Questions

[jsimmo]

Hey, can anyone please go over my responses to the following questions:

Dave Rodgers, Manager of the Marketing Division at Hume and Weston Ltd, has been called by the Human Resources Manager, Ms Wilson, to explain the high number of recent resignations from his department. Most resignations have been from the younger graduates who have complained about the lack of direction, no sense of belonging and no support given by Dave. Dave does not see a problem with the high staff absenteeism, and would rather not discuss his department with Ms Wilson. Ms Wilson demands that he solve these problems immediately.

- Identify the style used by Dave Rodgers
The style used by Dave Rodgers is laissez faire because of the ‘lack of direction and no sense of belonging and no support’.

- What style would be better? Justify your answer and provide characteristics of the style.
The consultative management style would be more appropriate in this situation. Features of this style include an open, two way communication channel and decision making by management after consultation with employees. This style would be more appropriate because staff who complain about lack of support and direction from Rodgers would be helped as this style encourages guidance which ultimately boosts staff morale.

- What two management roles (POLC) could he use to change the organisation?
Two management roles that Mr Rodgers could use to change the organisation are planning and leading. The ‘lack of direction’ that the staff have been complaining about identifies that the management role of planning is not being used; therefore planning would help Mr Rodgers determine the goals and objectives of the organisation. Leading would benefit the organisation because staff need to be influenced and motivated in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives.

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Define: Policy
Policies are written documents that outline the rules and regulations within an organisation.

Define: Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy refers to an organisation that has many levels of management and a clear vertical structure.

Define: Organisational Chart
An organisational chart is a visual representation of an organisation that coordinates work activities and sets out the roles and responsibilities of the members of an organisation.

Define: Laissez Faire
Laissez Faire is one of the 5 management styles, it is French for “to be alone”. It is the most employee centred management style whereby all employees are left to make decisions by themselves without management control and guidance.

Define: People Skills/Emotional Intelligence
These are interpersonal skills that all good leaders should possess. People skills refer to the way management interacts and communicates with staff/customers while emotional intelligence refers to how management has an understanding for other people’s feelings.

- What is noise in communication and how can it be prevented?
Noise in communication refers to anything that blocks or distorts a message from effectively getting across to its intended receiver.

- What is DODDSE? Outline the steps.
DODDSE refers to the six step approach of problem solving. It stands for:
Define the objective
Outline the facts
Decide on the causes
Develop several solutions
Select the preferred solution and implement it
Evaluate effectiveness of the solution

- What are the 5 negotiation steps? Outline them.
The five negotiation steps are:
Preparation
Opening
Bargaining
Closing
Implementation

- What are two reasons why a policy would be changed? Provide an example of a policy.
The external and internal factors of an organisation are continually changing therefore, managers must be proactive (instigate or pre-empt change). Because of the changing factors an existing policy may need to be changed or a new policy may need to be created. An example: political/legal factors (external) such as a new government law that prevents staff or customers from smoking in the organisation. This would force management to create a new policy that outlines the rules and regulations.
Another reason why a policy would need to be changed is because of…… hmmm any thoughts?

- 4 ways corporate culture is promoted?
Management promotes culture by:
- Communicating significant information throughout the organisation
- Employ staff who show they are open to learning
- Support staff with realistic training opportunities
- Encourage staff to take on new tasks and responsibilities

- 3 advantages of delegation
Three advantages of delegation are:
It can assist the smooth flow of production
It is a time saver for management
It contributes to employee skill development and job satisfaction


Thank you!

[Odette]

Pretty well written answers, although with some of them you didnt relate it back to the scenario, you need to do that.Hmm you didnt complete the noise in communication question (second part of it).
As for another reason why policies need to be changed, well sometimes the policies just dont work for the company, doesn't fit in with their objectives.

Hope that helps
If you need me to elaborate just let me know

[elaine]

Overall, I really like your wording, you have set them out in a very clear manner.
Just a few notes:

- What two management roles (POLC) could he use to change the organisation?
Two management roles that Mr Rodgers could use to change the organisation are planning and leading. The ‘lack of direction’ that the staff have been complaining about identifies that the management role of planning is not being used; therefore planning would help Mr Rodgers determine the goals and objectives of the organisation. Leading would benefit the organisation because staff need to be influenced and motivated in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives.

Don't forget IDL- Identify, Define and Link. You have Identified and Linked back to the case study, just remember to define 'planning' and 'leading' .

Define: Laissez Faire
Laissez Faire is one of the 5 management styles, it is French for “to be alone”. It is the most employee centred management style whereby all employees are left to make decisions by themselves without management control and guidance.

Try to incorporate things like "delegation". Managers who adopt the Laisse Faire style delegate most responsibility to employees. You must remember to include how Laisse Faire managers communicate (i.e. not very much!)

- What are two reasons why a policy would be changed? Provide an example of a policy.
The external and internal factors of an organisation are continually changing therefore, managers must be proactive (instigate or pre-empt change). Because of the changing factors an existing policy may need to be changed or a new policy may need to be created. An example: political/legal factors (external) such as a new government law that prevents staff or customers from smoking in the organisation. This would force management to create a new policy that outlines the rules and regulations.
Another reason why a policy would need to be changed is because of…… hmmm any thoughts?

Another example would be a change in their Occupational Health and Safety policies (legal factor). For example, it may be compulsory for all employees to wear safety gear to prevent physical damage/accidents, therefore this is a driving pressure for the organisation to develop a new OH&S policy.

More examples include:
- Environmental policies, e.g. all employees must use double sided photocopying to reduce paper wastage (promote environmental Social Responsibility- you will learn this in Unit 4)
 
Keep this up jsimmo and your on your way to what you're aiming for!

[jsimmo]

Hey, thanks for your help!!!

I have restructured some of my responses:

What two management roles (POLC) could he use to change the organisation?
Two management roles that Mr Rodgers could use to change the organisation are planning and leading. Planning is the process of setting realistic strategies in order to achieve organisational objectives. The ‘lack of direction’ that the staff have been complaining about identifies that the management role of planning is not being used; therefore planning would help Mr Rodgers determine the goals and objectives of the organisation. Leading is the process of influencing staff in order to achieve the organisations goals and objectives; This role would help Mr Rodgers motivate and inspire staff – ultimately boosting staff morale.

Define: Laissez Faire
Laissez Faire is one of the 5 management styles; it is French for “to be alone” and is the most employee centred management style whereby all employees are left to make decisions by themselves without management control and guidance. Management delegates all tasks to employees in which there is no clear communication channels.

What are two reasons why a policy would be changed? Provide an example of a policy.
The external and internal factors of an organisation are continually changing therefore, managers must be proactive (instigate or pre-empt change). Because of the changing factors an existing policy may need to be changed or a new policy may need to be created.

Another reason why a policy would need to be changed is if it was not actually working within the organisation – it might not fit in with the organisations objectives. 

An example of an Occupational Health and Safety policy for a company could be "all staff must wear protective clothing whilst handling machinery".

Also, would it be appropriate for me to give examples for the 'define' questions? EG: Bureaucracy refers to an organisation that has many levels of management and a clear vertical structure. There is often an autocratic manager and many rules and regulations within the organisation. _______ is an example of a bureaucratic company. (I can't think of any examples)

[Odette]

Yes even if it's the questions ask you to define, you should still give an example, that way you prove to whoever is correcting your work, that you fully understand the term which you need to define.

[elaine]

with the changes, i think you would get full marks

just one more thing

What are two reasons why a policy would be changed? Provide an example of a policy.
The external and internal factors of an organisation are continually changing therefore, managers must be proactive (instigate or pre-empt change). Because of the changing factors an existing policy may need to be changed or a new policy may need to be created.

Another reason why a policy would need to be changed is if it was not actually working within the organisation – it might not fit in with the organisations objectives. 

An example of an Occupational Health and Safety policy for a company could be "all staff must wear protective clothing whilst handling machinery".

Could your provide an example for the bolded statement?

Also to answer your question, it is always good to put examples for 'define' questions- if you can/if it's applicable.
With things like 'beaurcacy', i don't think many companies would like to admit they're beauracratic, so an example of a specific company is unneccessary. However, if they ask things like what is a 'large scale organisation', then an example would be appropriate.

[jsimmo]

I got a question relating to the different types of HR planning over a short, medium and long term period. Could someone please be able to check to see if this seems right as the question was very ambiguous.

Short term: play an active role in recruitment and selection of staff
Medium term: conduct regular performance appraisals for all staff members
Long term: Liaise with senior management and employees during employee relations + develop strategies to maximise worker productivity and motivation levels

Also, what would you guys put?