MAN 320F unit 2

strategic issues

"events or forces either inside or outside an organization that are likely to alter its ability to achieve its objectives." As environmental turbulence increases, strategic issues emerge more frequently. Managers use several strategies to adapt to these strategic issues, including business intelligence applications, attempts to influence the environment, and mergers or joint ventures.

employee onboarding

- The goal of an onboarding process is to integrate new employees quickly into the organization's culture and help them to be as engaged, productive, and successful as possible. - benefits of effective onboarding: new hires will know what to expect and this structure can reduce anxiety, reinforces realistic job expectations , demonstrates the values and behaviors that the org expects and rewards, can help lower overall new employee start up costs by improving retention, better job attitudes as well as higher overall job satisfaction (also linked to retention), can help employees learn their jobs and organization processes faster which leads to fast productivity, helps to build strong organizational commitment and enhances employee engagement - onboarding mistakes: information overload with boring lecture style presentations delivered in an impersonal manner with very limited interaction, work environment not prepared for new hire ex. employee desk is not ready or they don't have a computer, one - - day/one - shot programs: needs to take place over a period of days weeks or even months

changing organizational culture

- begins with systematic assessment of the current culture and how well the current culture is aligned with the strategy and goals of the organization - next step is to clearly identify the set of problems or challenges the org must address/resolve that requires new behaviors and / or beliefs on the part of the employees - from this assessment, a clear vision of the desired culture can be established - consistent communication is key - communicating change needs to include frequent updates and examples that illustrate how the new culture is working to achieve the desired results - physical changes in office layout and dress should be made to facilitate the new culture - employees who resist the changes may prefer to move on than change with the culture and hiring practices need to align with the new culture

benefits of a strong culture

- its a shared mental model that guides employee behavior - can facilitate interpersonal trust which translates into a shared common identity - employees know how the organization will approach problems which helps with uncertainty about the future - a strong culture generates social capital by helping to attract talent with similar values and goals to the organzation

factors that determine an employees level of engagement

- organization leadership, overall culture of the org, how closely they fit with the culture, formal and informal organizational process (how information flows, perceived organization support, reward, recognition), job characteristics which included providing the employee with challenging, diverse and important tasks as well as providing opportunities for autonomy, progress reports and feedback

How does organizational culture get established?

- the personal values and beliefs of the founders - how has the organization historically approached or responded to problems that arise? - ex. are problems treated as opportunities? Do employees get rewarded for identifying and resolving problems or is blame placed when a problem is identified? - are the managers and supervisors consistent with the states values of the org? - compensation practices, what behaviors are financially rewarded, architecture of the office and how employees dress (creativity in dress of formality and hierarchy) - what rituals and ceremonies does the org have and what do they mean to the employees? - the stories told about employees who exemplified the organizations culture

labor market

-represents people in the environment who can be hired to work for the organization. - labor market forces affecting organizations right now include: the growing need for computer-literate knowledge workers; the necessity for continuous investment in human resources through recruitment, education, and training to meet the competitive demands of the borderless world; and the effects of international trading blocs, automation, outsourcing, and shifting facility locations on labor dislocations, all of which create unused labor pools in some areas and labor shortages in others.

seven characteristics of a successful onboarding program

1. have targeted goals - ex. the acquisition of specific skills or knowledge about the company, work processes or critical business practices 2. make the first dat a celebration - ex. office decorations, enthusiastic meet and greet event 3. Involve peers to help the new hire start building a relationship with coworkers - setting up a situation where the new hire is able to meet and begin developing working relationships with coworkers 4. make new hires productive on the first day - helps them engage with their job and org 5. involve activities that are not boring or rushed - mix up activities and allocate an appropriate amount of time for those while keeping activities as interesting as possible 6. include activities over several weeks or months 7. use feedback to continuously improve the onboarding program

in what ways do leaders influence culture? (5 ways)

1. what leaders pay attention to. employees take cues from leaders and focus their attention on the same factors so its important that these factors align with the values of the org in order to effectively reinforce the culture 2. how leaders react to problems or crises. If leaders approach problems as opportunities to learn and grow, employees tend to do the same 3. how leaders communicate and behave. they must talk the talk and walk the walk 4. how leaders allocate rewards. are the leaders reward behaviors consistent with the culture of the organization 5. how leaders hire and fire individuals. hiring people who fit the values of the org and remaining consistent with the values when firing people

Organizations often join together to adapt to or influence the environment. The number of corporate alliances has been increasing at a rate of _____ annually.

25%

counterculture

A counterculture within an organization is a group of employees who hold values and exhibit behaviors that are in direct contradiction to the values of the larger organization. In most cases, countercultures are undesirable and how employees should act or approach a problem can become confusing. Such behaviors can lead to interpersonal conflict, decreased employee satisfaction, and increased employee turnover. Yet, there may be situations in which a counterculture could be desirable. Sometimes leaders will encourage the development of countercultures in order to drive innovation and change

Total quality management can best be described by which of the following statements?

Every activity within a company focuses on high-quality values that form the basis for delivering quality products/services to customers.

subcultures

In some organizations, particularly larger ones and ones that have multiple locations, subcultures and countercultures may arise. An organization subculture is a group of employees who hold values and exhibit behaviors that do not specifically align those of the organization, but are at least compatible with the organization's values. Sometimes this subculture occurs based on the specific job in the organization or to meet the needs of a specific customer or business environment. For example, a division of a larger company located in a different country might develop a subculture that allows it to adapt to the new country's legal and cultural environment, while maintaining consistency with the larger organization.

international dimension

In the external environment, represents events originating in foreign countries, as well as opportunities for companies in other countries. - provides new competitors, customers, and suppliers and shapes social, technological, and economic trends as well.

technological dimension

In the general environment, includes scientific and technological advances in society - its important to be able to shift to a demographic of people whose lives are woven around technology in every aspect

sociocultural dimension

Includes demographic characteristics, norms, customs, and values of a population within which the organization operates. - planning for the sociocultural trends which are centered around social justice, equality, social media etc.

JIT

Just in Time. A system that eliminates work-in-process (WIP) inventory by scheduling arrival of parts and assemblies for an operation at the time they are needed and not before. downside - if supply is disrupted ( for ex. by a natural disaster) there is nowhere to get the product

Business Intelligence

Organizations depend on information, and companies that most effectively acquire, interpret, disseminate, and use information come out as winners.

natural dimension

Protection of the natural environment is emerging as a critical policy focus around the world. Governments are increasingly under pressure to explain their performance on pollution control and natural resource management.

types of culture

The internal culture should embody what it takes to succeed in the environment. If the external environment requires extraordinary customer service, the culture should encourage good service; if it calls for careful technical decision making, cultural values should reinforce managerial decision making.

Environmental shifts create turbulence for businesses. Which of the following statements about turbulence is true?

The level of turbulence determines the type of response that managers must make in order for an organization to survive.

What are the two dimensions used to measure the level of uncertainty in an organization's external environment?

The number of factors in the environment and the rate of change of those factors

organization socialization

The process by which newcomers are transformed from outsiders into effective and participatory members of the org in 3 phases: 1. Anticipatory phase - begins prior to joining the org and includes the recruiting process in which the new hire images what it would be like to work at this new job/in this org 2. Encounter phase - begins when the employee begins working for the org and starts to discover what working there is like in comparison to the image they had in their head. They are becoming familiar with task and group dynamics and learning to manage lifestyle vs work conflicts and potential role conflicts 3. Change and acquisition phase - occurs after a few months of employment at the new org. During this phase employees work to master the necessary skills in order to be successful in their new position. Group norms and values are accepted and internalized

McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

Theory X - the assumption that employees dislike work, are lazy, avoid responsibility, and must be coerced to perform. Theory Y - the assumption that employees are creative, enjoy work, seek responsibility, and can exercise self-direction.

mergers

Two companies with distinct cultures are merged to form a new culture.

story

a narrative based on true events that is repeated frequently and shared among organizational employees. Stories paint pictures that help symbolize the firm's vision and values and help employees personalize and absorb them.

supply chain

a network of multiple businesses and individuals that are connected through the flow of products or services.

General Environment

affects organizations indirectly. It includes social, economic, legal-political, international, natural, and technological factors that influence all organizations about equally. - dont change day to day operations but do affect all organizations eventually

Symbol

an object, act, or event that conveys meaning to others. Symbols can be considered a rich, nonverbal language that vibrantly conveys the organization's important values concerning how people relate to one another and interact with the environment

As a manager at a company in the financial industry, Rick continuously scans the business horizon for _____, which are also called strategic issues.

both subtle and dramatic environmental changes

As a manager, Carmen frequently uses a(n) _____ role as a strategy for her organization to link to and coordinate with key elements in the external environment.

boundary spanning

Many managers use sophisticated software to search through large amounts of internal and external data to spot patterns, trends, and relationships that might be significant, which reveals:

business intelligence

Task Environment

closer to the organization and includes the sectors that conduct day-to-day transactions with the organization and directly influence its basic operations and performance. It is generally considered to include competitors, suppliers, customers, and the labor market.

Interest in the practices of management techniques that developed out of World War II was increased by the publication in 1946 of Peter Drucker's:

concept of the corporation

Jess works as a department manager in her organization. She has excellent role models in the upper management, and she tries to extend the same type of mentoring and support to the front-line managers she supervises. By doing so, she is reinforcing the organization's:

culture dimension of the internal environment

cultural leader

defines and uses signals and symbols to influence corporate culture. The leader clarifies what the new culture should be and crafts a story that inspires people to change. A cultural leader is the "chief marketing officer" for the desired cultural values

adaptability culture

emerges in an environment that requires fast response and high-risk decision making. Managers encourage values that support the company's ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behaviors. Employees have the autonomy to make decisions and act freely to meet new needs, and responsiveness to customers is highly valued. Managers also actively create change by encouraging and rewarding creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking. TubeMogul, a successful digital advertising software company, provides an example of the adaptability culture.

involvement culture

emphasizes an internal focus on the participation of employees to adapt rapidly to changing needs from the environment. This culture places a high value on meeting the needs of employees, and the organization may be characterized by a caring, family-like atmosphere. Managers emphasize values such as cooperation, consideration of both employees and customers, and avoiding status differences.

Google's employees are highly committed and create a high-performance organization in part because the internal culture of the organization fits the needs of the:

external environment and company strategy

Using limited resources to create something of benefit is labeled with the term jugaad, which some also refer to as:

frugal engineering

external organizational environment

includes all outside elements that affect the organization ex. competitors, resources, technology and economic conditions

internal environment: corporate culture

includes corporate culture, production technology, organization structure, and physical facilities. Of these, corporate culture surfaces as being extremely important to competitive advantage. The internal culture must fit the needs of the external environment and company strategy. When this fit occurs, highly committed employees create a high-performance organization that is tough to beat - visible and invisible levels of corporate culture

legal-political dimension

includes government regulations at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as political activities designed to influence company behavior. The U.S. political system encourages capitalism, and the government tries not to overregulate business. - ex. As one of the numerous federal regulations included in the Dodd-Frank Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2015 approved a rule requiring that large public companies disclose the pay gap between their CEOs and rank-and-file employees.

internal environment

includes the sectors that conduct day-to-day transactions with the organization and directly influence its basic operations and performance.

Bristol received an "Innovator of the Year" award at the manufacturing company where he works. He is part of the company's ____ environment

internal

Which of the following would NOT be part of what defines corporate culture?

international sales agreements with customers

the specific four types of corporate culture

involvement culture, adaptability culture, achievement culture, consistency culture

joint venture

involves a strategic alliance or program by two or more organizations. A joint venture typically occurs when a project is too complex, expensive, or uncertain for one firm to handle alone.

achievement culture

is suited to organizations concerned with serving specific customers in the external environment but without the intense need for flexibility and rapid change. This results-oriented culture values competitiveness, aggressiveness, personal initiative, cost cutting, and willingness to work long and hard to achieve results. An emphasis on winning and achieving specific ambitious goals is the glue that holds the organization together

A recent buzzword that has come to signify an innovation mindset is:

jugaad

boundary spanning

links to and coordinates the organization with key elements in the external environment. - One area of boundary spanning is the use of business intelligence, which results from using sophisticated software to search through internal and external data to spot patterns, trends, and relationships that might be significant.

The _____ of Disney and Pixar in 2006 resulted in Disney-Pixar, a highly successful and profitable company.

merger

For the first time in U.S. census history, _____ of all babies born in 2011 were members of minority groups.

more than half

big data analytics

refers to searching and examining massive, complex sets of data to uncover hidden patterns and correlations and make better decisions.

employee engagement

refers to the level of emotional and cognitive connection an employee has to the organization for which they work. This concept includes a variety of aspects related to the employee's relationship with the employer, but primarily refers to the level of involvement and enthusiasm one has with the work. Employee engagement also includes how attracted to and inspired an employee is by their work. Engaged employees see their work as meaningful. - persistent in solving problems and volunteering to help take on extra assignments to help the organization succeed (organization citizenship behavior/ OCB)

economic dimension

represents the general economic health of the country or region in which the organization operates. Consumer purchasing power, the unemployment rate, and interest rates are part of an organization's economic environment. Because organizations today are operating in a global environment, the economic dimension has become exceedingly complex and creates enormous uncertainty for managers.

Why do organizations care so much about factors in the external environment?

the environment creates uncertainty for organization managers, and they must respond by designing the organization to adapt to the environment.

The company 3M, headquartered in Minnesota, has always been known for encouraging employee innovation by providing centers and forums for creating practical ideas that become opportunities and are nurtured through resources for developing successful products. These _____ are the essence of culture and subconsciously guide behavior and decisions.

underling assumptions and beliefs

The _____ principle, which advocated that each subordinate receive orders from a single superior, was among the 14 that were part of Fayol's contribution to the administrative principles approach to management.

unity of command

To fulfill the controlling management function, a manager would do which of the following?

use influence to motivate employees

consistency culture

uses an internal focus and a consistency orientation for a stable environment. Following the rules and being thrifty are valued, and the culture supports and rewards a methodical, rational, and orderly way of doing things. In today's fast-changing world, few companies operate in a stable environment, and most managers are shifting toward cultures that are more flexible and in tune with changes in the environment

At the Principal Lake Company, each new employee is greeted, either by the CEO or the vice president of human resources at that employee's first department-wide meeting with a framed copy of the company's motto and a coffee mug with the employee's name and the company logo on it. This long-standing tradition is one of the company culture's:

visible artifacts

visible vs. invisible culture

visible: artifacts, symbols, heroes, dress, office layout, slogans and ceromonies invisible: values, underlying assumptions and deep beliefs