Management Roles, Theories, and Cultural Dimensions in Business

Decisional roles in management

Managers make choices and take actions involving resource allocation, negotiation, conflict resolution (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator).

Definition of management

Process of achieving organizational goals through planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources.

Functions of management

Planning, organizing, leading, controlling (originally Fayol's five: planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, controlling).

Mintzberg's types of roles in management

Interpersonal (leader, figurehead, liaison); Informational (monitor, disseminator, spokesperson); Decisional (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator).

Efficiency vs effectiveness

Efficiency = doing things right with minimal resources; Effectiveness = doing the right things to achieve goals.

Three main types of management skills

Technical skills, Human skills, Conceptual skills.

Management skills at each level

Top managers = conceptual; Middle managers = balanced; First-line managers = technical.

Mintzberg's entrepreneur role

Initiating change, innovation, improving operations, adapting to new conditions.

Father of scientific management

Frederick Winslow Taylor.

Behavioral sciences approach

Uses psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics to study human behavior in organizations; basis for OD and HR practices.

Theory X vs Theory Y (Douglas McGregor)

Theory X = people dislike work, need direction, prefer security. Theory Y = people enjoy work, seek responsibility, can be self-directed.

Major management philosophies

Classical perspective; Humanistic perspective; Management science/quantitative perspective; Contingency view; Systems thinking.

Task environment

External factors that directly affect the organization: customers, competitors, suppliers, labor market.

Dimensions of the environment

International, technological, sociocultural, economic, legal-political, natural.

Corporate culture

Shared values, beliefs, understandings, and norms expressed via symbols, stories, heroes, slogans, ceremonies.

Corporate values

Core beliefs guiding behavior and decisions; expressed in slogans and reinforced through heroes, rituals, and stories.

Environmental uncertainty

Managers lack information to predict changes. High uncertainty = many factors, rapid change. Low uncertainty = few factors, stable.

High vs low context culture

High context = relationship-focused, implicit communication (e.g., China). Low context = explicit, direct communication (e.g., U.S.).

Business expansion internationally

Exporting; Global outsourcing/offshoring; Partnerships (joint ventures, alliances); Direct investment (MNCs).

Long-term vs short-term orientation

Long-term = focus on future, thrift, perseverance. Short-term = focus on past/present, tradition, obligations.

Power distance

Extent to which inequality in power is accepted in organizations and society.

Hofstede's cultural values

Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, Individualism vs collectivism, Masculinity vs femininity, Long vs short-term orientation.

Masculine vs feminine cultural preference

Masculinity = achievement, assertiveness, material success. Femininity = cooperation, quality of life, consensus.