HRM611 Assignment No. 2
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Posted In HRM Edit ThisSemester “Fall 2010”
“Human Relations(MGMT611)”
This is to inform that next Assignment (covering video lecture no. 1 to lecture no 33) will be uploaded on VULMS according to the following schedule
Schedule
Opening Date and Time
Jan 13 , 2011 At 12:01 A.M. (Mid-Night)
Closing Date and Time
Jan 18 , 2011 At 11:59 P.M. (Mid-Night)
Note: Only in the case of Assignment, 24 Hrs extra / grace period after the above mentioned due date is usually available to overcome uploading difficulties which may be faced by the students on last date. This extra time should only be used to meet the emergencies and above mentioned due dates should always be treated as final to avoid any inconvenience.
............
idea solution please discuss
A. Laissez Faire
B. Participative
C. Autocratic
D. Consultative
Answer 2
Autocratic
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Assignment No. 2 Marks: 15
The four management styles---Autocratic, Consultative, Participative and Laissez faire are observed at workplace settings and every manager has to adopt the supervisory style according to the need of situation.
Q1. You are supposed to determine the management style that each response represents.
(2.5*4=10)
Autocratic leaders tend to make unilateral decisions, dictate work methods, limit worker knowledge about goals to just the next step to be performed, and sometimes give feedback that is punitive.
This form of leadership is one of the least desirable when it comes to building trusting relationships and making friends! In a system of autocratic leadership, one person has control over all of the workers or followers. The leader is in complete control and no one is permitted to make any suggestions or offer any opinions, no matter how it may benefit the *****.
When it comes to leading a ***** in school or in a ***** project, you will find that autocratic leadership can make you very unpopular. If communication and trust are important, you don’t want to lean too far toward autocratic leadership.
But there is a time when autocratic traits can prove beneficial. This form of leadership is effective when absolute control is needed over a *****. Have you ever worked on a ***** project that fell flat? That happens when no strong leader is present.
Benefits of Autocratic Leadership
***** projects require strong leadership. Without it, nobody gets a full understanding of what is required of anybody else. Unfortunately, that often means that some ***** members procrastinate and wait for others to do the work. In the end, the project suffers (and so does your grade!).
If your ***** plans to work on line at all, you should really think about electing a strong leader. This leader should be willing to take charge, divide the work, and set deadlines. He or she must take full control. Communication is difficult enough when it comes to ***** work, but when technology is involved it often breaks down completely.
If your ***** attempts to communicate via email or other electronic communication, strong leadership is an absolute must! It is wise, when working in a *****, to assign a strong leader with some autocratic tendencies.
a. Autocratic I (AI): You solve the problem or make the decision yourself using present information.
b. Autocratic II (AII): You obtain necessary information from subordinates without involving them in the decision, and make the decision yourself.
Consultative Style
This style focuses on using the skills, experiences, and ideas of others. However, the leader or manager using this style still retains the final decision-making power. To his or her credit, they will not make major decisions without first getting the input from those that will be affected.
The consultative leader traits are: often involve others in problem solving, team building, retains right for final decisions, focuses his/her time on more important activities, provides proper recognition, delegates but keeps “veto power”, weighs all alternatives before final decision is made.
Consultative leadership is the way to go in the long run. Management Guru, Kenneth Blanchard said: "The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority". This is the very nature of consultative leadership in that you the leader will have to develop the ability to influence people rather than impose on them your authority as is the case in an autocratic leadership style. In consultative leadership style, the leader will engage the subordinates efficaciously in the decision making and problem solving process. This kind of leadership style endorses the fact that the leader is indeed the servant of the people he is leading. The people have the power to engage in consultation with the leader and are able to make suggestions which they know would be taken into serious contemplation by the leader.
Further, consultative leadership style endorses the concept of empowerment rather than delegation. When a leader empowers, he is basically giving the person concern a freehand to do what is necessary. The leader may draw up certain parameters for the person to work within and to ensure that he is kept in the loop by the person. In a consultative leadership style, the leader still has strong visions and concrete values that he can communicate with his people. However unlike the autocratic leader, the concept underlying consultative leadership style is one of administering a people-oriented kind of management rather than a task-oriented one.
The consultative leader's role will continuously involve the development of his people and this is done by being kept aware of the needs and wants of the people. The only way this information can be gotten is by having constant dialogue with the people and clarifying the goals and aspirations that you have and synchronizing this with their personal visions. When the people get to experience this state of being they will be more prepared to 'buy-in' the visions and values of the leader.
In the long haul, consultative leadership will be the most appropriate one. As the organization mature, the leader has to learn to move away from delegation to empowerment. When the people become more experienced and participative in their professional relationship with you the leader, you will have to play the role of a mentor to them. Consultative leadership style will invoke in you the ability to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals under your authority and allow you the opportunity to nurture the best out of them. The parting quote by Elisabeth Dole seems apt to be mentioned here where she said: "What you always do before you make a decision is consult. The best public policy is made when you are listening to people who are going to be impacted. Then, once policy is determined, you call on them to help you sell it".
c. Consultative I (CI): You share the problem with the relevant subordinates individually, then you make a decision which may or may not be influenced by subordinates.
d. Consultative II (CII): You obtain ideas and suggestions from subordinates in a ***** session, but make the decision yourself.
Participative leader behavior is characterized by consulting with subordinates, encouraging their suggestions, and carefully considering their ideas when making decisions. Women largely tend to adopt this style.
Assumptions
Involvement in decision-making improves the understanding of the issues involved by those who must carry out the decisions.
People are more committed to actions where they have involved in the relevant decision-making.
People are less competitive and more collaborative when they are working on joint goals.
When people make decisions together, the social commitment to one another is greater and thus increases their commitment to the decision.
Several people deciding together make better decisions than one person alone.
Style
A Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the process, possibly including subordinates, peers, superiors and other stakeholders. Often, however, as it is within the managers' whim to give or deny control to his or her subordinates, most participative activity is within the immediate team. The question of how much influence others are given thus may vary on the manager's preferences and beliefs, and a whole spectrum of participation is possible, as in the table below.
There are many varieties on this spectrum, including stages where the leader sells the idea to the team. Another variant is for the leader to describe the 'what' of objectives or goals and let the team or individuals decide the 'how' of the process by which the 'how' will be achieved (this is often called 'Management by Objectives').
The level of participation may also depend on the type of decision being made. Decisions on how to implement goals may be highly participative, whilst decisions during subordinate performance evaluations are more likely to be taken by the manager.
2. Research on the comparative effectiveness of the three leadership styles was inconclusive.
a. The laissez-fair style was ineffective.
b. The effectiveness of the autocratic and democratic leaders varied, although satisfaction levels tended to be higher in the democratically led groups.
Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow ***** members to make the decisions. Researchers have found that this is generally the leadership style that leads to the lowest productivity among ***** members.
Laissez-faire leadership is characterized by:
• Very little guidance from leaders
• Complete freedom for followers to make decisions
• Leaders provide the tools and resources needed
• ***** members are expected to solve problems on their own
Benefits of Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership can be effective in situations where ***** members are highly skilled, motivated and capable of working on their own. While the conventional term for this style is 'laissez-faire' and implies a completely hands-off approach, many leaders still remain open and available to ***** members for consultation and feedback.
Downsides of Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership is not ideal in situations where ***** members lack the knowledge or experience they need to complete tasks and make decisions. Some people are not good at setting their own deadlines, managing their own projects and solving problems on their own. In such situations, projects can go off-track and deadlines can be missed when team members do not get enough guidance or feedback from leaders.