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Leadership is a conscious activity and is concerned with setting goals and inspiring people to provide commitment to achieve the organization’s goals.
Katz and Kahn describe leadership as ‘the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with the routine directives of the organization.’
Mullins says leadership ‘is a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of others.’
There are different levels of leadership from the top down to small team leaders, but they will still share the same function – to get people to do the job. How they do that will depend on their attitudes, their perceptions of what motivates people and the prevailing culture of the organization.
John Kotter states that whatever style of leadership is practiced, the following activities should always be considered:
o the creation of a sense of direction
o the communication of the goals
o the motivating, energizing and inspiring of subordinates
Blake and Mouton recognized that it was possible for concern for the task to be independent of concern for people. It was therefore possible for a leader to be strong on one and weak on the other, strong on both, weak on both or any variation in between. They devised a series of questions, the answers to which enabled them to plot the two basic leadership dimensions. These two dimensions were placed as the axes on a grid structure now known as the Managerial Grid. A person who scores 7 on ‘concern for production’(the x axis) and 5 on ‘concern for people’(the y axis) is known as a 7,5 leader.
1, 1 This manager only makes the minimum effort in either area and will make the smallest possible effort required to get the job done.
1, 9 This manager is thoughtful and attentive to the needs of the people, which leads to a comfortable friendly organization atmosphere but very little ‘work’ is actually achieved.
9, 1 This manager is only concerned with production and arranges work in such a way that people interference is minimized.
5,5 This manager is able to balance the task in hand and motivate the people to achieve these tasks.
9,9 This manager integrates the two areas to foster working together and high production to produce true team leadership.
The grid assumes that leadership styles can be categorized into the two dimensions and that the results can be plotted on the grid. The position of team management is accepted as the best form of leadership. This may not be practical or indeed advisable. In many industries, concern for the task may be more important than concern for people, and vice versa and will always depend on the individual situation.
However, if the grid has relevance to leadership skills, it can provide the basis for training and for management development.
Kavungya answered the question on May 2, 2021 at 19:18
- Describe Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid.(Solved)
Describe Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Greg Pye is the chief executive of a medium sized company that traditionally has been organized hierarchically according to function. After attending a management seminar,...(Solved)
Greg Pye is the chief executive of a medium sized company that traditionally has been organized hierarchically according to function. After attending a management seminar, he decided to encourage inter-functional departmental co-operation by implementing a matrix structure in the organization.
Greg agreed that a matrix organization and cross-functional team working would provide flexibility and enhanced performance to the organization. However, the company secretary drew Greg’s attention to some potential drawbacks. These include the possibility that people won’t know who they are meant to be reporting to, supervision will be difficult for their line manager who thinks they are working in their teams and team leaders will have no real authority over the team members.
After speaking to the company secretary, Greg began to have second thoughts about the matrix structure. Greg decides to ask for a more considered view of restructuring the company.
Required:
Greg Pye has asked you to explain:
(a) The advantages of the existing hierarchical structure
(b) The advantages of introducing a matrix structure
(c) How Greg and his management team can address the concerns expressed by the company secretary
(d) How it might be possible to gain some of the benefits of a matrix structure without fully
restructuring the organization
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Explain the advantages and the disadvantages of:
(i) the interview by one person defined as the face to face interview
(ii) the interview with many people defined...(Solved)
Explain the advantages and the disadvantages of:
(i) the interview by one person defined as the face to face interview
(ii) the interview with many people defined as the panel interview
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Explain the purpose of the selection interview.(Solved)
Explain the purpose of the selection interview.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- “Performance Management’ is defined as a means of achieving better results by understanding and managing overall organizational performance.
Required:
Describe the five stages typically involved in the...(Solved)
“Performance Management’ is defined as a means of achieving better results by understanding and managing overall organizational performance.
Required:
Describe the five stages typically involved in the process of performance management.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Briefly describe the response an individual might have to feelings of negative inequity.(Solved)
Briefly describe the response an individual might have to feelings of negative inequity.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- What is meant by the ‘equity theory’ of motivation?(Solved)
What is meant by the ‘equity theory’ of motivation?
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- What is meant by the term ‘process theory’ of motivation?(Solved)
What is meant by the term ‘process theory’ of motivation?
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Explain how effective delegation can be achieved.(Solved)
Explain how effective delegation can be achieved.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Briefly explain what is meant by:
(i) Responsibility;
(ii) Authority;
(iii) Delegation.(Solved)
Briefly explain what is meant by:
(i) Responsibility;
(ii) Authority;
(iii) Delegation.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Exactly what constitutes the management task is often unclear or misunderstood.
Required:
(a) Explain the five main duties of a manager, according to the writer Henri Fayol.
(b)...(Solved)
Exactly what constitutes the management task is often unclear or misunderstood.
Required:
(a) Explain the five main duties of a manager, according to the writer Henri Fayol.
(b) Explain the differences between the role of a supervisor and that of a manager.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Describe three factors that should be taken into account when deciding upon whether to use recruitment consultants.(Solved)
Describe three factors that should be taken into account when deciding upon whether to use recruitment consultants.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Define and describe the advantages of internal promotion.(Solved)
Define and describe the advantages of internal promotion.
Date posted: May 2, 2021. Answers (1)
- Simon Price works as an accounts clerk in a large manufacturing organization and has worked there for seven years. He is known as an unassuming...(Solved)
Simon Price works as an accounts clerk in a large manufacturing organization and has worked there for seven years. He is known as an unassuming individual who quietly goes about his work. Over recent months his workload has increased dramatically. Many members of the accounting team have been away from work due to discontentment and Simon has had to do their work also.
Simon has tried explaining to his line manager, David Lowe, how he and the accounting team feel about the absenteeism and the increase in workload. The feeling among the accounting employees is that the manager is not listening and ‘is following his own agenda’. Effective working relationships within the accounting department are now breaking down.
Last week Simon Price had influenza and was away from work. He returned on Monday feeling tired and miserable. He has spent the last three days catching up on last week’s work in addition to undertaking the work of Sally Simpson, the purchase invoice clerk, who is currently away from work.
It is 15.30 on Thursday and his line manager has just asked him to update the cashbook and reconcile it with the most recent bank statement. At this moment in time Simon is working on inputting sales invoices and has approximately two hours work left on this project. Stopping now would mean that he would have leave the sales invoicing work and return to it tomorrow. He really does not want to do the new task now. Simon feels that he has had enough pressure. He has endeavoured to communicate with David Lowe and although Simon and the accounting department regard David Lowe as possessing poor interpersonal skills, Simon feels that he must now do something.
Required:
With reference to the above scenario:
(a) When he communicates his feelings to David Lowe, the line manager, Simon Price needs to distinguish between aggressive and assertive behaviour. In this situation, explain:
(i) the inappropriateness of aggressive behaviour;
(ii) the appropriateness of assertive behaviour.
(b) Explain whether Simon Price has been displaying passive behaviour.
(c) Explain why David Lowe, the line manager, needs to possess effective interpersonal skills.
(d) Explain why David Lowe, the line manager, needs effective interpersonal skills in the following specific areas:
(i) Motivation;
(ii) Negotiation;
(iii) Team Building.
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)
- Explain the need for effective delegation, the problems with delegation and how these problems may be overcome.(Solved)
Explain the need for effective delegation, the problems with delegation and how these problems may be overcome.
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)
- As a result of company expansion, the accounts manager now has control of four assistant managers. This expansion has resulted in the need for greater...(Solved)
As a result of company expansion, the accounts manager now has control of four assistant managers. This expansion has resulted in the need for greater delegation and clear definitions of levels of authority and responsibility.
Explain what is meant by:
i. Responsibility
ii. Authority
iii. Delegation
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)
- List the factors influencing effective teamwork.(Solved)
List the factors influencing effective teamwork.
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)
- Discuss the evidence which suggests that in order to be effective, a manager can and should be flexible in the choice of his managerial style.(Solved)
Discuss the evidence which suggests that in order to be effective, a manager can and should be flexible in the choice of his managerial style.
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)
- “Attempts to bring scientific methods into management merely show what an inexact art management really is.” Discuss.(Solved)
“Attempts to bring scientific methods into management merely show what an inexact art management really is.” Discuss.
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)
- Motivation of subordinates is an important aspect of a manager’s job.
a)What do you think motivates a person to work well?
b)What steps can a manager take...(Solved)
Motivation of subordinates is an important aspect of a manager’s job.
a)What do you think motivates a person to work well?
b)What steps can a manager take to motivate his subordinates?
c)“People only come to work for money”. Discuss.
Date posted: April 30, 2021. Answers (1)