race, sex, or ethnic group which is less than four-fifths (4/5) (or eighty percent) of the rate for the group with the highest rate will generally be regarded by the Federal enforcement agencies as evidence of adverse impact” (Adverseimpact.org). Adverse impact is also calculated through statistical method and practical methods in case the four-fifths rule fails to establish clear presence of adverse impact.(Outtz, 2010) ? Why is it so important to have a balanced approach to control (i.e. what happens if a company overemphasizes one type of outcome)? Which control perspective (e.g. financial, internal, innovation, customer) is typically overemphasized? Answer: Control has to be multi-disciplinary and comprehensive. Having extreme control over one area of company’s operations while neglecting other areas is a sure-shot way to lose over control over organizational efficiency. Balanced approach to control is necessary to ensure that no leakage exists in the operations which drain away the profits. It should ensure that the profits that a company earns through one operation are not lost through some other operations. In case the company overemphasizes on a single outcome it may suffer in the long-run. For example, a single-minded focus on improving financial conditions of the company may lead the company to take off its eye and focus from customer. It might resort to reduction is quality and customer satisfaction in order to improve its financial status. Ultimately, the company suffers in the long- run as customers would desert the company as brand approval of company’s products falls. Hence, it is important to have balanced approach to control and incorporate all factors in controlling. Typically, financial control is over-emphasized as management is more worried about short-to- medium term financial outcomes rather than focus of customer brand loyalty which requires larger resources and time period. So, financial control outcome is generally over-emphasized. (Camillus, 1986) Essay 1. Micron, a memory chip developer and manufacturer, exists in a fiercely competitive industry. There are 4 primary competitors and several smaller competitors. This competitive rivalry is the main cause for a steep drop in memory chip (used in smart phones, cameras and cars) prices. While the company still emphasizes research and development as it pursues new technologies, process and product waste control is now equally emphasized in the latest strategic plan. With the cost of memory chips falling, the company must control production costs. Gina is an R&D process control systems engineer at Micron. She explores and tests new methods for streamlining operations. One of the reasons Gina got hired is because she demonstrated a competence that many in her field cannot equal. Paul is a product technician. His primary responsibility is to operate manufacturing equipment. In terms of A, B, or C positions, what is Gina’s position and what is Paul’s. Provide necessary rationale for your evaluation (tell me the defining characteristics of the position). Then tell me on what basis (e.g. performance, job, or market) their compensation is determined. Answer: Gina is working as an R & D process control systems engineer at chip manufacturer Micron. She is entrusted with job of exploring and testing new methods which leads to streamlining of operations. She has to ensure savings in production costs as the company battles falling prices of chips in the market. She is also a premium talent as she has unparallel skills and experience in her industry. Considering the fact that she has to be paid premium salary as she is premium talent and the impact her work can do, she is likely to be placed in A position. A position is earmarked for those assets in the company which are high-value and high impact items. Gina is clearly a high-value and high-impact asset for the company. Her work records are minutely recorded and analyzed like other A valued items which are likely to have major impact over profitability of the company. Paul who is also working in the same company can be compared to C’s position as Paul is only marginally important for the operations and overall profitability. C position items are ones which are the least important for the business operations of the company. Considering the fact that they are least important, often these items are not clearly recorded and controlled. Higher emphasis is placed on employees who are likely to provide higher savings like Gina. Similarly, assets that ensure lesser level of profits are likely to be relegated to C position where their activities are less substantially monitored. In the case of Paul, since his task is to just operate manufacturing equipment, he is not considered as someone who could substantially impact savings of the company, so he shall be marked as C position asset. Their position shall depend on each person’s impact on company’s profitability and savings potential. (Hauswirth, 2007) Compensation of a person is decided on a number of factors like productivity of the employee, employer’s ability to pay, rules framed by the government, industry norms, cost of living, existing competitive labour rate, etc. Gina’s compensation shall be dependent on the fact that she has skills which are unparalleled to others in the market. This shall make her compensation higher than her competition. Considering the fact that she has higher degree of productivity, her compensation is expected to be higher. Paul’s compensation is expected to be on the lower end primarily on account of two factors- easy availability of personnel like Paul and the point that he cannot bring substantial savings or profits. However, a common aspect in the both these employees’ case while deciding the compensation level shall be the fact the employer i.e. Micron does not have great ability to pay on account of falling profit levels. These factors impact compensation levels. (Gudehus & Kotzab, 2012) 2. You self-select into a student group in one of your college courses for the purpose of completing a group project. Your group is comprised of students with different backgrounds and strengths relevant to the subject area. The project objective is complicated and will require creative and critical analysis. To achieve the best outcome, what type of task interdependence method (pooled, sequential, or reciprocal) should your group adopt? Provide rationale for your choice (i.e. why is that method best in your situation). Then tell me how you would logistically manage group activity using the selected method (e.g. when would you meet, what would meetings be like, how would work be assigned and accomplished, etc.). Answer: To select the best interdependence method, it is necessary to first clearly establish the details of the various methods available. In pooled interdependence all group members have separate capabilities and based on such capabilities they are provided specific tasks in the overall project. All of them contribute in some manner to the overall project. The success or failure of one task of the project is dependent on the other task done by another group member. Sequential interdependence method is carried out where a number of tasks within the overall project can be broken down in distinguishable elements. One group member performs the given task and passes it on to the next member to perform his task and carried it forward to the next member. It becomes extremely important to have proper scheduling and coordination among group members else it would lead to delay in completion of the project. In reciprocal method, group members are dependent on the work of team members in a manner similar to the sequential method but unlike sequential method this method is cyclical in nature. Consequently, it requires higher degree of coordination. My group should select pooled interdependence method to get the work done. The rationale for this selection is that pooled method requires the least amount of coordination among group members. Considering the fact that the group members have come together recently, coordination may not be proper so pooled method would be better. Also, the diversity of the group members makes it better for the group to select pooled interdependence method over other two methods. (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2009) Upon selection of the pooled interdependence method group activity shall be managed through division of tasks from the overall project. Group members shall interact with one another and meet at regular intervals. The meetings shall take place for integration of various type of tasks. This shall ensure that the entire jigsaw puzzle of the overall project fits into one complete picture. Work has to be assigned on the basis of the diverse background of the members. Members having the requisite skills shall be selected for each tasks that need to be performed in the project. These tasks shall be accomplished by members individually with lesser dependence in terms of coordination. (Goodman, Fandt & Michlitsch, 2006) Extra Credit 1. List the 10 most important things you learned about management (or life) this quarter. (10 points) 1. Coordination: Management requires proper coordination among team members. In the world of interdisciplinary activities individuals cannot function alone but have to function as a part of the team. So, coordination among team members is critical. 2. Leadership qualities: The various qualities of a good leader have been understood by me. It has taught me that a good leader provides direction and motivation to his team members 3. Motivation: Motivating employees is necessary task of leaders. It keeps the subordinates interested in the work and leads to improvement in productivity. 4. Manner of motivation: Employees are motivated through a number of factors like monetary and non-monetary means. Monetary methods are the most commonly used motivation and incentive techniques, however, non-monetary incentives like providing independence and challenging job could also lead to higher degree of motivation 5. Factors for job satisfaction: People are satisfied with their job when they are given certain key aspects like responsible work, freedom to perform work, etc. An employer has to understand the needs of the employees. 6. Sensitivity issues at workplace: I have become aware about a lot of sensitivity issues that are required to be taken care of at workplace which includes non-discrimination of people depending on their gender, religion, creed, race, etc. 7. Control requirements and need: An organization requires a comprehensive control function in order to monitor the performance of all areas of the management which is possible only though continuous monitoring. It is an ever-going process and cannot be treated as one-time activity. 8. Inter-group dynamics: Team members have a lot of dynamics like attitudes, skills, aspirations which come into play when they work with another. I have become aware about the manner in which I need to select team composition, division and performance of various roles. 9. Management is about getting things done through others: This is a simple definition of management. However, in the last quarter I have come in contact with a number of examples which have suggested the practical examples in which management gets work done through others. 10. Time management: Lastly, I have learnt the lessons of time management during this quarter. Proper management of time leads to improvement in productivity. References Adverseimpact.org. (n.d.). Calculating Adverse Impact. Retrieved from http://adverseimpact.org/CalculatingAdverseImpact.htm Camillus, J. (1986). Strategic Planning and Management Control. Lexington Books Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don’t Work. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams- dont-work Gudehus, T., & Kotzab, H. (2012). Comprehensive Logistics. Springer Goodman, S., Fandt, P., & Michlitsch, J. (2006). Management: Challenges for Tomorrow's Leaders. Cengage Learning. Hauswirth, I. (2007). Effective and Efficient Organizations. Springer Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. (2009). Organizational Behavior. Cengage Learning Lawson, T., Jones, M., & Moores, R. (2000). Advanced Sociology Through Diagrams. Oxford University Press. Levi, D. (2010). Group Dynamics for Teams. SAGE. Outtz, J. (2010). Adverse Impact: Implications for Organizational Staffing and High Stakes Selection. Taylor & Francis Ruch, B. (2005). Enlightened Leadership — The Window or the Mirror. Retrieved from http://www.acacamps.org/members/knowledge/leadership/cm/0501ruchMore Articles From Management
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