1. Do you think one (or more) of Mintzberg’s roles is more important than the others? Why or why not?
Mintzberg has explained ten important management roles, of which the three roles such as leader, entrepreneur and negotiator are more important than the others. The contemporary firms have a greater need for leaders than managers at every organizational level to develop competencies and minimize the impact of uncertainties and competitive forces. Secondly, the firms now focus on promoting an entrepreneurial culture to enhance creativity, innovation and incremental learning. Third, the expertise in negotiations is mandatory in a global context for which the managers should attain cross-cultural training and coaching.
2. Managers who have unchecked power, authority, and autonomy are more likely to engage in unethical and illegal behaviors. How can companies check the power of managers without resorting to micromanaging?
The business practitioners, academicians, strategic partners, analysts and theorists frequently argue that managers who have unchecked power, authority or autonomy are more likely to engage in unethical and illegal behaviors. It should be noted that a company can check the power of managers without resorting to micromanaging through a feedback portal and mechanism that motivate subordinates to express their issues, positive / negative aspects and evaluation of their managers. Secondly, the strategic planners should also establish performance monitoring committees to ensure the managers are heading in the right direction without any illegitimate use of power and autonomy. Third, the superiors should delegate tasks, but the implementation should be assessed frequently (Williams 36-40).
3. What forces determine how a company conducts its business?
There are numerous internal, external and competitive forces that determine how a company conducts its business. The internal forces include the employees, suppliers, creditors, distributors, partners, operational infrastructure and shareholders. The external environment comprises of include political, legal, economic, socio-cultural, environmental and technological forces. The competitive forces include the availability of substitute products, bargaining power of customers, threat from new entrants and competitive rivalry among active business organizations. The influence of publics is also a major competitive force. (Williams 48-49).
4. Is workplace deviance a fact of life for companies, or can it be mitigated?
Workplace deviance refers to counterproductive and antisocial organizational behavior that leads to violation of organizational corporate values, norms, moral standards and ethical principles. In other words, the workplace deviance is destructive for organizational culture, thereby adversely affecting business development, organizational effectiveness, employee morale and sustainable growth. However, it is justified to argue that workforce deviance is although a fact of life for companies, but it also can be mitigated by implementing extensive disciplinary control procedures and employee training to reduce the possibility of misbehavior, misconduct, social and cyber loafing. The workers should be frequently communicated the possible disadvantages of workplace deviance and its consequences for both organizations and employees. The psychological training could mitigate the high costs of deviance, but the absolute eradication may not be possible.
5. What do you personally think is the biggest obstacle to making good decisions?
Decision-making in modern organizations is no more a one-man-show, instead it involves participation of strategic partners, policy developers and related middle managers. In other words, the decision-making process is a comprehensive task that involves different team members from different units, functions and divisions. In my personal understanding, the biggest obstacle in making decisions is to integrate all team members on a focal point for a pertinent discussion on extant and future problems, challenges, impediments and market dynamics. The difference of opinion among personnel is although a great sign for group discussions; however, the decision-making process is shattered if there is conflict of interest among team members who value personal interests, position, power and autonomy are valued over organizational achievements (Williams 91-95).
Work Cited
Williams, C. MKTG 8. South Western: Cengage Publishers, 2015. Print.
