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This article illustrate the varying levels of control utilized by organizations, notably strategic, tactical and operational strategy. Good managers have a broad vision of the process, a series of embedded tactics for efficiency and a careful operational control for cost control.

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Empowering families to navigate the immigration system more confidently, rapidly, and affordably.

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Empowering families to navigate the immigration system more confidently, rapidly, and affordably. We are a team of immigrants and experts who have struggled with our own journeys through the complex, high-stakes United States immigration system. Just like millions of other families, we've had to choose between paying thousands of dollars in legal fees or spending months trying to figure out how to do everything ourselves.

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This video discusses in detail the processes and strategies of production planning and control.

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Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

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Mod-1 Lec-1 Production Planning and Control

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Lecture Series on Industrial Engineering by Prof. P.K.Jain, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, IIT Roorkee. For more details on NPTEL visit http://nptel.iitm.ac.in

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This video summarizes the definition of controlling from a management perspective. It also outlines the process of collecting relevant information and analyzing it as a part of the management process.

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Background: The Management Process

Controlling is the fourth step in the management process. Let's review the process as a whole to better understand how controlling fits.

The first step, planning, involves developing short- and long-term goals for the organization. This includes setting goals and planning for the necessary resources needed to attain the set goals. Goals can be short-term, like a sales blitz, or long-term, like developing a new marketing plan. Either way, managers begin by first planning for the goals.

The next step, organizing, involves performing all of the tasks needed to get the job done. This means gathering all of the resources, like people, capital and information, so that everything is ready when needed.

The next step, directing, involves actually executing the plan - putting all of the resources to work to achieve the short- and long-term goals set forth in the planning stage.

The final step, and the main focus of our lesson, is controlling. It involves comparing actual performance to expected performance.

Controlling as a Process

The controlling process involves:

1. Establishing standards to measure performance

2. Measuring actual performance

3. Comparing performance with the standard

4. Taking corrective action

Controlling Process Explained

The controlling process is simply a set of steps a manager uses to determine whether organizational goals have been met. Let's explore each step of the process and apply examples to demonstrate its function for management. Let's use the example of TQM Auto Repair Shop to understand the controlling process.

Establishing Standards to Measure Performance

This involves making decisions about the goals an organization wants to focus on during a period of time. These can be financial, customer satisfaction, production or employee performance-related goals.

Measuring Actual Performance

This involves creating measuring tools to collect data. The tool should be able to report on performance as it relates to the standards set, or 'measures,' developed in the first step of the controlling process. These tools can be a balance sheet, a sales report, data collected from a customer satisfaction survey or even an employee performance appraisal.

Comparing Performance with the Standard

This involves comparing 'actual' performance to performance standards based on data collected in the second step of the controlling process. Using the measuring tools created in the second step, managers are able to compare current performance and productivity to the standards set. A manager may want to compare sales performance from last year to this year by comparing the actual sales from the previous year to the sales of the current year. This comparison tells a manager whether the sales team is below, meeting or exceeding goals. These are called variances, or differences between what was expected and what actually occurred.

Taking Corrective Action

This involves determining whether changes need to be made, what changes need to be made and devising a plan for making changes. Managers will use comparisons to determine what needs to be investigated. If sales are lower than expected, managers will look at various things.

Perhaps the salespeople are not making as many client calls as they did last year. In this case, corrective action may be taken against the employees for non-performance. A manager may look at the work itself. Maybe there are too many clients and not enough staff. In this case, a manager may have to hire more staff. The price of the product or service may be too high, and it may affect demand. In this case, a manager may have to look at ways to add value to a product or service or lower prices.

Controlling Process in Action

Let's look at examples of the controlling process in action. Sam, the manager of TQM Auto Repair Shop recently set goals for his business. First, Sam must establish standards, or a set of 'requirements' for his business. Sam is working on the first step, establishing standards to measure performance.

Sam wants to make $100,000 more this year than he did last year so he can replace older equipment in the repair shop. Raising the price of repairs can do this. This is a financial goal.

It is important not to take customers for granted. A goal to increase customer satisfaction from 84% last year to 90% this year is set. Customer service satisfaction must increase by six percent this year. This is a customer service-related goal.

Sam sets a goal to increase the quota, or a goal set for production, for the amount of cars each mechanic must repair each week. This is a production goal.

With all of the new goals Sam set for the repair shop over the past week, employees may not be able to keep up with the workload. To ensure the goals are met, Sam must devise a way to measure the productivity and performance of his employees. This measurement is compared with the goals he set above, or the preset standards. Once he evaluates the information, Sam can provide feedback to each employee. This will help them make improvements to their work. This is an employee performance appraisal .

Sam developed the standards for what he would like to accomplish in the above step. Now, he needs to develop a way of determining whether the goals are being met. Sam creates a new pricing guide, a customer satisfaction survey, a sales quota system and an employee evaluation system. Sam is working on the second step, measuring actual performance.

Sam will present the new pricing guide to employees. He explains his plan for raising much-needed revenue to each employee so the employee understands the reason for the price increase. It is important to include employees in setting goals. If Sam's employees understand the reason for the price increase, they will be more likely to buy-in to the goal.

Sam also introduces the customer satisfaction survey to his customers. Each customer will fill out a survey where they will rate their experience based on many factors like:

Timeliness of repairs

Quality of work

Price

Friendliness of mechanics

Ease of payment

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controlling as a function of management - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Controlling as a Function of Management - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Controlling is the fourth step in the management process. Let's review the process as a whole to better understand how controlling fits. The first step, planning, involves developing short- and long-term goals for the organization. This includes setting goals and planning for the necessary resources needed to attain the set goals.

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This document address issues with controlling increasingly digital information systems and offers solutions to maintaining efficient control.

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John Maxwell discusses the levels of leadership and how to increase to higher levels. These descriptions move beyond the Pygmalion effect and are honest analysis of how effectively leaders are leading.

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New York Times Best-Selling Author, Dr. John C. Maxwell teaches the high points of The 5 Levels of Leadership at The Chick-Fil-A Leadercast. For info on attending The 5 Levels of Leadership One-Day Workshop in a city near you, please visit http://www.johnmaxwell.com/events/workshops/the-5-levels-of-leadership

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This video discusses the Pygmalion effect, the thoughts and expectations inside your head can and do start a chain reaction that ultimately results in a transformation of your leadership style. It shows that a positive outlook on servant style leadership can have a massive effect on how leaders and followers interact.

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Essential Qualities of All Great Leaders

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Cartoon Video on Leadership Characteristics | ASL Resources Training & Consultancy

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Leadership Styles - Which Is YOUR Leadership Style?

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Leadership styles video by http://www.GoodAtPeople.com. Which is YOUR style of leadership? Let's face it, most days you feel like a babysitter instead of a boss. Is it possible that changing the way you DEFINE and THINK ABOUT your leadership style can be the key to transforming your style of leadership?

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This article outlines and defines the drives of an effective leader as acquisition, bonding, comprehension, and defense.

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How well do you understand how and why people do what they do at work? Understanding leadership behavior, as well as co-worker and employee behavior, is key to working well. Do you know what drives your boss?

There are many ways of understanding your boss, none more seductive than being able to group him/her into a category and putting a label onto their defining motivation.

He's a "High D" - always driven to win, wants to dominate and control.

She's an extreme extravert, knows and connects with everyone, drives teamwork.

He's an analytic decision-maker, wants a lot of data before anything else.

You may be more familiar with Myers-Briggs or Disc or some other assessment system, but how you categorize yourself and your boss must take into account underlying human motivations we all share in common. What are those basic human drives?

Four drive theory is based on evolutionary psychology. It proposes all humans have four basic drives in common.

These four drives have been present in humans since the beginnings of our species and have helped in our survival. These four basic drives are embedded in our genetic DNA and remain very much active in us today, especially at work.

The four basic drives are:

Which, coincidentally, makes it easy to remember: A, B, C, and D!

In Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices (Jossey Bass, 2001), authors Paul R. Lawrence and Nitin Nohria explain this new theory on basic drives in humans.

These two Harvard Business School professors (Nohria is currently dean of the Harvard Business School) draw evidence for their four-drive theory from evolution and Darwin as well as from social sciences and organizational life.

Human beings are driven to seek ways to fulfill all four drives because these drives are the product of the species' common evolutionary heritage: they increase the ability of our genes to survive.

This also explains why so many people working in organizations are driven to become better at what they do and hire coaches to improve their success.

The drive to acquire objects and experiences that improve our status relative to others: This is defined as a drive to seek, take, control and retain objects and personal experiences. In the course of evolution humans have been selected naturally for this drive by survival pressures, based on the basic needs for food, fluid, shelter, and sexual fulfillment.People are driven to acquire both material and positional goods. Both goods and social status are important here. The drive to acquire is rarely satisfied; you can always want more and always seek ever greater status.

The drive to bond with others in long-term relationships of mutual care and commitment: Humans have an innate drive to form social relationships and develop commitments with others that is fulfilled only when the attachment is mutual. Groups of individuals who were bonded to one another had a better chance of surviving environmental threats than groups that were not. This drive draws humans into cooperation with others.

I'll share more with you in my next post, stay tuned. In the mean time, start paying attention to the things you do, and become aware of what drives you. In what ways do you recognize your drives? I'd love to hear from you.

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Leadership Behavior: 4 Basic Drives | Leader Snips, the Blog

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How well do you understand how and why people do what they do at work? Understanding leadership behavior, as well as co-worker and employee behavior, is key to working well. Do you know what drives your boss?

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In this article, Ray Guerin discusses the distinction between leadership and management including drivers and relationship commonalities.

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This video defines and contrasts parts of teams and groups. This is a helpful distinction as a deeper understand of which you are leading can have more effective management.

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This article defines the divide between a group and a team and what level of dependency each group maintains.

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1. Human Resources

2. Employee Relations

3. Differences between Work Groups and Teams

By Marty Brounstein

Teams definitely are forms of work groups, but not all work groups are teams. In fact, plain work groups are much more numerous than teams.

Work groups function on three levels:

Here's the breakdown.

Dependent-level work groups

Dependent-level work groups are the traditional work unit or department groups with a supervisor who plays a strong role as the boss. Almost everyone has had some experience with this work setup, especially in a first job.

Each person in a dependent-level work group has his or her own job and works under the close supervision of the boss. The boss is in charge and tells the employees the do's and don'ts in their jobs. Helping each other and covering for one another do not occur often and do so mostly under the direction of the supervisor. In fact, most problem solving, work assignments, and other decisions affecting the group come from the supervisor.

A dependent-level work group can perform well in the short term. But for the long run, because group members operate separately and mostly at the direction of the supervisor, such work groups don't seem to go anywhere. Maintaining the status quo and keeping operations under control are what they do best. Creating improvements, increasing productivity, and leveraging resources to support one another are quite uncommon with dependent-level work groups.

Independent-level work groups

Independent-level work groups are the most common form of work groups on the business scene. Like a dependent-level work group, each person is responsible for his or her own main area. But unlike the dependent level, the supervisor or manager tends not to function like the controlling boss. Instead, staff members work on their own assignments with general direction and minimal supervision.

Sales representatives, research scientists, accountants, lawyers, police officers, librarians, and teachers are among the professionals who tend to work in this fashion. People in those occupations come together in one department because they serve a common overall function, but almost everyone in the group works fairly independently.

If members of an independent-level work group receive the managerial guidance and support they need on the job, such a work group can perform quite well.

Interdependent-level work groups

Members of an interdependent-level work group rely on each other to get the work done. Sometimes members have their own roles and at other times they share responsibilities. Yet, in either case, they coordinate with one another to produce an overall product or set of outcomes. When this interdependence exists, you have a team. And by capitalizing on interdependence, the team demonstrates the truth of the old saying: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

An independent work group can often be brought up to speed faster than an interdependent group. It simply takes more time to get a group of individuals to work as a team than to set a group of individuals off on their independent assignments. Yet when teams move into a high-functioning and high-producing state, where they capitalize on interdependence, they can outperform all other types of work groups. So, if you want a quick fix, don't look to teams: but if you want to see strong results for the long term, do look to teams.

To call a group a team does not make them a team: wishing for them to work as a team doesn't work either. For a snapshot of the main differences between work groups and teams, take a look at Table 1. As you can see, work groups have a strong individual focus and teams have a strong collective focus. The individual is not lost on a team, but that person's work is coordinated to fit in with the greater good. Team concerns are much more focused on the outcomes of the overall unit rather than an individual's accomplishments.
Table 1: Difference Between Work Groups and Teams
Table 1 also indicates that teams meet more often than traditional work groups. Work groups may meet periodically, based on the manager's style, primarily to hear and share information. Teams, by comparison, do much more than communicate when they meet. Team meetings are forums for planning work, solving work problems, making decisions about work, and reviewing progress. In short, meetings are vital to a team's existence.

The last item in Table 1 is crucial: Team leadership is participatory, in contrast to the primarily manager-driven nature of regular work groups. On a team, the manager or team leader frequently involves team members in helping shape the goals and plans for getting the group's work done - may as well get them involved, they've got to do the work! But in other kinds of work groups, managers more commonly work with staff individually to set goals and determine assignments. Of course, in many cases, managers just assign work with little discussion or collaboration with the staff members. And staff are then left to figure out what's expected and how best to get it done.

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Differences between Work Groups and Teams - dummies

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Teams definitely are forms of work groups, but not all work groups are teams. In fact, plain work groups are much more numerous than teams. Work groups function on three levels: Dependent level Independent level Interdependent level Here's the breakdown. Dependent-level work groups Dependent-level work groups are the traditional work unit or department groups with ...

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Persuasion skills can be learnt just like any others, and they are a key part of being able to influence others to achieve goals and objectives. This article presents effective and ineffective persuasion skills for the improvement of personal influence.

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How often have you needed to persuade others to do something?

It's a situation that arises almost every day, whether it's getting your teenager to tidy their room, or your preschooler to get dressed, or a colleague to attend a meeting on your behalf. Some people seem to be able to do it effortlessly, and almost without anyone noticing, whereas others fall back on the power of their position to enforce what they want.

Persuasion skills can be learnt just like any others, and they are a key part of being able to influence others to achieve your goals and objectives.

Ways to Influence and Persuade

Nagging

We all know people who aim to persuade by talking constantly. They seem to think they can grind others into submission, by simply reiterating their point of view constantly. This, basically, is nagging. And it does sometimes work, of course, because their colleagues or family give in solely to get some peace. But as a general rule, others persuaded in this way probably haven't bought into the idea, and are not committed to it.

This means that when the going gets tough, the idea could easily just wither and die.

Coercion

Others fall back on the power of their position, and order others to do what they want. This, in its most unpleasant sense, is coercion. Again, their family or colleagues won't necessarily like what they're doing. If it's hard, they may well give up. More orders will be issued, to rescue the idea, but again, may be unsuccessful, because those involved are doing it because they have to, not because they want to.

A Better Way

The 'Holy Grail' of persuasion, then, is to get others to buy into the idea, and want to do it your way. And the best way of doing that is in a way that others don't notice. But how?
The fable of the sun and the wind is a good example:

The wind and the sun decided to have a competition to decide once and for all who was stronger. They agreed that the winner would be the one who could persuade a man to take off his coat. The wind blew and blew, but the man only held on more tightly to his coat. Then the sun shone gently down, and within minutes, the man took off his coat.

The moral here is that you can't force someone to do what they don't want; instead, the art of persuasion is to get them to want what you want.

Persuasion Unseen

Consider this example of a group of students choosing a leader for a group task.

The group had agreed on the ideal type of person, and there were two obvious candidates within the group, Sue and Steven.

Sue suggested that Steven should take on the task, and he accepted happily. Decision made. Everyone smiled, except for one member of the group, John.

John, who had until that moment been silent, said: " Steven, don't forget to let us know what you want us to do to help. With your new job, you're going to have a lot on, and you'll need to make sure you get us organised or we won't get it all done. "

Steven looked thoughtful, and then said, " You know, on reflection, I'm not sure I've got time to do this as well as starting my new job. I have got a lot on, as you say. Maybe it would be better if Sue did it. "

Everyone looked at Sue, who said that she would take it on if the group wanted. They all agreed that would be best.

Sue later asked John privately why he had intervened when the group had already decided on a leader. He said that he thought she would do it better than Steven, and get a better result for the group.

In this example, John had used his persuasion skills very subtly to get what he wanted, and created a win-win situation from a potentially unpleasant conversation.

Steven was happy that the group had acknowledged his skills, and equally happy that he wasn't leading the task.

In fact, at the end, he wanted Sue to lead it, without John ever having to risk upsetting him by saying that he thought Sue would be better.

Barriers to Successful Persuasion

One way to think about what works in persuading others is to think about what doesn't work first.

In his book Persuasion IQ, Kurt Mortensen lists ten obstacles to successful persuasion:

Successful Persuasion

Research shows that there are a number of things that people like about successful persuaders.

Kurt Mortensen's research suggests that these elements are largely emotional. They include keeping promises, being reliable and taking responsibility, being sincere, genuine, and honest, knowing their subject, and believing in it, building rapport, and being entertaining, as well as not arguing and providing solutions that work.

The key skills for successful persuasion, then, are pretty wide. First of all, successful persuaders tend to have high self-esteem and good Emotional Intelligence more generally. They really believe that they will succeed.

You also need to remain motivated and believe in yourself and your ideas. See our pages on Self-motivation for more.

Additionally, you need to understand how your audience thinks.

Key skills here include Empathy, and good Listening Skills, including Active Listening. If you listen, your audience will usually tell you what and how they are thinking. It also helps to be able to build rapport; people like those who take time to become a friend, as well as an influencer. It follows, really: if we're honest, we'd all much rather do what a friend suggests than someone we dislike, however sensible the idea. Building rapport also helps to build trust, and for more about building trust, have a look at our page on Personal Empowerment.

Good persuaders or influencers also have very good Communication Skills.

It's essential that you can get your point across succinctly and effectively, otherwise you're never going to persuade anyone of the merits of your position.

The final skill of good persuaders is being organised. They do their homework, they know their audience and they know their subject. They have taken time to organise themselves and think about what they want to achieve. For more about this, take a look at our pages on Organisation Skills, Strategic Thinking and Action Planning.

Further Reading from Skills You Need
Our Communication Skills eBooks
Learn more about the key communication skills you need to be an effective communicator.

Our eBooks are ideal for anyone who wants to learn about or develop their communication skills, and are full of easy-to-follow practical information and exercises.

Conclusion

It takes time, but develop these skills, and you will start to develop 'authentic power', which means that you have power because people believe in what you're saying. Once you have that, you are likely to be much more successful in persuading and influencing others, whether at home or at work.

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How often have you needed to persuade others to do something? It's a situation that arises almost every day, whether it's getting your teenager to tidy their room, or your preschooler to get dressed, or a colleague to attend a meeting on your behalf.

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This video provides a quick overview on human resources duties and responsibilities. It is a strong summary of what to look for when hiring HR staff.

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This video presents the importance of organization in companies and how it is accomplished.

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Organizing as a Function of Management

The major functions that a manager completes can be categorized into four different functions, known as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling; a fifth function of staffing also appears in some management literature. This lesson will focus on the second managerial function, known as organizing. The organizing function is carried out once a plan, or an outline for how to achieve some organizational goal, is in place. Many believe organizing is the most critical of managerial functions because of its ability to help or hinder an organizational plan and thus profoundly affect organizational success.

Think about any team sport and how important organizing is to the success of the team. A coach will spend countless hours planning various plays and formulating strategies to beat the opponent. However, those plays and strategies are only as effective as how well the coach organizes various players on the team, each with his or her own set of talents and abilities. The coach must identify which players are best-suited for each position on the team and how the assembly of the larger unit will allow for the plays or strategies to be successfully executed. Misplacing just one player into a position in which he or she is not best-suited, or does not understand the responsibility attached, may have devastating effects on the entire team's ability to complete the play or strategy. Each player must understand his or her role and responsibilities in the assigned position for the plan to be successfully achieved.

What Happens When a Manager Organizes?

Organizing, much like planning, is a process that must be meticulously designed and executed. The end result of the organizing process is the organizational structure, which refers to the type of framework a company uses to distinguish power and authority, roles and responsibilities, and the manner in which information flows through the organization. Having a suitable organizational structure will allow a company to implement proper operating procedures and decision-making processes that will aid the organization in accomplishing its goals.

Organizing requires the manager to determine how he or she will distribute resources and organize employees according to a designated plan aimed at some organizational goal. The manager will need to identify different roles and responsibilities, assign work, and coordinate the right amount and mix of employees across departments to carry out the plan. Each employee must be aware of his or her responsibilities to avoid frustration, confusion, and loss of efficiency. This was seen in the example of the sports team; the coach had to determine which players would assume which positions and subsequent responsibilities. Also, the coach had to be certain to choose the right mix of players to carry out the play or strategy. Each player had to understand his or her role and the responsibilities inherent within that assigned position in order for the plan to be carried out effectively.

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organizing as a function of management - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Organizing as a Function of Management - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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The major functions that a manager completes can be categorized into four different functions, known as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling; a fifth function of staffing also appears in some management literature. This lesson will focus on the second managerial function, known as organizing.

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This video creates a clear presentation of what organizational culture is and what elements create that culture.

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Understanding Organizational Culture

Would you act the same way at a rock concert as you would while watching a symphony orchestra perform? Although there are no written rules that dictate the acceptable way to act at either type of performance, the concert audience will try to make it very clear to you if your behavior does not conform to what they consider to be appropriate.

Would you dress the same way to attend a golf tournament as you would to attend a football game? Although both are sporting events, there are a set of unwritten rules that dictate what is considered to be the acceptable way to dress for each type of event, and the people in attendance will send you signals as to whether or not they think you are dressed appropriately.

At concerts, sporting events, and just about everywhere that people get together, group members convey social expectations by how they dress and act. Newcomers to the group are expected to learn what is acceptable to the group by observing the behavior and dress code of the group members and adapting to the situation accordingly.

Defining Organizational Culture

Organizational culture works a lot like this. Every company has its own unique personality, just like people do. The unique personality of an organization is referred to as its culture. In groups of people who work together, organizational culture is an invisible but powerful force that influences the behavior of the members of that group. So, how do we define organizational culture?

Organizational culture is a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs, which governs how people behave in organizations. These shared values have a strong influence on the people in the organization and dictate how they dress, act, and perform their jobs. Every organization develops and maintains a unique culture, which provides guidelines and boundaries for the behavior of the members of the organization. Let's explore what elements make up an organization's culture.

Organizational culture is composed of seven characteristics that range in priority from high to low. Every organization has a distinct value for each of these characteristics, which, when combined, defines the organization's unique culture. Members of organizations make judgments on the value their organization places on these characteristics and then adjust their behavior to match this perceived set of values. Let's examine each of these seven characteristics.

Characteristics of Organizational Culture

The seven characteristics of organizational culture are:

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what is organizational culture? - definition & characteristics - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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What is Organizational Culture? - Definition & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Would you act the same way at a rock concert as you would while watching a symphony orchestra perform? Although there are no written rules that dictate the acceptable way to act at either type of performance, the concert audience will try to make it very clear to you if your behavior does not conform to what they consider to be appropriate.

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This article outlines the structure of establishing organizational culture.

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Kyle Shulfer - Leadership Development Project

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Organizational culture is a defined as a set of beliefs, values, and assumptions that are shared by members of an organization. these underlying values have an influence on the behavior of...

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Delegation is an important task that must occur to keep an organism running, much like the brain can't perform all bodily functions but it does define how to perform these tasks. A malfunction in the leader can quickly destroy the organism.

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This video discusses the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making and how issues can be avoided.

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Group Decision Making

The marketing team at Messy Chocolates Candy just received a huge assignment called Project Omega Bar! They need to come up with a brand new chocolate candy for launch into the market in three months. The marketing team is very excited to work on this project and finalize a new candy bar through group decision making, which is when a group of individuals tackles a problem together to achieve a solution.

Strengths

The marketing team at Messy Chocolates has had tremendous success creating new ideas in a team environment. The team's last two bars were sales record breakers: Chocolate Truffle Deluxe and Shortbread Dark Chocolate Bar. The group is looking forward to using the team approach to come up with another blockbuster bar. There are two big advantages to group decision making in an organizational setting, which are synergy and the sharing of information.

Synergy is the ability to utilize many minds to develop a multitude of ideas, leading to a high quality solution. For example, the team was able to develop a list of over 50 different new candy bar ideas, including Sweet & Salty Potato Chip Chocolate Bars, Gummy Bear Chocolate Bars, Cracker Chocolate Bars, Apple Chocolate Chip Bars, and a few other unique ideas. They would not have been able to be as creative if only one individual was working on the new idea.

The sharing of information helps the company make an informed decision. Each member of the group usually holds specific and unique information that, when combined together, makes for an overall educated, quality decision. For instance, one member of the group has in-depth knowledge of the competition. When the member spoke up about their competitor announcing a new salty and sweet bar soon, this made the team take an interest in that style of bar.

Weaknesses

There are some disadvantages to group decision making that can be overcome. One of the biggest weaknesses of group decision making is the development of groupthink. This is a process where the judgment, mental alacrity, and effectiveness of the group's decision making is hampered by pressures from the group. Group members, such as those in the marketing team at Messy Chocolates, tend to want solidarity and usually think alike. Time constraints also lead to groupthink because the failure to develop a solution will cause friction in the group. This leads to rushed decision making.

Groupthink can be eliminated by allowing plenty of discussion time for evaluating alternative choices completely. Unrealistic time constraints should also try to be avoided. Messy Chocolates tries to avoid groupthink by providing generous time allotments and room for discussion of alternative choices. Messy Chocolates' marketing team spent over one week brainstorming different ideas and voting to proceed with the final bar choice.

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strengths and weaknesses of group decision making - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Strengths and Weaknesses of Group Decision Making - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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The marketing team at Messy Chocolates Candy just received a huge assignment called Project Omega Bar! They need to come up with a brand new chocolate candy for launch into the market in three months.

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This video presents a humorous take on how teamwork can sometimes be a negative aspect. In the first clip all the small birds are agreed to get rid of the large bird however, because they get caught up in accomplishing that task they miss the danger in front of them until it is to late.

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The performance of a group involves taking into account the needs and opinions of every group member. This article discusses procedures to increase efficiency and different decision methods.

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Audio version of "Group decision making" tip sheet (MP3)
Because the performance of a group involves taking into account the needs and opinions of every group member, being able to come to an equitable decision as efficiently as possible is important for the functioning of the group. There are a variety of ways to make decisions as a group; the seven-step decision-making model presented below offers an effective structure for choosing an appropriate course of action for a particular task or project. It can also be an effective method for dealing with a problem or interpersonal conflict that arises within the group.

1. Identify the decision to be made. Before beginning to gather information and list alternatives, it is important for you as a group to understand clearly what you are trying to decide so you have a goal on which to focus your discussions. Potential questions to ask are: What are the particulars of the assigned task? What are we being asked to do? What conflict is affecting our group effectiveness? What barrier to effective group work are we facing?

2. Analyze the issue under discussion. Once you have defined your goal (i.e., the decision to be made or the problem to be overcome), examine the data and resources that you already have, and identify what additional information you may need. Ask yourselves: What is causing the problem? For whom is this a problem? What is wrong with the current situation? Why do we need to deal with this issue/decision? Where else can we find resources?

3. Establish criteria. Identify the criteria or conditions that would determine whether a chosen solution is successful. Ideally, a solution will be feasible, move the group forward, and meet the needs of every group member. You may want to rank the criteria in order of importance (for example., circumstances may be such that some issues may not be fully resolved). Consider these questions: What would make a solution/decision successful? What issues need to be dealt with in the solution? What criteria will help us determine whether everyone is happy with the solution/decision? Are some criteria more necessary than others?

4. Brainstorm potential solutions. Using the resources and information collected above, brainstorm for potential solutions to the problem or decision identified in step 1. This involves collecting as many ideas as possible. At this stage, ideas should not be criticized or evaluated. Some questions to ask include: What are some possible solutions that would meet most of our established criteria? Are there any options that we may have overlooked? What could we do in the absence of constraints?

5. Evaluate options and select the best one. Once you have a list of potential solutions, you are now ready to evaluate them for the best alternative according to the criteria identified in step 3. Remember that you may be able to combine ideas to create a solution. Ideally, everyone would agree with solution (a consensus), but it's possible that not everyone will. In this case, you will need to use a different decision making methods (see methods in next section). Additional questions to ask when evaluating alternatives are: What are the pros/cons for each option? Which option is the most realistic to accomplish for now? Which option is the most likely to solve the problem for the long-term?

6. Implement the solution. This involves identifying the resources necessary to implement the decision, as well as the potential obstacles, then taking action. Decide: What should be done? How? By whom? By when? In what order?

7. Monitor and evaluate the outcome. Based on the criteria identified in step 3, evaluate whether the decision was successful. If not, revisit step 4 to evaluate the other options or generate new ones.

Decision-making methods

In order to make the jump from brainstorming potential solutions for solving a problem to evaluating and selecting the best solution, group members need to make decisions. There are several possible methods of decision making that a group can use. A few of them are briefly described below, with advantages on the left and disadvantages on the right for each one:

Decision by authority

The group generates ideas and holds open discussions, but the final decision is made by one person.

Appropriate when there is a clear expert in the topic at hand

Very fast

Does not maximize the strengths of the individuals in the group

The group may not be dedicated to implementing a decision made by one person

Decision by majority

The group holds a vote on a particular issue following a period of discussion. The majority wins.

Uses democratic participation in the process

Fast

Tyranny of the majority often overwhelms minority views, perhaps encouraging factions to form within the group

Decision by negative minority

The group holds a vote for the most unpopular idea and eliminates it. They repeat this process until only one idea is left.

Democratic

Useful when there are many ideas and few voters

Group members may feel resentful at having their ideas voted as unpopular

Slow

Decision by ranking

Group members individually write down the 5 (or fewer) ideas they like best, then rank each idea from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. The votes are recorded on the board and totalled. The idea with the highest total is selected.

Includes a voting procedure and, therefore, gives the impression that the final decision represents each person's opinion.

Not suitable for issues

Takes time

The numbers game can result in a decision that no one fully supports

Decision by unanimity

All group members must agree that the decision is the best one.

Everyone will be on board with the decision and resulting course of action

Unanimous agreement might be impossible to reach

Decision by consensus

The decision is discussed and negotiated until everyone affected by it understands and agrees with what will be done. Consensus in decision making means that all members genuinely agree that the decision is acceptable. After a group has identified a decision to be made, each member is asked how he/she feels about the proposed decision by selecting one of the following responses:

1. I can say an unqualified "yes" to the decision.

2. I find the decision acceptable.

3. I can live with the decision, but I'm not especially enthusiastic about it.

4. I do not fully agree with the decision, but I do not choose to block it.

5. I do not agree with the decision, and I feel we should explore other options.

If all the responses from the group members are 1, 2, 3, or 4, you have a consensus and are ready to move on.

All members feel that they have had an equal opportunity to influence the decision and will continue to support the group

The best way to make decisions, if you have the time

May be difficult to reach a consensus

May be very time consuming

Combining ideas

Instead of dropping one idea in favor of another, the group searches for possibilities of implementing both or combining them into one solution.

Polarizing (black-and-white) decisions are avoided

Implementation may take longer since more than one idea is being considered

A decision that combines two solutions can sometimes be worse than either of the original solutions

Example:

1. Identify the decision to be made.

When should our group meetings be scheduled?

2. Analyze the issue under discussion.

Determine each member's current schedule of prior commitments (e.g., classes, activities). Are weekends and nights a possibility? How much time we will need for each meeting? How often should meetings be scheduled?

3. Evaluate the options and select the best one.

Mondays 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Would get the meeting over with early in the week.

Have the week-end directly beforehand to prepare for the meeting.

Since it falls during the lunch hour, group members would need to eat during the meeting.

Wednesdays 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

After dinner, group members will be refreshed from their dinner break.

Having the meeting in the middle of the week allows for additional time before or after Wednesday to complete any necessary "last minute" project tasks.

One group member has a tutorial to attend at 7:30, so he may have to leave the meeting a few minutes early.

Fridays 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

None of the group members have classes or activities scheduled until 11:00 a.m. on Fridays, so there would be ample time to conduct the meeting.

If there are social events scheduled for Thursday night, some of the group members are not in favour of having a meeting early the next morning.

Best solution:

Wednesdays 6:00 to 7:30 is determined to be the most favourable time and chosen as the meeting time based on the criteria. The group decided -- by consensus -- that this would be the time during which they would be the most productive, having just finished their dinner break. This meeting time is not in agreement with the third criteria (that is, the ideal meeting would be during daytime working hours), but this was ranked as the least important, so a compromise was made.

Resources

Group Roles: Maximizing Group Performance. Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) teaching tips.

Teamwork Skills: Being an Effective Group Member. CTE teaching tips.

Making Group Contracts. CTE teaching tips.

Moore, C.M. (1987) Group Techniques for Idea Building. Newbury Park: Sage Publications

Parker, G. (1998) Teamwork: Action Steps for building powerful teams. Aurora, IL: Successories

Shalinsky, W. and S. Snider (1985) Working in Small Groups: How to Do It Better. University of Waterloo: TRACE

Wilson, G.L. and M.S. Hanna (1986) Groups in Context: Leadership and Participation in Small Groups. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.

This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Group Decision Making. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.

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Group Decision Making | Centre for Teaching Excellence

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Audio version of "Group decision making" tip sheet (MP3) Because the performance of a group involves taking into account the needs and opinions of every group member, being able to come to an equitable decision as efficiently as possible is important for the functioning of the group.

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This article briefly discusses a few types of planning at the organizational level such as workforce development and expansion plans.

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Business planning can be more effective in teams.

women working in office image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com

Planning is a key management role in any organization, whether a private business, a nonprofit organization, a corporate business or a government agency. Managers engage in different types of organizational planning to strategically steer their companies towards profitable and successful futures. Effective planning relies on a thorough understanding of the range of variables involved in each decision and collaboration with employees from different levels of an organization. Reviewing a few examples of organizational planning can refine your own planning skills.

Workforce Development Planning

Workforce development is all about creating a diverse, high-performance workforce made up of loyal and satisfied employees. High-performance organizations do not develop by chance; rather, a competitive workforce is the result of years of effective planning and successful plan implementation.

Setting goals to meet or exceed equal employment opportunity goals set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, EEOC, is an example of workforce development planning. Creating advanced training programs to develop more informed and experienced managers is another example.

Product and Services Planning

The goal in product planning is to create a more appealing product or service mix than your competitors'. Product planning is a function of the marketing, finance and operations departments. The marketing department is responsible for discovering what targets customers want and need. The operations department is responsible for providing input on how best to design and manufacture products or develop services; the accounting department provides guidance on how to keep costs low and sets the ideal prices.

The product pyramid profit model is an example of a product planning strategy. Under the product pyramid model, companies offer several different products in the same category, each with a different level of quality and a different price point. While the company may make slim-to-no profits on the low-end products, serving all types of consumers in the market segment can help the company capture more market share for its high-profit premium products or services

Expansion Plans

Business owners and managers continually lay plans for the next stages of growth in their companies. Growth plans identify opportunities and roadblocks to success in the marketplace and set forth strategies to overcome hurdles and take advantage of opportunities to gain market share from competitors.

Small businesses have a range of options available to keep their companies growing. Marketing can be a major growth driver for new businesses without an established reputation, for example. As another example, licensing can allow a small company's products to reach national or international distribution quickly through established distribution channels. Merging with other small companies or seeking to be acquired by a larger company can boost a company's size and market share quickly, as another example.

Financial Planning

Companies engage in financial planning activities the same as individuals and households. Companies make plans to manage debt and utilize their profit in the most productive manner. Savvy businesses never let cash sit idle; instead, they always put free cash to use earning a return or investing in the company's future. Business owners can draft their own financial plans or turn to experienced professionals to maximize the value of financial holdings.

Making plans to spend allocated profit in the most productive way is an example of financial planning in business. For example, a company may decide to spend all of its profit on marketing activities to increase demand for their products, and decide to use credit to purchase the extra inventory needed to meet the new demand created by marketing spending. Investing in government bonds to earn capital gains with otherwise idle cash is another example of financial planning in business.

About the Author

David Ingram has written for multiple publications since 2009, including "The Houston Chronicle" and online at Business.com. As a small-business owner, Ingram regularly confronts modern issues in management, marketing, finance and business law. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts in management from Walsh University.

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Planning is a key management role in any organization, whether a private business, a nonprofit organization, a corporate business or a government agency. Managers engage in different types of organizational planning to strategically steer their companies towards profitable and successful futures.

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This video conveys the elements of the controlling international operations and understanding the relationship between organizations international strategies and organizational structure and control systems.

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Function of Management Free Principles of Management Video

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Business Metrics For Internal Communications

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Management of International Business Operations

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This video describe the differents elements of the Controlling International Operations and understand the relationship between organizations international strategies and th respectives organizational structure and control sistems.-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ . Make your own animated videos and animated presentations for free.

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This is a lecture on political and economical tensions relevant to the business environment.

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Clase abierta: "The International Business Environment: an Analysis of the World today"

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EOI · 23/05/2011 · http://a.eoi.es/11 The lecture will be focused on the today's political and economical tensions at the European level, with reference to the integration process and with the global challenges, such as Arab countries transition process, Asian economic growth, American economic recovery, energy issues and security.

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This article disuses strategy to overcoming cultural boundaries at a organizational level.

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We all know that in a foreign culture, one of the most important skills to develop is the ability to translate, to learn to speak the new language - or at least master a few key phrases. You also need to learn to translate your behavior so you don't end up making cultural faux pas. But one of the most critical (and also most underappreciated) aspect of translation, and the one that we both believe gets companies into the most trouble when operating globally, is the translation of corporate systems, processes, and procedures - in other words, the nuts and bolts of how corporations actually do business in today's globalized world.

You've undoubtedly heard of individual people making mistakes with language or cultural rules and rituals when operating abroad, but you may not be as familiar with cultural gaffes at the organizational level, where companies fail, often mightily, to transfer the basics of their business practice into the new cultural logic of a foreign environment and end up suffering the consequences.

For example, in one case we're familiar with, a Fortune 100 company implemented expat packages based on the number of people in the household, which meant a lower-ranking employee who was married with children would receive a larger housing allowance (and nicer home) than a higher-ranking employee who was not married or who did not have children. The logic was based on implicit assumptions about what is "fair" based on American culture for someone who is moving their family. But in hierarchical, high-power-distance markets like Asia - specifically Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand - this policy created unintended conflicts among leaders and sent confusing signals to the rest of the organization regarding who was more powerful and higher-ranking within the organization.

In another case, a U.S.-led multinational attempting to align organizational structure, roles, job descriptions, and compensation packages across global markets mistakenly assumed a "one person, one role" mindset. In large markets, it's common for one person to occupy one job function, but in smaller markets, an individual may have two or even three roles at a time, based on market needs and the amount of work required. Implementing a common structure across all markets meant adding new people and costs in some of the smaller markets, like Costa Rica and Guatemala, and requiring one person to report into multiple people at headquarters. This meant they spent more of their time and focus providing updates to multiple bosses, rather than delivering results locally. By failing to understand the financial realities of smaller markets, as well as what the business in those markets required in terms of structure, and incorporating these dynamics from the beginning of the conversation about converting to a global structure, the actions taken were not useful and did not yield positive results for the organization.

Given the critical importance of these translation efforts - and the propensity for organizations to get it wrong - what can companies do to increase the odds of success?

Make your leaders aware of cultural differences. You'd think that in today's global economy everyone would be attuned to cultural differences - but as we've seen in the examples above, this is not necessarily the case when it comes to underlying processes, procedures, and systems. Just as the way for saying hello or good-bye, or exchanging business cards at a meeting differs by cultural context, so too can these critical underlying processes and procedures. Decision makers at the top of the organization must be aware of these core, underlying cultural differences as the most critical, initial step for building cultural competence and agility at the enterprise level.

Do a cultural inventory. As a company, whenever you undertake any significant, new initiative in a foreign setting, whether it's developing an HR system, investing in a new technology platform, or scaling up operations that involves hiring new workers, make sure you filter what you're doing through the logic of the new cultural system. Have cultural translators, people in your organization familiar with both cultures, work to identify which systems, processes, and procedures can be universally applied, and which need "tweaking," or even more complete reimagining. Some elements may be changeable and some will not be negotiable at all - for example laws around hiring and firing and working after hours, attitudes around conflict of interest in procurement, and accounting practices - but it's critical to recognize and take this into account when doing your cultural inventory.

Use cultural translation as an opportunity to engage and motivate local workers. When, as a company, you inevitably do need to make adjustments in your processes and procedures on a global stage, set frameworks and ground rules and let the locals work within those. By introducing flexibility and choice (within a range), you can simultaneously globalize your business and at the same time engage and motivate local partners. A good example of this comes from a Fortune 100 company based in the US we're familiar with, which realized that their policy of recognizing - and singling out - individuals for outstanding achievement and recognition didn't work well in collectivist, group-oriented societies, where it was far more comfortable to recognize an entire group. Without the flexibility to alter recognition policies, organizations can inadvertently demotivate employees and groups without ever understanding why.

In the end, what's most critical to recognize is that global success is the sum total of local results around the globe. And to achieve these local results, it's essential to be flexible, thoughtful, and creative, especially around adapting organizational systems and processes.

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Adapting Your Organizational Processes to a New Culture

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We all know that in a foreign culture, one of the most important skills to develop is the ability to translate, to learn to speak the new language - or at least master a few key phrases. You also need to learn to translate your behavior so you don't end up making cultural faux pas.

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In this video, Dr. Stefan Schmid, Chair of International Management and Strategic Management, discusses what a company must consider before entering the international market. I found this interesting as it pertains to how a company can pick up and became an international company. The five questions he mentions can also be applied to starting the business in the first place.

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Chair of International Management and Strategic Management , Academic Dean Executive Education

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Management Skills for International Business

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International Strategy | What means International Management?

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Prof. Dr. Stefan Schmid, Chair of International Management and Strategic Management, Academic Dean Executive Education: "What does International Management mean for you?"

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When prompted with diversity training, this humorously addresses failure to cultivate relevant culture awareness and magnifies social stereotypes.

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Diversity today can be a complicated road. It must be handled with tact and confidence. Workplaces are often scared to risk offense to anyone rather than have an honest nature that supports it.

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Philanthropy can be abused and have extreme backfires. Public perception is key in business but it is much easier to maintain when it is true.

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There may be times when social interests conflict with internal interests. There is a personal responsibility that must be upheld even if jobs are cost especially when lives are at risk.

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This shows the organization and priority of management skill. The foundation being able to accomplish a given task. The next is the ability to teach others the foundation and goes hand in hand with self improvement. The accumulation of all these skills is the definition of leadership

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Before becoming a manager in the developer stage, a vocation needs to be found that will bring satisfaction in the workplace. As the career develops sights should be set on where the end is, where progression stops and establishment beings to really specialize in one place.

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This is a humorous representation of failures in management skills such as HR management and time management. This is a serious issue many managers true fail to meet granted not so blatantly.

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This video displays the fundamentals of Project Management in a satirical style using clips from the show The Office. Enjoy!

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The process to becoming manager is a long road that will require commitment and determination.