CASE STUDIES WHAT WILL WE DO IN THIS SECTION? Vocabulary

Transcription

1 CASE STUDIES WHAT WILL WE DO IN THIS SECTION? Vocabulary Theories of leadership Case study READING 2: Theory X and Theory Y Case study READING 3: Management functions Leadership styles Case study READING 4: Identifying leader behaviours Paraphrasing review Case study READING 5: The bolt that holds the Ikea Empire together Language review: relative clauses Case study Practice: Zenova ASSESSMENT TASK 1: CASE STUDY REPORT 159

2 Douglas Murray McGregor ( October 1964) was a management professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and president of Antioch College from 1948 to He also taught at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. His 1960 book The Human Side of Enterprise had a profound influence on education practices. Douglas McGregor is a contemporary of Abraham Maslow. Likewise, he also contributed much to the development of the management and motivational theory. He is best known for his Theory X and Theory Y as presented in his book The Human Side of Enterprise (1960), which proposed that manager s individual assumptions about human nature and behaviour determined how an individual manages their employees. [2] 160

3 VOCABULARY Word POS Use the word in an original sentence mediator noun Due to his conflict management skills he made an excellent mediator. instigator dictator facilitator mentor diplomatic efficient flexible logical supportive autocratic diplomatic laissez-faire recognition praise criticism delegate collaborative commitment knowledgeable 161

4 THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP Task 1A: Read the text below, and then answer the True/False questions. What do managers think of their staff? In his highly influential book The Human Side of Enterprise, McGregor (1960) said there were two opposing views, Theory X and Theory Y. READING 2 THEORY X AND THEORY Y Douglas McGregor 1960 Theory X managers believe that people dislike work. Work is necessary because if you do not work you cannot live. People are naturally lazy. They prefer to be directed. So managers have to tell their subordinates what to do. Managers have to organise the workers and pressure them to do things. The manager s job is to think about the goals of the organisation then make workers realize the goals. Subordinates want security. They want managers to organise and control everything. So Theory X managers are authoritarian. Managers are the bosses. They decide the goals and give orders. They direct everything, from the top down. Theory Y is more or less opposite to Theory X. Theory Y managers believe that people like to work. Work is necessary because people want to work to feel happy. People are naturally industrious. They prefer to participate in decision-making. Managers discuss with their subordinates what to do. Managers organise communication channels with the workers and listen to their opinions. The manager s job is to establish the goals of the organisation with the workers, so that together they can realize the goals. Subordinates want managers to involve them, to delegate decision-making, to allow them autonomy. Theory Y managers are teamoriented. They trust their subordinates. The organisation is less hierarchical and more creative. 1. Theory X and Theory Y are theories of leadership. T/F 2. Theory X is a more traditional description of management/worker relations. T/F 3. Theory Y is typical in hierarchical top-down organisations. T/F 4. Theory Y managers tell workers what they want. Workers do it. T/F 5. Theory X mangers are authoritarian. T/F 6. Theory Y workers are lazy and don t want to work. T/F 7. For Theory X workers, work is natural. T/F 8. Theory Y working relationships are open, communicative and creative. T/F Task 1B: Put the words and phrases below into the correct column. communication control co-operation creativity direction modern orders participation security traditional work is a necessity work is natural THEORY X Communication THEORY Y 162

5 THE ROLES OF MANAGERS Task 1: The table shows four main roles of managers: planning, organising, leading and controlling. Below the table is list of management functions. Write each function under the correct heading. Planning Organising Leading/directing Controlling Management Functions communicating with staff comparing results with targets deciding strategy empowering staff to take decisions identifying change identifying needs managing resources monitoring quality standards motivation putting systems in place setting objectives taking on new staff team-building supervision time management Sweeney, S, 2002, Test You Professional English; Management, Penguin, England Task 2: Read about management functions and answer the questions which follow. READING 3 MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS M Arden & B Dowling Management plays a vital role in any business or organised activity. Management is composed of a team of managers who have charge of the organisation at all levels. Their duties include making sure company objectives are met and seeing that the business operates efficiently. Regardless of the specific job, the managers perform four basic functions: 1. Planning 2. Organising 3. Directing 4. Controlling 15 Planning involves determining overall company objectives and deciding how these goals can best be achieved. Managers evaluate alternative plans before choosing a specific course of action and then check to see that the chosen plan fits into the objectives established at higher organisational levels. Planning is listed as the first management function because the others depend on it. However, even as managers move on to perform other managerial functions, planning continues as goals and alternatives are further evaluated and revised

6 Organising, the second management function, is the process of putting the plan into action. This involves allocating resources, especially human resources, so that the overall objectives can be obtained. In this phase, managers decide on the positions to be created and determine the associated duties and responsibilities. Staffing, choosing the right person for the right job, may also be included as part of the organising function. Third is the day-to-day direction and supervision of employees. In directing, managers guide, teach, and motivate workers so that they reach their potential abilities and at the same time achieve the company goals that were established in the planning process. Effective direction, or supervision, by managers requires ongoing communication with employees. In the last management function, controlling, managers evaluate how well company objectives are being met. In order to complete this evaluation, managers must look at the objectives established in the planning phase and at how well the tasks assigned in the directing phase are being completed. If major problems exist and goals are not being achieved, then changes need to be made in the company s organisational, or managerial, structure. In making changes, managers might have to go back and replan, reorganize, and redirect. In order to adequately and efficiently perform these management functions, managers need interpersonal, organisational, and technical skills. Although all four functions are managerial duties, the importance of each may vary, depending on the situation. Effective managers meet the objectives of the company through a successful combination of planning, organising, directing and controlling. 124 Business Concepts For English Practice, 2 nd edn, Heinle & Heinle, USA NOTE: Questions with asterisks (*) cannot be answered directly from the text. 1. What do the duties of managers include? 2. What does the planning involve? 3. Why is planning the first management function? 4. What do managers do in the organising phase? Sweeney, S, 2002, Test You Professional English; Management, Penguin, England 164