POM TEST 1

1. Describe the general and task environments and the dimensions of each.

general environment represents the outer layer of the environment and will influence the organization over time, but often is not involved in day-to-day operations. task environment is the layer closest to the organization and includes those sectors that have a direct working relationship with it.

3. Describe the major components of the classical and humanistic management perspectives.

humanistic perspective on management that emphasized the importance of understanding human behaviors, needs and attitudes in the workplace, and social interactions and group processes. classical perspective emerged during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and emphasized a rational, scientific approach to the study of management

Describe the four management functions.

1. Planning is the management function concerned with identifying goals for future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and use of resources needed to attain them. 1. Organizing is the management function concerned with assigning tasks, grouping tasks into departments, delegating authority, and allocating resources across the organization. 1. Leading is the management function that involves the use of influence to motivate employees to achieve the organization's goals. 1. Controlling is the management function concerned with monitoring employees' activities, keeping the organization on track toward its goals, and making corrections as needed.

Describe the three categories of managerial roles and explain how do they differ.

2. Informational roles include the functions used to maintain and develop an information network. 3. Interpersonal roles refer to relationships with others and are related to human skills. 4. Decisional roles come into play when managers must make choices. These roles often require both conceptual and human skills.

2. Explain the strategies managers use to help organizations adapt to an uncertain or turbulent environment.

Boundary spanning roles- link and coordinate the organization with external environment Business intelligence Competitive intelligence Inter-organizational partnerships- reduce boundaries and design collaborating with other organizations Mergers/joint ventures- Legal combination of operations; legal collaboration for specific

Define Management and describe two important ideas expressed in the definition

is the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources. There are two important ideas in this definition: (1) the four functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling; and (2) the attainment of organizational goals in an efficient and effective manner.

What are technical skills? At what level are they most important and why?

is the understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks. Lower levels because less important than human and conceptual skills as managers are promoted.

Describe the skills necessary for performing a manager's job. Provide examples of each.

1. Conceptual skill-is the cognitive ability to see the organization as a whole and the relationships among its parts.EX: Conceptual skill is especially important for top managers. 1. Human skill is the manager's ability to work with and through other people and to work effectively as a group member. EX: Human skill is important for managers at all levels, and particularly those who work with employees directly on a daily basis 1. Technical skill is the understanding of and proficiency in the performance of specific tasks. EX: Technical skills are most important at lower organizational levels and become less important than human and conceptual skills as managers are promoted

6. Define a cultural leader and explain the tools a cultural leader uses to create a high-performance culture.

1. One-way managers change norms and values to build a high-performance culture is through cultural leadership. A cultural leader defines and uses signals and symbols to influence corporate culture by: a. articulating a vision for the organizational culture that generates excitement and that employees can believe in; and b. heeding the day to day activities that reinforce the cultural vision.

1. What are the three major historical forces shaping the practice of management.

Social forces refer to those aspects of a culture that guide and influence relationships among people. Political forces refer to the influence of political and legal institutions on people and organizations. Economic forces pertain to the availability, production, and distribution of resources in a society; organizations require resources to achieve their objectives.

4. Discuss the quantitative perspective and its current use in organizations.

The quantitative perspective emerged after World War II. It applied math, statistics, and other quantitative techniques to managerial problems. Operations research consists of mathematical model building and other applications of quantitative techniques to managerial problems.

5. Describe four types of cultures and how corporate culture relates to the environment.

adaptability culture is characterized by values that support the company's ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. achievement culture is a results-oriented culture that values competitiveness, aggressiveness, personal initiative, and willingness to work long and hard to achieve results. involvement culture places high value on meeting the needs of employees and values cooperation and equality.

Why are conceptual skills most important for top managers?

because it involves knowing where one's team fits into the organization

3. Define corporate culture and give organizational examples.

extremely important in an organization attempting to achieve a competitive advantage the set of key values, beliefs, understanding, and .... that members of an organization share

Briefly discuss the relationship between management skills and management level.

management skills is skills to have for the management level certain management skills requires different management level

5. Explain the major concepts of systems thinking, the contingency view, and total quality management.

contingency view states that the successful resolution of organizational problems depends on a manager's identification of key variations in the situation. 1. Total quality management (TQM) focuses on managing the total organization to deliver better quality to customers. 1. A system is a set of interrelated parts that function as a whole to achieve a common purpose. Systems theory describes organizations as open systems that are characterized by entropy, synergy, and subsystem interdependence.

4. Explain organizational symbols, stories, heroes, slogans, and ceremonies and their relationships to corporate culture.

symbol is an object, act, or event that conveys meaning to others. story is a narrative based on true events that is repeated and shared among organizational employees. hero is a figure who exemplifies the deeds, character, and attributes of a strong corporate culture. slogan is a phrase or sentence that succinctly expresses a key organizational value. ceremony is a planned affair that makes up a special event and is conducted for the benefit of an audience.