BIZZ Leadership QUESTIONS UNIT 3

BIZZ Leadership QUESTIONS UNIT 3
11. Review the following case study for Millennium Computers:
CASE STUDY:
Jane purchased a laptop from the chain store, Millennium Computers. She paid an additional $300 for a three-year VIP warranty that covers “accidental damage to the computer.” The bill of sale clearly stated that the VIP warranty had been purchased.
Six months later, Jane accidentally dropped a book on her keyboard, which knocked out both the e and a keys, so she took her computer and the original bill of sale to the vendor to get it repaired. However, when the customer service representative checked Jane’s account to verify her warranty status. the store computer indicated that she had purchased the limited warranty, which only covered “normal wear and tear,” and not the VIP warranty that would have covered accidental damage. Jane reminded the customer service representative that the bill of sale clearly showed she had purchased VIP warranty. But the customer service representative insisted he could not process her request as a VIP warranty repair, because her account indicated that she was eligible for VIP warranty.
Jane then asked to speak with the manager of the store. The manager stood by the customer service representative, stating that it was company policy to go by the account records in the computer and that he could not make any exceptions. He then suggested that she take it up with the warranty department at head office.
Jane explained the problem to the warranty department and faxed them a copy of the bill of sale. The person in the warranty department admitted that the company had probably made a mistake, but said that she would need to see the warranty certificate that had been mailed to Jane about a month after she had purchased the computer. Jane said that she had never received the warranty certificate. After asking them which address they sent it to, she realized that the company sent the certificate to the wrong address. The customer service representative said that she could get a duplicate of the certificate from the customer accounts department.

TASK
Now imagine that you are employed at Millennium Computers and have decided to apply for a management position. As part of the application process, you are asked to submit a 350- to 450-word memo on what makes employees perform well.

Ensure that you use the proper format for a memo as outlined in Unit 1 and address it to Paul Hutchinson, Director, Human Resources.

2. Read the following scenario and then answer the questions that follow.
Scenario
Tanya Petrik, an experienced human resources manager, has just replaced one of her colleagues as chair of a six-member, cross-functional committee that is reviewing the company’s management training plan to suggest possible updates. Although Tanya is quite pleased with the progress made by the committee, she realizes that two of the representatives on the committee (accounting and sales) appear to be making all the suggestions in meetings and seem to be doing all the work. When she approached one of the other team members and asked why he does not say anything at meetings, he said, “Those two are the real experts. They know what they are doing.”

a) What stage of team development do you think the committee has reached? Explain, giving three reasons why you think this is so.
b) Identify three problems that may be behind the limited involvement of most of the committee members.
c) Explain why the committee will likely fail to achieve its goal of properly updating the training plan if Tanya does not try to get the other committee members more involved.

3. Identify two leadership characteristics that a person could gain from each of the following experiences. Give reasons to support your answer.

a) Working as coach and trainer for a secondary school basketball team
b) Serving as president of the student council in a secondary school
c) Doing extensive volunteer work for local charities
4. Using each of the following theories give practical examples of how an ideal manager might use each of those theories to motivate you. Your answer should be about one page in length.

Alderfer’s ERG Theory
Developed by Clayton Alderfer in the late 1960s, the ERG theory was departure from the theories of Maslow. While Maslow theorized that human motivation is based on the satisfaction of five levels of needs, all existing in a hierarchy, Alderfer believed that human motivation is based on three non-hierarchical categories of needs: existence, relatedness, and growth (hence the acronym ERG).
• Existence needs are what we need for our basic physiological existence (air, food, water, shelter, safety, and companionship).
• Relatedness needs include the person’s needs to be acknowledged by family, group, and culture.
• Growth needs are commonly associated with a person’s esteem and self-actualization. This category can include the need to be creative, to be productive, and to complete tasks that are meaningful to the person’s sense of self-esteem.
The application of Alderfer’s ERG theory was a noticeable departure from Maslow’s hierarchy. Firstly, Maslow’s theory was based on the assumption that they lower needs of the hierarchy (physiological and safety) had to be satisfied before one could sufficiently satisfy their higher needs (social, esteem, and self-actualization). That is why Maslow saw needs as existing in a hierarchy.
The ERG theory,on the other hand, does not place needs in any set hierarchy. Alderfer believed that individuals will fulfill these needs in different sequences, depending on the situation. Furthermore, he believed that individuals are likely to want to satisfy needs from different categories at the same time. In Alderfer’s theory, it therefore makes no sense for managers to concentrate on satisfying one particular category of needs in their employees in the hope that they will thus be motivated to move on to the next level.
Another aspect of the ERG theory is the frustration-regression principle, which states that if individuals are not given the opportunity to satisfy higher-level needs, they will move down to the lower level needs that they are able to satisfy. As an example, if a person is “stuck” in a dead-end job with little or no opportunity for growth, then she will probably divert the bulk of her efforts and attention to family and friends.

Adams’s Equity Theory
First developed by John Stacey Adams in 1965, equity theory is based o the assumption that an apparent inequality can be a source of motivation. In other words, seeing that someone else is receiving more rewards for his or her efforts is likely to make you think about what that person is doing to get those rewards. In that way, you will adjust your actions to get to that level.
On its own, this approach may not work to the leader’s advantage. The inequality may get the employee to work harder, but employees respond adversely to perceived inequities in the workplace. This may lead to apathetic employees who put in less effort instead of more, or unhappy employees who request a transfer or resign.
Therefore, whenever rewards are distributed, it is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that any of the negative fallout that could come with equity comparison is avoided by ensuring that
• employees understand the actual value of the reward in terms of effort and performance
• employees have a clear understanding of the levels of performance evaluation that result in a particular reward being given

Law of Effect
The law of effect (first postulated by Edward Thorndyke in 1898 and later modified by Burrhus Skinner) is based on the assumption that human behaviour is a reaction to consequences. If an employee’s performance results in a positive reward, this reward will encourage the employee to engage in the same level of performance. If performance results in negative consequences, these will discourage the employee from engaging in this type of performance. If a performance results in neither positive rewards nor negative consequences from the leader, the employee will eventually discontinue this performance.
This is a very complex method of motivating people. As you have already discovered, what may be a positive reward for one person could be negative reinforcement for another.
5. Describe, in essay form, how you would approach the problem raised in the following scenario, using one of the leadership theories and one of the leadership styles. You do not have to figure out a way to solve the problem; just explain how you would approach the problem. Remember your choice of theory and style have to be compatible.
Scenario
You are employed as a supervisor for a production team that is manufacturing widgets. Last month, the demand for widgets skyrocketed, and your company is determined to gain as much of the new market as possible. Your staff, however, are exhausted and are becoming increasingly reluctant to work overtime. New staff are being hired, but still need to be trained. This is adding even more stress to your staff. It is early December, and many members of your staff are looking forward to the seasonal holidays.

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