Organizational culture Flashcards
Definition of ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE:
Organizational culture is defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values and ways of
interacting that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization.
WORKPLACE CULTURE DIFFERENCES
- Person Culture and Market Culture
- Adaptive Culture and Adhocracy Culture
- Power Culture, Role Culture, and Hierarchy Culture
- Task Culture and Clan Culture
Evolution of management thought
Every entrepreneur’s capability depends on his/her managerial skills, thus it is essential to consider the business management skills as entrepreneurship’s roots. Managing any business has several stages, including the management of various entities. Moving ahead, we will understand the management concepts and evolution of management thought.
Evolution of the management thought is a process that began in the earlier days of humans. It began when the man found the need to live in the groups. Then, mighty men soon organized the masses and distributed them among the groups. The sharing and distribution process completed according to the strength, intelligence, and mental capabilities of the masses. Thus, with the beginning of civilization, the effective practice of management also began.
Task of a manager
- Envisioning Goals
The first and most important task of any manager is providing a direction to the organization. This entails mapping out their visions and missions.
This is one task the manager must not delegate, but perform himself. Defining the company’s objectives helps unify the employees and gets them working towards a common goal.
- Managing Growth
One of the main roles and responsibilities of the manager is to manage the growth and ensure the survival of the firm. There are both internal and external factors that are a threat to this growth and survival of the firm.
Internal factors (such as choosing the right technology, hiring the correct people etc) are mostly in the firm’s control. External factors (government policy, economic conditions) pose a concern the manager must deal with.
- Improving and Maintaining Efficiency
The manager has many roles and responsibilities regarding the efficiency of the firm. Firstly he must ensure that the firm is efficient, i.e. resources are not being wasted. And then this efficiency has to be effectively maintained.
- Innovation
It is the task of the manager to be innovative in his job. He must find new and creative solutions to the problems faced by the firm. Innovation not only means having new ideas but also cultivating and implementing them. This is one of the on-going jobs of a professional manager.
- Looking out for the competition
A manager has to plan and prepare for the competition in the market. He must never be caught unaware, he must prepare for new and/or increased competition.
- Leadership
The quality of the leadership usually dictates the future of a firm. Hence the manager must also be a good leader. He should be able to inspire and motivate people to work towards the goals of the company.
A leader leads from the front, and the manager must also possess exceptional qualities and work ethic that his team members can learn from.
- Change Management
In any company or organization, change is a given. The manager has to be the agent of change in such cases. It is his roles and responsibilities to ensure the process of change is smooth and uneventful for the company.
- Choosing correct Information Technology
This is a problem that all managers of today’s era are facing. There are so many choices available in the market for various IT processes.
It is a challenge to use the best and most suitable technology for your organization. So this entails choosing the correct software, communication system, network system etc.
Levels of management
Top Level of Management:
It consists of board of directors, chief executive or managing director. The top management is the ultimate source of authority and it manages goals and policies for an enterprise. It devotes more time on planning and coordinating functions.
Middle Level of Management:
The branch managers and departmental managers constitute middle level. They are responsible to the top management for the functioning of their department. They devote more time to organizational and directional functions. In small organization, there is only one layer of middle level of management but in big enterprises, there may be senior and junior middle level management.
Lower Level of Management:
Lower level is also known as supervisory / operative level of management. It consists of supervisors, foreman, section officers, superintendent etc. According to R.C. Davis, “Supervisory management refers to those executives whose work has to be largely with personal oversight and direction of operative employees”. In other words, they are concerned with direction and controlling function of management.
ROLES OF MANAGER
Henry Mintzberg identified ten different roles, separated into three categories. The categories he
defined are as follows
Interpersonal roles
The ones that, like the name suggests, involve people and other ceremonial duties. It can be
further classified as follows
• Leader – Responsible for staffing, training, and associated duties.
• Figurehead – The symbolic head of the organization.
• Liaison – Maintains the communication between all contacts and informers that compose
the organizational network.
Informational roles
Related to collecting, receiving, and disseminating information.
• Monitor – Personally seek and receive information, to be able to understand the
organization.
• Disseminator – Transmits all import information received from outsiders to the members
of the organization.
• Spokesperson – On the contrary to the above role, here the manager transmits the
organization’s plans, policies and actions to outsiders.
Decisional roles
Roles that revolve around making choices.
• Entrepreneur – Seeks opportunities. Basically they search for change, respond to it, and
exploit it.
• Negotiator – Represents the organization at major negotiations.
• Resource Allocator – Makes or approves all significant decisions related to the allocation
of resources.
• Disturbance Handler – Responsible for corrective action when the organization faces
disturbances.
Definition of System Approach
In the 1960, an approach to management appeared which try to unify the prior schools of thought. This approach is commonly known as ‘Systems Approach’. Its early contributors include Ludwing Von Bertalanfty, Lawrence J. Henderson, W.G. Scott, Deniel Katz, Robert L. Kahn, W. Buckley and J.D. Thompson
Features of System Approach
(i) A system consists of interacting elements. It is set of inter-related and inter-dependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified whole.
(ii) The various sub-systems should be studied in their inter-relationships rather, than in isolation from each other.
(iii) An organisational system has a boundary that determines which parts are internal and which are external.
(iv) A system does not exist in a vacuum. It receives information, material and energy from other systems as inputs. These inputs undergo a transformation process within a system and leave the system as output to other systems.
Evaluation of System Approach
The systems approach assists in studying the functions of complex organisations and has been utilized as the base for the new kinds of organisations like project management organisation. It is possible to bring out the inter-relations in various functions like planning, organising, directing and controlling. This approach has an edge over the other approaches because it is very close to reality. This approach is called abstract and vague. It cannot be easily applied to large and complex organisations. Moreover, it does not provide any tool and technique for managers
Introduction to management:
:
Definition "Management is the art of getting things done through others and with formally organised groups." Harold Koontz (1909-1984)
Management skills:
Interpersonal skills
Communication and motivation
Organisation and delegation
Forward planning and strategic thinking
Problem solving and decision-making
Commercial awareness
Mentoring
How do I develop my management skills?
Interpersonal skills
Management jobs are all about people, and being able to build successful relationships is integral. To lead a team you’ll need to earn the respect of your colleagues. To do this, you need to know how to effectively deal with people.
Setting time aside to get to know team members on both a personal and professional level, through social activities or team-building training, while still maintaining professional boundaries, will go a long way to earning their respect.
You need to demonstrate your managerial qualities and authority, while maintaining the ability to play your part as a member of a team.
Communication and motivation
Effective leaders must master all forms of communication including written, verbal and listening skills. As a team manager you’re the line of communication between frontline staff and senior management. You’ll liaise with a variety of people, from entry-level employees to heads of departments and CEOs, in a number of different ways - via email and social media, over the phone and in presentations, meetings and one-to-ones.
You’ll need to establish a trusting relationship with employees so they feel comfortable sharing information with you, and vice versa.
Organisation and delegation
As a manager you’ll juggle multiple responsibilities, so excellent organisational skills are vital. You’ll need to manage your own workload, oversee the work of other employees, attend meetings and training sessions, carry out appraisals and review company policies. Sloppy working practices, tardiness and a general lack of organisation won’t be tolerated at this level and will set a bad example to your staff. Effective organisational skills reduce stress, save time and ensure that important deadlines are met.
Forward planning and strategic thinking
It’s a manager’s job to think of the bigger picture, so as well as focusing on today’s tasks and responsibilities you’ll also need to plan for the future. This means setting priorities in line with company goals, reviewing systems and policies, and attending training and managing the CPD activities of your team. As a strategic thinker, you’ll encourage innovation and change in order to make your team and the organisation as a whole more productive and profitable.
Problem solving and decision-making
You’ll be tasked with spotting and solving problems on a daily basis in a managerial position. This requires outstanding attention to detail and the ability to remain calm under pressure. To ensure that your team is productive and that the workflow runs smoothly, you’ll have to think on your feet when problems arise. Creative thinking will help you to come up with innovative solutions that minimise the impact on your team and the business as a whole.
Commercial awareness
This skill is in huge demand among business employers. In fact, according to recruiters, commercial awareness is something that the majority of graduates lack.
What is business environment
The combination of all internal and external aspects of a business equates to the business environment. Explore a variety of internal and external factors and how they contribute to the example businesses.
