8 - Management Flashcards
What type of approach does Taylors (1856 -1917) motivational theory adopt?
A scientific approach, meaning it can be replicated anywhere and by anyone.
Jobs are broken down into tasks and the best suited candidates are chosen to specialise.
The theory believes that linking reward to effort increases productivity.
How are workers paid in Taylors theory?
piece rate: paid per item made
What are the problems with Taylors theory?
- outdated; these days people want more satisfaction from their work
- not suitable for every job. i.e the tertiary sector
- doesn’t take into account psychological factors…it’s very boring!
What does Mayo’s motivational theory suggest?
Whats the most important thing about his theory?
Psychological factors; praise and reward etc
these are what make people feel and respond positively.
He felt as though communication effects productivity as well as the workplace environment and working in groups. Recognition of employees is important.
What are the limitations with Mayo’s theory?
- outdated; nowadays these factors are expected and taken for granted
- difficult to tell whats actually increasing productivity
What is the difference between content and process theories?
content deals with ‘what motivates employees’ whereas process deals with the process of motivation and how it occurs.
Who embody the three content theories?
McClellend, Herzberg, Maslow
What is McClellend’d (1917-1998) theory?
Three needs theory.
There are three needs; achievement, affiliation and power. One of these will be dominant and influence workers behaviour. If the dominant is identified then it can be motivated appropriately.
What is affiliation?
sense of belonging
characteristics of people who like to achieve..
- likes to work on a task in which results are based on effort
- likes to receive regular feedback
characteristics of people who like to feel affiliation..
- people orientated over task orientated
- adheres to the culture of the workplace
characteristics of people who like to have the power..
- likes to influence/dominate others
- likes to win
what are the limitations of McClellend’s theory?
- meeting employees needs will not always be beneficial and is time consuming
- personality is not necessarily what drives you at work
- may demotivate other employees who aren’t receiving attention
What is Herzberg’s (1923-2000) theory called?
Two factor theory.
What are the two factors in Herzbergs theory?
explain these..
‘hygiene and motivating factors’
Hygiene factors: pay and working conditions. the absence of these causes dissatisfaction but employees are not actually motivated by these.
Motivating factors: responsibility, recognition, praise, rewards etc
Limitations of Herzberg?
- for classification it depends on the nature of the job
- some employees may value these factors more than others i.e some may get satisfaction from hygiene
- job enlargement and enrichment for some may be viewed as ‘more work for the same pay’
Maslows hierarchy of needs.. (bottom to top)
what do you have to do before you can get to the top?
physiological, safety, social, self esteem, self actualisation
must achieve the bottom needs before the top are achieved
Self actualisation?
fulfilling potential, promotions etc
Self esteem?
feel good factor; praise, respect etc
Social?
staff friendliness e.g. staff parties, dinners, days out etc
Safety?
equipment etc
Physiological?
basic needs of survival e.g. food, drink
in order to achieve this there must be a fair wage
limitations of Maslows theory (1908-1970)?
- order of needs may be different for different people
- challenging for the business to meet each need for every employee as well as expensive and time consuming
- not everyone can reach every level
Whose is an expectancy theory?
Vroom (1932-)
Vrooms expectancy theory?
Employees will first make a decision based upon what they expect to happen i.e. can i do it?
They will also take into account the valence (what value is placed on the reward they will receive) i.e. is this worthwhile?
therefore his theory suggests that workers must believe that they are able to gain a reward that they desire.
What is the managers role in Vrooms theory?
What must they do?
they calculate the likelihood of motivation by calculating expectancy by valance
Instrumentality: they must make sure the reward is followed through and ensure all resources are in place as well as making sure targets are achievable.
what is the equation for Vrooms theory?
what does it result in?
motivation/’force’ = valence x expectancy
results in a number between 0 and 1
0-0.5 less motivated
0.6-1 more motivated
limitations of Vroom?
- placing values on expectancy is subject to opinion
- difficult to correlate performance against reward
- people place different value on reward
What is Peters theory based around?
Excellence
Peters motivational theory?
what were his suggestions?
trying to achieve the highest standards
must focus on people not the control of people
- acknowledging employees achievements
- involving employees in decision making
- giving them responsibility
brief limitation of Peters theory?
-relies on good leadership skills to work
What is Locke’s (1938-) theory?
What were his 5 principles?
goal setting theory.
based on the premise that employees like to have goals and enjoy working towards them
he researched five principles to include; clarity, challenge, feedback, commitment and task complexity.
his 5 principles is just the process of goal setting
limitations of Locke’s theory?
- may work towards the goal at the expense of other parts of the job
- targets don’t necessarily work
- requires constant monitoring and feedback which is very time consuming
- demotivating if goals aren’t achieved
What is Druckers motivation theory?
what does MBO stand for?
He believed that good management is crucial..
people are an asset, not a cost to be minimised (they help a business to be successful)
He is known by his concept of ‘Management by Objectives’
What are some of Druckers key suggestions?
- take an interest in employees
- offer ongoing training
- ensure rewards are shared fairly
- communicate objectives
what does the term knowledge worker mean? (links to Druckers theory)
A persons whose job involves handling or using info/technology
their knowledge is an asset and this means they are very hard to replace
problems with Drucker?
- relies on good leadership skills; this is difficult to be taught
- some employees won’t be as motivated by ‘non monetary’ methods
some types of non-monetary methods of motivation?
praise, recognition reward, job security, job enlargement, job rotation and job enrichment
some monetary methods of motivation (described)?
fringe benefits: anything extra you get on top of your usual pay
profit sharing: take an amount of the profits and share among staff
bonus: something extra received for doing well
commission: getting paid a percentage of what you sell
share option: giving employees opportunities to buy shares at a discount to sell on
overtime: extra work for extra pay
what is meant by motivation?
a strong desire to act/perform in a certain way
what is meant by morale?
the confidence/enthusiasm/’spirit’ of an individual or a group
3 reasons why motivation is important?
- increases work ethic and productivity
- less prone to absenteeism
- makes change easier to implement
what are the characteristics of a manager
- tough
- strict
- work by the textbook
- autocratic
- safe, doesn’t take risks
- sets examples
what are the characteristics of a leader
- charismatic
- positive outlook
- clear on objectives
- genuine and honest
- offers team support
- consistent
who identified the 3 styles of leadership?
Lewin (in 1939)
autocratic leadership?
- expects precision in work
- very strict
- close supervision
- doesn’t involve employees in decision making
- thinks motivation is only through monetary methods
democratic leadership?
- encourages employees to help make decisions
- encourages two way communication
- allows employees to use initiative
- believes that motivation is not simply through monetary methods
laissez-faire leadership?
- provides little direction
- very laid back
- often requires employees to set their own task and objectives
paternalistic leadership?
- wants the workforce to feel involved in decision making
- cares for employees
- adopts a parental approach
- wants employees to accept their view regardless of their own
where are autocratic managers often found?
in centralised structures as all decisions are made at the top of the hierarchy
where are democratic managers likely to be found?
in decentralised structures as those at the top encourage creativity and decision making from all levels
McGregors Theory X and Theory Y is a theory of how managers view employees..
How do theory X employees view work?
How do theory Y employees view work?
X: dislikes work and responsibility, very lazy
lacks the ability to work unsupervised
lacks initiative
motivated by money
Y: enjoys their work under the right conditions
willing to accept responsibility and challenges
able to self discipline
how are managers adopting a theory X approach likely to act?
autocratic manner
limited communication
little job satisfaction implemented
driving force is money
how are managers adopting a theory Y approach likely to act?
democratic manner
sees employees as valuable assets
employees encouraged to set own goals etc
the trade off between people needs and task needs: Blake and moutons leadership grid
what are the parts to it?
country club team leader authoritarian impoverished (middle of the road)
people needs?
the needs of employees - a manager who concentrates on people needs will try to make employees content and in high spirits - sometimes at the expense of getting work done
task needs?
a manager who has an overriding desire to ‘get the job done’ and is orientated towards the task
country club leadership?
concerned about the well beings of employees rather than completing the required tasks. morale high, however, some employees could take advantage
HIGH PEOPLE NEEDS, LOW TASK NEEDS
authoritarian leadership?
concerned with the task rather than employees. the needs of the employee must always take second place over task
HIGH TASK NEEDS, LOW PEOPLE NEEDS
impoverished leadership?
lack of concern for both people and the task. unable to do both of these, very ineffective. morale and productivity both low
LOW TASK NEEDS, LOW PEOPLE NEEDS
team leadership?
strong and equal regard for both employees and the task ahead. this is what a manager should aim for
high levels of motivation alongside high levels of productivity
HIGH TASK NEEDS, HIGH PEOPLE NEEDS
middle of the road leadership?
compromises between the two sets of needs. neither is truly met and less outcomes are achieved. these leaders are often indecisive
Blake and Moutons managerial grid (def)
a method of identifying the actions, priorities and therefore leadership style of a manger.. this is done by looking at task needs and people needs
Adair three circle theory?
- achievement of tasks
- team involved in tasks
- individuals involved in tasks
what does Adair’s theory suggest?
that leaders have to try and balance the needs of all three elements in the circles; a failure to consider all three leads to failure
whats a problem with Adair’s circle theory?
the three elements can conflict with each other… e.g. ensuring the task is in full focus may be at expense of the individuals who are involved with the task.. or too much time may be spent on the groups/individuals on the task and not the task itself.
Carlyle and Galton’s trait theory..
concentrates on the traits shown by successful leaders (the characteristics required of these)
Carlyle and Galton’s characteristics of an effective leader?
- motivational
- integrity (ethical approach)
- self confidence
- creative (new ideas)
- intelligent
Tannenbaum and Schmidts leadership theory focuses on what?
the trade off between the amount of control a leader has and the interaction between the leader and their employees
what is Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s theory sometimes known as?
the ‘contingency’ approach
4 styles of Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s theory? Explained..
Tell: the leader simply informs the employee on their decision (autocratic approach) and employees are expected to comply
Sell: leader makes the decision but attempts to ‘sell’ it to the employee - two way communication adopted
Consult: step further than sell as the leader presents their ideas and invites discussion, offering a collaborative approach - two way communication is the norm
Participate: focus on the employees and not the leader as they ask employees to make the decision, this does however have limits and boundaries
specialist department managers include..
marketing
production
personnel
finance
marketing managers need to ..
- market research
- pricing strategies
- product marketing
- distribution of the product
production managers need to ..
- stock control
- quality control
- purchasing
- maintenance
finance managers need to ..
- cashflow
- cost analysis
- setting and monitoring budgets
- house keeping
personell managers need to ..
- motivation
- employee records
- appraisal
- training
what is a trade union?
an organisation of employees that seeks to protect and improve the interests of its members. it negotiates on working conditions and pay
what are ‘no strike deals’?
when a union gives up the right to strike
work to rule?
employees do exactly what is stated in their contract and no more
employee participation?
employees have the ability to participate in the decision making process at work
benefits to a business of employee participation?
- increased motivation
- better communication
- improved quality of decision making (new and improved ideas)
quality circles?
regular short meetings during work hours - the objective is to discuss and resolve work related problems.
work councils?
a formal meeting of managers and employee representatives to discuss pay and working conditions. this is a legal requirement in the EU.
Industrial action?
the measures that a union can take to put pressure on management in a dispute, in order to make them change their mind about a decision
what is ACAS?
Advisory conciliation and arbitration services (government funded action) - it is the main way for a business to avoid conflict between management and employees - trade unions and managers follow ACAS guidelines
