MS-01 SOLVED ASSIGNMENT 2014

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Course Code
Course Title
Assignment Code
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MS-01
Management Functions and Behaviour
MS- 01/TMA/SEM-I/2014
All Blocks

Note : Attempt all the questions and submit this assignment on or before 30th April, 2014 to
the coordinator of your study center.
1.

Hiring good people is still a relatively simple task as compared to the task of
retaining them. People may join a company because of its favorable image but
will stay on only if they find appreciation for, and satisfaction from, their
work.
Elaborate this statement underlying the role of a manager in the process.
Explain with example from you own experience or the one you are familiar
with. Briefly describe the organization/s and the situation/s you are referring to.

Ans.:
To retain talented people the manager should provide a comfortable working
environment which is conducive to work. More important than the physical
environment is the degree of freedom which a worker enjoys in making decisions
within the defined parameters of his job. Medical Scrubs given free to all is nice way
to retain worker in a hospital business. When a worker knows that it is his
responsibility to produce results and he is accountable for them, he will put his best
effort.
On the other hand, if the worker is always ordered to do every single act, and nothing
is left from him to decide, whatever little potential exists in he, will be killed. A
worker should be able to take pride in his work, derive satisfaction from saying This
is my achievement. To ensure that work does not degenerate into a boring and
meaningless affair, repetitive, dull tasks should be interspersed with tasks which call
for some element of creativity. In practice this may be difficult, but the manager must
at least give some thought to how best he can make work meaningful. Rotating jobs
within the same department at the same level may be one way of marking work more
interesting and provide opportunity to the worker to demonstrate his professional and
technical skill.

2.

Policies, Programmes, and Procedures play as main stay of organizational

growth and sustainability. Do you agree?

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Substantiate your answer with suitable examples from your organizational

experiences or the ones you have come across. Suitably describe the
organizational history and events while supporting your point of view.
Ans.:
Yes, I agree with the statement that Policies, Programmes, and Procedures play as
main stay of organizational growth and sustainability. Sustaining an organization
takes time, planning and cultivation. For an organization to achieve sustainability, its
Board of Directors and senior management must institutionalize systems that help the
organization to think long-term as well as to manage its day-to-day operations.
Every organization needs to distinguish and market its organizational identity. The
organizations identity is made up of its vision, mission, and values. It tells the story
of the organization and why it exists. Organizational identity can also be distinguished
by the organizations look (branding) and message. Finally, an organization is often
identified with its leadership. A charismatic, smart executive director or CEO can help
distinguish an organization and set it apart.
For an organization to be sustainable it must have a strategic plan that speaks to the
mission, vision, goals and niche of the organization. The organization uses this
strategic plan to create an annual operational plan. Every organization should
regularly (every four to five years) engage its Board of Directors and staff in a
strategic planning process. The strategic plan that results from such a process will
provide the organization with a four- to five-year road map, identifying the goals
towards which the organization will work to meet its mission and realize its vision.
The annual operational plan identifies the work the organization will undertake in the
coming year. An operational plan is a practical one-year plan of action that includes
objectives, activities and timelines. It should be intimately tied to the strategic plan in
that any activity the organization will undertake in the year ahead should move the
organization towards meeting the goals and objectives identified in the strategic plan.
To create an operational plan, start by identifying any work to which the organization
is already obligated to conduct based on its current grants and contracts. Chart out the
work, including what will need to be done to accomplish what was promised in the
grant or contract, who will do the work, and by when will the work it get done. Then
think through what new work the organization can take on, based on its niche, to
move towards meeting the goals and objectives outlined in its strategic plan. Again
identify the activities staff would undertake, who would conduct the work and by
when would it be accomplished. Finally, try to identify where the organization might
go for funding for these activities.
If an organization has more than one department or program/project, then an annual
operational plan should be created for each. Senior staff should then work to join the
individual plans in an overall organizational operational plan. It is this organizational
plan that is then used to create an organizational budget and funding proposals.
The annual financial plan is the organizations fiscal plan of action. It includes the
creation of an organizational budget as well the conduct of a number of processes to
monitor the financial health and well-being of the organization.

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3.

Why is socialization an important process both for the individual employee and
also for the organization? Enumerate & discuss the significance of its stages and
their role in shaping the culture and ethos of the organization.
Discuss with examples you are aware of. Briefly describe the organization
/organizational situations you are referring to.

Ans.:
Organizational socialization is a powerful process that affects an individual's behavior
and helps shape and maintain an organization's culture. It usually is the first
behavioral process a person experiences after joining an organization. Part of the
socialization process happens before joining an organization. Other parts happen after
joining.
Organizations ask employees to take on specific roles that have behavioral
requirements. The three types of role behavior are pivotal (required), relevant
(desired), and peripheral (tolerated). Those role behaviors are learned in a series of
role episodes that unfold during socialization. The socialization process is continuous
throughout a person's association with an organization, but it is most intense before
and after boundary transitions. Boundary transitions have three dimensions: functional
(job), hierarchical (promotion), and inclusionary (inward movement).
The anticipatory stage of socialization creates expectations about life in the
organization before a person enters the organization. The person compares those
expectations to the reality experienced in the entry/encounter stage. The
entry/encounter stage happens after the person crosses the organization's boundary
and begins the first day of employment. After successful adaptation to socialization
demands, the employee passes through the metamorphosis stage. In this stage, the
employee experiences the final adaptation to the organization's demands.
Organizations operating in an international context face special socialization issues.
People moving to other countries (expatriates) experience the same stages of
socialization as they do in domestic job changes. On return to their home country,
repatriates can experience culture shock while readapting to their home culture.
Several ethical issues center on whether there is a need for informed consent about an
organization's goal of shaping a person's values and behavior by its socialization
processes. The broad ethical question is: Should the organization tell potential and
existing employees about the goals of its socialization process?
The anticipatory stage of socialization has an especially important implication for
everyone. Get as much information as you can about the organizations that interest
you. Examine existing documents for clues about the organization's culture. Useful
sources include annual reports and press accounts about an organization's activities.
You also can gather information from an organization's Web site and other Internet
sources. If possible, contact existing employees of the organization to get some idea
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about the organization's culture from an informed insider. The accuracy of your image
of the organization and its culture will make your adaptation to the organization much
easier. Getting accurate information at this stage is highly important for taking an
assignment in another country. The latter will feature much that is new about the
external culture surrounding the organization.
Present yourself accurately and candidly. Know your values, skills, abilities, and
limits. You play a key role in the other side of a realistic job preview. There also is a
strong need for a realistic employee preview. You may need to temper your
presentation's accuracy with your knowledge of the target organization's culture.
Some organization recruiters would react adversely to a candid self-presentation,
especially if their organization's culture supports and values deception.
The importance of a realistic job preview to new employee retention and performance
cannot be overemphasized. Managers should let potential new employees know both
the good and the bad points about working for the organization. Such accurate
information becomes highly important for new employees taking an assignment in
another country. Include information about the local culture in the realistic job
preview. You will find the socialization process much easier if newcomers have such
a preview.
Managers play a potent role in the socialization process. Your behavior as a manager
sends signals and cues about important values in the culture. For example, if the
organizational culture highly values punctuality, your behavior should reflect your
acceptance of this value. If it values ethical behavior in all organization actions, you
must behave in ways that show you accept that value.
The performance appraisals you do with a newcomer are also an important way of
giving feedback about how the person sees and interprets the organization. Tell her
the meaning you see in events that have happened to her and show her the events are
part of the routine life of the organization. The latter is especially true for events
newcomers might interpret as goofy but are highly valued by you and the
organization.

4.

What are the types of power? Do you see any relationship between Power
concept and Successful versus effecting leadership?
Explain the concepts with the help of experiences you have /had in your
organization or the organization you are familiar with.
Rationally describe the leadership situation and Power type along with
organizational background to support your response.

Ans.:
Power means many different things to different people. For some, power is seen as
corrupt. For others, the more power they have, the more successful they feel. For
even others, power is of no interest at all. The five bases of power were identified by
John French and Bertram Raven in the early 1960s through a study they had
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conducted on power in leadership roles. The study showed how different types of
power affected ones leadership ability and success in a leadership role.

The five bases of power are divided in two categories:

1. Formal Power
a. Coercive: Coercive power is conveyed through fear of losing ones job, being
demoted, receiving a poor performance review, having prime projects taken
away, etc. This power is gotten through threatening others. For example, the
VP of Sales who threatens sales folks to meet their goals or get replaced.
b. Reward: Reward power is conveyed through rewarding individuals for
compliance with ones wishes. This may be done through giving bonuses,
raises, a promotion, extra time off from work, etc. For example, the supervisor
who provides employees comp time when they meet an objective she sets for a
project.
c. Legitimate: Legitimate power comes from having a position of power in an
organization, such as being the boss or a key member of a leadership team.
This power comes when employees in the organization recognize the authority
of the individual. For example, the CEO who determines the overall direction
of the company and the resource needs of the company.

2. Personal Power
a. Expert: Expert power comes from ones experiences, skills or knowledge. As
we gain experience in particular areas, and become thought leaders in those
areas, we begin to gather expert power that can be utilized to get others to help
us meet our goals. For example, the Project Manager who is an expert at
solving particularly challenging problems to ensure a project stays on track.
b. Referent: Referent power comes from being trusted and respected. We can
gain referent power when others trust what we do and respect us for how we
handle situations. For example, the Human Resource Associate who is known
for ensuring employees are treated fairly and coming to the rescue of those
who are not.
As you can see, you dont have to be in a leadership or senior level role in an
organization to have some form of power. In fact, the most respect is garnered on
those who have personal sources of power. There is more respect for these individuals
than for those who have power simply because they are the boss in the business. It has
been shown that when employees in an organization associate the leaderships power
with expert or referent power, they are more engaged, more devoted to the
organization and their role within it. Employees are also more willing to go the extra
mile to reach organizational goals.
In todays business world, the most effective leaders mostly use a mix of expert and
referent power, though many have legitimate and reward power as well. And thinking
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about your own sources of power strategically is important if you want to influence
your colleagues, clients, and other constituents in a positive way.

My go-to type of power is expert, because it affords the individual the most control.
You dont have to wait around to be handed a title (as in legitimate), and you dont
have to rely on fluctuating circumstances (as in referent). Expert power can be
secured purely through hard work on your part.
So what steps should you take? I alluded to them in a piece last January about
positioning yourself as a thought leader in your organization. To summarize:

Learn Everything
Read as much as you can about your field way above and beyond what might be
expected. Secure mentors inside and outside your organization who are more
seasoned than you.

Build an External Brand

Communicating your ideas in writing and speaking at industry conferences are great
ways to organize your own thoughts and cast as wide a net as possible with your
expertise.

Be Media Savvy
Meet with a PR person about what you can offer to the press and pitch interview
opportunities related to your expertise. When youre quoted in a piece or featured in a
television, web, or radio interview, share the clips via e-mail and social media.

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Thanks Faiz

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