Business Chapter 9, 10, 11

Explain the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in Herzberg's two-factor theory.

intrinsic motivators tend to increase motivation when they are present, while extrinsic motivators tend to reduce motivation when they are absent. This is due to employees' expectations. Extrinsic motivators (e.g., salary, benefits) are expected, so they won't increase motivation when they are in place, but they will cause dissatisfaction when they are missing. Intrinsic motivators (e.g., challenging work, growth potential), on the other hand, can be a source of additional motivation when they are available.

List and define the 5 types of teams discussed in the text.

- A self-managed team is a group of employees working together who are accountable for most or all aspects of their task. These work teams determine how they will accomplish assigned objectives and decide what route they will take to meet them. They are granted the responsibility of planning, scheduling, organizing, directing, controlling and evaluating their own work process. They also select their own members and evaluate the members' performance. In this way they share both the managerial and technical tasks. As a result, supervisory positions take on decreased importance and may even be eliminated. - A project team is a team whose members usually belong to different groups but are assigned activities for the same project. Usually project teams are only used for a defined period of time and are disbanded after the project is deemed complete. The central characteristic of project teams in modern organizations is the autonomy and flexibility given to them in the process of meeting their goals. The project team usually consists of a variety of members working under the direction of a project manager or a senior member of the organization. Project teams need to have the right combination of skills, abilities, and personality types to achieve collaborative tension. - A cross-functional teams consists of people from different parts of an organization. The team members have different functional expertise—from finance, marketing, operations, and human resource departments, for example—and they typically come from different levels of the organization. Members may also come from outside an organization (in particular, from suppliers, key customers, or consultants). Cross-functional teams typically function as self-directed teams assigned to particular tasks that require the input and expertise of numerous departments. The idea is that a multidisciplinary team will increase the level of creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, since its members bring unique perspectives and skills to the problem at hand. In business today, innovation is a leading competitive advantage, and cross-functional teams are thought to facilitate and speed that innovation. - a manager-led team, the team members complete the required tasks, but someone outside the team (i.e., a manager) performs the executive functions. There is an inevitable tension between the degree of manager control in a team and the ability of team members to guide and manage their own actions. Manager-led teams provide more control, but they can also hamper creativity and individual expression. - A virtual team is a group of individuals in different geographic locations who use technology to collaborate on work tasks and activities. The use of this kind of work team has become prevalent in organizations due to the reduced costs of technology, the increased availability of collaborative technologies (videoconferencing software, etc.), the shift toward globalization in business, and greater use of outsourcing and temporary workers. They offer flexibility around the logistics of doing business since team members can "meet" from any location—wherever they happen to be, such as a home office, coffee shop, etc.—at any time of the day or week. Many of the other types of work teams can also be virtual teams, depending on the organization's needs and resources.

List the various levels in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

- Self-actualization -Esteem -Love/belonging -Safety -Physiological

Differentiate between the forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning stages of team development.

- The first step in a team's life is bringing together a group of individuals. Individuals focus on defining and assigning tasks, establishing a schedule, organizing the team's work, and other start-up matters. In addition to focusing on the scope of the team's purpose and means of approaching it, individuals in the formation stage are also gathering impressions and information about one another. Since people generally want to be accepted by others, during this period they usually avoid conflict and disagreement. Team members may begin to work on their tasks independently, not yet focused on their relationships with fellow team members. - Once their efforts are under way, team members need clarity about their activities and goals, as well as explicit guidance about how they will work independently and collectively. This leads to a period known as storming—because it can involve brainstorming ideas and also because it usually causes disruption. During the storming stage members begin to share ideas about what to do and how to do it that compete for consideration. Team members start to open up and confront one another's ideas and perspectives. - Successfully moving through the storming stage means that a team has clarified its purpose and its strategy for achieving its goals. It now transitions to a period focused on developing shared values about how team members will work together. These norms of collaboration can address issues ranging from when to use certain modes of communication, such as e-mail versus telephone, to how team meetings will be run and what to do when conflicts arise. Norms become a way of simplifying choices and facilitating collaboration, since members have shared expectations about how work will get done. - Once norms are established and the team is functioning as a unit, it enters the performing stage. By now team members work together easily on interdependent tasks and are able to communicate and coordinate effectively. There are fewer time-consuming distractions based on interpersonal and group dynamics. For this reason, motivation is usually high and team members have confidence in their ability to attain goals. - Bruce Tuckman, jointly with Mary Ann Jensen, added the adjourning stage to describe the final stretch of a team's work together. It includes both the last steps of completing the task and breaking up the team. Some work teams are ongoing, like a development team in a software company, for example, so they may not actually "adjourn," but they may still participate in aspects of this stage—by winding up a particularly intense period of collaboration, for example. For project-based teams that have been formed for a limited time period, this stage provides an opportunity to formally mark the end of the project. The team may decide to organize some sort of celebration or ceremony to acknowledge contributions and achievements before it disbands. The adjourning stage is an important way of providing closure, and it can help team members successfully move on to the next work project or team with the sense of a job well done.

List the common barriers to communication discussed in the text.

- The use of jargon: The use of unfamiliar, overcomplicated, or technical terms can generate confusion and obscure meaning of the sender's message. The solution is to use clear and concise messages that are easy to understand. - Withholding information: Within an organization, some information is kept confidential due to company policies. Make sure the information that is needed is readily available and easily accessible. - Chain of command: The maintenance of an organization's hierarchy is essential, but its very presence can reduce the flow of communication. To counteract that tendency, it's important to reduce unnecessary hierarchical levels and increase departmental interaction and communication. - Lack of trust: In companies with a competition-driven culture, there may be a lack of trust among employees, which can hamper communication. Companies should strive to involve their employees in decisions, emphasize the importance of sharing information, and communicate openly and honestly. - Physical barriers or disabilities: Hearing, vision, or speech problems can make communication challenging. Organizations need to be aware of accessibility issues for both internal and external communication. - Bias: Preconceptions or prejudice can lead to stereotyping or false assumptions. Using care to choose unambiguous, neutral language and explain things clearly can help reduce bias. - Filtering: People may hear what they expect to hear or want to hear, rather than what is said. Because filters are present in every system of communication, the message that the receiver receives is rarely the same as the one the sender sends. Some distortion of the message is almost inevitable. - Language and cultural differences: Language use and social norms vary enormously from culture to culture. Companies need to educate themselves about cultural sensitivities and gear their messages to their audiences.

List the communication channels discussed in the text. Provide an advantage for each one.

- Web-based communication, such as video conferencing, allows people in different locations to hold interactive meetings. Other Web-based communication, such as information presented on a company Web site, is suited for sharing transaction details (such as order confirmation) or soliciting contact information (such as customer phone number and address) - Emails provide instantaneous written communication; effective for formal notices and updates, as well as informal exchanges. - Letters are a more formal method of written communication usually reserved for important messages such as proposals, inquiries, agreements, and recommendations. - Presentations are usually oral and usually include an audiovisual component, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash. - Telephone meetings/conference calls allow for long-distance interaction. - Message boards and Forums allow people to instantly post information to a centralized location. - Face-to-face meetings are personal, interactive exchanges that provide the richest communication and are still the preferred method of communication in business.

What assumptions are made concerning Theory Y workers?

- Work can be as natural as play if the conditions are favorable. - People will be self-directed and creative to meet their work and organizational objectives if they are committed to them. - People will be committed to their quality and productivity objectives if rewards are in place that address higher needs such as self-fulfillment. - The capacity for creativity spreads throughout organizations. - Most people can handle responsibility because creativity and ingenuity are common in the population. - Under these conditions, people will seek responsibility.

What assumptions are made concerning Theory X workers?

- Work is inherently distasteful to most people, and they will attempt to avoid work whenever possible. - Most people are not ambitious, have little desire for responsibility, and prefer to be directed. - Most people have little aptitude for creativity in solving organizational problems. - Motivation occurs only at the physiological and security levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. - Most people are self-centered. As a result, they must be closely controlled and often coerced to achieve organizational objectives. - Most people resist change. - Most people are gullible and unintelligent.

Differentiate between the functions of top managers, middle managers, and first-line managers.

1. . Top managers: These are the highest level of managers within an organization, and they are tasked with setting organizational objectives and goals. These managers scan the external environment for opportunities, help develop long-range plans and make critical decisions that affect the entire organization. They represent the smallest percentage of the management team. Many times these managers have titles such as chief executive, operations manager, or general manager. Middle managers: Mid-level or middle managers allocate resources to achieve the goals and objectives set by top managers. Their primary role is to oversee front-line managers and report back to top-level managers about the progress, problems, or needs of the first-line managers. Middle managers span the distance between production operations and organizational vision. While top managers set the organization's goals, middle managers identify and implement the activities that will help the organization achieve its goals. First-line managers: The primary responsibility of first-line managers is to coordinate the activities that have been developed by the middle managers. These managers are responsible for supervising non-managerial employees who are engaged in the tasks and activities developed by middle managers. They report back to middle managers on the progress, problems, or needs of the non-managerial employees. These managers are on the front lines, so to speak, where they are actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the business.

List the 4 principles of Taylor's scientific management.

1. Replace rule-of-thumb work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks. 2. Scientifically select, train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. 3. Provide detailed instruction and supervision of each worker in the performance of that worker's discrete task. 4. Divide work nearly equally between managers and workers, so that the managers apply scientific management principles to planning the work and the workers actually perform the tasks.

List and describe the 4 types of plans discussed in the text

1. Strategic plans translate the company mission into a set of long-term goals and short-term objectives. In the process of determining a company's strategic plan 2. Tactical plans translate high-level strategic plans into specific plans for actions that need to be taken up and down the layers of an organization. They are short-range plans (usually spanning less than one year) that emphasize the current operations of various parts of the organization. As a company refines or alters its strategic plans, the tactics must also be adjusted to execute the strategy effectively. 3. Operational plans establish detailed standards that guide the implementation of tactical plans and establish the activities and budgets for each part of the organization. Operational plans may go so far as to set schedules and standards for the day-to-day operations of the business and name responsible supervisors, employees, or departments. 4. Contingency Plan: Unforeseen events or disasters can be especially harmful to a business. For example, a fire, earthquake, or flood can make it impossible to continue normal business operations. A contingency plan lays out the course of action a business will take in response to possible future events.

Define denial of service attack.

A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is a cyber attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting the services of a host connected to the Internet.

Define mission statement

A mission statement outlines how the business will turn its vision into reality and becomes the foundation for establishing specific goals and objectives. Ikea's mission is "to offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them." It is this mission that will enable them to realize the vision of "better everyday life."

Describe technical skills in relation to management. Provide an example of a task at this level.

A technical skill is defined as a learned capacity in just about any given field of work, study, or even play. For example, the quarterback of a football team must know how to plant his feet and how to position his arm for accuracy and distance when he throws—both are technical skills. A mechanic, meanwhile, needs to be able to take apart and rebuild an engine, operate various machinery (lifts, computer-scanning equipment, etc.), and know how to install a muffler, for example.

Define vision statement

A vision statement gives employees something to rally behind, and for those businesses that choose to make their vision statement public, it lets the world know where the company is going. Ikea, the Swedish multinational group of companies that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, is driven by its corporate vision. This is the IKEA vision: "To create a better everyday life for the many people."

Who developed the Hierarchy of Needs approach to worker motivation?

Abraham Maslow

Differentiate between wide and narrow span of control.

An organization with few layers has a wide span of control, with each manager overseeing a large number of subordinates; with a narrow span of control, only a limited number of subordinates reports to each manager.

Describe conceptual skills in relation to management.

Conceptual skills enable one to generate ideas creatively and intuitively and also show comprehensive understanding of contexts or topics. Conceptual skills tend to be most relevant to upper-level thinking and broad strategic situations (as opposed to lower-level and line management). As a result, conceptual skills are often viewed as critical success factors for upper-managerial functions. The key to this type of skill is conceptual thinking. Although conceptual thinking is difficult to define, it is generally considered to be the ability to formulate ideas or mental abstractions. When combined with information and a measure of creativity, conceptual thinking can result in new ideas, unique strategies, and innovative solutions. While all levels of management benefit from conceptual thinking, upper management spends the most time with this mindset, since it is largely tasked with identifying and drafting a strategy for the broader operational and competitive approach of an organization. Because this kind of strategic planning includes generating organizational values, policies, mission statements, ethics, procedures, and objectives, upper managers need to possess strong conceptual skills.

How does the equity theory explain worker motivation?

Equity theory proposes that people value fair treatment, which motivates them to maintain a similar standard of fairness with their coworkers and the organization. Accordingly, equity structure in the workplace is based on the ratio of inputs to outcomes.

Differentiate between horizontal and diagonal communication.

Horizontal communication, also called lateral communication, involves the flow of messages between individuals and groups on the same level of an organization, as opposed to up or down. Sharing information, solving problems, and collaborating horizontally is often more timely, direct, and efficient than up or down communication, since it occurs directly between people working in the same environment. Communication within a team is an example of horizontal communication; members coordinate tasks, work together, and resolve conflicts. Horizontal communication occurs formally in meetings, presentations, and formal electronic communication, and informally in other, more casual exchanges within the office. Diagonal communication is the sharing of information among different structural levels within a business. This kind of communication flow is increasingly the norm in organizations (in the same way that cross-functional teams are becoming more common), since it can maximize the efficiency of information exchange. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Diagonal communication routes are the straight lines that speed communications directly to their recipients, at the moment communication is necessary. Communications that zigzag along horizontal and vertical routes, on the other hand, are vulnerable to the schedules and availability of the individuals who reside at each level.

describe job enrichment

It's important for managers to delegate some of their planning to seasoned employees as they grow into their roles. By turning over control of work-task planning to employees themselves, they feel a strong sense of engagement, progress in their career, and ownership of their work outcomes.

Define phishing.

Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons. Often the sender of the electronic communication is disguised as a trustworthy entity.

Define SWOT analysis

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Conducting such an analysis provides a means of projecting expectations, anticipating problems, and guiding decision making. As shown in the graphic, below, a SWOT analysis is an examination of the internal and external factors that impact the organization and its plans.

Describe human skills in relation to management.

The development of human skills— a combination of social, interpersonal, and leadership skills—is central to the success of any manager. Over the years, the conventional definition of management has become less specific, as managerial functions can include staffing, directing, and reporting. Modern companies have fewer layers of management, as these companies now tend to delegate (rather than concentrate) responsibilities and authority to achieve goals. As a result, businesses often expect managers to lead or guide people, rather than giving out instructions for every action or task. The ability to lead people is therefore a central component of human skills. Realistically, most organizations need managers who can view their teams analytically and objectively, evaluate inefficiencies, and make unpopular choices. However, it's misguided to think that a manager has to be distant from or disliked by subordinates to execute these responsibilities. Creating a healthy work environment that's conducive to development, constructive criticism, and achievement simply requires strong human skills—especially in the realm of communication.

Differentiate between upward and downward communication.

Upward communication is the transmission of information from lower levels of an organization to higher ones; the most common situation is employees communicating with managers. Managers who encourage upward communication foster cooperation, gain support, and reduce frustration among their employees. The content of such communication can include requests, estimations, proposals, complaints, appeals, reports, and any other information directed from subordinates to superiors. Upward communication is often made in response to downward communication; for instance, when employees answer a question from their manager. In this respect, upward communication is a good measure of whether a company's downward communication is effective. Downward Communication, communication from superiors to subordinates in a chain of command is a downward communication. This communication flow is used by the managers to transmit work-related information to the employees at lower levels. Ensuring effective downward communication isn't always easy. Differences in experience, knowledge, levels of authority, and status make it possible that the sender and recipient do not share the same assumptions or understanding of context, which can result in messages being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Creating clearly worded, unambiguous communications and maintaining a respectful tone can facilitate effective downward communication.

Describe external communication.

When an organization communicates with people or organizations outside the business. Recipients of external communication include customers, lawmakers, suppliers, and other community stakeholders. External communication is often handled by marketing and sales. Annual reports, press releases, product promotions, financial reports are all examples of external communication.

Define organization chart.

a diagram showing the interrelationships of its positions. This chart highlights the chain of command, or the authority relationships among people working at different levels. It also shows the number of layers between the top and lowest managerial levels

Define formal communication

comprised of all the communication that runs along its official lines of authority. In other words, the formal network follows reporting relationships. As you might expect, when a manager sends an email to her sales team describing the new commission structure for the next set of sales targets, that email (an example of downward communication) is being sent along the company's formal network that connects managers to their subordinates.

Define group.

comprised of two or more individuals who share common interests or characteristics, and its members identify with one another due to similar traits.

Define informational communication.

on the other hand, doesn't follow authority lines and is established around the social affiliation of members of an organization. Such networks are also described as "grapevine communication." They may come into being through the rumor mill, social networking, graffiti, spoof newsletters, and spontaneous water-cooler conversations.

Define team.

on the other hand, is a group of people with different skills and different tasks, who work together on a common project, service, or goal, combining their functions and providing mutual support along the way.

List and define the 4 functions of management.

planning, organizing, leading, and controlling

What did the Hawthorne studies reveal about motivating workers?

showed that people's work performance is dependent on social issues and job satisfaction. The studies concluded that tangible motivators such as monetary incentives and good working conditions are generally less important in improving employee productivity than intangible motivators such as meeting individuals' desire to belong to a group and be included in decision making and work.revealed that employees respond to the attention they receive from superiors more than from changing physical work conditions.