Managing, Leading, and Motivating

Leadership in Organizations—Discussion Guide

Slide 1 THINK ABOUT IT

When you think of leaders in business, who comes to mind?

• Do you think of famous entrepreneurs or CEOs, such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, or Oprah Winfrey?

• These are prominent business leaders.

• Do you also think of the person who owns the local ice cream shop or manages your favorite store at the mall?

• These people might be leaders, too.

• Businesses must also set goals and plan to achieve success.

KEY CONCEPTS

Slide #2 People who are leaders are able to influence others to achieve goals, and leadership is the ability to guide or direct the actions of others in a desired manner.

• In business, leadership usually means taking positive steps to influence and guide employees to exert the maximum effort needed to achieve organizational goals cooperatively and willingly.

• Effective leaders in business help create a work environment that is productive, pleasant, and harmonious.

Discussion #1: Ask students to share examples of times when they had to act as a leader. What types of decisions did they have to make?

Slide #3 Business leaders are not always managers, and managers are not always leaders.

• Management is the process of getting things done properly and on time. These include the business’s organizational mission and any corporate objectives the organization plans to achieve within the next one to five years.

• To make sure that work gets done and that day-to-day business operations run smoothly, managers insist that their subordinates—their employees—follow their directions.

  • All the while, s/he must also watch the bottom line and ensure that the business makes a profit.

• Rather than ordering subordinates to get work done, leaders motivate and influence their coworkers to work toward goals and desired results.

• Leaders empower their followers to make decisions regarding the work to be done, and they encourage followers to be creative and find better ways to do things.

• Coworkers voluntarily choose to follow their leaders, and they are often more loyal to their leaders than to their managers.

• In some cases, a leader and a manager are one and the same. It is also very common for the leader to be at a different, lower level in the company than the manager.

• Great businesses have leaders in their ranks of regular employees at every level of their organizations.

Slide #4 In business, leadership and management mean having authority.

• The leader in the receiving department has authority, as do the designated manager of the department and the owner of the company. The only difference is the basis for that authority.

• The leader has personal authority, while the manager or owner has positional authority.

• Personal authority is informal and has nothing to do with either a business’s organizational chart or a person’s job title within the organization.

  • Employees obtain personal authority, influence, and power because of their personalities, moral character, actions, and the way they get along with others.

  • Personal authority is earned; it is not awarded by position.

• The opposite of personal authority is positional authority, which is the formal authority given by the business.

  • It is the authority that is indicated by the organizational chart that designates a business’s chain of command.

  • The higher-ups on the organizational chart wield more authority and power than those lower down.

Slide #5 There are many benefits to strong leadership in a business.

• Productivity increases.

• Motivation increases.

• Self-confidence and self-worth grows for the leader.

• More opportunities for strong leaders in the future

Slide #6 Different leadership approaches and skills have different characteristics.

• Autocratic

  • Relies on positional authority to achieve results

  • Does not delegate any authority to group members

  • Decisions made without group consultation

• Democratic

  • Consults group for suggestions and opinions before making decisions

  • Delegates authority

  • Encourages group members to decide how to achieve group goals

• Laissez-faire

  • “Hands-off” style of leadership

  • Very little interaction with group

  • Allows group to work without much direction from leader

  • Tends to work well with well-established groups

Slide #7 Leadership techniques like building relationships and communicating with employees makes working more effective.

• Building relationships

  • Hold regular meetings.

  • Have an open-door policy.

  • Schedule social events to bring employees together.

  • Be fair with employees and treat them the way you would want to be treated.

  • Don’t make promises that you can’t keep.

• Communicating

  • This involves providing clear and understandable information.

  • State what is expected of employees and their work.

  • Share information about company goals and plans for the future.

  • Employees who are well informed usually are more willing to follow simply because they trust the leader.

  • Listen to employees and get feedback from them.

• Motivating

  • Successful leaders motivate themselves.

  • Allow employees to develop skills.

  • Allow employees to make decisions on their own and be creative.

  • Give employees the tools they need to succeed.

Discussion #2: Ask students to give examples of what types of leadership techniques are effective, and why they think so.

4.2 Motivation Theories

Performance Indicator: Explain motivation theories and their applications

Slide 1 THINK ABOUT IT

Michael Jordan won six NBA championships in the 1990s.

• Players on competing teams as well as his own teammates claimed Jordan was motivated to win and was fiercely competitive.

• Those players would say he made the Bulls play better as a team.

• Business managers can motivate their employees to achieve high goals, too.

KEY CONCEPTS

Slide #2 Motivation is the process of getting employees to strive to achieve management's objectives because they want to achieve them.

• It is what compels a person to act in a certain way.

• Needs, or things that are required or essential but lacking, can inform what motivates people.

• For example, if someone needs money, s/he may be motivated to take a job to
  earn pay.

• Needs can be separated into two categories: primary needs and secondary needs.

• Primary needs are desires for things that the body cannot live without, like air, food, or water.

• Secondary needs are desires for things that the body can live without, or learned desires. That could include things like achievement or acceptance, or even power.

Discussion #1: Ask students to share examples of secondary needs. What are ways they think employers should meet those secondary needs?

Slide #3 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory that categorizes human needs into levels that help explain how and why people are motivated.

  • It is arranged in five different levels: physiological, safety/security, social, esteem/status, and self-fulfillment.

• Managers can help fulfill their employees’ needs by providing reasonable hours, creating safe working conditions, allowing for friendly interactions with coworkers and customers, giving praise when appropriate, and providing creative and challenging work.

Slide #4 Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation

• Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation is a theory of motivation in which human needs are classified into hygiene factors and motivation factors.

  • Hygiene factors include things like job security, a pleasant working environment, and avoiding pain.

  • Motivation factors include recognition of achievement and responsibility.

• Managers should provide necessary hygiene factors to their staff and then build motivators into employees’ jobs.

Slide #5 Alderfer’s ERG Theory of Motivation

• Alderfer’s ERG (Existence, Relatedness, and Growth) Theory of Motivation suggests needs are divided into three categories: existence needs, relatedness needs, and growth needs.

• It states that people desire safety/security, need relationships with others, and want to make productive efforts for themselves.

Slide #6 McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory

• McClelland’s Acquired Needs Theory is a theory of motivation that identifies three socially acquired needs which underlie behavior: achievement, affiliation, and power.

• Supervisors could motivate employees’ roles or provide feedback based on what motivates their employees.

  • For example, a high-achieving employee could be motivated by goals that include some risk.

Discussion #2: Ask students if they think there is a previously discussed motivation theory they feel is applicable to their life. What about the workplace, or in school? Why or why not?

Slide #7 Other Theories of Motivation

• Equity theory of motivation

  • This theory suggests people compare potential rewards to the effort they put forth to earn these rewards.

  • Employers could use this theory by detailing how employees earn rewards through their work.

• Expectancy theory of motivation

  • This theory suggests that motivation is the result of the outcomes that a person desires and that person's estimate of the prospect of attaining those desired outcomes.

  • Employers could use this theory with employees by communicating expectations for work performance.

• Reinforcement theory of motivation

  • Reinforcement theory is focused on the individual's environment and its consequences for the person. It assumes behavior is learned from the environment rather than from one's inner needs.

  • Supervisors could use positive reinforcement to encourage desired behavior, or punishment to eliminate an undesirable behavior.

• Goal-setting theory of motivation

  • This theory is based on the belief that employees’ motivation increases when employees work toward specific goals.

  • Employers could use this theory by involving employees in the goal-setting process and explaining what must be done to reach goals.

4.3 Career Opportunities in Business Management and Administration—Discussion Guide

Slide 1 THINK ABOUT IT

Business management and administration careers are all around us.

• They are dedicated to performing dynamic business processes vital to the success and ongoing existence of a business organization.

• Business management and administration careers keep businesses running.

• They exist virtually everywhere.

KEY CONCEPTS

Slide #2 Every type of business needs people in management and administration.

• Name a business, and you can be sure it needs management and administration employees in some capacity.

• Business management and administration careers can be organized in many different ways, but for our purposes, we’ve divided them into six broad categories:

  • Office management

  • Business analytics

  • Human resources management

  • Supply chain management

  • Operations management

  • General management

Discussion #1: Ask students to share examples of management they may have come across in school. What management categories would they put those examples into?

Slide #3 Employees working in office management facilitate business operations through information and communication management, data processing and collection, and project tracking.

• Because office managers have many job duties, it’s important that they be well organized and great at multitasking. Problem-solving skills and people skills are also necessary.

• Some job titles in office management include:

  • Administrative assistant

  • Office manager

  • Project coordinator

Slide #4 Business analytics is an umbrella term covering those careers that provide a bridge between business processes/initiatives and use of IT resources.

• Employees in this area help align business and IT goals and analyze data to aid in business decision-making.

• Business analysts need to have analytical skills. Strong problem solvers, as well as employees with math skills, tend to do well in the business analytics field.

• Some job titles in business analytics include:

  • Business analyst

  • Social media manager

  • Project manager

Slide #5 Human resources (HR) management careers focus on staffing activities, including planning, recruitment, selection, orientation, training, performance appraisal, compensation, and safety of employees.

• Those who work in human resources serve as a link between top management and employees.

• Human resources management employees are often in charge of interviewing potential employees, resolving conflicts, and helping the company achieve business goals through the proper hiring and use of employees.

• Human resources managers will have to deal with and manage a wide variety of personalities.

• Some positions in human resources management include:

  • Benefits administrator

  • Recruiter

  • Labor relations manager

Slide #6 Employees in supply chain management are responsible for the flow of goods.

• They make sure that the complete process of getting products into the marketplace goes off without a hitch.

• Supply chain management jobs often involve the transportation of products, supervising the storing and handling of products, packaging, inventory and supply planning, dealing with suppliers, and demand forecasting.

• Supply chain management involves planning every step of a product’s journey to the marketplace.

• Some careers in supply chain management include:

  • Fulfillment manager

  • Import/Export analyst

  • Inventory planner

Slide #7 Operations management careers focus on planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling the resources needed to produce and provide a business’s goods and/or services.

• Operations management careers help a business run smoothly.

• Careers in operations management call for planning and organizational skills.

• It’s also important for operations management employees to be problem solvers, detail-oriented, and able to work with a variety of people.

• A few operations management careers include:

  • Call center supervisor

  • Chief operations officer

  • Internal auditor

Slide #8 Careers in general management focus on planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating all or part of a business organization through the allocation and use of financial, human, and material resources.

• These are the employees who have supervisory responsibilities and make decisions, either big or small.

• General management careers can also be found within specific industries.

• The typical management job skills, like leadership abilities, people skills, and organizational skills, are also important.

• Some other general management positions include:

  • Director

  • District manager

  • Small-business manager