MGMT 591 Rules for High Performance Discussions 1 Week 1
Is there a danger in over communicating? Can a leader over communicate to the point
that people start tuning them out? There is an old saying: What is right is not always
popular, and what is popular is not always right. With this in mind, I’m wondering: what
are your thoughts on consensus? Are there times when a leader must act without
consensus? If so, what about the risks that comes with such a maneuver? Each
workplace is unique. Do you think that there are certain items which would be needed
in your workplace in particular, that are not on the list?
MGMT 591 Satisfied Workers 591 Discussions 2 Week 1
Assume you are new to your job and on the first day you have a conversation with your
boss, who says, “Satisfied workers are productive workers.” Do you agree with her
statement? Why? Why not? Can you think of a situation where employees might be
very satisfied, and very unproductive? What exactly does it mean to be “satisfied” at
one’s job? What are some of the core things that you think are needed for one to feel
“satisfied” with their job? Where do we draw the line in creating a “satisfied”
workforce, and creating a workforce that is simply “out of control and turning the office
into a fun house”?
MGMT 591 Performance Mgmt, Diversity, & Motivation Discussions 1 Week 2
How do the new practices at Sodexho align with the essentials of performance
management? How is Sodexho using social networking to its advantage? What are
some potential problems that can arise from organizations using money as the primary
means of motivating their employees? Do you have any examples of the problems that
can arise? What is cultural stereotyping? “What assumptions and stereotypes might
people start making about me?” Do you like these assumptions? If not, are there things
you might change about yourself in order to combat any assumptions that you do not
like? Has anyone heard of a concept called the “emotional bank account”?
MGMT 591 Room to Read Motivational Theory Discussions 2 Week 2
“Ethics in OB” features an ethical scenario where an employee finds confidential papers
on a photocopier. Of course, she reviews the papers and notes they are full of
information on performance evaluations, pay and bonuses. Using the motivational
theories studied, how would you explain what motivates the employee? Explain indepth
what you would do if you were that employee? Please briefly state what
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is about. Passion is an interesting topic when it comes to
motivation. Specifically, it gets interesting when we look at the subject of how to
motivate people who are NOT passionate about their job. Let’s face it, some jobs are a
bit difficult to get passionate about – such as working in a noisy restaurant or working
as a toll collector on a bridge. What techniques can we use to motivate employees in
positions that do not arouse much passion? We’ve probably all had horrible managers
at some point in the past. Have you ever had a manager that was so bad, you found
yourself actually demotivated by them? Specifically, what was it about him or her that
caused you to loose motivation?
MGMT 591 What Constitutes Team Discussions 1 Week 3
In what aspects does the class resemble a team? Are there parallels between the
stages of team development and the progression of our class? What type of team
formation is going on in this classroom? Does the notion of social loafing apply to our
class in any respect? Psychologists have noticed that there are four stages of group
behavior/performance. They have identified these stages as the forming, storming,
norming, and performing stages. What are these stages about? If you would, please
briefly describe them here. Do you agree with this 4 stage theory on group dynamics?
Specifically, do you have any examples where you have seen these 4 stages at play,
perhaps in the workplace or in your private life when meeting new friends, etc.? What
exactly is social loafing? Have you seen this happen in your workplace? Have you ever
actually managed a team where you noticed social loafing going on? What “diffusion of
responsibility” is? Have you seen diffusion of responsibility happen in your workplace?
MGMT 591 A Lesson in Team Building Discussions 2 Week 3
Is there a difference between a leader and a manager? If so, what do you think the
difference is? Are there situations where it is best to have a leader running the show?
Are there situations where it is better to have a manager in control rather than a
leader? What examples might you have? It has me wondering – to what extent can
someone be taught to be a leader? We all know that someone can be taught to drive.
But that said, there are good drivers and bad drivers, even though they may have been
taught the exact same things in driving school. With that in mind, to what extent can
leadership be taught? When picking someone to build a team, would you want to pick a
“manager” or a “leader” for this task? Is it possible for someone to be a great leader
yet a terrible manager? Is it possible for someone to be a great manager and a terrible
leader? Can you cite any examples from your personal experience?
“Help! I have just been assigned to head a new product design team at my company.
The division manager has high expectations for the team and for myself, but I have
been a technical design engineer for four years since graduating from college. I have
never ‘managed’ anyone, let alone led a team. The manager keeps talking about her
confidence that I will be very good at creating lots of teamwork. Does anyone out there
have any tips to help me master this challenge? Help!” You immediately start to
formulate your recommendations. What are the three key things you will advise her to
do, and why those three first?
MGMT 591 Conflict and Negotiations Discussions 1 Week 4
Can you provide an example from your personal or professional life, of where you used
this strategy? How did it work out? I’m wondering – at your current place of
employment (or at a previous place of employment if you’re not working at the
moment), which of the 5 conflict management techniques did your supervisor use most
often? Were they picking a good choice in retrospect? Were they able to properly use
the technique they chose? Please critique their choice and use of the conflict
management technique they would most often use. Have you ever had a conflict erupt
with someone on email? How about in a chat room or through text message? What
ideas do you have for managing remote conflicts with people we must work with? The
opening readings for Chapter 10 on “Eduardo Saverin: You’re Out” have many different
types of conflict and negation scenarios that are noted between Mark Zuckerberg and
Eduardo Saverin in their conflict for control of Facebook. What direct and indirect
conflict management techniques did these players employ? Drawing examples from
your own work and personal experience, what conflict resolution strategies have you
employed? Which ones have you seen be successful? What are the effects of
unaddressed conflict?
MGMT 591 Organizational Communications Discussions 2 Week 4
What exactly is “active listening”? Can you describe a situation you have experienced,
where you saw active listening being used? What was the result? Let’s expand the size
of our hypothetical organization however. Suppose it is not 10 or 50 employees. Rather
it has 1,000 employees or even more. Is an informal communication design still a good
idea? Are organizations forced into formal channels of communication as they grow? If
so, why? Taking it a step further, do you think we’re also at an increased risk for legal
problems among employees and the organization? Are there unique situations where
you think that face to face communication is definitely the way to go when getting a
message out in the workplace? Conversely, what situations can you think of where
electronic communication is definitely the way to go?
It seems common in many of today’s workplaces that people don’t actually talk to one
another frequently. We rely on e-mail, or the even less rich communication channel of
text messaging. The benefits of moving lots of information quickly around an
organization and between individuals are real. However, people can too frequently
“hide behind” their computers and send messages electronically that they might
otherwise censor or re-think in face-to-face communication. What approaches would
you recommend\implement as a new manager taking over an organization to improve
communications without abandoning the use of e-mail?
MGMT 591 Power and Influence Discussions 1 Week 5
What is the difference between position power and personal power? Can you provide an
example to illustrate the difference? What flaws do you see in the leadership style of
your current manager? Remember, it’s not just good leaders we can learn from. Often
we can learn more by looking at bad leaders and asking “what were they
doing wrong?”. What words of advice would you have for your current manager in
order to help them improve their leadership abilities?
From the “Finding the Leader in you” highlight on page 272 in the text, we read about
Nelson Mandela’s use of power for the greater good. Using the books’ discussion of
power and influence as a backdrop, analyze Mandela’s power from multiple perspectives
and assess how his use of power changed the perspective of a nation
MGMT 591 Leadership Discussions 2 Week 5
What leadership style dominates at Novo Nordisk? Cite examples from the case and
specific information from the text to support your opinion. How doe Novo Nordisk’s
leadership influence its organizational design and shape its competitive strategy?
Do you agree with this comparison of leaders vs followers?
Leaders vs. Followers
When leaders make a mistake, they say, “I was wrong.”
When followers make mistakes, they say, “It wasn’t my fault.”
A leader works harder than a follower and has more time;
A follower is always “too busy” to do what is necessary.
A leader goes through a problem;
A follower goes around it and never gets past it.
A leader makes and keeps commitments;
A follower makes and forgets promises.
A leader says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be;”
A follower says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”
Leaders listen;
Followers just wait until it’s their turn to talk.
Leaders respect those who are superior to them and tries to learn something from
them;
Followers resent those who are superior to them and try to find chinks in their armor.
Leaders feel responsible for more than their job;
Followers say, “I only work here.”
A leader says, “There ought to be a better way to do this;”
Followers say, “That’s the way it’s always been done here.”
What makes someone a good follower? Is a good follower someone who blindly follows
orders at all times? Is a good follower someone who constantly challenges the leader’s
ideas? Do you think you are a good follower? What characteristics might you want to
change in yourself in order to be a better follower?
MGMT 591 Organizational Culture Inventory Discussions 1 Week 6
Using the OCI instrument online, and the cultural change background information on
Conglomerate, Inc. provided in Doc Sharing, we will be identifying and prioritizing
cultural attributes and also identifying areas for change.
Review Profiles 1a (workforce results) and 1b (senior leadership team’s ideal
state) closely.
Identify and describe the cultural aspects that management cites as
important and contrast them to the cultural attributes that employees report as
being expected. How do employees believe they are expected to act to “fit in?”
What are the most significant gaps between management and staff?
What observations can you make on the differences between
Conglomerate Inc.’s preferred culture and “ideal” culture presented by HSI?
Once we’ve identified and discussed the gaps, I’ll cue everyone to move onto the
review of the suggested change initiatives and onto observations around your own
OCI results.
Suppose you were the top manager at your organization. What changes would you
make, if any, based on the OCI results you have seen for your organization? How
much pressure do you think exists at your organization, for people to fit into the
cultural norms at the organization? Think carefully before answering this, Sometimes
pressure can be outwardly very heavy. Other times it can be subtle but very strong.
What do you think? How strong are the cultural norms? How much pressure is on
employees to conform to these cultural norms? Would it be a big breach of etiquette to
violate the established norms?
MGMT 591 Resistance to Change Discussions 2 Week 6
When Jorge Maldonado became general manager of the local civic recreation center, he
realized that many changes would be necessary to make the facility a true community
resource. Having the benefit of a new bond issue, the center had the funds for new
equipment and expanded programming. All he needed to do now was get the staff
committed to the new initiatives. Unfortunately, his efforts have been met with
considerable resistance to change. A typical staff comment is, “Why do we need all
these extras? Everything is fine as it is.” How can Jorge deal with the employees’
resistance to change, to enable him to move the change process along? What is
escalation of commitment? How does one get buy in? Getting buy in is sometimes
VERY difficult if not impossible without a plan of action. So let’s take this conversation
from a “worst case scenario” perspective. Assuming you are a new CEO entering a
company with an entrenched culture that has REFUSED to change with several past
leaders, what would you do? Might employers sometimes want to prompt turnover at
times, by introducing change as a way of getting the turnover?
It is certainly a sneaky and underhanded strategy. Have you ever seen it used by
management in the organization where you work?
MGMT 591 Organizational Design Preference Discussions 1 Week 7
Describe your current or most recent employer’s organizational design (mechanistic,
organic, hybrid). Is the structure consistent with the company goals? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of the org designs you chose? What is your opinion of
your organization’s design? Do you think it is the most effective design for your
particular workplace? From an organizational design perspective, what changes would
you recommend if you had the power to alter the current design? When an
organization is small (10 employees for example), an informal design tends to be
convenient and practical very often. However, suppose it is not 10 or even 50
employees. Rather it has 1,000 employees or even more. Is informal design still a good
idea? Have you ever worked for a company where the very structure of the organization
was a hindrance to its mission? If you were the manager of the organization, what
changes would you have made?
MGMT 591 Empowering Teams Discussions 2 Week 7
Over the last three weeks we have focused very much on leadership, power,
organizational culture, and organizational change. Our case study for the week is a
great synthesis piece that addresses all of these topics through a detailed study of
firm’s attempted move to team-based management…. Have you ever seen a workplace
situation where 1 person was dragging down an entire department because of their
negative energy? Ever been at a meeting with a nay sayer among the ranks? This is the
person who is just waiting to shoot down any idea that comes along at a team meeting
– they are chronically dissatisfied with any and all suggestions. How do we deal with
these people? Debate is absolutely essential and healthy in most situations. However,
simply shooting down someone’s idea without offering something as al alternative –
well, that’s a bit lame isn’t it? Assuming you are a new CEO entering a company with an
entrenched cculture that has REFUSED to change with several past leaders, what would
you do?
Is there a danger in over communicating? Can a leader over communicate to the point
that people start tuning them out? There is an old saying: What is right is not always
popular, and what is popular is not always right. With this in mind, I’m wondering: what
are your thoughts on consensus? Are there times when a leader must act without
consensus? If so, what about the risks that comes with such a maneuver? Each
workplace is unique. Do you think that there are certain items which would be needed
in your workplace in particular, that are not on the list?
MGMT 591 Satisfied Workers 591 Discussions 2 Week 1
Assume you are new to your job and on the first day you have a conversation with your
boss, who says, “Satisfied workers are productive workers.” Do you agree with her
statement? Why? Why not? Can you think of a situation where employees might be
very satisfied, and very unproductive? What exactly does it mean to be “satisfied” at
one’s job? What are some of the core things that you think are needed for one to feel
“satisfied” with their job? Where do we draw the line in creating a “satisfied”
workforce, and creating a workforce that is simply “out of control and turning the office
into a fun house”?
MGMT 591 Performance Mgmt, Diversity, & Motivation Discussions 1 Week 2
How do the new practices at Sodexho align with the essentials of performance
management? How is Sodexho using social networking to its advantage? What are
some potential problems that can arise from organizations using money as the primary
means of motivating their employees? Do you have any examples of the problems that
can arise? What is cultural stereotyping? “What assumptions and stereotypes might
people start making about me?” Do you like these assumptions? If not, are there things
you might change about yourself in order to combat any assumptions that you do not
like? Has anyone heard of a concept called the “emotional bank account”?
MGMT 591 Room to Read Motivational Theory Discussions 2 Week 2
“Ethics in OB” features an ethical scenario where an employee finds confidential papers
on a photocopier. Of course, she reviews the papers and notes they are full of
information on performance evaluations, pay and bonuses. Using the motivational
theories studied, how would you explain what motivates the employee? Explain indepth
what you would do if you were that employee? Please briefly state what
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is about. Passion is an interesting topic when it comes to
motivation. Specifically, it gets interesting when we look at the subject of how to
motivate people who are NOT passionate about their job. Let’s face it, some jobs are a
bit difficult to get passionate about – such as working in a noisy restaurant or working
as a toll collector on a bridge. What techniques can we use to motivate employees in
positions that do not arouse much passion? We’ve probably all had horrible managers
at some point in the past. Have you ever had a manager that was so bad, you found
yourself actually demotivated by them? Specifically, what was it about him or her that
caused you to loose motivation?
MGMT 591 What Constitutes Team Discussions 1 Week 3
In what aspects does the class resemble a team? Are there parallels between the
stages of team development and the progression of our class? What type of team
formation is going on in this classroom? Does the notion of social loafing apply to our
class in any respect? Psychologists have noticed that there are four stages of group
behavior/performance. They have identified these stages as the forming, storming,
norming, and performing stages. What are these stages about? If you would, please
briefly describe them here. Do you agree with this 4 stage theory on group dynamics?
Specifically, do you have any examples where you have seen these 4 stages at play,
perhaps in the workplace or in your private life when meeting new friends, etc.? What
exactly is social loafing? Have you seen this happen in your workplace? Have you ever
actually managed a team where you noticed social loafing going on? What “diffusion of
responsibility” is? Have you seen diffusion of responsibility happen in your workplace?
MGMT 591 A Lesson in Team Building Discussions 2 Week 3
Is there a difference between a leader and a manager? If so, what do you think the
difference is? Are there situations where it is best to have a leader running the show?
Are there situations where it is better to have a manager in control rather than a
leader? What examples might you have? It has me wondering – to what extent can
someone be taught to be a leader? We all know that someone can be taught to drive.
But that said, there are good drivers and bad drivers, even though they may have been
taught the exact same things in driving school. With that in mind, to what extent can
leadership be taught? When picking someone to build a team, would you want to pick a
“manager” or a “leader” for this task? Is it possible for someone to be a great leader
yet a terrible manager? Is it possible for someone to be a great manager and a terrible
leader? Can you cite any examples from your personal experience?
“Help! I have just been assigned to head a new product design team at my company.
The division manager has high expectations for the team and for myself, but I have
been a technical design engineer for four years since graduating from college. I have
never ‘managed’ anyone, let alone led a team. The manager keeps talking about her
confidence that I will be very good at creating lots of teamwork. Does anyone out there
have any tips to help me master this challenge? Help!” You immediately start to
formulate your recommendations. What are the three key things you will advise her to
do, and why those three first?
MGMT 591 Conflict and Negotiations Discussions 1 Week 4
Can you provide an example from your personal or professional life, of where you used
this strategy? How did it work out? I’m wondering – at your current place of
employment (or at a previous place of employment if you’re not working at the
moment), which of the 5 conflict management techniques did your supervisor use most
often? Were they picking a good choice in retrospect? Were they able to properly use
the technique they chose? Please critique their choice and use of the conflict
management technique they would most often use. Have you ever had a conflict erupt
with someone on email? How about in a chat room or through text message? What
ideas do you have for managing remote conflicts with people we must work with? The
opening readings for Chapter 10 on “Eduardo Saverin: You’re Out” have many different
types of conflict and negation scenarios that are noted between Mark Zuckerberg and
Eduardo Saverin in their conflict for control of Facebook. What direct and indirect
conflict management techniques did these players employ? Drawing examples from
your own work and personal experience, what conflict resolution strategies have you
employed? Which ones have you seen be successful? What are the effects of
unaddressed conflict?
MGMT 591 Organizational Communications Discussions 2 Week 4
What exactly is “active listening”? Can you describe a situation you have experienced,
where you saw active listening being used? What was the result? Let’s expand the size
of our hypothetical organization however. Suppose it is not 10 or 50 employees. Rather
it has 1,000 employees or even more. Is an informal communication design still a good
idea? Are organizations forced into formal channels of communication as they grow? If
so, why? Taking it a step further, do you think we’re also at an increased risk for legal
problems among employees and the organization? Are there unique situations where
you think that face to face communication is definitely the way to go when getting a
message out in the workplace? Conversely, what situations can you think of where
electronic communication is definitely the way to go?
It seems common in many of today’s workplaces that people don’t actually talk to one
another frequently. We rely on e-mail, or the even less rich communication channel of
text messaging. The benefits of moving lots of information quickly around an
organization and between individuals are real. However, people can too frequently
“hide behind” their computers and send messages electronically that they might
otherwise censor or re-think in face-to-face communication. What approaches would
you recommend\implement as a new manager taking over an organization to improve
communications without abandoning the use of e-mail?
MGMT 591 Power and Influence Discussions 1 Week 5
What is the difference between position power and personal power? Can you provide an
example to illustrate the difference? What flaws do you see in the leadership style of
your current manager? Remember, it’s not just good leaders we can learn from. Often
we can learn more by looking at bad leaders and asking “what were they
doing wrong?”. What words of advice would you have for your current manager in
order to help them improve their leadership abilities?
From the “Finding the Leader in you” highlight on page 272 in the text, we read about
Nelson Mandela’s use of power for the greater good. Using the books’ discussion of
power and influence as a backdrop, analyze Mandela’s power from multiple perspectives
and assess how his use of power changed the perspective of a nation
MGMT 591 Leadership Discussions 2 Week 5
What leadership style dominates at Novo Nordisk? Cite examples from the case and
specific information from the text to support your opinion. How doe Novo Nordisk’s
leadership influence its organizational design and shape its competitive strategy?
Do you agree with this comparison of leaders vs followers?
Leaders vs. Followers
When leaders make a mistake, they say, “I was wrong.”
When followers make mistakes, they say, “It wasn’t my fault.”
A leader works harder than a follower and has more time;
A follower is always “too busy” to do what is necessary.
A leader goes through a problem;
A follower goes around it and never gets past it.
A leader makes and keeps commitments;
A follower makes and forgets promises.
A leader says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be;”
A follower says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”
Leaders listen;
Followers just wait until it’s their turn to talk.
Leaders respect those who are superior to them and tries to learn something from
them;
Followers resent those who are superior to them and try to find chinks in their armor.
Leaders feel responsible for more than their job;
Followers say, “I only work here.”
A leader says, “There ought to be a better way to do this;”
Followers say, “That’s the way it’s always been done here.”
What makes someone a good follower? Is a good follower someone who blindly follows
orders at all times? Is a good follower someone who constantly challenges the leader’s
ideas? Do you think you are a good follower? What characteristics might you want to
change in yourself in order to be a better follower?
MGMT 591 Organizational Culture Inventory Discussions 1 Week 6
Using the OCI instrument online, and the cultural change background information on
Conglomerate, Inc. provided in Doc Sharing, we will be identifying and prioritizing
cultural attributes and also identifying areas for change.
Review Profiles 1a (workforce results) and 1b (senior leadership team’s ideal
state) closely.
Identify and describe the cultural aspects that management cites as
important and contrast them to the cultural attributes that employees report as
being expected. How do employees believe they are expected to act to “fit in?”
What are the most significant gaps between management and staff?
What observations can you make on the differences between
Conglomerate Inc.’s preferred culture and “ideal” culture presented by HSI?
Once we’ve identified and discussed the gaps, I’ll cue everyone to move onto the
review of the suggested change initiatives and onto observations around your own
OCI results.
Suppose you were the top manager at your organization. What changes would you
make, if any, based on the OCI results you have seen for your organization? How
much pressure do you think exists at your organization, for people to fit into the
cultural norms at the organization? Think carefully before answering this, Sometimes
pressure can be outwardly very heavy. Other times it can be subtle but very strong.
What do you think? How strong are the cultural norms? How much pressure is on
employees to conform to these cultural norms? Would it be a big breach of etiquette to
violate the established norms?
MGMT 591 Resistance to Change Discussions 2 Week 6
When Jorge Maldonado became general manager of the local civic recreation center, he
realized that many changes would be necessary to make the facility a true community
resource. Having the benefit of a new bond issue, the center had the funds for new
equipment and expanded programming. All he needed to do now was get the staff
committed to the new initiatives. Unfortunately, his efforts have been met with
considerable resistance to change. A typical staff comment is, “Why do we need all
these extras? Everything is fine as it is.” How can Jorge deal with the employees’
resistance to change, to enable him to move the change process along? What is
escalation of commitment? How does one get buy in? Getting buy in is sometimes
VERY difficult if not impossible without a plan of action. So let’s take this conversation
from a “worst case scenario” perspective. Assuming you are a new CEO entering a
company with an entrenched culture that has REFUSED to change with several past
leaders, what would you do? Might employers sometimes want to prompt turnover at
times, by introducing change as a way of getting the turnover?
It is certainly a sneaky and underhanded strategy. Have you ever seen it used by
management in the organization where you work?
MGMT 591 Organizational Design Preference Discussions 1 Week 7
Describe your current or most recent employer’s organizational design (mechanistic,
organic, hybrid). Is the structure consistent with the company goals? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of the org designs you chose? What is your opinion of
your organization’s design? Do you think it is the most effective design for your
particular workplace? From an organizational design perspective, what changes would
you recommend if you had the power to alter the current design? When an
organization is small (10 employees for example), an informal design tends to be
convenient and practical very often. However, suppose it is not 10 or even 50
employees. Rather it has 1,000 employees or even more. Is informal design still a good
idea? Have you ever worked for a company where the very structure of the organization
was a hindrance to its mission? If you were the manager of the organization, what
changes would you have made?
MGMT 591 Empowering Teams Discussions 2 Week 7
Over the last three weeks we have focused very much on leadership, power,
organizational culture, and organizational change. Our case study for the week is a
great synthesis piece that addresses all of these topics through a detailed study of
firm’s attempted move to team-based management…. Have you ever seen a workplace
situation where 1 person was dragging down an entire department because of their
negative energy? Ever been at a meeting with a nay sayer among the ranks? This is the
person who is just waiting to shoot down any idea that comes along at a team meeting
– they are chronically dissatisfied with any and all suggestions. How do we deal with
these people? Debate is absolutely essential and healthy in most situations. However,
simply shooting down someone’s idea without offering something as al alternative –
well, that’s a bit lame isn’t it? Assuming you are a new CEO entering a company with an
entrenched cculture that has REFUSED to change with several past leaders, what would
you do?
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