Leadership vs. Management Essay

Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. The manager’s job is to plan, organise and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate. In his 1989 book â€Å"On Becoming a Leader,† Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences: the manager administers the leader innovates the manager is a copy the leader is an original the manager maintains the leader develops the manager focuses on systems and structures the leader focuses on people the manager relies on control the leader inspires trust the manager has a short-range view the leader has a long-range perspective the manager asks how and when the leader asks what and why the manager has his/her eye always on the bottom line the leader’s eye is on the horizon the manager imitates the leader originates the manager accepts the status quo the leader challenges it the manager is the classic good soldier the leader is his/her own person the manager does things right the leader does the right thing Leadership Attributes of a leader: Studies, and develops ideas and principles Innovates Resourceful and looks for solutions to problems Empathetic with a focus on people Inspires trust among stakeholders Understands the big picture Superior listening skills Courageously challenges the state of affairs, and asks why and what can be improved Looks for opportunities to develop strengths Develops a following A leader’s specific roles are determined through the four basic leadership responsibilities of directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. Specific responsibilities will fall into one of these four categories. In leadership practice, one must master skills in all areas in order to effectively lead others under their direction. Developing strengths in each of the four leadership roles allows a leader to read specific situations accurately and know what communication style is best applied. Directing Directing refers to how to keep work tasks and activities on the right track. A leader’s direction is what makes or breaks problem solving as well as determines the effectiveness of an approach to an assignment or task, the maintaining of momentum until its completion, and whether it is done by deadline. There are several ways to generate good direction techniques. These include: Explain things completely and include the ‘why’s’ Leaders learn early on that the best way to gain support and trust from their employees is to explain all things in their entirety. Once people understand why something is important or necessary, they generally rally to the call of that which needs to be done or addressed. Remain visible Leaders understand the power of their presence at all times. Nothing deflates the workforce’s motivation and desire to achieve more than to be left on their own with no visible means of support or direction. Objectively consider opposing points of view Leaders consider situations, problems and solutions from various viewpoints, as the input from as many individuals as possible expands their capabilities to effectively frame their direction. Coaching Coaching refers to when a leader knows where he or she wants to go and remains in control of the task but needs to lead others in developing a mutual support network. Coaching instils the desire to achieve and builds a dialogue bridge between the leader and those under his or her charge. This  motivates employees and positively changes attitudes toward the work assignment. To do this effectively a leader must make an effort to: Incorporate the word ‘we’ into all conversations Effective leaders eliminate the word â€Å"I† because it denotes a singular rather than cooperative effort. The very meaning of the term â€Å"coaching† implies a team effort. Listen for objections and areas of misunderstanding Effective leaders who coach well develop the skill of eliminating objections by developing an effective dialogue and creating clear and concise responses. Offer explanations addressing the ‘why’s, what’s and how’s’ of the problem or task at hand Good coaching depends upon complete understanding. Motivation and confidence comes from understanding the expectations a leader has of those involved in a given task, assignment or problem solving situation. Supporting Managers cannot be effective leaders unless they actively hone their supporting skills. People look warmly on leaders who actively work to support them emotionally as well as physically. When leaders actively work to support the people under their charge they: Acknowledge individual efforts with comments of praise and positive support Leaders are not afraid to say â€Å"thank you,† or â€Å"you’re doing a great job,† or whatever it takes to instil confidence in an individual. Disclose their own feelings openly and honestly Leaders are not afraid to reveal their â€Å"inner self.† Trust and loyalty are built on disclosing inward feelings, concerns and desires. Readily and honestly opening up builds encouragement and perseverance on both sides. Never hesitate to ask, ‘What’s wrong?’ Leaders allow themselves to get into the thick of a situation or task, and are quick to share the decision making responsibility, but know when to relinquish control in order to gain extra participation and involvement. Delegating Leaders know and understand their people. They know their strengths and weaknesses as well as what motivates and frustrates them. Effective delegating relies on the ability to select the proper person for the specific task or role. Leaders develop good delegation skills by: Briefing the delegate Leaders leave nothing to chance when they delegate. When delegating, it is vital to explain exactly what expectations the leader has of the delegated individual. Having confidence in the person they select Leaders do not select individuals for an assignment according to their job descriptions or the salaries they command, they look for people with the skills, abilities, perseverance and motivation to get the job done and done well. Not abdicating responsibility, but allowing individuals to decide a best course of action for themselves Leaders monitor and weigh these individual decisions, but never advance their own leadership position for a particular course of action unless they assess  it to be the best one. Understanding Theories of Leadership Trait Theory of Leadership Trait Theory of Leadership is based on the assumption that people are born with inherited traits and some traits are particularly suited to leadership. People who make effective leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits and great leaders has some common personality characteristics. Traits/skills generally believed to be possessed by leaders can be classified into categories such as: Physical characteristics (e.g. age; height; weight; alertness; energetic); Background characteristics (e.g. education; social status; mobility; experience); Intelligence characteristics (e.g. ability; judgement; knowledge; clever {intelligent}; conceptually skilled; creative; knowledgeable about group task; intellectual breadth); Personality characteristics (e.g. aggressiveness; alertness; dominance; decisiveness; enthusiasm; extroversion; independence; self-confidence; authoritarianism; assertive; tolerant of stress); Task-Oriented characteristics (e.g. achievement needs; responsibility; initiative; persistence; ambitiousness; achievement-orientated; decisive; persistent; willingness to assume responsibility; organised {administrative ability}; Social characteristics (e.g. supervisory ability; cooperativeness; popularity; prestige; tact; diplomacy; adaptability; cooperative; dependable; tactful; persuasive; socially skilled; emotional stability and composure; good interpersonal skills). Look at the Social Characteristics above. Be honest with yourself and write down those characteristics you feel you have and those that you feel you still need to work on. Behavioural theories Behavioural psychology, also known as behaviourism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning. Behavioural theories focus on how leaders behave and assume that leaders can be â€Å"made†, rather than born, and successful leadership is based on definable, learnable behaviour. Theory X and Theory Y Theory X and Theory Y framework proposed by McGregor in his classic book â€Å"The Human Side of Enterprise† (1960) consists of two alternative set of assumptions. Theory X perceives employees to be lazy, irresponsible and untrustworthy, while according to theory Y employees are approached as one of the most valuable assets of the company. Your management style is strongly influenced by your beliefs and assumptions about what motivates members of your team. If you believe that team members dislike work, you will tend towards an authoritarian style of management; on the other hand, if you assume that employees take pride in doing a good job, you will tend to adopt a more participative style. Theory X Theory X assumes that employees are naturally unmotivated and dislike working, and this encourages an authoritarian style of management. According to this view, management must actively intervene to get things  done. This style of management assumes that workers: Dislike working. Avoid responsibility and need to be directed. Have to be controlled, forced, and threatened to deliver what’s needed. Need to be supervised at every step, with controls put in place. Need to be enticed to produce results; otherwise they have no ambition or incentive to work. X-Type organisations tend to be top heavy, with managers and supervisors required at every step to control workers. There is little delegation of authority and control remains firmly centralised. McGregor recognised that X-Type workers are in fact usually the minority, and yet in mass organisations, such as large scale production environment, X Theory management may be required and can be unavoidable. Theory Y Theory Y explains a participative style of management that is de-centralised. It assumes that employees are happy to work, are self-motivated and creative, and enjoy working with greater responsibility. It assumes that workers: Take responsibility and are motivated to fulfil the goals they are given. Seek and accept responsibility and do not need much direction. Consider work as a natural part of life and solve work problems imaginatively. This more participative management style tends to be more widely applicable. In Y-Type organisations, people at lower levels of the organisation are involved in decision making and have more responsibility. Contingency theories Fiedler’s contingency model The Fiedler Contingency Model asks you to think about your natural leadership style, and the situations in which it will be most effective. The model says that leaders are either task-focused, or relationship-focused. Once you understand your style, it says that you can match it to situations in which that style is most effective. Fiedler’s model consists of 3 primary elements: Leader-Member Relations – This is the level of trust and confidence that your team has in you. A leader who is more trusted and has more influence with the group is in a more favourable situation than a leader who is not trusted. Task Structure – This refers to the type of task you’re doing: clear and structured, or vague and unstructured. Unstructured tasks, or tasks where the team and leader have little knowledge of how to achieve them, are viewed unfavourably. Leader’s Position Power – This is the amount of power you have to direct the group, and provide reward or punishment. The more power you have, the more favourable your situation. Fiedler identifies power as being either strong or weak. There are some criticisms of the Fiedler Contingency Model. One of the biggest is lack of flexibility. Fiedler believed that because our natural leadership style is fixed, the most effective way to handle situations is to change the leader. He didn’t allow for flexibility in leaders. Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership The Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory states that instead of using just one style, successful leaders should change their leadership styles based on the maturity of the people they’re leading and the details of the task. Using this theory, leaders should be able to place more or less emphasis on the task, and more or less emphasis on the relationships  with the people they’re leading, depending on what’s needed to get the job done successfully. We will look at situational leadership more close later on. Transformational Leadership The leadership style called â€Å"transformational leadership† is often the most effective approach to use. Transformational leaders have integrity, they inspire people with a shared vision of the future, they set clear goals, they motivate people towards these goals, they manage delivery, and they communicate well with their teams. Transformational leaders are inspiring because they expect the best from everyone on their team as well as themselves. This leads to high productivity and engagement from everyone in their team. In many organisations, both transactional and transformational leadership styles are useful. Transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done reliably, while transformational leaders look after initiatives that add new value. It’s also important to use other leadership styles when necessary – this will depend on the people you’re leading and the situation that you’re in. Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s continuum The Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum is a simple model of leadership theory which shows the relationship between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a team, and the level of authority used by the manager. As the team’s freedom is increased, so the manager’s authority decreases. This is a positive way for both teams and managers to develop. Over time, a manager should aim to take the team from one end to the other, up the scale, at which point you should also aim to have developed one or a  number of potential successors from within your team to take over from you. When examining and applying the Tannenbaum and Schmidt principles, it’s extremely important to remember: irrespective of the amount of responsibility and freedom delegated by a manager to a team, the manager retains accountability for any catastrophic problems that result. Delegating freedom and decision-making responsibility to a team absolutely does not absolve the manager of accountability. That’s why delegating, whether to teams or individuals, requires a very grown-up manager. If everything goes well, the team must get the credit; if it all goes horribly wrong, the manager must take the blame. This is entirely fair, because the manager is ultimately responsible for judging the seriousness of any given situation – including the risks entailed – and the level of freedom that can safely be granted to the team to deal with it. This is not actually part of the Tannebaum and Schmidt Continuum, but it’s vital to apply this philosophy or the model will definitely be weakened, or at worse completely back-fire. Here are the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum levels of delegated freedom, with some added explanation that should make it easier to understand and apply. 1.The Manager decides and announces the decision The manager reviews options in light of aims, issues, priorities, timescale, etc., then decides the action and informs the team of the decision. The manager will probably have considered how the team will react, but the team plays no active part in making the decision. The team may well perceive that the manager has not considered the team’s welfare at all. This is seen by the team as a purely task-based decision, which is generally a characteristic of X-Theory management style. 2.The manager decides and then ‘sells’ the decision to the group The manager makes the decision as in 1 above, and then explains reasons for the decision to the team, particularly the positive benefits that the team will enjoy from the decision. In so doing the manager is seen by the team to recognise the team’s importance, and to have some concern for the team. 3.The manager presents the decision with background ideas and invites questions The manager presents the decision along with some of the background which led to the decision. The team is invited to ask questions and discuss with the manager the rationale behind the decision, which enables the team to understand and accept or agree with the decision more easily than in 1 and 2 above. This more participative and involving approach enables the team to appreciate the issues and reasons for the decision, and the implications of all the options. This will have a more motivational approach than 1 or 2 because of the higher level of team involvement and discussion. 4.The manager suggests a provisional decision and invites discussion about it The manager discusses and reviews the provisional decision with the team on the basis that the manager will take on board the views and then finally decide. This enables the team to have some real influence over the shape of the manager’s final decision. This also acknowledges that the team has something to contribute to the decision-making process, which is more involving and therefore motivating than the previous level. 5.The manager presents the situation or problem, gets suggestions, then decides The manager presents the situation, and maybe some options, to the team. The team is encouraged and expected to offer ideas and additional options, and discuss implications of each possible course of action. The manager then decides which option to take. This level is one of high and specific involvement for the team, and is appropriate particularly when the team has more detailed knowledge or experience of the issues than the manager. Being  high-involvement and high-influence for the team this level provides more motivation and freedom than any previous level. 6.The manager explains the situation, defines the parameters and asks the team to decide At this level the manager has effectively delegated responsibility for the decision to the team, albeit within the manager’s stated limits. The manager may or may not choose to be a part of the team which decides. While this level appears to gives a huge responsibility to the team, the manager can control the risk and outcomes to an extent, according to the constraints that he stipulates. This level is more motivational than any previous, and requires a mature team for any serious situation or problem. (Remember that the team must get the credit for all the positive outcomes from the decision, while the manager remains accountable for any resulting problems or disasters. This isn’t strictly included in the original Tannenbaum and Schmidt definitions, so it needs pointing out because it’s such an important aspect of delegating and motivating, and leadership.) 7.The manager allows the team to identify the problem, develop the options, and decide on the action, within the manager’s received limits This is obviously an extreme level of freedom, whereby the team is effectively doing what the manager did in level 1. The team is given responsibility for identifying and analysing the situation or problem; the process for resolving it; developing and assessing options; evaluating implications, and then deciding on and implementing a course of action. The manager also states in advance that he/she will support the decision and help the team implement it. The manager may or may not be part of the team, and if so then he/she has no more authority than anyone else in the team. The only constraints and parameters for the team are the ones that the manager had imposed on him from above. (Again, the manager retains accountability for any resulting disasters, while the team must get the credit for all successes.) This level is potentially the most motivational of all, but also potentially the most disastrous. Not surprisingly the team  must be mature and competent, and capable of acting a t what is a genuinely strategic decision-making level. Leadership Styles Some basic leadership styles: Directive Frequently described as autocratic. Tells people what to do and expects them to jump to it. Participative Seeks input from others and participates in the decision-making process. Laissez-Faire A hands-off approach allowing for both initiative and the latitude to determine process to effect an outcome Adaptive A fluid style that takes into consideration the context of the environment and the individual being led. Using the techniques of Leadership Situational leadership ® Situational Leadership ® is a concept developed by Paul Hersey, an internationally recognised leading authority on training and development in leadership and management and Kenneth Blanchard, an American author and management expert. Generally when referring to the concept it is safer and correct to show the name as a registered protected trademark as it relates  to business and products by Hersey and Blanchard. Looking at ‘Directive Behaviour’ whereby the leader gives clear defined and detailed instructions, and ‘Supportive Behaviour’ where the leader gives people the freedom to make decisions and support them in their efforts, Hersey and Blanchard moved away from the idea of shifting on a line between the two and consider good leadership as a combination of both. The idea is that the way of combination will vary according to the person being dealt with by the leader, and the situation on which that person operates, hence the term – Situational Leadership ®. The notable features of this model are briefly that the model: focuses on followers (individual team members), rather than wider workplace circumstances; emphasise that leaders should change their behaviour according to the type of followers; proposes a progression of leadership adaptation in response to the development of followers. By combining high and low levels of each type of behaviour we progress towards four distinct styles of leadership. Level Group type Developing D1 Low competence / High commitment D2 Some competence / Low commitment D3 High competence / Variable commitment Developed D4 High competence / High commitment Appropriate leadership styles for each development level: Development Level Appropriate Leadership Style D1 Low competence / High commitment S1 Directing (Structure, control and supervise) D2 Some competence / Low commitment S2 Coaching (Direct and support) D3 High competence / Variable commitment S3 Supporting (Praise, listen and facilitate) D4 High competence / High commitment S4 Delegating (turn over responsibility for day-to-day decision making) Directing:The leader provides specific instructions and closely supervises the task. This style is appropriate for people who lack skill but are committed and eager to learn or those who do not want responsibility and want clear, specific instructions. Coaching:The leader gives some direction and supervision because team members, although they have some competence and commitment, are still relatively inexperienced, therefore require further development. They need support and praise to boost their self-esteem. Their involvement in decision making assists with the development process. Supporting:Even though team members do not need much direction, good support by the leader is still necessary to motivate and boost confidence. Delegating:Team members are both competent and committed therefore leader can give them responsibility for decision making and problem solving with little supervision or support. Power in Organisation Leadership Leadership and power are closely linked. Powerful people are normally those that others follow, so they become the leaders. The five bases of power were identified by John French and Bertram Raven in the early 1960’s through a study they had conducted on power in leadership roles. The study showed how different types of power affected one’s leadership ability and success in a leadership role. They identified five bases of power: 1.Legitimate:This comes from the belief that a person has the formal right to make demands, and to expect compliance and obedience from others. 2.Reward:This results from one person’s ability to compensate another for compliance. 3.Expert:This is based on a person’s superior skill and knowledge. 4.Referent:This is the result of a person’s perceived attractiveness, worthiness, and right to respect from others. 5.CoerciveThis comes from the belief that a person can punish others for noncompliance. If you’re aware of these sources of power, you can†¦ Better understand why you’re influenced by someone, and decide whether you want to accept the base of power being used. Recognise your own sources of power. Build your leadership skills by using and developing your own sources of power, appropriately, and for best effect. Trust The first task of any leader is to inspire trust. Trust is confidence born of two dimensions: character and competence. Character includes your integrity, motive, and intent with people. Competence includes your capabilities, skills, results, and track record. Both dimensions are vital. The foundation of trust is your own credibility, and it can be a real differentiator for any leader. A person’s reputation is a direct reflection of their credibility, and it precedes them in any interactions or negotiations they might have. Behaviours you can adopt to build trust in yourself: Talk Straight Demonstrate Respect Create Transparency Right Wrongs Show Loyalty Deliver Results Get Better Confront Reality Clarify Expectation Practice Accountability Listen First Keep Commitments Extend Trust Bibliography The Wall Street Journal Article: What is the difference between Management and Leadership (last accessed 4 August 2013) (http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership/) The Biz Coach Article: 10 Key Differences between Leaders and Managers (last accessed 4 August 2013) (http://www.bizcoachinfo.com/archives/8426) Techno Funcâ„ ¢ Article: Trait Theory of Leadership (last accessed 4 August 2013) (http://www.technofunc.com/index.php/leadership-skills/leadership-theories/item/trait-theory-of-leadership-2) Article: Behavioural Theories of Leadership (last accessed 7 August 2013) (http://www.technofunc.com/index.php/leadership-skills/leadership-theories/item/behavioral-theories-of-leadership) About.com – Psychology Article: Psychology Theories (last accessed 7 August 2013) (http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/u/psychology-theories.htm) Research Methodology Article: Theory X and Theory Y (last accessed 7 August 2013) (http://research-methodology.net/theory-x-and-theory-y/) Mind Tools Article: Theory X and Theory Y (last accessed 7 August 2013) (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_74.htm) Article: Fiedler’s Contingency Model (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/fiedler.htm) Article: The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership ® Theory (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm) Article: French and Raven’s Five Forms of Power (last accessed 11 August 2013 (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_56.htm) Slideshare Article: Fiedler’s contingency model to leadership (by Bhobotosh Debnath) (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://www.slideshare.net/bhobotoshdebnath/assignment-on-2) Businessballs.com Article: Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://www.businessballs.com/tannenbaum.htm) The Build Network Article: Leadership styles to master (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://thebuildnetwork.com/leadership/4-leadership-styles/) The Fast Track Article: The 5 Types of Power in Leadership (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2011/08/26/the-5-types-of-power-in-leadership/) Leadership Now Article: How the best leaders build trust (last accessed 11 August 2013) (http://www.leadershipnow.com/CoveyOnTrust.html)

Listo system Essay

Introduction and Background: Listo system is one of the leading graphic service agency with long history of success at early 1990s. In early 1090s, the company quickly grew into one of the top graphic service companies in the world Listo system ‘VISION statement is â€Å"To be recognized as a leader in supplying quality graphic design product and services to our customers and to be respected by our clients and staff.† Listo Systems’ MISSION statement is: â€Å"We strive to develop superior graphic design products and services for our users through state-of-the-art technology, innovation, teamwork, and leadership.† (Justanswer.com) Diagnosis: Development of e-commerce in modern competitive commercial world has reduced need of middleman, brokers, and distributor, which radically changed the traditional layer distribution channel .The development of technological infrastructure epically ecommerce trading system not only shifted the power from seller to buyer, but also gave consumer’s the ability to search for best quality, service, term, flexibility and innovation. This gave wide flexibility in consumer buying process. If customer were not pleased with company’s product or service, they feel free to switch brand to other firm. Technologies have allowed Listo Systems to provide quality services and products faster and more efficiently. However, new technology has also been beneficial for Listo Systems’ competitors. The competition has grown significantly in number and in the quality of services and products that they provide. The increase in technology has also led to an increase in customer demands and expectations. Customers want services and products; however Listo’s Management was less concerned with the opinions and was more focused on production and profit. Instead of enlisting employees’ opinions, more directive orders were given. Listo hired a number of new managers and employees and due to lack of training and increased complexity associated with adding new layers to the hierarchy resulted in the organization’s goals and objectives becoming unclear. Analysis and evaluation: Analysis and evaluation can be done using two theories. PEST Analysis: Political: During 1990 various countries were implementing Trade liberalization, and perfect competition market for globalization where Listo also felt its impact both negatively and positively Economic: Europe and rest of the world felt the impact of government policies concerning taxation, labor union, cyber regulation, exchange rate policies . Social: Huge social change due to change in technology like internet media, was felt by listo system. Consumer attitude and opinion, consumer buying pattern , fashion and role model, were serious matter to focus during 1990 which hit listo hard enough to panic. Technological: Competing Technology development, could be handled through research based strategy, research based funding for replacement and solution of technology , information and communication, and consumer buying mechanism vs technology did not get full attention. Recommendation: 1. Listo should have to implement Research based funding for computing technological change should be implemented 2. Proper management strategy should be implemented to cope globalization and political change. 3. The expectancy theory should be implemented to motivate the employee provide them the assurance effort will lead to acceptable performance (expectancy), Performance will be rewarded (instrumentality), and The value of the rewards is highly positive (valence). (Herzberg, 1968) How has Listo Systems felt the impact of power shifting from the seller to the buyer? According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor at Harvard Business School, â€Å"The major challenge management faces today is living in a world of turbulence and uncertainty where new competitors arrive on the scene daily and competitive conditions change. We can no longer count on a stable world that is unchanging and unvarying and manage accordingly.† This statement implies in the case of Listo System and its overall performance in a competitive market. Regarding its history, Listo was very much concerned about its employee’s needs and their participation in decision making of the company. To operate in a world shaped by globalization and information revolution, the company focused more on the advancement of technologies and improvement in productivity. But the employees were taken as a secondary  importance. They were not provided with proper training of new technology and their views on decision making process were ignored. The significant changes in information flow, created people issues and called out the need for mass training in the organization. The company started giving emphasis to the advancement and was more concentrated on production and profit. Due to the lack of proper training, the employee’s became less motivated. For a better and effective performance, it is necessary for an organization to understand the behavior and needs of the employees. Satisfaction of the needs leads the employees to work more efficiently and effectively. A positive environment should be provided to make them more productive. But Listo ignored the requirement of the employees. And, the employees could not resist the rapid change in the organization. Moreover, new layers of supervisors and employees were added which slowed the pace of decision making. All these changes resulted in lack of employee’s motivation, lack of clearness of goal and a shift of power from seller to the buyer. The demotivation of employees and lack of clearness of the goal in the agency resulted in low quality production. As a result, the company could not cope with the growing and changing need of the customer and started losing them gradually. According to Michael Hammer, customers want more products from less money, more quality and service and more flexibility and convenience and more innovation. While the organization had been expanding in size and competence level, productivity was affected and quality decreased. It was very difficult to fulfill the needs and wants of powerful customers who have the ability to search for best service, quality, technology, innovation, etc. Due to the fast internet technology, customers have become aware of the new quality products with cheaper price and their expectancy level has become higher. They want more products in fewer prices and within a limited time. Directing, changing and influencing behavior of such customers is significant for the sustainability. The company must provide real value to them either by offering strong products and services or lowering the cost or by creating new technologies that is more efficient. Listo ignored the issues of consumer behavior as well as employee’s behavior. Ultimately, the power shifted from the seller to the buyer of the products and services. Customers were aware of the substitute products and services that are quality product at lower price which resulted as benefit to the competitors  of the company. As seller may raise the market price by withholding supply, the buyers may be able to reduce the market price by withholding the demand. To gather the attraction of such a huge market with all the knowledge and information, Listo had to strive hard. It should have focused more on customer’s behavior and their needs along with the employee’s satisfaction at work. There was no other option for the agency but to match the changing and growing need of powerful customers. The management needed to make new strategies to sustain in the changing market. The power shifting from the seller to the buyer had a big impact on the overall performance of the company. Due to this change of power, now the supply of the products and services depend on the satisfaction of the customer’s need and wants. It was now up to those large numbers of buyers to evaluate the products and make radical changes in the supply. Thus, the power shifting from seller to the buyer was an unexpected failure and gradual decrease in the demand of products and services of Listo Systems. What external environmental factors are affecting Listo Systems? An environmental factor plays a crucial role in the development of any organization. There are two types of environmental factors that affect the performance of a company (i.e. internal and external).Internal factors of environment refers to events, factors, people, system and conditions inside the organization that are controllable by the company. Whereas, the external factors of environment are those that occur outside the organization but causes the changes inside and are many times uncontrollable by the management of the organization. Based on Achieve Model, the external factors are the environment that can influence the performance an individual even if he/she has all the ability needed to the job. Listo Systems was also affected by both the internal as well as external factors in the environment. The internal factors included the goal of the organization, company’s rules and regulations along with its aim, organizational culture, and the employees working in the agency. Change in the internal factors of Listo had a great impact on its performance. Similarly, the external factors like customers, competitors, technology, suppliers, the economy, resources, and the regulatory system had a significant influence on its operation, growth, and long term sustainability. As per the information provided in the  websites, Listo being more focused on new technology was losing its employee’s motivation. As a result, the productivity was low and the quality was below the expectation of the economy, the customers, the suppliers, etc. Customers want quality product at cheaper price and if they don’t get it, they walk away for a substitute product that different competitors of the organization provide at lower price. The same thing happens in the case of Listo systems. The customers were taken away by the competitors because of the quality product at a cheaper price. The competitors were aware of the consumer’s behavior and expectancy. But, Listo had ignored the consumer’s behavior along with the other human behavior. It is very essential for an organization to understand the human behavior because it has to deal with human with different understanding, thoughts, needs, values and priorities. Even though the external factors are outside the company, it is important to monitor and adapt the external environment in a continuous manner. Since, Listo didn’t have a continuous monitoring on external environment, it lost its control oven those factors and it was very difficult for the agency to sustain in the market. It could not adapt the changing and varying environment as well as needs of the customers who play a vital role in the success of a company. Customers being dissatisfied with its products and services chose to move on to the substitutes provided by the competitors. And, the competitors having a good understanding of the human behavior made changes with their products to attract the customers of Listo. They were aware that if they provide a quality product at that moment they can win those customers which made Listo to lose its customers and made the demand low. Advancement in technology needs proper training which was not provided by the agency to its employees and thus there was lack of motivation resulting in low productivity. Thus, the suppliers of the materials and resources of the company were not willing to work with Listo systems because of its failure in the market. These external factors affected the overall environment of the graphic design company and changing its great success in the world to failure ultimately. CHAPTER- 2 COGNITIVE DISSONANCE Introduction: Cognitive dissonance deals with the relationship between one’s self-perception and their environment. Leon Festinger analyzed that when two  perceptions relevant to each other are in conflict, it creates the situation of dissonance. Diagnosis / Analysis: Alderfer’s ERG theory states that there are three core needs to motivate people; growth, relatedness and existence. Jackie had been looking for a large organization where she could develop her long-term career goals. Her positive attitude towards recycling was influenced by her observations and experiences that she had during her school life. There she tracked what happened to all the paper put in the trash pail in each classroom. Recommendation: There are many such employers who understand the employee’s behavior and adapt themselves to make them influence for a better performance and predict the future behavior of employees. So, there can be other options and opportunities for the job for Jackie. Because if she stays with Dorf, she might get frustrated if she can’t ignore the company’s choice to recycle and later on get disappointed and it will be harmful to both the company and Jackie herself. 1. Discuss Jackie’s dilemma in terms of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance deals with the relationship between one’s self-perception and their environment. Leon Festinger analyzed that when two perceptions relevant to each other are in conflict, it creates the situation of dissonance. Jackie Hartnett, an individual with a high technical skills and a strong passion for the well-being for the environment, got job at Dorf Car Factory. Since, she was very much interested and concerned about the well-being of the environment; she could satisfy her job of reducing the harmful effects of wastes and garbage coming from factories by the means of recycling in an effective way and could give an outstanding performance. She had a very positive attitude and behavior towards her job as well as the boss, Charlie Damon. A positive behavior and attitude at his/her job helps a person to achieve the desired goal and satisfaction of physiological, social, safety, esteem and self-actualization needs. Alderfer’s ERG theory states that there are three core needs to motivate people; growth, relatedness and existence. (Managementstudyguide.com) Jackie had been  looking for a large organization where she could develop her long-term career goals. Her positive attitude towards recycling was influenced by her observations and experiences that she had during her school life. There she tracked what happened to all the paper put in the trash pail in each classroom. Jackie implemented a school- wide recycle program where she could apply her learning and experiences to make the environment free from the harmful elements. In this program, all the waste or papers were put in a separate trash pail and sent to a recycling factory to change it in reusable consumer goods. Her boss was finding her very attentive and efficient at work. She was experiencing a job satisfaction which matched her expectancy. Job satisfaction is achieved when needs of an individual is fulfilled. Both attitude and job satisfaction are interrelated. If Jackie had a negative attitude towards her job, she would have never been satisfied. Her needs were satisfied as well. But sometimes needs are blocked in the attempt to accomplish a goal. Frustration occurs when the goal attainment is blocked. Whereas, aggression comes with an aggressive and unfriendly behavior. Rationalization is a situation when a person makes excuses for his/her failure to accomplish a goal and regression is a tendency to react. Moreover, fixation means repeating the same behavior as per Maier. And, resignation relates to a situation when an individual gives up to the situation or move on after a prolonged frustration. All these situations come under cognitive dissonance. 2. How could this new information on Dorf’s actual recycling program affect Jackie’s perception of the company she works for? What impact could this have on her overall performance? Are her personal values around recycling strong enough to determine who she works for? Being experienced for a year in the job of recycling Drof’s performance had improved day by day. At the same time, she came to know about the facts of the recycling program and she then uncovered the actual information showing that several factory shipments of waste material being sold to another company. She made some quick research and came to the point that those other companies didn’t properly dispose the waste products in a hygienic way. The waste products and materials were not disposed in the right way to keep the environment free from the harmful effects of it. And, when she approached her boss, Charlie,  with the facts and information regarding the waste materials recycling, she was taken aback. She was informed about the costs associated with the approaches to ‘greener’. She was dissatisfied with the reply and was disheartened in a way that she started thinking about her personal values which must match with one’s job. Her personal value towards recycling doesn’t allow her to stay in the same job anymore a kind of frustration was created in her attitude as well as behavior. The actual recycling programs changed her attitude and lead her to cognitive dissonance where two perception of her own were moving in her mind. She was in a dilemma whether she should leave the job and break the commitment she had made with the company or she should continue her job instead of knowing the fact of it. But she had to decide and choose between her own perceptions which were a very difficult situation. Her personal values were strong because they were created as an attitude from school life environment. It’s very difficult to change such a strong and positive attitude which is built in years. It could determine what she was actually working for, whether for her personal values or for the achievement of goal. 3. Do you think Jackie should ignore the company’s choice to recycle or not and just keep doing her job? Is she willing to walk away from a good paying job with benefits? Are there other employers who are likely to be more open to recycling programs, and should she pursue opportunities with those companies? The recycling program of Dorf Car Factory created a psychological discomfort in Jackie and she was bound to change her perception to reduce the tension by ignoring the company’s choice to recycle. Cognitive dissonance in her changed her attitude and also affected her performance. Her goal won’t be achieved if she quits from the job. Her needs will be blocked which will lead her to an irrational behavior in a continuous manner. If she is not satisfied at her work place, the environment where she works, she can’t satisfy her job as well as the boss. She will be frustrated and the frustration will develop to the extent that will occur an aggressive behavior. Later on this aggression will take place of rationalization, fixation and resignation if continued for a long period of time. In that situation, she can’t ignore the Dorf’s choice whether to recycle or not because her inner perception and values are very different than her job requirement. But an employee should never ignore the fact that an organization’s achievement of goal is also the responsibility of the employee working there. Their performance and activity can improve or hinder the overall performance and play a crucial role in attainment of the organizational goal. At the same time, job satisfaction motivates one to work better and increase the productivity. One can’t work in a negative environment where employee’s satisfaction is not given any priority. Firstly, she should understand her need. Then, she should try to handle the situation and make herself comfortable with the job and focus on her work and try to change her attitude towards the recycling programs. If her attitude is changed positively, she won’t have any problem at her job at Dorf. Secondly, Jackie should try to find out a job that matches her satisfaction, competence, values and perceptions. And, she should have the broader knowledge of the companies and should also find out whether she’ll get the same type of job environment and employers or there are many more opportunities in the market where she can fit herself and get job satisfaction which won’t hamper her values and ethics. In my opinion, our values and attitude brings a sense of self-confidence and responsibility in us. So, Jackie should stay with her own values and move on for a job that satisfies her motives and needs rather than hanging on for a better payment. There are many such employers who understand the employee’s behavior and adapt themselves to make them influence for a better performance and predict the future behavior of employees. So, there can be other options and opportunities for the job for Jackie. Because if she stays with Dorf, she might get frustrated if she can’t ignore the company’s choice to recycle and later on get disappointed and it will be harmful to both the company and Jackie herself. Definitely, she should pursue to the opportunities of recycling programs with other companies for her better development and achievement of her own goal and should walk away from the Dorf Car Factory where she can’t get a job satisfaction and motivation. Bibliography F, H. (1968). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard. Herzberg. (1968). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard . Justanswer.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.justanswer.com: http://www.justanswer.com/homework/5gcht-case-study-listo-systems-challenge-growing-organization-listo.html Managementstudyguide.com. (n.d.). Retrieved

A Study Of Change Management At Mcdonalds Commerce Essay

A Study Of Change Management At Mcdonalds Commerce Essay McDonald’s  is one of the biggest food organisation in the world, and  has  established it’s own operating restaurants and it’s franchises   which is  about  28,700  selling points  in 110 countries.  Another most important aspect is  Food business is  much interested  among  young adults,  children  and  adolescents.  Therefore,  The Company  provides an enjoyable environment to their customers which is very secure and safe  where  all of their customers spend to  joyfully and they can get less expensive  food in a clean installation  as well as the food company offers a unique interior  designs and its own inner clown  (Debre, 2005).  Furthermore,  McDonald’s  put tremendous  efforts to  maintain  healthy  relationships with its  suppliers and  franchisees.  The organisation continuously enhancing their services, supporting timely management and it’s capital operations to the ir partners. Therefore, this makes  its  suppliers and  the franchisees  loyalty  I think, this kind of strategies will make their partners involve more effectively in work to achieve the organisation goals  (Aswathappa, 2006).  However, the food corporation  continuously  works with innovative  ideas  towards the needs and  to grow during the operation without problems (Russell and  Gubman,  2006).  In this research paper, I  am determined to find out  key strengths and challenges of  managing change  at Mc Donald’s and will present a comprehensive documentation by discussing an important areas with examples about How this food company managed  to survive  competitively  in the  global  business environment. The most surprising news is that from over 110 countries everyday approximately about 53 million customers eat at McDonald’s. Although McDonald’s  has huge private  franchisees to its chain of  restauran ts. However I think, the core management  functions  play a vital role to determine the success of the any organisation.  Therefore, i would like to take an opportunity to  discuss how  the core functions influencing the organisational management with the impact of  globalization  such as  controlling, directing, organising and  planning. McDonald is constantly leading as a present and future leader in the global food business environment.  At the same time, it is very important that the company must have to focus on international and local investment and trade as this food corporation working more than in 100 countries. Moreover,  the company should keep utilizing creative and new technologies to enhance  the business and to promote  new solutions and products to sustain  its  position as a global business leader in food business.  Furthermore, McDonald’s should look at  its  common goal and also, take care of  publicity and  Customers   satisfaction. The demands McDonald, McDonald strongly urge for what he strongly component McDonald should win for that diversity with McDonald’s is thinking about the meet. With a daily reach of every culture daily scope McDonald McDonald’s just about access to almost all cultures, which many operations ambiguous / moral issues is clearly working. To solve more complex than the wider dissemination of a culture growing demand for spreading culture and morality. In this letter, we will examine how / external / internal factors impact the McDonalds impact of globalization, technology, innovation, diversity, one of four work ethics affect management.

Enterprise Zones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Enterprise Zones - Essay Example The confusion occurs in a considerable number of areas where states have given their enterprise zone programs: renaissance zones, keystone opportunity zones, development zones and program areas, for example. The states’ enterprise zones present a compelling opportunity to explore the spread of ideas in the American federal system. The enterprise zones have caused a significant debate within the framework of urban policy and economic development over the past two decades. The idea of cutting taxes and regulations as a free market remedy for impoverished areas was originally a frontend brought forward by conservatives and denounced by many liberals. Today, the state zones that populate the landscape of rural and urban areas hardly resemble the anti-government, supply-side approach. A new vibrant, federal empowered zones and enterprise community programs require the inclusion of social programs which provide grants for individual zones. As to their mode of operation, enterprise zones provide special state and local economic-development incentives that encourage commercial investments and promotion of job creation in the economy. The program primarily aims at providing tax incentives to businesses within an enterprise zone. Eligibility for benefits from the program depends on physical presence in a given zone: existing businesses and those being relocated to such areas are eligible. These incentives include: hiring tax credit, sale and use tax credits, deductions of business expenses, carryover of net operating losses and deduction of net interest that lenders and banks charge. A business located within an enterprise zone may reduce its state income tax by a percentage of wages paid to qualified employees. It may also claim up to half of employee’s wages within the first year of employment. The drawbacks to enterprise zone system range from costs, training and turnover to

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example According to Dr. Alfes, the most significant factor in developing an engaged workforce, is to determine whether or not employees find a meaning in their job. Therefore, it is necessary to involve all employees in an effective communication system, so as to determine how they contribute to the organization (McGovern & Shelly 97). As much as Dr. Alfes stressed that employees should be committed to their jobs, she also warned against excessive commitment to job. She said that if employees are unable to switch off from work, then they are likely to lower their performance and productivity, since working for longer hours is not sustainable (McGovern & Shelly 103). Dr. Alfes was categorical when she said that their research work and report were specifically relevant in the current economic environment. She said that their research successfully determined the positive impacts of employees’ engagement on both an individual’s wellbeing and organization’s success, especial ly during times of economic down play (Price 302). She argued that engaged employees usually do not mind going extra miles to achieve the company’s goals, when their organization is struggling to survive during economic recession. In one of their case study organizations, they established that plastic firms under pressure to cut production costs, made saving by encouraging employee engagement (Price 311). Initially, the plastic company did not give effective communication to employees a higher priority, but after establishing a more open culture that allowed employees suggesting how they wanted to work more productively and efficiently, this company was capable of cutting production costs. The significance of effective communication between employees and managers in improving productivity and... This essay refers to some international researches that have established that keeping employees happy is one of the most appropriate means of cutting production costs in the current economic environment. From the researches highlighted in the essay, it is obvious that happy people execute their duties better than unhappy people. Happy employees are a lot more fun to associate with, and consequently have better relations at work with each other. A happy employee has better teamwork with his/her colleagues, a happy manager has better employee relations, a happy sales person improves sales and a happy customer service employee improves customers’ satisfaction. The essay discusses that a happy workforce is determined to achieve the company’s set goals and standards, even during hard economic recess. Although fostering a happy workforce is one of the key challenges faced by most organizations, human resource managers should struggle to ensure that their staffs are happy, as this will increase their productivity and increase the organization’s revenue. A happy workforce is highly innovative, stress free and wise decision maker. In comparison, unhappy employees on the other hand, have fixed minds, and this implies that they only work under strict supervision, and this in turn lowers their productivity and efficiency. It is, therefore, recommendable by the researcher that all organizations should create and develop a happy workforce as this will significantly improve their profit margins and increase their success.

Week 2 response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 response papers - Essay Example sidering that controlling people’s values and temperance is difficult, this may not be the ultimate solution to the current and impending environmental problems. In agreement with the student post, teaching people and making them aware of the consequences of their actions can play a lot in changing people’s negative behavior. As the student notes, people may end up being less wasteful as they understand the kind of situation that may result due to their actions or inactions. While laws help in bringing sanity, they alone too reduce people’s freedoms as noted by the student. A world with numerous freedoms taken away is not a healthy world in my personal view. The world would indeed be a better place if sustainability was upheld without necessarily imposing prohibitions or restrictions to such things as procreation as noted by Dasgupta (2007). As suggested b the student, it would be a noble idea to start teaching people about the issues of sustainability and environmental conservation at a tender age, giving them the opportunity to make informed choices about their preferences and actions. The second student has presented very strong and interesting ideas. The notion that there are already too many laws, regulations and prohibitions is only the truth. However, these laws are broken every so often; even by the very same people who enact them, in some cases. Furthermore, individual freedoms are reduced or altogether abolished with almost every single law that is enacted. Considering the above facts, education seems to be a better option in dealing with issues related to sustainability. When people are educated, they are in a better position to use their common senses to solve or avoid problems (Heal, 2009). Yet another commendable suggestion by the student is the idea that experimental tests should not be conducted in the atmosphere but under simulated conditions. It is common for scientists to simulate how things would work under certain circumstances

Sandwich report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sandwich - Lab Report Example Among the foods that have been prepared to become ready to eat include meats, sushi, cheese, cereals, salads and other produce, dry goods including candies and biscuits, and meals that are ready to eat. On the other hand, salads and sandwiches are common ready to eat food that, due to their capacity for contamination, have been associated with strict guidelines for their preparation. Those guidelines conform to regulations that have been put in place in places like New York, and cover such things as changing/replacing gloves, prohibitions against the use of bare hands during the preparation process, and the kinds of food that are considered for inclusion in government codes of sanitation relating to the preparation of such ready to eat fare. It is worth noting that government codes have prescriptions for the degree to which food are to be heated in order to be considered safe for consumption. Since ready to eat food is generally not heated to meet those minimum temperature of reheati ng standards, they are subject to more rigorous regulations in terms of handling to prevent ready to eat food being contaminated with pathogens that can cause illness on wide scale. Food handling in preparation and in transport are by far the biggest sources of contamination when it comes to ready to eat food (Colorado Farm to Market, 2013; NY State Department of Health, 2005; Schaub, 2010; UK Government, 2008). Enterobacteriaceae are a group of pathogens that are used as indicators for when food has not been cooked adequately, or else when food has been subject to contamination after the food had been processed. E.coli, on the other hand, is a pathogen that when present indicates poor hygiene, lack of sanitation, and heat that has not been adequate to kill off the bacteria during the processing of food. Other pathogens include coagulase-positive staphylococci, c. perfingens, b. cereus, v. parahaemolyticus, campylobacter spp, salmonella spp, and L. monocytogenes (NSW Food Authority, 2009; ACT Health, 2002). These same pathogens seem to cross geographic boundaries, and share in common many of the pathogens that are found in ready to eat fare in other nations, such as Hong Kong, where ready to eat food is screened for a similar set of pathogens, including b. cereus, c. perfingens, campylobacter spp, e. coli, v. cholera, salmonella, and L. monocytogenes (Centre for Food Safety, 2007). The Canadian authorities include shigella, v. cholerae, y. enterocolitica, c. parvum, giardia lamblia, hepatitis, and scombroid poisoning to the list of pathogens above, with the most common symptoms and effects of contamination and infection in people being vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, wound infection, and gas gangrene (Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, n.d.). In the US, meanwhile, there is an intense focus on salmonella, e coli and listeria monocytogenes as the pathogens that most commonly infect ready to eat food, including produce. The lines of defense arrayed aga inst such pathogens in food include thermally killing the pathogens, making use of the so-called bacteriophage treatment, and the use of so-called antimicrobial GRAS agents (Food Safety Research Information Office, 2010). It is worth noting that in some of the bacteriological guidelines that were considered for this paper, emphasis is given on rating the quality of the food as

Research Project Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Assignment - Research Paper Example There have been varied views on the matter as others support it while others object to the use of identical tests in testing the competency of learners. It has been widely applied in determining the ability of a student to move to the next level. They, especially, measure a student’s ability at mastering given content. States also use the system as required by the federal laws to assess the capability of a student. Educationists have relied on standardized testing because of its perceived objectivity. This method of assessment, however, constrains the real role of leaning. This method of assessment creates an unnecessary competition that pressurizes students to overwork themselves. Research shows that it is unproductive to work under pressure. Students work under pressure in order to avoid the punishment associated with poor performance. This result to anxiety among young children as critical educational decisions are made based on standardized testing. Students end up suffering as the pressure to portray good performance weights heavily on them. Sociologists argue that perceived intellectual abilities closely relate to conception of the self. Students, therefore, who do not manifest relatively high performance, suffer from reduced self worth. The theories of sociologists, such as Emile Durkheim, propose that everyone should receive education. In this view, not only the intelligent students should receive education. This is because every person has entitlement to acquire knowledge. In addition, since education seeks to transform the whole society, eve ry individual should receive the education that is appropriate for living a worthy life. In spite of this complaint, the corporate world blames the education system for not realizing that the outside world is even more demanding than the pressure perceived in schools. In this view, standardized tests should be a means of creating consistency in learners

Event leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Event leadership - Research Paper Example It is not only the basic reputation that would have allowed status as a shareholder to seem valuable. The measurement of the event was known to influence those that were in business and which attended the event. The responses that were given from the survey stated that the event impacted each of the businesses in a positive manner. This was combined with the analysis that stated over 95% of the businesses received a contract in return for the investment to the event. These two measurements showed that the positive response would lead to more opportunities for the businesses in the future. Showing this as the first element was able to provide a sense of value to ComCo’s worth and the way that they provided the event. The second component that was a part of this was the potential value that was included in the event. This was measured by the reputation that ComCo had before the event, and which attracted business leaders to the event. In past events, it was found that there was a reputation built out of word of mouth and by what business leaders expected. This led many of the same business leaders to this event as one of the best areas to go. The potential value that is associated with this shows that it will continue to be worth the investment as a shareholder. At the same time, there were lessons on how to improve the reputation of ComCo by diversifying the sales of the event. As a shareholder, it is not only important to see how the potential value is measured, but also to see how this can change. One of the missing keys that were a part of the potential value was the estimated revenue that could have been made. The estimates would have made the shareholder investment seem more valuable. The report of the value as well as the improvements that could be made was also stated in this particular report. The value was measured by the overall revenue as well as responses from business

A Black Mans Tribute to His White Mother Essay Example for Free

A Black Mans Tribute to His White Mother Essay James McBride, has a personal element in its origin that is carried throughout the text. The author attempted to discern his race, and uncovered the touching story of his Jewish mother who experienced her own personal Diaspora: she immigrated from Poland to Virginia, and from Virginia to New York City. The latter move took much courage, because she had to abandon both her faith and her family in order to follow her heart, ultimately marrying the titular black man and founding a lasting family. The aforementioned personal element really helps carry the narrative forward: James McBride wishes to tell his own story, but realizes that he cannot tell his own without telling his mother’s. Intentionally or not, this works quite well on a meta-textual level, as it reinforces how tightly tethered his family is to one another, which serves as an extreme counterpoint to her other family (indeed, her other life) that she left behind in Virginia. See more: Homelessness as a social problem Essay The work also serves to broker a much-needed (then, as much as now) discussion regarding racial division within America. A neutral observer might view the subtitle of the work and ask why race is so important to the narrative; as McBride illustrates, one cannot discuss this particular tale of immigration, life, and success in the context of America without discussing the racism that permeated the country†¦how, even in the shadow of civil rights triumphs, many saw race as an excuse to divide, as opposed to an opportunity to come together. Despite the rather serious premise, the book ultimately comes across as more uplifting than depressing. The memoirs of times when race relations are so bad also serve to make one grateful that present day America is much more tolerable regarding matters of race (though not, of course, perfect). McBride cleverly embeds this idea in the very title of his work, implying that the color of water—transparent clarity—can only come through a mixture of race as opposed to segregation. The notion of reconciliation within the work is not limited to matters of race: the epilogue of the story features McBride becoming more in touch with his Jewish heritage, effectively bringing the journey of his mother full circle: as she had to leave Judaism behind in order to forge a new life and a new identity, James McBride has to re-discover it as a way of determining his own identity. Throughout the work, there is an undercurrent of the importance of education. The text emphasizes that all twelve of Ruth McBride’s children become college-educated, and readers feel every bump along the way as she tries to get them through college. However, even while reading about these economic difficulties (a relatively touchy subject in the shadow of near economic collapse), readers are offered a glimpse of hope: the work alternates chapters written by James and chapters written by his mother, so even as the narrative makes one concerned for how the children will turn out, the gripping narrative of James reminds audiences that they will turn out just fine. In a way, that is the pattern of this book: tension and release, tension and release†¦the tension of Ruth’s struggle with her old family, and the release of the success with her new family. There is the tension of financial hardships and the release of financial success. And in a story that is essentially about the American dream, tension comes from the possibility that America may not be ready for Ruth’s dream. In turn, the release is the joy of Ruth not settling for the American dream: rather, she creates and actualizes her own. The Gentle People: A Portrait of the Amish by James Warner provides an intimate look into a group that is still a mystery to many Americans: the Amish. True to its word, the book is primarily comprised of photographs of the Amish that are artificially made to look like washed-out, â€Å"antique† photos. These are usually accompanied by a biblical verse, so one is able to more properly get into the Amish mindset. The old versus combined with the old-timey feel of the photographs really gives a feeling that one has become â€Å"unstuck in time,† as Vonnegut might say. Would-be sociologists will find this book to be a treasure trove of information regarding Amish society, particularly regarding relationships. According to the book, public affection between married individuals is highly frowned upon by Amish society, as their affection for one another is too sacred to be shared with outsiders. As should not be surprising, many of the ideas are founded in Christian writings and have been espoused by Christian writers, though the Amish take things to their logical extreme: John Donne, for instance, counseled lovers not to weep at their beloved’s funeral, because the affection was too valuable to share with outsiders. The Amish have taken Donne’s advice about love after death and have applied it to love during life, which can be something of a shock when one first reads about it. Of course, modern day feminists will find much within the book that is upsetting to their cause. The Amish have taken Ephesians to heart, and strictly expect wives to submit to their husbands in all matters. There are even limits to how much children can be exposed to the school system, with the assumption that only God can provide wisdom, and everything else is foolishness. While these are basic precepts for Mormons and taken for granted in their society, it is jarring for onlookers (particularly liberal onlookers) to first see the number of restrictions that are placed on people and expressions. Fortunately, the author has a built in ethos: James Warner was born to a Mennonite household, so he has quite a bit of background regarding this issue. However, that is what makes the book disappointing on several levels: it does not concern itself with any deep revelations about Amish history, and does not serve well as an introduction to the Amish lifestyle simply because no historical context is offered. The book and its photos are put forth as a kind of â€Å"slice of life† view of the Amish†¦however, considering that it was first printed over four decades ago (and was arguably offering out-of-date content even back then), the work struggles to find a proper audience in the modern day. After all, it is not a book for the Amish: its pictures and passages are simply redundant for them, and more conservative Amish may even consider its author something of a traitor†¦a man who abandoned their private lifestyle, only to make a profit by publically invading that privacy. The book is also not intended for those wanting to fully learn about the Amish: as elaborated on above, it does not delve into their history, and offers no context for the actions taken by the Amish. The ideal audience for this book, interestingly enough, would be modern photography buffs: the pictures are quite striking, and the measures taken to make them seem more ancient than they are may very well offer the aspiring photographer new tricks for his or her toolbox. For everyone else? There are far better books about the Amish, especially for those who wish to know their full story.

Managerial Effectiveness In Indian Organizations Management Essay

Managerial Effectiveness In Indian Organizations Management Essay Purpose- This paper seeks to explore the dimensions of managerial effectiveness within the context of Indian organization and to analyze the impact of experience and level of manager (senior, middle, junior) on their overall effectiveness, and also to compare the female and male counterparts. Design/Methodology/ approach- This study based on Motts scale to explore the dimensions of managerial effectiveness adopted by managers while discharging their functions and responsibilities. The scale is used to analyze overall effectiveness and also subsets of effectiveness i.e. productivity (three items), flexibility (three items), and adaptability (two items). Findings- Results of study presents a pattern of relationship between dimensions of managerial effectiveness within the context of Indian organization. Practical implications- Study through its empirical evidences provide a clear picture of managerial effectiveness perception of Indian managers at different level and further help managers to improve his/her managerial performance. Originality/ Value- The study enrich the existing literature and theories of managerial effectiveness and provide understanding of the issue of managerial effectiveness in Indian organization. Keywords- Managerial effectiveness, Indian organization, productivity, adaptability, flexibility, responsiveness, resources. Paper Type- research paper. Introduction With Increasing cut throat competition and dynamic business environment around the globe Organizations require a team of effective managers to run the day to day operations. Managers play significant role in the development, formulation, and execution of the organizations long as well as short term strategies that determines the organizations success. As mentioned by the Peter F. Drucker; Management is a dynamic, life giving element in every business; without it the resources cannot be converted into high production. There are many attributes which are the necessities of time and critical to delivering improved results, effective operations, and programs (Kotter, 1995; Hacker and Washington, 2003). In the ever changing business environment and with increased dependency of business on information technology, managers are required to sort-out new ways to facilitate production and sustainable growth of self as well as of the organization. Regardless of its increasing importance, the fie ld of managerial effectiveness has been neglected as compared to other issues of management (Willcocks, 1992). So it is the need of the hour to study managerial effectiveness in a new dimension and dynamic business environment. Managerial Effectiveness The concept of managerial effectiveness has always been a big issue of concern for academicians, scholars and practitioners. The problem is mostly attributed to the presence of a great deal of misunderstanding and vagueness regarding What is Effectiveness? and who is an effective manager? (Brodie and Bennett, 1979, p.14). Due to its complex nature and vast sphere, in literature managerial effectiveness has been defined in different ways (Langford, 1979). Brodie and Benett (1979, p.14) defined it as, results and consequences, bringing about effects, in relation to purpose, and giving validity to particular activities. Reddin (1974) explained managerial effectiveness as the degree to which managers achieve the output requirements corresponding to their respective positions. In other words it is the act of fulfilling multiple expectations rather than optimizing one (Kirchoff, 1977), while Drucker (1988) termed effectiveness as the foundation of success. Boyatzis (1982, p. 35) underlined effectiveness as qualities, intrinsic abilities or personality strengths of an individual. Mintzberg (1973, p.24) defined effective manager as one who identifies the need to understand the functions and uses the available resources to carry out managerial functions. Rastogi and Dave (2004) explained effectiveness as something a manager generates from a situation by managing it appropriately, and thereby achieving the targets in every sphere of the organization. Managers have many resources and authorities at their disposal and the performance of any organization is largely dependent on how well these resources have been utilized (Rastogi and Dave, 2004). So, the ability of the managers and the techniques to increase their degree of effectiveness is becoming important day by day (Analoui, 1997). Why organizations need effective and skilled executives? because effectiveness is a key component which enables an executive for effectual operation and delivery of complex initiatives (Analoui et al. 2010). Effective managers also provide leadership to the business and help in achieving core objectives of the organization. Drucker (1967, p.1) explained that an executive is expected to get the right things done and this is simply saying that he is expected to be effective. So from the available literature study it can be concluded that there have been as many explanations as there are researchers in the field, and there is not a single clear cut definition for managerial effectiveness, which could be single handedly applied in every aspect of management. Comprehensive review of literature reveals the three important perspectives of research areas of the managerial effectiveness are Conventional Perspective, Organizational level proficiency based perspective and individual level competency based perspective. Conventional approach stresses the ability to set and achieve goals (Bartol and Martin, 1991, p.11) and explains that it is the managerial effectiveness which is responsible for organizational effectiveness. The organizational level proficiency based theory explains that internal and external factors have influence on long term future orientation of the organizations. Organizations mission, vision, and strategic plan formulation plays vital role in achieving future goals. This approach further divulges that any organization incorporates the internal resources i.e. man, material, money, machinery, know-how and the external surroundings as a system to accomplish tactical intent. The individual competency approach focuses upon the in dividuals rather than the association of external actors and puts stress on the enhancement of convenient management skills and tactics. Katz (1974) allied managers job with three major dimensions-technical, conceptual, and human. So it can be said that the efficiency of any organization can be amplified by the effective union of all the above three dimensions. Analoui (1995, 1997, 1999, and 2007) proposed following eight parameters (i.e. Managerial perception; The need for managerial skills; Organizational criteria; Motivation; Degree of demands and constraints; Presence of choices and opportunities; Nature of intra- and inter-organizational relationships; and Dominant managerial philosophy) of managerial effectiveness and explored that personal, organizational and environmental contextual factors influenced these parameters significantly. Mott (1971) also developed an instrument to measure managerial effectiveness and identified productivity, adaptability, flexibility as the dimension of managerial effectiveness, while in another study, Jain (1999) has recognized three dimensions of executive effectiveness namely fu nctional, interpersonal, and personal effectiveness. Drucker (2006) further identified the following eight factors : need identification, familiarity with organization culture and climate, development of action plans, responsiveness towards decisions, effective communication, taking advantage on opportunity, productive meetings and, team work, which are very common and enables the executive with required content knowledge and also helps him in translation of this knowledge into advantageous output. Sen and Saxsena (1999) enrich the list by adding i.e. do right things; focus on self contribution; time handling; motivational aspect; management of change; value system and ethics; as some important traits of an effective manager. In another study, Bao (2009) explored that provisions of necessary resources, appropriate staffing, training, and setting achievable goals are the factors that are able to promote managerial effectiveness. Stewart (1991, p.102) pointed that demand, constraints, and available choices of jobs are three important ele ments that are required in order to be an effective manager. The above discussion suggests that different researchers have highlighted different dimensions and aspects of managerial effectiveness and also suggests mapping of the degree of effectiveness of any individual basis not only on his skills, knowledge and personal competencies but also on his interpersonal interactions and the ways how he manages his team. Scope of the study Managers have been defined as those who organize business activities and every organization depends on managers. With growing competition, boom in information technology and availability of substitute products and services, job of a manager has become very complex and important. Not only the organization but also the development of any nation depends upon the effectiveness and contribution of its people. India is being a rapidly growing country and with different dynamic market forces (i.e. science and technical breakthrough, economical growth, infrastructure development, flow of FDI, Global Mergers and acquisition of firms etc.) increasing in number and tendency, needs organizations equipped with effective and efficient managers who can optimally utilize the available resources, and can contribute in the national development. So, it is very important to explore the perception of Indian managers towards different dimensions of managerial effectiveness. Objectives and Aims of Study Main objective of this paper is: To explore the perception of managers towards dimensions of managerial effectiveness. To investigate the managerial effectiveness perception of managers at different level (senior level, middle level, and junior level) To compare managerial effectiveness perception of male and female managers in Indian organization. Research Methodology Sample, Size and Instrument The study targeted all level of managers (senior, middle, and junior level) in large public and private sector companies in India and based on primary data. A survey was carried by means of a self administered and open ended scale developed and validated by Mott (1971). The scale basically divided in to three subscales (productivity, adaptability, and flexibility) consisting of eight items. The Cronbach alpha for the present scale is .78 as overall effectiveness scale. After establishing rapport, the subjects are asked to tick mark his or her choice against any of the five statements in each set. Scoring for the scale was done manually after getting response. There is no right or wrong answer to the statements or items. A total 63 response collected from 16 Indian (Service and manufacturing both) organizations (Details given in Table I). After collection of response data was initially administered by using Factor analysis, average and means. Factor analysis was used to reduce the dimensions of the factors and also to explain the variance in the observed variables in terms of latent factors (Kundu, 2003). Finally mean of the overall scale used to interpret managerial effectiveness with experience, position held by executive. Profile of Respondents: Position, Gender and Age A large fraction (Table II) of the respondent were male (N=52; 82.5%) and female comprise small fraction (N=11; 17.5%). Age profile of respondent varies with the youngest manager at 24 and oldest executive at 57 years old with average age of 40 years. All the respondents have some experience of work which varies between a range of 1 year to 34 years and with an average value of 16 years of experience. Most of the respondent (N=30) held senior level position, small portion (N=10) held junior level position and remaining (N=23) belongs to the middle level position. Analysis and Results Since the objective of this study is to find out the dimensions of managerial effectiveness. To achieve this, factor analysis has been used for data analysis. Before employing factor analysis data was examined whether the size of sample is adequate to run factor analysis and outputs shows that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO=.703) value is near to 1 and indicates that the patterns of correlations are condensed. Bartletts test of sphericity with approximated chi square value 91.068 and with 28 degree of freedom, which is significant at the 0.05 level and held the factor analysis appropriate. A total of 8 variables regarding perception of managerial effectiveness were subjected to principal component analysis with varimax rotation by using the factors with eigen value more than 1.00 were retained. Harman (1976) indicated that factors with Loading score greater 0.29 at the 0.05 level were significant but in this study the factors having loading greater than 0.4 were considered and included to define the factor. Factor analysis has extracted a good amount of variance with values of communalities vary from 0.465 to 0.838. Three factors were extracted on the basis of eigen value criterion more than 1 (ranging from 1.058 to 2.790) and explaining 63.334% of variance. Table III gives rotated loading of variables for extracted three factors, Eigen value, and variance explained by each factors. At last on the basis of results from statistical analysis (Table III) of primary data a total of three factors are extracted and explained hereunder. Productivity This is first factor which shows highest value of variance and measure the productivity in terms of physical output of product and service delivered. This factor also includes using new method of production for capacity enhancement, optimum and efficient utilization of resources, and problem anticipation. Adaptability Second important factor with variance value 15.237% includes the variables i.e. acceptance of new system design, and adjustment to new work situation. Quality Flexibility The last one includes two variables each for quality and flexibility and measure the perception of employees towards work quality, and coping with new emergencies rapidly and successfully. Table IV shows the pattern of correlation between the items/variables measured reveals the correlation among eight items/variables used in the study. It can be observed that variable 6 (acceptance of change) has highest correlation with Variable 7 (adjustment to new situation) with a correlation coefficient of .450 (p> .01) followed by variable 1 (productivity) with variable 5 (change management). Table further reveals that highest correlation is observed among variable 2 (quality) and variable 8 (damage control) with a value of .405 and followed by variable 1 (productivity) and variable 4 (problem solving) and further with variable 4 and variable 5. Overall correlation matrix reveals the association among variables is statically significant. Table V shows the mean value of overall managerial perception of managers held different position and having varying work experience. It shows mangers at senior level (with mean value 3.42) have significant in compare to junior level (with mean value 3.06) but very little low than managers at middle level (mean value 3.5). The overall mean value of scale is (with mean value 3.40) very near to mean value of senior managers but significantly differ in the case of junior level managers. Their managerial perception lies below the average score. Managers at middle level have larger value than total mean value of overall scale and they also show greater perception than both other levels. But it gives contrary results with increasing work experience, from junior to middle level it increases but from middle to senior level it falls again. Results also show that mean value (3.42) of overall perception of managerial effectiveness remains above from mean value of total sample (3.40) and the mea n value of male participants (3.36) remains little somewhat lower than mean value of total sample (3.40). Average work experience of male (26) and female (9) participant support that it has no a significant impact on overall managerial perception. Discussion This study provides an overview of managerial (senior, middle, and junior level) effectiveness perception. A scale consisting of subscale (productivity, adaptability, and flexibility) and eight variables used to get responses from the sample. Mott (1971) grouped these eight variables under three factors i.e. productivity (three items/variables production output, optimum utilization of resources, and adoption of new method of production), adaptability (three items/variables i.e. quality, problem anticipation, and acceptance of changes) and flexibility (it includes two items/variables adjustment to new situation and cope with emergencies readily and successfully). Luthans et al. (1988) in his study also explained the same variable and describe a model of managerial effectiveness. Results of present study reveals the grouping of variables under the factors, factor analysis sorted the three important factor which are explained as productivity (including four items/ variables production output, optimum utilization of resources, and problem anticipation, and adoption of new method of production) As result shown in Table III, productivity has the maximum variance with 34.881% it shows that managerial productivity is highly related with managerial effectiveness and it is measured by the extent of their output (Laufer and Jenkins 1984; Reddin 1970; Campbell et al. 1970). Analoui (1997) explained that managerial effectiveness is depends on the extent of output of productivity. Dayal also (1984) in his study identified the developing capability of employees as an important dimension; the present study also identified the efficiency of employees as important variable for managerial effectiveness. Productivity of employees in this study includes items i.e. output of pro ducts and services, optimum utilization, problem anticipation and adoption of new method for production, these all variables can be concluded under competence of mangers and competence is identified by Gupta (1996) as one of significant dimensions of managerial effectiveness. Labbaf et al. (1996) referred competence as key stone of managerial effectiveness and also mean for improved organizational performance and effectiveness, and this competence further considered to reiterate the overall capability of management. Another important dimension of managerial importance which appeared from the study is the adaptability (includes two items i.e. acceptance of changes, adjustment to new situation) and it shows some contrasting results from the literature (Mott 1971: Chauhan et al. 2005; Luthans et al.1988) and only two variable shows significant rotation loading (0.6978, 0.907) with factor two adaptability with a variance of 15.237%. The third factor which evolved from the factor analysis has been named as quality concern and responsiveness and include two variable i.e. quality of services and products, and cope with new emergencies readily and successfully with a variance value of 13.226%. The important findings from the study are that this study reassembles the variables/items of original scale with significant alpha value and correlation pattern for perception of managerial effectiveness. The study also (table V) found that effectiveness perception has little significant effect of work experience and position held and increases with the experience. Mean value for overall effectiveness increases from junior level (3.06) to middle level (3.5) and again falls from middle to senior level (3.42). These findings are in tune with Sriastva and Kumar (1984) who explained that junior level executive are less effective than middle level executive. The study also found that overall managerial effectiveness of female managers (mean value 3.42) is more than their male counterpart (mean value 3.36) and their overall effectiveness is also greater than the average effectiveness of the whole sample (with mean value 3.40) and support the view of Schwartz (1992) that if a company attrac t, promote, reward and values women it will speaks directly and also provide a evidence for equal opportunity on employment. Overall mean value for the effectiveness remains close to the senior level and middle level and it proves that degree of effectiveness raises with respect to the position of managers in the hierarchy of the organization. Results further explain the if all variables are considered independently than Variable like adjustment to new situation, quality, and optimum utilization of resources (Table III) shows the higher loading value (0.8 Conclusion and implications The present study aimed to explore the dimensions of managerial effectiveness within the context of Indian organization and to analyze the impact of experience and level of manager (senior, middle, junior) on their overall effectiveness, and also to compare the female and male counterparts. Results of the study support the findings of other studies and suggest that effectiveness of managers at work place is generally a function of items, and importance of these items vary form manager to manger and from organization to organization, and it is, therefore assumed as the extent to which a mangers achieves. Findings from the study indicate the changed perception of managers in Indian organization from past, the reassemblies of items and emergence of responsiveness as new factor shows it clearly. Each of three factor shows a good value of Cronnbach alpha (productivity 0.78, adaptability 0.69, and quality and responsiveness .74) and validate the reassembly of items in the factors i.e. productivity, adaptability, and quality and responsiveness. Furthermore, the study reveals that there is a clear indication that female managers are more effective as compared to their male counterparts and hence strives for increased number of female managers in Indian organization at all level. Another important finding of the study is that effectiveness is not associated with the age of mangers (it increases from junior to middle and again fall form middle to senior level). In case of junior manager the study support that training and development programs can play significant role to raise their effectiveness. On the basis of review of referred literature and empirical evidence from the study it is concluded that managerial effectiveness can be referred as continuous improvement of the output and it plays an important role in overall organizational effectiveness. 9. Scope for Future Research The present is study is based on the limited number of subjects and targeted organization, and also restricted to geographical boundaries. Further research can be done with large sample size and with more number of organizations. One more important aspect untouched by the study is the moderators and mediators of managerial effectiveness; these can be studies within same context with their degree of influence on effectiveness. Many scholars devised the items to measure the effectiveness (i.e. Analoui, Gupta, Dhar) but present study based on Mott scale. More research can be done with other available parameters also.