MTP exam prep

What are the 4 principles of Deming’s management

1.Qualty improvement drives the entire economy

2.Dont blame the person, fix the system

3.The consumer always comes first

4.PDCA cycle

What are the 14 points of Deming’s management

1. Continuous improvement

2. New philosophy

3. Avoid constantly searching for low cost suppliers

4. Constant purpose

5. Train everyone

6. Provide real leadership

7. Drive fear out of the workplace

8. Remove barriers that stifle ego in a workplace

9. Encourage teamwork

10. Avoid slogans and targets

11. Remove numerical quotas

12. Give up on quality by inspection

13. Education and self improvement are key

14. The transformation is everyone’s job

What is organizational crisis

This is a low probability, high impact event that can threaten the viability of an organization, characterized by ambiguity in cause, effect and means of resolution and by the belief that decisions must be made swiftly

What is crisis management

This is a systematic way of anticipating and preparing for internal and external problems that may threaten an organization’s reputation, profitability and survival

What are elements of Crisis management

The elements of crisis management are generally anticipate-plan-stuff-practice

1. Conduct and crisis audit- a systematic way of identifying problem spots and vulnerabilities, managers ask why if questions

2. Contingency plans- this is a back up plan that can be put into effect when things go wrong, they should specify early warning signs, action to be taken and the consequences of the action, they should be detailed inline with who does what

3. Crises management team- come up with a team of people who will respond timely to crises, they may represent different departments

4. Practice/perfect- this entails carrying out simulations,drills and mock crises so as to perfect teamwork , effectiveness and speed of response

Mention various types of organizational crises

Executive kidnapping, security breach, product tempering, natural disasters, sexual harassment, infrastructure bombing, terrorist attack, bribery, computer tempering, malicious rumors, work related homicide, assault

What is emotional intelligence

This is an array of non cognitive skills, capabilities and competencies that enable one to cope with environmental demands and pressures

Goleman ‘s 4 leadership traits

1. Self awareness- the ability to know read one’s own emotions and mood and therefore assess one’s strengths and limitactions

2. Self management - the ability to not allow one’s emotions or moods disrupt honest and straightforward relationships

3. Social awareness- the ability to read other peoples emotions and reactions and therefore act in a constructive and caring manner

4. Relationship management- being a clear, enthusiastic, convincing communicator who can defuse conflicts. These managers use kindness and humor to build strong relationships

These are based on the assumptions that these skills are not fixed, they can be learnt and practiced, also EQ is more critical than IQ when it comes to assess performance of managers, emotions are contagious therefore leaders with emotional outbursts can poison the work environment

Fielder’s contingency theory

This theory is based on the assumption that

The performance of a leader is based on 2 interrelated factors 1. The degree to which a situation can give a leader control or influence i.e the leader’s ability to accomplish the job. 2. The leader’s basic motivation which is either task motivated or relationship motivated leader. The task oriented leader tends to excel in extreme conditions (highly favorable and highly unfavorable) while relationship oriented leaders excel in moderately favorable conditions. The conclusion is there is no ideal leader, there are the leaders and there are situations , the idea is analyse a leader’s basic motivation and then put them in a situation that suits their personality to form a productive combination.

What are the 3 assumptions of the path goal theory

This theory is based on the assumptions that: effective leaders can enhance the employee motivation by:

1. Clarifying the employee’s perception of work goals

2. Linking meaningful rewards to goal attainment

3. Explaining how the goals and desired rewards can be achieved

In short leaders should motivate their employees by clarifying the goals and giving meaningful incentives for achieving them

leaders can enhance motivation by “increasing the number and kinds of personal payoffs to subordinates for work-goal attainment and making paths to these payoffs easier to travel by clarifying the paths, reducing roadblocks and pitfalls, and increasing the opportunities for personal satisfaction en route.”

The updated House path goal theory

House’s updated path-goal model advises managers to rely contingently on eight categories of leader behavior: • Path-goal clarifying behaviors (Make it clear how goal attainment is linked with meaningful rewards.) • Achievement-oriented behaviors (Set challenging goals, emphasize excellence, and seek continuous improvement while maintaining a high degree of confidence that employees will meet difficult challenges in a responsible manner.) • Work facilitation behaviors (Plan and coordinate work, make decisions, provide feedback and coaching, provide resources, remove roadblocks, and empower employees.) • Supportive behaviors (Be friendly and approachable, and show concern for employees’ well-being.) • Interaction facilitation behaviors (Resolve disputes and encourage collaboration, diverse opinions, and teamwork.) • Group decision behaviors (Encourage group input, problem solving, and participation.) • Networking behaviors (Build bridges to influential people and represent the group’s best interests to others.) • Value-based behaviors (Self-confidently formulate and passionately support a vision.)

The assumption that managers can and do shift situationally from one behavior pattern to another clearly sets path-goal theory apart from Fiedler’s model. Recall that Fiedler claims managers cannot and do not change their basic leadership style

Transformational Leadership Theory

A transformational leader - visionaries who challenge people to achieve exceptionally high levels of morality, motivation, and performance.

They can envision a better future, effectively communicate that vision, and get others to willingly make it a reality.

Transactional leaders monitor people so that they do the expected, according to plan. In contrast, transformational leaders inspire people to do the unexpected, above and beyond the plan. This distinction can mean the difference between maintaining the status quo and fostering creative and productive growth

What is a project

This is a temporary endeavor undertaken to achieve a certain goal

The project life cycle

The project life cycle is divided into 4 phases whose ends may overlap

1. Conceptualisation - this is the big picture-overall goals, budget and schedule

2. Planning - start to recruit people , to allocate tasks, equipment is gathered, create a schedule and deadlines

3. Execution - action and taking corrective measures

4. Termination handing over the finished project to the client

Qualities of a good project management software

The two most important points are flexibility and transparency

Identify and ultimately schedule need-to-do activities • Ability to dynamically shift priorities and schedules, and view resulting impact • Provide critical path analysis • Provide flexibility for plan modifications • Ability to set priority levels • Flexibility to manage all resources: people, hardware, environments, cash • Ability to merge plans • Management alerts for project slippage • Automatic time recording to map against project • Identification of time spent on activities

The six roles played by project managers

Implementor- Challenge: effectively plan, organize and accomplish project goals. Strategy: extend this role to include the newly identified roles described

Coach Challenge: blend team members from different organizations, motivate team members to achieve goals, reward goal achievement with limited resources. Strategy: identify mutually rewarding common objectives , provide challenging tasks to improve team skills, promote the team members to key to decision makers

Friend- Challenge: determine the relationships to build and sustain outside the project, be a friend to the client. Strategy: identify common interests and experiences to bridge a friendship with clients, build strong friendships with Key project managers and functional managers

Entrepreneur Challenge: navigate unfamiliar surroundings, survive sink or swim situations, tackle the unexpected. Strategy: be charismatic when presenting new approaches, use persuasion to influence people, build friendships with different stakeholders

Marketeers Challenge:Access client corporate strategic information, Understand the strategic objectives of the client organization, Determine future business opportunities Strategy: Develop a strong relationship with the primary client contact and with top management in the client organization. Align new ideas/proposals with the strategic objectives of the client organization

Politician Challenge: Understand two diverse corporate cultures (parent and client organizations).– Operate within the political system of the client organization. Strategy: Align with the powerful individuals.– Obtain a senior/politically savvy client sponsor to promote and support the project.

Project management guidelines

1. Projects are schedule driven and goal oriented

2. The big picture and the little details are of equal importance

3. Project planning is a necessity not a luxury

4. Project managers know the motivational power of a deadline

What is human resource management

This is the proactive acquisition,retention and development of human resources necessary for organizational success

What is human capital

All present and future workforce participants who need to develop to their fullest potential as valuable assets to organizations

People centered practices, Pfepffer’s 7 practices

Protection of job security

Empowerment by decentralization and self managed meeting

Rigorous hiring processes

Remove social statutes

Comprehensive training

Compensation based on performance

Sharing of key information

Recruitment for diversity in the internet age

There is a vast majority of recruiting tactics including internal job posting, referral by present and past employees, campus recruiters, newspaper ads, web sites, head hunters, employment agencies

Diversity in recruitment is important

Studies have shown that corporate websites are the most used when looking for a job but are the least successful, referrals are the best method therefore it is important to network

Other studies have shown that e-recruitment methods results in highly skilled and diverse candidates who can be geographically far

Selection process

This emphasizes on resume screening and reference checking as a lot of information can be falsified

The systematic PROCEED system when doing selections is important

What is job analysis

Identification of tasks and skills for a specific job by observing top performers

What is job description

This is a detailed document outlining role expectations and required skills for a specific job

PROCEED

Prepare- do job analysis and come up with a job description, prepare interview questions

Review- review the question to check if they are fair and legal

Organize- come up with your interview team, assign roles and questions

Conduct- collect data from the job candidate

Evaluated- check if the candidate matches the job requirements

Exchange- sharing information in a discussion meeting

Decision- decide if you will be recruiting

Equal employment opportunity

Managers are not allowed to discriminate an individual in hiring, promoting, training, transfer of employees on the basis of their race , color, ethnicity, religion, gender or disability

Affirmative action program

Actively seeks out, employs and develops talents of those populations that were historically discriminated in employment. This is an act to make up for past discrimination while EEO prevents discrimination

AAP 4 methods

1. Active recruitment of women and minorities

2. Elimination of prejudicial questions on job application forms

3. Establish specific goals and timetables for hiring minorities

4. Statistical validation of employment testing procedures

From AAP to managing diversity

Diversity advocates want to eliminate all forms of bigotry, prejudice, and intolerance with tolerance and, ideally, appreciation of interpersonal differences. They also want to broaden the message of inclusion to make it globally applicable in multinational organization

General policy guidelines to accommodate the disabled

Audit all facilities, policies, work rules, hiring procedures, and labor union contracts to eliminate barriers and bias.

Train all managers in ADA compliance and all employees in how to be sensitive to coworkers and customers with disabilities.

Do not hire anyone who cannot safely perform the basic duties of a particular job with reasonable accommodation

Employment selection test

This is any procedure that is used for the basis of employment decision. It has to be statistically valid and a reliable predictor of job success

?Do you think polygraphs, personality tests, drug tests, HIV tests are valid employment testing tools

Employment testing techniques

Pencil and paper psychological and personality tests- validity varies widely from test to test

Pencil and paper honesty tests- promising evidence of validity, women do better than men

Polygraphs- questionable validity

HIV antibody testing- major confidentiality issues

Genetic testing- major confidentiality, moral and legally opposed

Drug tests - employee resistance,

Job skills test- generally good validity if done right

Handwriting analysis tests- validity in doubt

Effective interviewing- traditional unstructured interviews

Commonly used but highly criticized due to:

Lack of structure, high susceptibility to distortion, bias , legal attacks, indefensible if legally contested, highly flexible and highly inconsistent, rarely totally job related and may invade the prospective employee’s privacy, managers may base their assessments on personal preferences when it comes to personality etc, no standard grading guidelines. This method is notorious for cultural insensitivity. Managers need to be aware of and overcome cultural insensitivities

Structured interviews

This a set of job related questions with standardized answers across the board for that specific job. This is conducted with 3-6 interviewers to eliminate individual bias. The four question categories are:

job knowledge- does the applicant possess the required knowledge for successful job performance ,

Situational- how does the applicant handle possible work environment situations

job sample simulation- how and is the applicant able to tackle the practical aspect of the job

worker requirements- is the employee willing to adjust to the demands of the job

Behavioral interview

Behavior based interview- detailed questions about behavior in past job related situations

Situational type questions can be enriched by including past behavioral reaction to situations that have happened in past roles

If the questions are worded appropriately, the net result should be a good grasp of the individual’s relevant skills, initiative, problem-solving ability, and ability to recover from setbacks and learn from mistakes.

Ingredients of a good training program

1. Maximize the similarity between the training situation and the job situation.

2. Provide as much experience as possible with the task being taught.

3. Provide for a variety of examples when teaching concepts or skills.

4. Label or identify important features of a task.

5. Make sure that general principles are understood before expecting much transfer.

6. Make sure that the trained behaviors and ideas are rewarded in the job situation.

7. Design the training content so that the trainees can see its applicability.

8. Use adjunct questions to guide the trainee’s attention.89