Chapter 01 Assignment: The World of Innovative Management – MindTap
1. Management competencies (Connect, Perform)
The following diagram shows an
... [Show More] overview of the management process. Fill in the two missing labels.
A. Planning
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B. Organizing
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Source: Adapted from Daft, R. L., & Marcic, D. (2015). Understanding management (9th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, p. 9.
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Explanation:
The process of management involves bringing resources into the organization and transforming those resources into organizational outcomes or performance through the use of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
The four management functions include:
1. Planning: Selecting goals and ways to attain them. Planning is different from organizing. When managers plan, they predict what will happen in the future. When managers organize, they arrange resources so that they can achieve the goals they set during the planning process. Note that creating a budget is part of the planning process, while checking to see if the budget has been met is part of the controlling process.
2. Organizing: Assigning responsibilities for task accomplishment. Note that organizing may also include decisions about where to spend money, how the company should be organized, and how many people need to be assigned to a particular project.
3. Leading: Using influence to motivate people to achieve company goals. In today’s workplace, the most effective leaders create environments that engage and empower employees, rather than commanding and controlling them.
4. Controlling: Monitoring activities and making corrections. The fundamental purpose of control is to compare an existing situation to a desired situation and make a decision about what needs to be done to reach the desired state. Managers are engaged in control when they appraise an employee’s performance, compare expenses to a budget, or check to see if product quality is meeting quality standards.
Example of Managerial Work Planning Organizing Leading Controlling
Chairman Leonard Riggio reassured Barnes and Noble employees that he was working to save the organization when he announced that he was thinking about gathering investors to buy the company’s bricks-and-mortar stores, taking it private.
Author Simon Rick spends time every day reading. He says, “I try to read about subjects that I’m interested in, and that usually helps me come up with ideas for stories and characters and jokes.”
A marketing manager at Evian decides to work with BETC Euro RSCG, an advertising agency in France. The goal is to reduce the cost of advertising by creating a video that goes viral on YouTube.
Senator John McCain reviewed all of the stimulus projects approved by the U.S. government to decide which projects to include in his list of “100 Stimulus Projects That Give Taxpayers the Blues.”
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
Example of Managerial Work Explanation
Chairman Leonard Riggio reassured Barnes and Noble employees that he was working to save the organization when he announced that he was thinking about gathering investors to buy the company’s bricks-and-mortar stores, taking it private. Helping employees to see that management is on their side is an important part of keeping them motivated. Riggio was performing the leading function of management. He later decided not to purchase part of the company and in fact sold a significant number of his shares in Barnes & Noble. (Source: de la Merced, M. J. (2013, February 25). Chairman of Barnes & Noble planning offer for its stores, but not Nook. Retrieved from http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/barnes-noble-chairma-to-bid-for-bookstores-retail-business/)
Author Simon Rick spends time every day reading. He says, “I try to read about subjects that I’m interested in, and that usually helps me come up with ideas for stories and characters and jokes.” Because Rick is essentially setting goals for his future works, his reading serves as a planning process. (Source: Goodman, J. (2013). Most creative people 2013: #47. In Fast Company. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/3009246/most-creative-people-2013/47-simon-rich)
A marketing manager at Evian decides to work with BETC Euro RSCG, an advertising agency in France. The goal is to reduce the cost of advertising by creating a video that goes viral on YouTube. When the marketing manager chooses to create a less expensive, rather than a more expensive, advertisement, she is allocating resources. Thus, she is involved in the organizing function of management. (Source: Visible Measures. (2009, December 3). Visible Measures partners with BETC Euro RSCG to measure record-breaking Evian Roller Babies Internet video advertisement [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/visible-measures-partners-with-betc-euro-rscg-to-measure-record-breaking-evian-roller-babies-internet-video-advertisement-78434472.html)
Senator John McCain reviewed all of the stimulus projects approved by the U.S. government to decide which projects to include in his list of “100 Stimulus Projects That Give Taxpayers the Blues.” When McCain reviewed the stimulus projects, he was monitoring activity. By publishing a list of activities that didn’t meet his standards, he was identifying areas that he felt needed change and was therefore involved in the controlling function. (Source: McCain, J., & Coburn, T. (2010). Summertime blues: 100 stimulus projects that give taxpayers the blues. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/GOP_simulus_index.pdf)
A dynamic business environment has caused the role of manager to change significantly. Complete the sentence with the correct words to reflect this change.
Marcia used to see her job as supervising individuals
because she cared about the performance of each of her employees, but now she finds herself motivating her employees collectively, or leading teams
.
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1 / 1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
A great deal of work today is done by teams, not individuals working in isolation. Therefore, team leadership is a crucial skill for managers.
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Keep the Highest:
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2. Efficiency and effectiveness (Connect, Perform)
Read the scenario and then complete the sentence with the correct term.
Management in Life
Your parents are hosting the huge annual family reunion this year, and they have determined that quite a bit of work needs to be done before all the relatives show up. They ask if you will repair the leaking faucets and replace the rec room carpet. They ask your sister to rid the lawn of weeds and reseed the bare patches, and they ask your brother to rent tents, a huge barbeque grill, and other equipment. They want the family to feel comfortable and have fun.
To achieve greater efficiency
, your dad decides to mount speakers around the backyard so people can listen to music streaming from his Rhapsody account. This will be less expensive than hiring a live band.
Points:
1 / 1
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Explanation:
Efficiency is the amount of resources—raw materials, money, and people—used to produce a product or service. By saving money, your dad is achieving greater efficiency. Whether streaming music is effective depends on whether the guests enjoy it; they might not like the selections, the sound quality might be poor, or they might prefer a live band.
Rick is a student at Capstone College. He developed a schedule that he thought would let him spend the minimum amount of time studying while still getting good grades. Rick is following his schedule, but he’s not getting the grades he hoped he would get. What is the best way to describe Rick’s approach to studying?
Efficient but not effective
Neither effective nor efficient
Both effective and efficient
Effective but not efficient
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
Rick is efficient but not effective. He is getting his studying done in less time, but he isn’t accomplishing the goals he set for himself.
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3. Management skills (Connect, Perform)
Thinking about the kinds of skills that managers use, complete the sentence with the correct term.
When Varun was promoted, he found he needed to use more conceptual
skills, planning work and solving problems.
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Explanation:
Conceptual skills are used to plan and problem-solve, especially from a big-picture orientation. Setting priorities and considering the long-term implications of actions are examples of conceptual skills.
Use your understanding of how managers use different kinds of skills to answer the following questions, based on a short scenario and a research study.
Effective managers know how to combine both the art and science of management to address the broad range of issues they encounter in their jobs. The art of management taps into a manager’s intuition, experience, instincts, and personal experience; the science of management utilizes a manager’s ability to approach problems in a rational, logical, objective, and systematic way. As a result, managers need to have a wide variety of skills to perform their jobs successfully.
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Here, Max is explaining what Rebecca needs to do to drive a bulldozer. Max is relying on his technical
skills to operate the machinery effectively during the training session.
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If those skills make up a majority of the skills he needs on the job, Max is probably a first-line manager
.
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
Max is most likely using technical skills to explain the machinery to Rebecca. Technical skills are not limited to operating machinery; they include any kind of specialized knowledge used to produce products or provide services.
First-line managers typically need to have technical skills, because they must help individual employees learn to do their jobs. For example, a new employee for a solar power company may ask the foreperson how to install solar panels, but the CEO is not likely to get this kind of question.
Research Study
Mumford, Campion, and Morgeson studied approximately 1,000 managers, spread across junior, midlevel, and senior-level positions. They were interested in knowing how different levels of managers used four types of skills: cognitive, interpersonal, business, and strategic. The following graph shows the results of their study.
Source: Mumford, T. V., Campion, M. A., & Morgeson, F. P. (2007). The leadership skills strataplex: Leadership skill requirements across organizational levels. The Leadership Quarterly, 18, 154–166.
What can management researchers infer based on this study? Check all that apply.
All managers require a certain level of all four skills.
Senior managers require the highest level of cognitive skills.
Middle managers require the highest level of interpersonal skills.
Junior managers do not need to have business skills.
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
Mumford, Campion, and Morgeson’s results are interesting because they show that all levels of managers use all types of skills. This research also shows the importance of both cognitive (conceptual) and interpersonal skills across all levels of management, and that senior managers have a greater need for strategic and business skills than junior managers.
4. Management challenges (Connect, Perform)
Use your knowledge of the challenges new managers face to complete the following sentences.
Among managers, first-line supervisors
tend to experience the most job burnout and attrition.
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
First-line supervisors tend to burn out, because it is difficult to get used to the fast pace, unrelenting pressure, fragmented work, and high stress that comes with a manager’s job. Successful managers learn that they must delegate work, develop networks, and focus on developing their employees rather than trying to do everything themselves.
Recent research found that both male and female managers across five different countries reported that they most
enjoy activities such as leading others, networking, and leading innovation.
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
In general, many managers enjoy leading others, networking, and leading innovation, but they find it less pleasurable to control subordinates, handle paperwork, and manage time pressures.
Read this research summary and then complete the figure with the correct labels.
Research Study
Professor Linda Hill did research that followed new managers for their first year in their jobs. She found that they changed over time, moving from an “individual identity” to a “manager identity.” The following diagram outlines the characteristics associated with each of these identities. Each identity is missing a characteristic in the A or B position.
A. Specialist, performs specific tasks
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B. Generalist, coordinates diverse tasks
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Source: Based on Exhibit 1.1, “Transformation of Identity,” in Hill, L. A.. (2003). Becoming a Manager: Mastery of a New Identity (2nd ed., p. 6). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Close Explanation
Explanation:
This diagram shows how managers change as they grow into their jobs. Linda Hill found that managers went through three predictable stages in their first year on the job. Initially, they were concerned with “being the boss” and having formal authority over people. After six months, they found that their initial expectations were wrong and that the job was much more fast-paced and work-intensive than they originally thought. They also learned that they needed to be problem solvers for the people who reported to them, not authority figures. After one year, managers who stayed with the job reported that they were no longer “doers,” but, instead, they spent their time communicating, listening, and giving positive reinforcement in order to help people develop.
You have lunch with a friend who was recently promoted to a management position. “Congratulations!” you say. But she looks at you and says, “I’m not so sure.”
She goes on to tell you that she’s overwhelmed with the pace of the work and the demands on her time. “I used to just think about myself and my own performance,” she says, “and now I’m constantly dealing with all these interdependent aspects of the organization. I’m expected to motivate other people to work hard—just working hard myself was a lot easier. And the interruptions! I have to shift gears constantly.”
She asks for your advice: “I would love to get more done in less time, be more relaxed, and have more time to enjoy my job and my life. Do you know any time management tips?”
Which of the following techniques should your friend use? Check all that apply.
Do just one thing at a time, giving it your complete focus.
Don’t spend any time planning work—just do it.
Prioritize tasks according to what will take the least time.
Keep a to-do list of what needs to be done.
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Close Explanation
Explanation:
Classic time management techniques include the following:
• Keep a to-do list. Even if your priorities are constantly changing and you keep adding more to the list, you’ll get more done than if you try to keep track of everything in your head.
• Use an A–B–C system to prioritize tasks. If not completing a task would have serious consequences, give it an A. If consequences would be minor, give it a B. If you would like to accomplish the task but there are no consequences for not getting it done, give it a C.
• At the end of each day, review what went well and what could have gone better. Then plan what you will do the next day. Even if you need to adjust those plans in response to the day’s demands, having a plan will help you get more done and stay focused on your “A” priorities.
• Do one thing at a time. Multitasking may feel efficient, but it’s actually less so. Doing one thing at a time will help you be more effective, too. [Show Less]