...This paper is about the complexity of managing organizations. As theoretical groundwork the book Organising and Managing Work by Tony Watson will be used. The book by Tony Watson covers issues about organizational, managerial and strategic behavior. In particular, the author argues for a critical common sense and the use of philosophical pragmatism (Watson, 2006). He also questions the way work is organized and managed. Finally, the process-relation perspective, a critical perspective of how to think about organizations and their relations and interactions with people, is taken by Watson (2006). This paper will start with a description of the two theories “System-control framing” and “Process-relational framing”. Afterwards the three concepts strategic exchange, negotiated order and double control will be defined and exemplified by different cases from the course. Finally, the paper will look into the complexity of managing knowledge at organizations supported by examples from Danone and McKinsey. In the field of leadership and management studies, there are two main perspectives “System-control framing” and “Process-relational framing”, which can help to analyze and make sense of complex organizations. The system-control perspective recognizes organizations as an entity that is “a system of managerially designed rules and roles existing on its own terms […] based on an organization design with a set of structural and cultural characteristics” (Watson, 2006, p.30). According...
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...Individual differences and diversity in workplace The research of individual differences is a true fact since human existence. With increasing competition in the world workplace, it is clear that the businesses with various resources still at the level of demand (Marquardt & Reynolds, 1993). As companies face multiple of difficulties in order to keep successful in the marketplace, workforce give the company most valuable benefits. Therefore, respecting employee in the organization is the key for successful company and that can be achieve by understanding individual differences. Behaviours, values, personalities, and attitudes are different for each person. Considering these diverse traits lead the employees to the most appropriate in achieving organization. Since individuals are different, it is accepted that each employee behave in different ways. The key for companies is meeting individual diversity as a real opportunity and moving it into an advantage. There are three main important individual differences that organisations should focus on, values, personality and attitudes. Values: According to Howard (1988), values are the basic structures of culture. However, values can be applied in management to develop relationships with people. Values can be defined as the beliefs of individual or a group which they have an emotional investment (clegg S. et.al, 2011). Schwartz (1992) describes some values as ‘trans-situational’. These values in one’s life without considering...
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...Leading an Organization Vroom’s expectancy theory Employees always have a tendency of working hard to attain the level the respective organizations they work for expect of them so that they give a positive and a desirable outcome. This underscores the relationship that exists between employee expectation and outcome. It therefore implies that employees have to be motivated to give the desired outcome. Effort, performance, and outcome are the three main aspects of motivation. Effort has got much to do with encouraging employees to believe that when they put concerted effort in whatever duty they do, their performance will ultimately improve (Illuminations, 2002). The performance aspect of motivation involves encouraging an organization’s employees to believe that when they perform at high level they are bound to get good reward. Finally, outcome is all about making sure that the reward given for improved performance is attractive enough. When effort, performance, and outcome are high, employee motivation will ultimately be high (Illuminations, 2002). As easy as this formula may seem to be, it is imperative that the management creates and maintains a strong link between high effort and high performance. Expectancy theory is based on myriad assumptions the first being that people join organizations with expectations about their needs, motivations, and past experiences. An individual behavior is impacted by conscious choice. People also want different things from...
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...Leading In Organizations “The four most common types of teams in an organization are problem solving, self-managed work teams, cross-functional teams and virtual teams” (Judge & Robbins, 2012). Problem solving entails members being able to work together to come with solutions on how to improve processes so that things will become more efficient and effective. These teams however do not have the authority to implement changes on their own. Self managed work teams usually consist of up to 15 employees that have jobs function that are related and included the responsibilities of the former superiors. They are usually responsible for the coordination of work schedules, planning, the assignment of task, making decisions in regards to operation and solving problems that arise and working with customers and vendors. Self managed work teams often choose their own team members and evaluate the performance of each other. Cross functional teams consists of members who have a different set of skills but work together on a variation of organizational tasks. They have the ability to make decision without the consent of management. The use of cross functional teams is a means of engaging people from different departments in an organization to come together to solve problems, bring new ideas to the table and manage complex issues. Virtual teams just as the name suggest are teams that use technology to work together. Collaboration is done online through the web utilizing emails and video...
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...Kelley’s Attribution Theory Essay In this essay, readers will be presented with the literature review of Kelley’s attribution theory (1967), which was developed after the research done by Fritz Heider on attribution theory (1944, 1958). Moreover, a real world example relating to the theory will also be discussed along with the limitations and the three elements of the theory, which are consistency, distinctiveness and consensus. With that, recommendations will be given on how my experience can be improved with the chosen theory. There have been a great number of research done on perception over the last decade and social psychology had been primarily focused, perceiving causes of a person’s behavior (Kelley and Michela, 1980). In Kelley (1973), it is mentioned that Heider (1958) research has played a major role in contributing to the origination of attribution theory and it is still the major source cited in publications. Kelley’s attribution theory was also built onto Heider’s (1958) theory with an understanding that humans are “naïve psychologists” determining behaviors based on causes and effects (Hewstone and Jaspars, 1987). In Kelley (1973), it was mentioned that the central idea of attribution theory is the causal concept where human’s behavior relies on either the characteristics of the person (internal attribution) or the environment (external attribution). To determine whether a person’s behavior is caused by internal or external attribution, Kelley’s theory requires...
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...Strategic Grouping in Leading Organization Design Assignment#2 TMGT 597 01W Organization Design & Business Decisions Presented to: Dr. Jerry D. Parish, Professor of Technology Management August 10, 2015 Abstract: Organizational design process is explained here in the research report with the help of “leading organization design process” authored by by Kates and Kesler. This research report does clearly provide the information regarding the key roles and involvement of right people in the organization design process. Organizational design process is an act the design of the organization is done to lead the organization for the better growth and innovation of the firm. Organizational design process has to be very carefully observed by the high level management in the firm. Key roles in design process are explained here in the research report and the involvement of the right people in the design process is also explained. Involvement of right people in deign process is explained by four types of approaches. Kates and Kesler did give us a perfect idea regarding the deign process in the book authored by them. So let us have a look at the information provided by them and have a clear idea of design process betterment. ...
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...Case study: Leading a Global Organization This paper will evaluate Carlos Ghosn’s approach to turning Nissan around from his appointment of COO at a very critical time in Nissan’s history. After many years of success, Nissan began facing difficulties in the 90s and Carlos Ghosn was invited to help turn the organization around. Both national and organizational culture was very strong in Nissan and made changes difficult, but Ghosn’s management style enabled him to implement the Nissan revival plan (NRP), which turned the company around to profitability. Background The case revolves around Nissan and its management. The company was established in 1933 under a different name, but quickly changed to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Following the Second World War, Nissan expanded its operations around the world and grew steadily. By 1991 Nissan was highly profitable and had four out of the top ten cars in the world. The success didn’t last though. In the years 1993-1999 Nissan had seven consecutive years of losses and credit rating services were threating to lower their status from “investment grade” to “junk”. Part of the problem was the managerial decision to emphasize short-tem market share growth rather than long-term success. Inspired by local Japanese culture and customs, especially keiretsu, Nissan invested heavily in suppliers. This was done to encourage loyalty and cooperation between members of their value chain. Unfortunately, the Asian financial ended up devaluating...
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...Littlefield Technologies Assignment 5 PM on February 22 . Starting at 5 PM on Wednesday, February 27, the simulation will begin The game will end at 9 PM on Sunday, March 3. Accessing your factory http://quick.responsive.net/lt/toronto3/entry.html Littlefield Technologies’ Operations board stuffing testing tuning Operations Policies at Littlefield Purchasing Supplies Processing in Batches Contract Pricing Borrowing from the Bank Cash Balance The winning team is the team with the most cash at the end of the game (cash on hand less debt). Current State of the System and Your Assignment At the end of day 350, the factory will shut down and your final cash position will be determined. Starting at 5 PM on Wednesday, February 27, the simulation will begin The game will end at 9 PM on Sunday, March 3. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE FINAL SECONDS TO MAKE YOUR CHANGES. SOMETIMES THEY TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO BE PROCESSED. Written Assignment: Analysis of Game 2 of Littlefield Technologies Simulation Due March 14, 8:30 am in eDropbox Your group is going to be evaluated in part on your success in the game and in part on how clear, well structured and thorough your write-up is. The write-up only covers the second round, played from February 27 through March 3. It should not discuss the first round. Your write-up should address the following points: • A brief description of what actions you chose and when. Not a full list of every action, but the major...
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...Case 1: Malincho (Word limit: 1000 words, A4, 12-times new roman, 1.5 line spacing) Q1. What is the Case all about? The case is all about Mr. Kalin Pentchev’s business. Kalin is a Bulgarian who traveled to the US for his Accounting and Finance studies. His experiences and discussions led him to the cheese business: Bulgarian feta importation. The case describes his story from 2000 to 2003 where he started from nothing and built a well-established business. His activity went from importing containers of cheese only, to importing a variety of Eastern European products. * First time business * Early stages * Opportunities Q2. Please describe Mr. Kalin Pentchev’s personality Kalin is a hardworker, selfmade man who doesn’t seem to have limits on what he can do to create a successful business. He has an interesting personality because he can spend a lot of time brainstorming before taking a decision, but when it comes to solve an urgent issue he is able to think fast and adapt to almost any situation. Intelligent with strong business abilities, he knows how to manipulate peoples mind like when he decides to buy a brand new car and a suit just to impress the people he has to make business with. Q3. Is It a good opportunity for Kalin’s business? Kalin started from almost nothing. He had to take risks, think fast and use his network to succeed, while remaining aware of the costs and benefits of everything. His personality suits perfectly for his activity since you need...
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...Make sure your Numbers paragraph follows guidelines on both sides of handout Numbers Intro Paragraph Grading Rubric 1. Presentation 20 points __ 4 3 2 Margins All 1 inch __ 4 3 2 Page Number Last name & page number in header, right justified __ 4 3 2 Title Block Following sample on other side __ 4 3 2 Line Spacing All double space—NOT 1.15 + double space __ 4 3 2 Title Represents Thesis; no extra space before or after; no bold, no underline, 12 pt font, capitalized first word and all words except prepositions (in, on, etc.), conjunctions (and, or, etc.), and articles (the, a, or an) 2. Organization 50 points (20, 20, 10) __ 20 18 16 Intro Sentence Get reader’s attention. Begin with something recognizable and then transition to Numbers—2 sentences maximum __ 20 18 16 Thesis/Main point of Numbers—A thesis statement is a single declarative sentence that states what you want your readers to know, believe, or understand about the content of Numbers after having read your essay—1 sentence __ 10 9 8 Points/Proofs 1. Moving from Sinai to the border of the promised land 2. Rejection of the promised land 3. 40 years of wasted travel 4. Balaam, Balak, and Baal-Peor—the end of the 1st generation Rewrite my 4 points: 1–3 sentences to defend your Thesis 3. Mechanics: 30 points __ 30 27 24 Read through 3 times checking for errors ___ TOTAL Example from Deuteronomy Dino Pedrone,...
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...INDIVIDUAL LPO REPORT – PIRATE DEV When I started the LPO class at IE, one thing that clearly struck me was that how dependent are we to achieve our goals and vision. The IWWEG framework led me into thinking what I can do to achieve the visions that I have had since childhood. With this in my mind, I started working on a kind of a blueprint on my getting to that vision. Let me elaborate step by step. I – From the time I have come into existence in this physical dimension, my curiosity has been to understand why am I here? What did I come for? A long time was spent in understanding this existence. Did I come for just living and dying? Do I wake up everyday, have food, go to work, make money, make love, have kids, buy properties, become sick, and then die? Too depressive…this can’t be the reason for being here. There has to be something else. There has to be some purpose for which I have taken birth in this physical form. I now have realized that I would like to establish a co-operative mechanism, which would help people gain life skills that, would help them successful as leaders, husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, brothers/sisters etc. How do I achieve this? This leads to the next step. WE – Fortunately or unfortunately, we are dependent beings. Not just with other human beings but with everything around us. We need air to breather, the sun to give us life, water to drink, cows to give milk, animals to give us food. Every purpose in this world requires support from some...
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...The Haier Group: U.S. Expansion I. INTRODUCTION A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Summary statement of the problem: The Haier Group is a major home electrical appliance maker based out of China. This company was listed as the only Chinese name brand among the world’s 100 most recognizable brands in a global name brand list edited by the World Brand Laboratory. The main issue that Haier Group is facing is how expand into the U.S. market. 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Haier has been successful in the Chinese and foreign market but is looking to succeed in the U.S. market. The problem is, Haier has to compete with well known electrical appliance maker companies like General Electric, Whirlpool, Maytag, Electrolux, Sony, Panasonic, Phillips and LG. All of these companies are well known in the US and have control over the market. Haier Group will have to lower their prices for their products in order to get U.S. consumers to want buy their products. Then they’ll have to convince U.S. consumers that their products are comparable with the other major brands when it comes to productivity. When they achieve this goal there will be no stopping Haier. B. THE SITUATION Haier Group started out in 1984 and was enterprise that was owned by the Chinese government. They originally imported refrigerator technology from Germany. Haier would eventually start to venture into international expansion, acquisitions and mergers, capital operations, scientific...
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...not always so, there are times where conflict can bring unexpected qualities from people – change a person for the better. Humans are stubborn, without being naturally stubborn, humans would have not evolved like we did. Furthermore, conflict leads to the building of strong relationships amongst those involved. An agreement is formed between people with the same goal of overcoming conflict; they can support each other through this hardship. During “Omagh”, the Help and Support group had Protestants and Catholic members. Even though the two did not blend together before, they were united in conflict. Additionally, the United Nations was formed on the basis of this idea - People had the same beliefs about world peace and formed an organization leading the charge for a better world. When people fight for the same cause, they are united together as one. People change for the better. However, every coin has two sides. Conflict is not always virtuous; it breeds suffering. Whether it is at the mercy of global or local catastrophes, people are most vulnerable during...
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...Defining Diversity Defining Diversity * To me, diversity encompasses a wide range of elements in which to classify a student population. It includes the obvious such as race/ethnicity, culture, gender, disabilities, and socio-economic status. However, diversity goes so much deeper. Diversity also includes the various cognitive levels in students, the different styles in which they learn, and the various levels of motivation in students. Each of these diversity categories can be evidenced in an educational setting. The impact it has on a school can be positive if it is approached and handled appropriately by the school and its’ teachers. If it is not, it can have very negative effects on the school and the student. Having low expectations and showing bias toward one diverse group over another can have a very negative and lasting impact. It is important to acknowledge that ALL students can achieve if given the motivation and encouragement to do so. According to Janine Bempechat, high achievers in all ethnic groups believed that success was die to hard work. She concluded, “Teachers need to help low achievers understand that poor performance does not result from a lack of ability as much as from lack of trying” (Nieto & Bode, 2008). It is for this reason that it is of utmost importance that teachers convey positive messages to their students. Building self-esteem can be the first step in academic achievement. If students do not believe they have the ability...
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...KXI723 Organisational Problem Solving for Business Analysts, Semester 2, 2012 Assignment 1 – Executive Report on SODA/Cognitive Mapping Title: Executive Report Type: In-Semester - individual assignment Task Length: 12 A4 pages in 12 point font, double spaced , plus bibliography, use normal margins Weighting: 10% Due: 3.00pm Tuesday 21st August Description: Executive Report on SODA/Cognitive Mapping Methodology for Strategy Formulation and Organisational Problem Solving Imagine that you are an early career junior executive in a multinational corporation. You are well thought of by the CEO who regards you as an “ideas person”. The CEO has asked you to prepare a short briefing paper or executive report on the SODA/Cognitive Mapping methodology. The CEO hopes that you can clearly describe and explain the methodology in about 6 pages – the CEO does not have time to do the reading of books and journals himself and, further, does not have the time to read a report of more than 6 pages. For academic purposes please reference the Executive Report carefully, listing the references in alphabetical order of family names in a section called “References” [The References section does not count as part of the 6 pages]. In the Executive Report you are expected to cover, among other things, the following: • The assumptions and theory behind SODA/Cognitive Mapping • The nature of cognitive mapping, oval mapping and causal mapping and any differences between...
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