Regarding Exam 3a...

Some good questions and answers follow...

 

I probably won't be taking questions much later tonight.  If you have something to ask, please send it soon.  best of luck tomw...mf

 

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Can you explain to me the basics of the Ohio state and Michigan studies and they key ideas to focus on?

I'm glad to answer a more specific question.  The key ideas are mainly what's on the slides--especially the session 27 review slide.  If something's unclear in any slides--and in that section of the chapter--ask away.  (You can ask me more than just one or two questions, if necessary.)

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I'm having a hard time recalling what caused people to resist from TQM approach in the Michigan study. Could you offer some insight onto this matter? Thanks

Among the reasons people resist team management, and in this TQM implementation...
Generalized fear and individualist culture
Mistrust of the process (just a management scheme to get us working harder?)
Peer Pressure
Disruption of traditions or relationships (doctors "trained" by pharmacists, etc.)
Lack of Tact and/or poor training
Non-reinforcing reward systems (they often need changing, esp. in a self-managed team situation)


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Groups and teamwork
Q1: How does a team differ from a committee or task force? Is the answer "A team emphasizes performance?"

Yes, that’s correct, though I won’t be asking questions that have you distinguish between teams and other groups.  You will be differentiating among different types of teams, however.


Q2: According to research on self-managed teams, self-managed teams had__?A positive effect on productivity or  a positive effect on specifics relating to self-management.

That is the correct answer.  Make sure you know all the specifics in the chapter section headed “effectiveness of self-managed teams.”
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You gave us several examples of groupthink and the session 21 speaker had some others using optimzing and evidence-based decision making.  Are there any important examples of brainstorming or other group problem solving techniques?

The "Deep Dive" in the session 23 video is the only one we actually covered in any detail.
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Do we need to know the new penalties as you changed them when you updated the slide on the foreign corrupt practices act? 

No, I just didn't want to leave my oversight uncorrected.  You do want to know what the act targets, where those targeted behaviors take place, and who can be punished for violations. 
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Are judgmental heuristics and satisficing the same thing?

No, they aren't, though they are both "less totally rational" real-world decision models.  As the text notes, judgmental heuristics are rules of thumb used without conscious awareness.  Satisficing is  a more deliberate process to choose the first "good enough" solution a person encounters.
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Are the stakeholder and shareholder views of corporate social responsibility debated wth the same ferocity in Europe and elsewhere?

The stakeholder view, particularly regarding government's role, is probably more pervasive in Europe than it is here.  Government assurances of privacy are generally stronger there.  As was noted in class, the general assumption used to be European companies are relatively free of the kind of financial misconduct that brought down Enron and Arthur Andersen.  This is no longer the case, as a number of major European scandals, including major ones such as the Parmalat money laundering case, have come to light over the past several years.

Sessions 20-27 clicker questions now available

Sessions 20-27 clicker questions now available

You can access the powerpoint file with the 3rd course segment's clicker questions via electronic reserve.  The file name is "20-27 Clicker questions."

If there is a one you still can't answer after consulting the text, our session slides, and your notes, feel free to ask me in class tomorrow (4/26) or via email.  (Please include the full clicker question in any email inquiry.)

...Prof. M. Fogelman

Clarification of assignment 08 due today

Clarification of assignment 08 due today

The survey you need to answer for alternative B appears in the self-assessment exercises section.  If you can't copy the "style under stress" feedback to your discussion thread, you may either printscreen/copy it to a word processing file and attach it to your response...or you can simply summarize it in your thread.

ALTERNATIVE B: Go to the premium content site associated with the text, SELECT SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISES, select “13. Communication,” and then What is “Your Communication Style Under Stress?”  Answer all the questions and receive feedback on your choices.  Copy and paste that feedback in as the first part of your answers.  Then write 1-3 paragraphs either explaining why you are satisfied with your approach to high-stakes communication, or discussing how you might improve some aspect(s) of your response pattern in this type of exercise.

[Also, students doing alternative A--Twitter postings--have through Thursday 4/26 to request a two-day extension.]

Session 26 slides available

There was a delay releasing the slides for tomorrow (26 Ethics...).  They should be accessible to everyone now.  Apologies for the delay.

Things to know about Exam 3a

For students who want to speak with me, I will not be available for appointments from just past noon this Thursday until early Monday morning, 4/30.  I should have limited email access at fogelman@albany.edu through the weekend, and will also be available by phone for students who leave their phone numbers and acceptable callback times at 518/442-5545.  There are lots of available appointment times through late this Wednesday and also next Monday.

There is a single set of review slides for exams 3a (given on 5/1) and 3b (given on 5/10 along with exams 1b and 2b).  This set of slides, titled "27 Exam 3a/3b Review," is now available on ERes.  We will go over those items during class this Thursday, 4/26.

Relevant clicker questions will also be put up on ERes soon.  That file name is "20-27 Clicker items."

There is no video review for exam 3b, but audio versions of both in-class 3a/3b reviews (from 4/26) will be available via ERes.  Since there may be slight differences between what is said during the 8:45 and 10:15 in-class reviews, students ought to listen to both sound files when preparing for exam 3a and exam 3b.

(Incidentally, the review slides for exam 1b and 2b are already available, as are the review videos that go along with them.  One review video includes both 1b and 2b content, and the other has only the 2b section. You are encouraged to review these well in advance of May 10, as the University's video server may strain and degrade service when there is a huge volume of requests for access to these videos.)

                 Some information we already discussed during session 24...
 

Chester Barnard

A key reason Barnard is one of our "folk heroes" is his contribution as an early theorist regarding how we get people to do things.

What he called the "Zone of Indifference" denotes the range of authoritative requests to which a subordinate is willing to respond without subjecting the directives to critical evaluation or judgment.  In other words, he understands that in exchange for certain inducements, subordinates recognize the authority of the organization and its managers to direct their behavior in certain ways. 

Getting workers to take on tasks outside their “zone of indifference”--often what is needed for an organization to compete successfully--demands extraordinary inducements.

In order for tasks to fall within the zone, several conditions must be met  to achieve this “consent of the governed”:

The subordinate

...the subordinate must understand the directions,

...s/he should be capable of doing what’s asked,

...the task and its goals have to be consistent with the organization's purposes, and

...it must not be inconsistent with the individual worker’s personal interests and values.

BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENTS #6, #7, #8, AND #9

BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENTS #6, #7, #8, AND #9

Regarding Blackboard Assignments #6, #7, #8, and #9

Due April 10, 17, 24, and 26, respectively.

NOTE THAT ASSIGNMENT #9 (VERY SIMPLE!) IS DUE JUST TWO DAYS AFTER ASG08  

For your convenience as we this semester’s crush period, assignments #6, #7, #8, and #9 are posted together. They have different deadlines, as you can see, but you are welcome to complete them as early as possible. (Please do not do Asg09 TOO early.)

THERE WILL BE NO ASSIGNMENT #10; IT IS A “FREE POINT” THAT’S REALLY FREE.

BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT #6 (ASG06-netid)

Due TUESDAY, April 10

Lives people generally consider to be "well-lived" are often characterized by extensive community involvement, so "service learning" is a topic we've mentioned more than once in class. Though doing a project to benefit both the student and the community is an important part of students' preparation for business careers, such an activity is not easily mentored and evaluated in a survey course like Management 341. Knowing and thinking about SL, however, remains an objective of this course. In your group discussion forum, CREATE A THREAD that consists of a short report (1-3 paragraphs) covering one of three topics: (1) a service learning project you began and sustained throughout this term, (2) some such project you carried out at any time in the past, or (3) a project you will or might engage in at some time in the future. Include a discussion of the activity's benefits to you and to the community.

There is a wealth of information at the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse web site (http://www.servicelearning.org/what_is_service-learning/service-learning_is/index.php). Along with a more detailed definition and explanation of the process, you will find a glossary of terms and a list of some jobs/activities to give you ideas. Appropriate local undertakings might include work on the campus drive to increase organ and tissue donation, cooperating with the Junior Chamber of Commerce to teach economic concepts to public school students, or running a campaign to provide household or medical supplies to less privileged populations here or in developing nations. Due date: TUESDAY, April 10.

BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT #7

Due on TUESDAY, April 17

In the "student edition" of the premium content site, take the Self Assessment titled “Assessing Your Ethical Decision-Making Skills.” Read the feedback and write one or two sentences reporting your score and reacting to it in any way you like. Look over Session number “23 Supplemental Ethics Case Slides.”

Then go to the Manager's Hot Seat section and complete Scenario #2: Ethics: Let’s Make a Fourth Quarter Deal. Review the profiles, references, scenario, and dossier before you create your report.

Answer the questions throughout the case in your assignment posting, and add a paragraph evaluating Jason’s performance.

BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT #8 (ASG08-netid)

Do **EITHER** Alternative A, B or C

Due TUESDAY, April 24

For this assignment, please choose just one of these 3 alternatives:

ALTERNATIVE A:  Participate in the @bmgt Twitter Experiment.  Its objective is to facilitate online discussion and participation by students.  (STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE OTHER ASSIGNMENT #8 ALTERNATIVES ARE ALSO WELCOME TO follow and “mention” @bmgt.)

Participants will post five @bmgt “mentions” on a course topic.  Those still unfamiliar with Twitter (you are not alone) can just take a few moments to (1) create a username on http://www.twitter.com/, (2) “follow” @bmgt, (3) enter your twitter username on the signup sheet kept in the front of the room, and (4) wait a day to make sure @bmgt is following YOU.  Once your username  and @bmgt are following each other, (3) see what course discussions are on your twitter feed, (4) compose or “tweet” a message up to 140 characters long, (5) send an email to mgt341seat@yahoo.com once you have mentioned @bmgt in 5 twitter posts.  PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT EACH OF YOUR TWEETS—TOTALING AT LEAST 5 SPREAD OVER MULTIPLE DAYS—INCLUDES THE WORD “@bmgt” WITHOUT THE QUOTES.

Uses of this tool range from asking questions of the instructor, to having a discussion outside class, to letting us know if you discover some interesting management-related website or other item. Other features such as hashtags (e.g., #bmgtleadership) for specific topics may also be used.   It is preferred, but not required, that you post one or more of these tweets shortly before or DURING our class on April 10, when tweeting is invited and we will display the feed periodically during the session.

ALTERNATIVE B: Go to the premium content site associated with the text, SELECT SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISES, select “13. Communication,” and then What is “Your Communication Style Under Stress?”  Answer all the questions and receive feedback on your choices.  Copy and paste that feedback in as the first part of your answers.  Then write 1-3 paragraphs either explaining why you are satisfied with your approach to high-stakes communication, or discussing how you might improve some aspect(s) of your response pattern in this type of exercise.

ALTERNATIVE C: Work together with up to four other class members to present a very brief segment of a remaining class topic.  (A downsized version of the hotseat “presentation” option, this alternative is arranged and/or rehearsed with the instructor.)

ASSIGNMENT #9 (ASG09-netid)

Due THURSDAY, April 26

Write one or more paragraphs analyzing your experience in this course. Which topics did you find most (or least) helpful and interesting? Especially welcome are your opinions of the various tools and instructional techniques, including the text and other readings, regular and "second chance" exams, quizzes, short in-class videos, downloadable review slides, virtual discussion groups, the hotseat, guest speakers, clickers, and on-line contributions like this one. What changes might improve the course for the students who will follow you? React also to any new ideas mentioned in class, including the possible video replacement of additional class lectures in future semesters. Due date: *** THURSDAY***, April 26.