POLYTECHNIC OF NAMIBIA CENTRE FOR OPEN AND LIFELONG LEARNING OFFICE MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT B (ADM720S) FEEDBACK LETTER NO. 1 FOR SECOND SEMESTER 2015 COMPILED BY: DDJ FREDERICKS SEPTEMBER 2015
Dear Students On the average the assignment was answered well, some of you simply copied out of the book and did not even add a single word of your own. I doubt that you will remember anything for the examination if you try to memorise facts in this form. Some students went to the extent that they answered most of the questions in their own words, which is definitely better for remembering the contents. Allow me to congratulate all students on presenting very concise and coherent assignments. Most of the students have shown an understanding of the work for this assignment. However not all students have familiarized themselves with all the reading materials resulting in poor results in some of the questions. Remember to always read your instruction twice before answering it. Many of you are not reading and re-reading your questions to ensure that you know what information I require. You are therefore giving me information that was not required. A few students did not read the prescribed study materials. We wish you a very successful semester and we trust that you will find your programme both interesting and of high practical value. Wish you good luck for the next assignment and for the examination. COMMENTS ON ASSIGNMENT 1 QUESTION 1 The majority of the students answered this question reasonably well. You also needed to share the conclusions for these studies. FEEDBACK Identify and critically discuss the leadership dimensions of the University of Michigan studies. Employee oriented: Emphasized interpersonal relations; Leaders took a personal interest in the needs of their employees And accepted individual differences among members. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 2
Production-oriented leaders: Emphasized the technical or task aspects of the job. Concerned mainly with accomplishing group s tasks and regards group members as a means to an end. Conclusions: Research favoured leaders who were employee oriented. Employee oriented leaders were associated with higher group productivity and higher job satisfaction. Production oriented leaders were associated with lower group productivity and lower worker satisfaction. QUESTION 2 The majority of the students answered this question reasonably well. Define the term part-goal theory and explain the essence of the theory Part-goal theory: A leadership theory developed by Robert house. Derived from the belief that effective leaders clarify the path to help followers get from where they are to the achievement of their goals. Reducing roadblocks and pitfalls. Essence: It is the leaders job to assist followers in attaining their goals and To provide the necessary direction and support To ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organisation. QUESTION 3 The majority of the students answered this question reasonably well. Explain how Transactional leaders differ from Transactional leaders. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 3
Transactional leaders: Guide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements. Transformational leaders: Inspires followers to transcend their own self-interest For the good of the organisation and Is capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on his/her followers. Pay attention to the concerns and development needs of individual followers. Help followers to look at old problems in new ways, and they are able to excite, arouse and inspire followers towards extra efforts. QUESTION 4 The majority of the students answered this question reasonably well. Explain the motivational implications of the motivation-hygiene theory. The motivation-hygiene theory states that not all job factors can motivate employees. The presence or absence of certain job characteristics or hygiene factors can only placate (Satisfy) employees But do not lead to satisfaction or motivation. Factors that people find intrinsically rewarding such as achievement, recognition, responsibility, and growth act as motivators and produce job satisfaction. QUESTION 5 This question was either answered well with students achieving full marks, or answered poorly or not at all. Many students discussed the concept Diversity. You had to focus on the motivational practices in the organisation. Explain the effect of workforce diversity on motivational practices to your manager. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 4
Maximizing motivation in contemporary organizations requires that managers be flexible in their practices. They must recognize that employees have different personal needs and goals that they are attempting to satisfy through work. Managers must also recognize that cultural differences may play a role, too. Various types of rewards must be developed to meet and motivate these diverse needs, As well as training opportunities and career development assistance. QUESTION 6 The majority of the students answered this question reasonably well. Explain why people join groups in the workplace. People join groups because of their need for security, (strength in numbers), Status ( a prestige that comes from belonging to a specific group), Self-esteem (feeling of self-worth), Affiliation (Fulfilling one s social needs), Power (Achieving goals through a group), Goal attainment (if it takes more than one person s time and talents to accomplish some task). QUESTION 7 The majority of the students answered this question reasonably well. Discuss the reasons why organisations use teams instead of work groups. Innovation: Teams enhance creativity when people with a variety of experience and expertise work on a common problem/task/project. Speed: Teams can reduce the time required for product development because they can replace serial development with parallel development. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 5
Cost: Self managing teams have the ability to reduce costs and respond faster to customer requests because of quicker decision to meet demands. Quality: Teams have shared accountability and commitment to their joint effort, with the consequence that excellent quality is a primary goal for work teams. QUESTION 8 (Multiple choice questions). Write down the correct answer. 8.1 A special committee is formed at the Polytechnic of Namibia to investigate the progress towards transformation at the Institution. The brief of the committee is to report their findings after a period of two months to the management committee, after which the group will disband. This is an example of a/an. 1 task group 2 command group 3 informal group 4 interest group 8.2 A key leadership behaviour associated with is the ability of a leader to be aware of the organisation s environment and to sense needs, opportunities and dangers. 1 transformational leadership 2 Fiedler s contingency theory of leadership 3 Hersey and Blanchard s leadership cycle model 4 the Vroom -Yetton-Yago model 8.3 With which statement below can Hersey and Blanchard s model of leadership be associated? 1 Leadership behaviour is concerned with consensus building, is open and inclusive and encourages participation by others. 2 The leadership grid was developed as an instrument to show that there is no ideal style of leadership 3 The job maturity of a subordinate determines the leadership style to be adopted by the manager. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 6
4 A good fit between a leader s style and the situation can be maintained by analysing the situation and then changing the situation to fit the leader s style. 8.4 A law graduate was appointed by ABC Manufacturing Company to head up the legal department in the organisation. She often instructs the Chief Executive Officer on how to deal with legal aspects pertaining to his work, making use of her power. 1 referent 2 expert 3 reward 4 legitimate 8.5 The leadership approach that is based on the premise that the actions of successful leaders differ from those of unsuccessful leaders, is. 1 transactional leadership 2 the contingency approach 3 the behavioural approach 4 the situational approach 8.6 Leadership and management are two distinct, but complementary sets of management activities. The managing director of Big Shop is often described as a leader. In terms of the distinctions between leadership and management, she is likely to. a develop a structure for the assignment of tasks and resources b steer people in the right direction through motivation and by checking control mechanisms c focus on non-behavioural aspects of management d deal with change e motivate people and teams to follow a vision 1 d e 2 a c 3 a b c 4 b d e 8.7 This leadership style implies that the leader clarifies the role of subordinates, initiate structures and provide appropriate rewards. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 7
1 Transformational 2 Charismatic 3 Dynamic engagement 4 Transactional 8.8 A leader with high employee orientation and low task orientation is classified as a/an leader on the Leadership Grid. 1 autocratic 2 team 3 middle-of-the-road 4 country club 8.9 The theory of leadership identified directive, supportive, participative and achievement oriented leadership behaviours. 1 Hersey and Blanchard s leadership cycle 2 House s Path-Goal 3 Vroom-Yetton Yago 4 Fiedler s contingency 8.10 Fiedler s contingency theory of leadership states that. 1 the job maturity of the subordinates determines the leadership style to be followed 2 there are basically two forms of leadership behaviour, namely task-oriented leader behaviour and employee-oriented leader behaviour 3 a leader s effectiveness is determined by how well her style fits the situation 4 a leaders s style can change to suit the situation 8.11 Vusi was appointed as staff development officer in the personnel department fifteen months ago. He has proven that he has mastered his job and that he can be left on his own. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 8
According to the Hersey and Blanchard model, what leadership style should the manager adopt with Vusi? 1 supporting 2 directing 3 coaching 4 delegating 8.12 A group at your organisation has passed through some of the stages of group development and is now at the total integration stage, the stage. 1 performing 2 storming 3 adjourning 4 norming 8.13 Factors in the organisational context that influence the functioning of a group include, but not. 1 organisational resources; personnel selection process 2 organisational goals and strategies; policies, procedures, rules and regulations 3 authority structures; group structure 4 performance management system; organisational culture 8.14 Groupthink. 1 is a generally agreed-upon standard of behaviour to which every member of the group has to adhere 2 refers to group solidarity the way a group stands together 3 occurs when individual group members do not express their own realistic assessment of a decision in cases where group consensus differs from their own 4 occurs when group members take decisions that carry either more or less risk than the decision that individual members would make on their own 8.15 One of the major characteristics of a work team is, implying that the individual efforts of team members result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of their individual inputs. letter 1 3B 2014 Page 9
1 synergy 2 common purpose 3 entropy 4 shared leadership 8.16 McClelland s need for achievement can best be compared to needs in Maslow s hierarchy of needs. 1 affiliation 2 motivators 3 esteem 4 power 8.17 The following statements describe the influence that money has on employees performance according to various motivation theories. Choose the incorrect statement: 1 The expectancy theory implies that if employee values money as a reward for performance, and it is her perception that outstanding performance will result in a monetary reward, money can serve as a motivator. 2 The reinforcement theory implies that money can be used as a reward to reinforce desired behaviour.. 3 Herzberg s motivators can be satisfied by better pay 4 According to Maslow s theory, lower-order needs can be satisfied by money. Questions 8.18 to 8.20 Consider the following factors: a salary b working conditions c job security d opportunities for personal growth e personal recognition 8.18 Which of the factors listed above will motivate employees, according to Herzberg s two-factor theory? 1 d e 2 a d e 3 a c d e 4 a b c d e letter 1 3B 2014 Page 10
8.19 Which of the factors listed above will motivate employees, according to Maslow s hierarchy of needs theory? 1 a d e 2 a b c d e 3 a c d e 4 d e 8.20 Which one of the following statements is wrong? 1 The job content factors of the two-factor motivation theory resemble the higher order needs of Maslow. 2 According to the McClelland theory of motivation, the need for achievement can be learnt. 3 The expectancy theory suggests that people compare input-output ratios between themselves and others whom they regard as their equals. 4 A basic premise of the reinforcement theory of motivation is that people tend to avoid behaviour which has unpleasant results. GENERAL REMARKS: 1. Please go through your tutorial letter carefully. Thereafter take you study guide and the prescribed textbook next to each other and work through each chapter. 2. The study guide only explains certain parts of the prescribed book - you cannot study it alone or try to do the assignments without the book. Enjoy your studies. DDJ Fredericks LECTURER: OFFICE MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY E-mail: defredericks@polytechnic.edu.na Tel: 061-2072857 letter 1 3B 2014 Page 11