7. Describe three different leadership styles and give examples of a situation in which each style could be most used effectively.
Autocratic Leadership- Leader makes decisions without consulting others. The manager takes the decision, announces it and then ‘sells’ it to his subordinates. Works best in situations like a new start-up where the employees are new and await directions.
Participative or Democratic Leadership - Decision making is collectively shared between the managers and the employees. The manager presents a tentative decision which may be subject to change. The manager may present the problem, seek suggestions and then ask the group to make decisions. Works best in organizations which are older, employees experienced and aware.
Free Rein Leadership-Once the objectives are set the employees are free to do whatever is appropriate to achieve those objectives. The manager permits the employees to function within limits defined by the management. Works best in organizations where sense of ownership and belongingness to the organization are high.
8. Describe two major issues that are important in Organizational Design.
Organizational design depends on four factors:-
Span of Control- Stands for the optimum number of subordinates a manager supervises or should supervise. Standardized work will have broader spans of control. Normally, the span narrows at higher hierarchical level of organizations.
Besides, the above two factors, tall versus flat organizational structures and departmentalization also contribute in deciding the organizational structure.
9. What are ISO 900 and ISO 14000 standards? Why are they important?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies.ISO 9000 - The common name given to quality management and assurance standards.ISO 14000 - A collection of best practices for managing an organization’s impact on the environment. Conformity to international standards helps reassure customers that products, systems and organizations are safe, reliable and good for the environment.
10. Describe and compare the basic contributions of Maslow and Herzberg to the understanding of worker motivation.
Abraham Maslow proposed his, “Hierarchy of Needs” theory of human motivation in 1943. The theory classifies human needs from basic physiological needs to safety, social and esteem needs to self-actualization needs. These needs act as primary motivators and any need, if met, ceases to motivate further. Once a basic human need is satisfied a higher need will eventually take its place. From an organizational perspective, a new worker in the company will focus on physiological and safety needs whereas the CEO would be focusing on esteem or self-actualization needs.
Frederick Herzberg developed a two factor theory that distinguishes dis-satisfiers (factors that cause dissatisfaction) from satisfiers (factors that cause satisfaction). The satisfiers are also known as Motivators i.e. Job Factors that cause employees to be productive and give them satisfaction. For example, work, achievement, recognition etc. Dis-satisfiers are also known as Hygiene factors i.e. they can cause dissatisfaction, if missing, but they do not necessarily motivate employees, if increased. For example, company policy, supervision, working conditions etc.
11. Dramatic changes in the U.S. labor force will make the work of Human Resource Managers more interesting and more difficult in the future. Identify and describe three trends that will change Human Resource Managers.
The changes in the U.S. labor force are characterized by the following:-1) The dominant service and high-tech manufacturing sectors requires employees with high technical job skills.2) Such workers are scarce thereby making recruitment and retention more complicated and difficult.3) The human resource job is now not only the responsibility of the Human Resource Department, but all managers across the organization as a whole. Besides other factors like decrease in employee loyalty, availability of low wage workers globally, lesser number of full time jobs due to declining economy, shortage of trained workers, worker shortage in skilled trades and increasing number of baby-boomers who delay retirement etc., will make the job of Human Resource Managers more challenging in the future.
12. Identify several laws that significantly influenced labor management relations. Discuss the major provisions of each law.
1) Civil Rights Act of 1964- Prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, apprenticeships, training, terms, conditions or privileges of employment based on race, religion, creed, sex, age and national origin.
2) Equal Employment Opportunity Act(EEOA),1972- Strengthened Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) giving it rights to issue work-place guide lines for suitable employer conduct, mandate specific record keeping procedures and it was vested with the power of enforcement. The EEOC could now issue guide lines for employer conduct and mandate specific record keeping procedures. It was also vested with the power of enforcement.
3) Civil Rights Act of 1991 and OFCCP- Amended Title VII and gave victims of discrimination right to a jury trial and possible damages. Setting up of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to ensure that employers doing business with the federal government, comply with non-discrimination and affirmative action laws.
4) Employees with Disabilities - Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) -Requires employers to give applicants with physical or mental disabilities the same consideration for employment as people without disabilities. Further, 2011 saw regulations that widen the range of disabilities covered by the ADA and shift the burden of proof of disability from employees to employers.
5) Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) – Focuses on workers who are 40 and over and prevents them from employment and workplace discrimination in hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments and training.
Works cited:
1. Frederick Herzberg, Work and the Nature of Man (Cleveland: William Collins, 1966)
2. (http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards.htm)
