Management Functions, Levels, and Decision-Making Tools

Posted on Nov 24, 2024 in Other subjects

Management Functions

  • Plan: Making predictions, setting goals and strategies, and identifying resources.
  • Organize: Preparing resources, distributing roles and responsibilities, and determining procedures.
  • Execute: Implementing plans, motivating people, making decisions, and resolving conflicts.
  • Evaluate: Ensuring objectives are achieved, taking corrective actions, and analyzing results.

Mission and Vision

  • Mission: Represents the company’s identity and personality, now and in the future.
  • Vision: Defines the organization’s future aspirations.

Management Levels

  • Top Management: Develops long-term plans (3-5 years) and makes strategic decisions.
  • Middle Management: Implements top management’s plans.
  • Operational Management: Assigns tasks to workers and evaluates their performance.

Employee Classification (McGregor)

  • Theory X Employees: Lazy, work only for money, lack ambition, prefer direction, dependent, and untrustworthy.
  • Theory Y Employees: Enjoy work, set goals, take responsibility, creative, autonomous, independent, motivated, and trustworthy.

Leadership Theories

  • Personality Trait Theory: Focuses on inherent leadership qualities (communication, empathy, etc.). Modern approaches emphasize learned skills.
  • Situational Leadership Theory: Leaders adapt their behavior (task-oriented vs. relationship-oriented) based on the situation.
  • Situational Leadership (Hersey-Blanchard): Leadership style depends on the maturity level of the workers.

Conflict: Advantages and Disadvantages

  • Advantages: Raise awareness of problems, introduce change, stimulate creativity, and strengthen relationships.
  • Disadvantages: Involve competition, heighten emotions, create bias, hinder communication, and lead to inflexible positions.

Conflict Styles

  • Avoidance: Distancing oneself from the conflict.
  • Accommodation: Pretending everything is fine (passive, temporary strategy).
  • Competition: Aggressive strategy, harmful to both parties.
  • Negotiation: Based on exchange between parties.

Mediation, Arbitration, and Conciliation

  • Mediation: A third party proposes solutions.
  • Arbitration: An arbitrator dictates a solution.
  • Conciliation: A third party helps parties reach an agreement.

Negotiation Concepts

  • BATNA: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement.
  • Range: Path from starting point to resistance point, through target point.

Critical Negotiation Elements

  • Parties: Individuals or groups defending their interests.
  • Objective: Influencing the other party for maximum benefit.
  • Power: Ability to influence the other party.
  • Maneuverability: Willingness to give and take.
  • Agreement: Mutually satisfactory outcome.

Negotiation Styles

  • Inclusive Negotiation: Seeks the best compromise for all (win-win).
  • Distributive Negotiation: Each party seeks the best outcome for themselves (win-lose).

Decision-Making Tools

  • Pareto Analysis (80/20 Rule): Focuses on addressing the most impactful problems.
  • Decision Tree: Evaluates potential consequences of decisions.
  • Six Thinking Hats: Structured approach to problem-solving and decision-making.