Professional Development Flashcards
Difference between and employee and a contractor?
for an employee the organization controls the work, provides the equipment and furnishes benefits
What are the three criteria to consider in determining status?
behavior, financial, type relationship
6 typer/terms for employees
regular, temporary, full time, part time, exempt, nonexempt
9 personality dimensions
perfectionist, helper, producer, connoisseur, sage, troubleshooter, visionary, top dog, mediator
4 generational influences
Silent generation - service excellence, due process, fair and open, civic minded, loyalty, work with in the system, disciplined, adhere to rules, cautions and conservative.
Baby boomer - corporate change agents, relationships count, experiment, pay your dues, drive to excel, optimistic outlook, taking it personally (take a great deal of pride in accomplishments), holistic view, self-improvement gurus
Generation X - make it happen, committed, comfortable with diversity, feedback hungry, self-sufficient, entrepreneurial, they don’t take it for granted, flexible and adaptable, technologically adept
Millennial - high technical literacy, multi-tasking abilities, hard work is expected, civic-minded, power of the pack, authority’s ok, fewer gender and ethinicity issues, global existence, manners and a moral code, educated.
major influences on and best ways to motivate each group
silent generation - showing you value them and asking them to share expertise and insight
boomers - providing opportunities to try new things built on their core skills, make them mentors/job coaches/complex problem solvers. offer working time outs, show flexibility in job design and scheduling
Gen X - flexible work hours, do not micro manage, provide mentoring and access to training, ensure they can work independently and take ownership
millennials - ensure they have challenging work that is meaningful, keep a sense of humor and make the workplace fun while providing structure, objectives and timelines. and keep work varied and invest in training and education
Szilagyi’s basic model of motivation
It incorporates needs, directions, and rewards.
Step 1 - arousal of needs
Step 2 - search for and choose behaviors/ strategies to satisfy the need
Step 3 - Perform the behaviors
Step 4 - evaluate performance
Step 5 - reward or punishment is given based on the performance
Step 6 - The individual evaluates whether the need has been satisfied
If the need has not been satisfied, individual may repeat with different choices
What is the basis for the scientific management model of motivation?
Workers are motivated through wage incentives and the most efficient way to perform tasks were determined by managers.
How does the Human Relations Model differ from the scientific one?
HR model found that employees are not solely motivated my wages, but by a variety of needs. This model urges employers to give employees freedom to make job-related decision and feel useful and important.
3 broad areas of present-day motivation theory
- Content theories focus on factors that energize or arouse motivated behavior.
- Process theories focus on how to motivate.
- Reinforcement theories focus on the ways in which behavior is learned.
Maslow Theory
Classifies motivation into a hierarchy - physiological, safety/security, belongingness, esteem, self actualization. Lower needs must be met before we can more on to meeting the higher needs.
Herzberg Theory
Job satisfaction (motivators) and Job dissatisfaction (hygiene factors)
what do content theories fail to consider?
1 - needs change over time and vary between individuals
2 - the way needs translate into behavior is different from person to person as is behavior
3 - people from different countries and cultures rank their needs differently than Americans do
On the positive side, content theory helps managers realize that motivation is different from person to person, and if he/she does a good job in assessing individual needs, workers will be motivated to do a great job.
The Rational Decision-Making Model recommends six steps
- Define the problem.
- Identify decision criteria.
- Allocate weights to the criteria.
- Develop the alternatives.
- Evaluate the best alternatives.
- Select the best alternative.
What models fall into process theory?
Expectancy, equity, and goal setting.
Expectancy theory
tries to account for differences between individuals and their behaviors - behavior is determined by a combo of factors in the individual and their environment, individuals make conscious decisions about their behavior, and individuals have different needs, desires, and goals, and finally, individuals decide between alternative behaviors based on their expectations that these behaviors will lead to a desired outcome.
“If I do this, what will be the outcome?”
“Is that outcome worth the effort to me?”
“What are my chances of achieving an outcome that is worthwhile to me?”
Equity Theory
an individual’s evaluation of the equity or fairness of the reward received plays a large part in his/her motivation, performance, and satisfaction. This usually focuses on monetary compensation. People compare their compensation to those that they feel put out the same effort and react accordingly. Therefore, managers must ensure rewards are perceived as fair
Goal Setting Theory
workers strive towards goals and focus on goal setting process. Workers will not be motivated if they have not taken part in setting those goals or do not feel they have the skills to achieve them. Goals should be specific, challenging and reachable. Employees should have a say in goal setting and accurate feedback must be given
What are the problems with process theories and how can they be overcome?
are only effective when a manager knows employees, which can take time. this can be overcome by managers setting clear performance standards, giving good feedback on performance, and rewarding employees satisfactorily.
reinforcement theories
looks at how consequences of past behaviors impact future actions
positive consequences can create similar responses in similar situations
negative can cause individuals to change behavior to avoid those consequences
There are four methods of behavior modification:
- Positive reinforcement encourages desired behaviors with positive consequences such as praise or a raise.
- Punishment discourages undesirable behaviors with negative consequences such as criticism or a poor evaluation.
- Extinction is the absence of reinforcement or the refusal to reinforce disruptive behavior.
- Avoidance discourages undesirable behavior as the individual avoids punishment by performing in the correct manner.
How can job design be used as a motivator?
focusing on making jobs challenging and therefore rewarding. Job rotation, enlargement, enrichment, and job redesign have been used and the success of job design is contingent on the manager being able to diagnose what changes are needed, what the potential effects of these changes will be, and what level of commitment is given to the changes.
Difference between training and development
training is directed toward improving and maintaining skills for current job
development is preparing for future jobs
4 steps to providing training and development
Determine t&d needs
establish objectives
select t&d methods and implement programs
evaluate t&d programs
how is needs analysis conducted
organizational analysis, operational analysis, and individual analysis.
Training and Development Methods
on the job, job rotation, apprenticeship, simulation, self study
efficiency versus effectiveness
efficiency - doing things the right way - high level of output
effectiveness - doing the right things - meet and exceed goals of organization
Describe what a performance framework is and the key elements
framework connects what the employees do to the goals of the organization and consists of
performance criteria, level of analysis, performance focus, time frame, and performance management
define a career and the 4 levels
a career is a sequence of jobs that unfolds over time
level 1 - first job, learning necessary job skills
level 2 - first managerial job, starts making contribution to organization but still learning
level 3 - mid career and more responsibility, leadership roles, mentoring and training others
level 4 - higher level of management, setting goals for future direction of the organization and high degree of control over important resources. may include choosing possible successors and grooming them
career stages
entry stage
development stage
balance stage
exploration stage
Important to know where employee is so proper motivation can be given
Schein’s Cone Model
career paths can go in three directions
vertically - up and down the hierarchy
radially - decreasing or increasing employee’s importance or centrality - ex moving from line position to staff position
circumferentially - moving from one functional area to another such as moving from fleet to finance
What question does a career preference analysis answer? Why is this important?
What do i want from a job or a career
this is helpful for setting goals and the ability to accomplish them
Career goals normally consist of what two components?
time frame and criteria
immediate, 3-5 years, and long term time frame
criteria are job titles, salary, # of jobs held, # people supervised, level of educational achievement, type of lifestyle desired, level of responsibility, type/size/growth of employer
2 factors that identify career state
the organization’s evaluation of how promotable the individual is and the organization’s perception of how well the individual is performing
4 categories of employee career state
learners or comers
stars
solid citizens
deadwood
professional development plan includes
short term goals, long term goals, strengths, development needs/priorities
how to achieve career goal
current skills > requirements of goal > plans to reach goal>= career goal
Identify the most important purposes of an evaluation system
feedback for employees on how their manager and or view their performance
promotion, termination, and transfer decisions
criteria for allocating organizational rewards
criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of recruitment, selection, and placement decisions
assessing training and development needs and evaluation the success of prior training and dev
What questions identify the factors that contribute to poor performance?
- Does the person have sufficient job knowledge and skills to perform as expected?
- Has the person been rewarded in the past for good performance?
- Does the current job satisfy the person’s current job needs?
- Are their outside factors that might affect job performance, such as poor co-worker relationships or inadequate working conditions?
What steps make up the formal performance assessment process?
- Analyzing a job by identifying all of the elements of that job.
- Identifying specific performance criteria or the important elements of performance.
- Developing specific measurement metrics.
- Establishing performance standards
- Considering the performance assessment and interview, including the conduct, the content, and the frequency.
- Planning for intervention or corrective action if needed. This will be determined by the actual performance assessment. High performance could come with a reward of some sort and inadequate performance needs to be addressed with some form or corrective action
When considering the formal performance process what should be considered when developing specific performance metrics?
what is a valid measure of performance
how accurate is that measurement
measurements may be qualitative or quantitative
Group vs collection of people
group is a collection of people who are interdependent and interact with a purpose versus people who just happen to be together
group systems and characteristics
groups are open and complex systems that interact with smaller systems embedded in them or larger systems that they are embedded in.
Some characteristics of groups that may be important for managers to be aware of are:
- They can be rigid and formal or loose and flexible.
- They normally develop their own internal structure, norms, values and roles.
- They create a sense of belonging.
- Outsiders will be treated differently than members.
- They are formed for a purpose.
- People in the group tend to be similar.
3 types of purpose groups
functional, task or project oriented, and interest / friendship
2 group orientations
formal - usually the functional or task/project or informal which are usually friend groups. Informal groups can have impact on the organization such as a rumor mill or they may have separate standards of behavior that move to the workplace
Five major characteristics of groups
group development stages, norms, status, roles, and cohesion
stages of group development
orientation, internal problem solving, growth, evaluation and control
norms
standards of behavior and performance
status
socially defined rank given to the group or members of the group by others
factors are based on power a person holds over others, person’s ability to contribute toward group goals, and individual’s personality
status a good thing ?
can clarify relationships, authority, and responsibility
How can employees develop an understanding of their role in a group?
consideration of the organization (job description), the group (norms), and the individual (expectations based on attitudes and values)
role conflict
when one is performing multiple roles for multiple areas and has conflicting requests for things to be done. It is important to get a clarification of priorities in this case by going to one’s manager or the next individual higher
group cohesion
team spirit/espirit de corps
- The size of the group – small is more cohesive.
- The degree of mutual dependency – e.g. workers from close knit communities.
- Commonality through gender, faith, skills, experience.
- The strength of the leader.
what is a trade union
trade or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas regarding working conditions
collective bargaining
process of negotiating and administering agreements between the union and management concerning wages, working conditions, and other aspects of the work environment
Describe the history of unions in the US and Canada
The origins of unions go back to the 18th century and the time of the Industrial Revolution
National Labor Union was first US union in 1866, followed by Knights of Labor, followed by American Federation of Labor which was founded by Samuel Gompers
Unions have been part of Canadian economic life since before Confederation in 1867. Even though unions were in existence, Canadian law allowed for their prosecution until unions were legalized by Sir John A Macdonald in 1872. Unions in Canada grew very rapidly in the years following the two World Wars. Today nearly 30% of Canadian workers belong to unions, including, nurses, teachers, journalists, and professional athletes, as well as the more traditionally unionized occupations like retail store clerks, manufacturing workers, miners, electricians, and other construction trades workers. These unions are regulated by federal and provincial legislation. They are required by law to be democratic and financially accountable to their members. All unions have constitutions that must be registered with government labor boards.
achievements of unions
Unions can be credited for ending child labor practices, improving worker safety, increasing wages, raising the standard of living, reducing the work hours in a week, providing public education for children, and bringing other benefits to working class families.
There have been dramatic changes in labor relations over time. Union management has become professionalized, and employers have come to accept the collective bargaining process. Unions urge programs that give the workers a stake in organizations and quality-of-work/life programs that give workers more control over what they do and how they do it.
union models
closed shop - must hire from union
union shop - must become part of the union
agency shop - non union must pay a fee to the union
open shop - does not require membership
what is a team
team is a group of people who have been empowered to set goals, make decisions, and solve problems, and who have the commitment to make changes to implement their goals and decisions.
types of teams
improvement teams, work teams, self directed work team
key traits of effective teams
trust, empowerment, authentic participation, ability to manage conflict, basic communications skills, use of delegation to help others learn, willingness to embrace invocation, creativity and risk taking, leadership, decisions-making skills, integration of personalities, need for constructive change, goals and objectives, and training.
According to the Tuckman model, how are teams formed?
forming, storming, norming, performing
groups versus teams
Groups
Think they are together for administrative purpose
Work independently and sometimes at cross-purposes
Approach the job as hired hands
Are told what to do and how
Roles may not be clear and cause disagreement
real understanding not possible
Conflict situations may be unresolved
Do not participate in decisions- conformity is the goal
Teams
Have been coached to thinkin terms of an interdependent unit
Promote constructive attitudes and team welfare as a priority
Establish goals and feel ownership
Are asked to apply their skills to team objectives
Climate of trust that recognizes and accepts different roles
Share information and give explanations freely
Turn conflict into opportunity
Make good decisions to achieve results
leadership a process or ability
both
hay group important leadership traits
trust and confidence in top leadership
effective communication
The most important leadership traits could be interpreted as being trustworthiness, and the ability to communicate.
Posner most important leadership traits
honest, forward-looking, competent, inspiring, and intelligent
Is simply having the traits enough for a leader to inspire others?
no, they must be demonstrated and observed
List the leadership principles of the American Army
- Know Yourself and Seek Self-Improvement
- Be Technically Proficient
- Seek Responsibility and Take Responsibility For Your Actions
- Make Sound and Timely Decisions
- Set the Example
- Know Your People and Look Out for Their Well-Being
- Keep Your Workers Informed
- Develop a Sense of Responsibility in Your Workers
- Ensure That Tasks are Understood, Supervised, and Accomplished
- Train as a Team
- Use the Full Capabilities of Your Organization
4 factors of leadership
follower, leader, communication, situation
Differentiate between a task-oriented, transaction, and transformational leader.
task oriented - focuses on the job
transaction - given power to perform certain tasks and reward or punish, group follows lead to accomplish goal in exchange for something else
transformational - motivates team to be effective and efficient. communication is base and leader is highly visible
4 basic leadership theories
trait, behavior, situation, transformational
The Four Framework Approach to leadership describes four types of leaders
structural
human resource
political
symbolic
managerial grid leadership
concern for people, concern for task Authoritarian (9 on task, 1 on people = high task, low relationship) Team Leader (9 on task, 9 on people = high task, high relationship) Country Club (1 on task, 9 on people = low task, high relationship) Impoverished (1 on task, 1 on people = low task, low relationship)
Style and Situation Model leadership styles
telling, selling, participating, delegating
three things for communication
thought, encoding, decoding
five categories of feedback
- Evaluative - Making a judgment about the worth, goodness, or appropriateness of the other person’s statement.
- Interpretive - Paraphrasing: attempting to explain what the other person’s statement means.
- Supportive - Attempting to assist or bolster the other communicator.
- Probing - Attempting to gain additional information, continue the discussion, or clarify a point.
- Understanding - Attempting to discover completely what the other communicator means by her statements.
10 interview types
screening interviews informational directive style meandering style stress interview behavioral audition group tag-team follow up
rational decision making model
- Define the problem.
- Identify decision criteria.
- Allocate weights to the criteria.
- Develop the alternatives.
- Evaluate the best alternatives.
- Select the best alternative.
four orientations for decision making model
analytical
conceptual
directive
behavioral
bargaining, agreement, understanding, and procedure
- Bargaining – discussing terms of a transaction.
- Agreement – a conclusive commitment to mutually acceptable terms.
- Understanding – achieving knowledge of mutual viewpoints and attitudes on an issue.
- Procedure – the way of conducting a process.
factors influencing choice of negotiation tactics
the personality of the negotiator, the stage of the negotiation, and the moods of key players.
