ANSWERS

1. What constitutes good job design?

2. Briefly explain approaches to job design.

3. Explain motivating potential score.

4. Goal Setting Process - Explain goal setting process

5. Differentiate between a role and a position

6. Managers v/s Leaders - Differentiate between managers and leaders

7. Very briefly explain major leadership traits using Trait theory of leadership

Leadership trait theory is the idea that people are born with certain character
traits or qualities. Since certain traits are associated with proficient leadership, it
assumes that if you could identify people with the correct traits, you will be able
to identify leaders and people with leadership potential.
Most of the time the traits are considered to be naturally part of a person’s
personality from birth. From this standpoint, leadership trait theory tends to
assume that people are born as leaders or not as leaders.
8. Write a short note on managerial grid

9. Differentiate between transactional & transformational leaders

Transactional

• Works on the assumption that people are motivated by rewards or

punishment

• Creates structures whereby it is clear what is required of the subordinates,

and the rewards that they get for task completion

• Transactional Leadership, once the contract is in place, takes a 'telling'

style

Transformational

• Has a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert potential
followers

• Seeks overtly to transform the organization

• Passion and confidence of transformational leader can easily be mistaken

for truth and reality

• Tend to see the big picture, but not the details, where the devil often lurks

• Fail miserably in an organization where people do not seek changes

10. Explain very briefly 10 most often identified skills of a leader

• Verbal Communication

• Managing Time and Stress

• Managing individual decisions

• Recognizing, defining and solving problems

• Motivating and influencing others

• Delegating

• Setting goals and articulating a vision

• Self awareness

• Team Building

• Managing Conflict

11. What constitutes a culture?

12. What are the important functions of an organisation culture?

13. What are the different dimensions of organizational culture?

14. Why do people join groups?

• Security

• Status

• Self-esteem

• Affiliation

• Power

• Goal Achievement

15. Indicate briefly roles people play in informal groups?

• Contributor

• Collaborator

• Communicator

• Challenger

16. What affects group cohesiveness?

17. Differentiate teams and groups

Teams
•Shared leadership
Work-Group
•Joint accountability
•Defined leadership
•Specific purpose
•Individual accountability
•Collective work-product
•Organization's Purpose
•Open-ended, active problem solving
meetings •Individual work-product

•Direct assessment of performance •Efficient meetings

•Discusses, decides and delegates •Indirect assessment of performance

Discusses, decides and works

18. State advantages of teams

• Productivity and quality improvements.

• Production flexibility.

• Faster response to technological change.

• Reduced absenteeism and turnover.

• Improved work attitudes.

• Improved quality of work life.

19. How does one build trust amongst team members?

• Take on responsibility of their former supervisors

• Select their own members & evaluate each other’s performance

• Small groups are empowered to make the decisions needed to manage

themselves on a daily basis.

• Teams make decisions on:

– Scheduling work.

– Allocating tasks.

– Training in job skills.

– Evaluating performance.

20. Discuss very briefly role of shared vision in building high performance teams.

• Members are highly skilled in various leadership and membership roles

and functions

• Groups have been in existence sufficiently long to have developed

effective working relationships

• Members and leaders have high confidence and trust in each other and
are committed and loyal to the group

• Members are highly motivated to abide by the values important to the

group, and all interactions, problem solving, and decision making activities
occur in a supportive atmosphere

• The group is eager to help each member develop his/her full potential and
the leader and members are willing to stretch themselves to accomplish
difficult tasks

• The leader exerts influence in establishing the tone and atmosphere for
work by his/her leadership principles and practices

• Creativity is encouraged in the group through a very supportive

atmosphere which is oriented more towards “constructive conformity” – a
broad acceptance of groups goals without stifling the members’ creative
efforts in attaining the results

• Communication flows freely and both information giving and receiving are
valued in the group

• Group remains flexible and adaptable because of mutual influence

processes that operate in the group

21. Define characteristics of highly effective teams

22. Suggest strategies to acquire power

23. Differentiate between incremental and radical change

There are two basic types of change that are polar opposites: radical change and
incremental change. There has been a surprising amount of debate over which kind of
change is better. Some people, such as consultant Gary Hamel, promote the idea of
innovation, or radical change. Others, such as the proponents of kaizen, believe that
smaller, gradual improvements are better.

If we want to make rapid changes, then obviously radical change is the way to go. However,
if we want to make sustainable changes, then incremental change is preferable.

We can combine the speed of radical change with the sustainability and continual
improvement of incremental change. The solution is to focus on incremental change with
quick bursts of radical change.

24. Discuss briefly Lewin’s 3-step change model

1) Unfreezing

Help people accept that change is needed because the existing situation is
not adequate.

2) Changing

Involves rearranging of current work norms and relationships to meet new

needs

3) Refreezing

Reinforces the changes made so that the new ways of behaving become
stabilized

25. Illustrate steps of planned change

26. Explain briefly factors that enhance acceptability of change

• Align the change with the company’s strategy

• Understand what you’re likely to achieve

• Ensure executives committed to achieving change

• Verify there are sufficient resources

• Assess need for external help, find outside resources

27. Differentiate impact of communication before, during and after change

28. Explain briefly Staged Change Model of organisational culture

Kotter’s Eight-Step Plan for Implementing Change

• Establish a sense of urgency by creating a compelling reason for why

change is needed.

• Form a coalition with enough power to lead the change.

• Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the
vision.

• Communicate the vision throughout the organization.

• Empower others to act on the vision by removing barriers to change and

encouraging risk taking and creative problem solving.

• Plan for, create, and reward short-term “wins” that move the organization
toward the new vision.

• Consolidate improvements, reassess changes, and make necessary

adjustments in the new programs.

• Reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between new

behaviors and organizational success.

29. What are tall structures & flat structures?

Tall structures:

• Facilitates closer control

• Higher personal contact

• Higher level of communication

Flatter structure

• Necessitate delegation

• Offers opportunities for individual initiative & self-control

• Communication is simplified
 • Pressures on horizontal communication

30. What are the advantages & disadvantages of product structures?

Product

• Advantage: Product specialization, transparency in operations, add-

on/drop decisions are easy, higher personal growth, Adaptability &
flexibility, Speed of response, Organization within organization: frees top
mgmt., High coordination, Facilitates diversified expansion of skills

• Disadvantage: Functional specialization diluted, Economies of scale,

Coordination across product lines is difficult, Alignment with product
instead of organization, Transfer pricing for joint products ?, Requires large
qualified manpower

31. What are the advantages & disadvantages of matrix structures?