Chapter 1: The Manager’s Job
Video Case
Video Case: The Evolution of Management Thinking
Organizations Discussed: American Apparel, Allstate, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Second City,
Zingerman's
Video Case Learning Goals
Understand how historical forces influence the practice of management.
Identify and explain major developments in the history of management thought.
Describe the major components of the classical and humanistic management
perspectives.
Explain the major concepts of systems theory, the contingency view, and total quality
management.
Describe the learning organization and the changes in structure, empowerment, and
information sharing managers make to support it.
Discuss the technology-driven workplace and the role of outsourcing, supply chain
management, enterprise resource planning, knowledge management systems, and
customer relationship management.
Concepts Spotlighted in Video
Classical perspective
Scientific management
Humanistic perspective
, Systems theory
Contingency view
Learning organization
Empowerment
Technology-driven workplace
E-commerce
Video Case Synopsis
The world is a very different place than it was 100 years ago. The offices and factories of
yesteryear look very little like the tech-driven business facilities of today. But managers,
then as now, still have the task of coordinating and motivating employees to meet the goals
of an organization. Understanding management's evolution can help managers leverage the
best ideas from the past as they formulate their plans for the future. Key to understanding
the evolution of management is the idea that management philosophies are shaped by the
environment and the times. Social, political, and economic forces and institutions have
shaped the history of management and continue to influence how managers and employees
conduct business today. By learning the various philosophies of management and the forces
that shaped them, managers become better equipped to spot useful trends and implement
the best techniques that can help their businesses grow.
Video Case Discussion Questions and Suggested Answers
1. What are the challenges that are the same for managers today as they were 100 years
ago? What are some new challenges?
Managers have always had a number of challenges: motivate employees, organize
resources, increase efficiency, increase production without increasing costs, meet
governmental regulations, mediate conflicts, train employees, and develop strategic vision.
,Today's unique challenges include: staying on top of changing technology, designing jobs
that meet employee's personal needs, maintaining flexibility, coping with changes in the
marketplace, transitioning to new forms of business, and encouraging teamwork.
2. What are the benefits to American Apparel's strategy to go to their employees for
solutions? What are the drawbacks?
The employees of American Apparel know best the needs and unique attributes of their
specific work team. By asking them to implement the team strategy, you can draw upon that
knowledge. Also employees will feel empowered by being included and will have more
ownership of the system, if they developed it themselves. But the employees may not
understand the needs of an organization as a whole, so their solution might be in conflict
with meeting those overall needs. Asking employees to develop their own solutions takes
time and sensitivity on the part of the manager. Further, if the solution does not fail, it will
be more difficult to change.
3. What kind of steps do you think Zingerman's had to take to transition from a traditional
storefront to an e-business?
That managers at Zingerman's probably started start by conducting market research on
what other company's in their market were selling online and how and would interview
their current customers to see what they would be interested I buying online. Then they
probably laid out a strategic plan for the process and identify products to be sold. They
adapted their production to meet the new need and create jobs and hire people to take on
the new responsibilities. They might also have had to update their technology and conduct
trainings on the new technology.
Follow-up Experiential Exercise
, Few industries have been hit as hard by new technology as the newspaper and magazine
publishing industry. The emergence of online news sources and blogs has forced prestigious
news organizations from the New York Times to Time magazine to lay off editorial staff and
announce deep budget cuts. Have students use the Internet to research challenges facing
the struggling newspaper industry and to identify the turbulent forces shaping the future of
news reporting. Using concepts discussed in the chapter, students should answer the
following question: How might management of traditional news organizations use
innovative management thinking to help their businesses survive turbulent changes and
make the transition to the new workplace?
Video Case
Video Case: The Evolution of Management Thinking
Organizations Discussed: American Apparel, Allstate, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Second City,
Zingerman's
Video Case Learning Goals
Understand how historical forces influence the practice of management.
Identify and explain major developments in the history of management thought.
Describe the major components of the classical and humanistic management
perspectives.
Explain the major concepts of systems theory, the contingency view, and total quality
management.
Describe the learning organization and the changes in structure, empowerment, and
information sharing managers make to support it.
Discuss the technology-driven workplace and the role of outsourcing, supply chain
management, enterprise resource planning, knowledge management systems, and
customer relationship management.
Concepts Spotlighted in Video
Classical perspective
Scientific management
Humanistic perspective
, Systems theory
Contingency view
Learning organization
Empowerment
Technology-driven workplace
E-commerce
Video Case Synopsis
The world is a very different place than it was 100 years ago. The offices and factories of
yesteryear look very little like the tech-driven business facilities of today. But managers,
then as now, still have the task of coordinating and motivating employees to meet the goals
of an organization. Understanding management's evolution can help managers leverage the
best ideas from the past as they formulate their plans for the future. Key to understanding
the evolution of management is the idea that management philosophies are shaped by the
environment and the times. Social, political, and economic forces and institutions have
shaped the history of management and continue to influence how managers and employees
conduct business today. By learning the various philosophies of management and the forces
that shaped them, managers become better equipped to spot useful trends and implement
the best techniques that can help their businesses grow.
Video Case Discussion Questions and Suggested Answers
1. What are the challenges that are the same for managers today as they were 100 years
ago? What are some new challenges?
Managers have always had a number of challenges: motivate employees, organize
resources, increase efficiency, increase production without increasing costs, meet
governmental regulations, mediate conflicts, train employees, and develop strategic vision.
,Today's unique challenges include: staying on top of changing technology, designing jobs
that meet employee's personal needs, maintaining flexibility, coping with changes in the
marketplace, transitioning to new forms of business, and encouraging teamwork.
2. What are the benefits to American Apparel's strategy to go to their employees for
solutions? What are the drawbacks?
The employees of American Apparel know best the needs and unique attributes of their
specific work team. By asking them to implement the team strategy, you can draw upon that
knowledge. Also employees will feel empowered by being included and will have more
ownership of the system, if they developed it themselves. But the employees may not
understand the needs of an organization as a whole, so their solution might be in conflict
with meeting those overall needs. Asking employees to develop their own solutions takes
time and sensitivity on the part of the manager. Further, if the solution does not fail, it will
be more difficult to change.
3. What kind of steps do you think Zingerman's had to take to transition from a traditional
storefront to an e-business?
That managers at Zingerman's probably started start by conducting market research on
what other company's in their market were selling online and how and would interview
their current customers to see what they would be interested I buying online. Then they
probably laid out a strategic plan for the process and identify products to be sold. They
adapted their production to meet the new need and create jobs and hire people to take on
the new responsibilities. They might also have had to update their technology and conduct
trainings on the new technology.
Follow-up Experiential Exercise
, Few industries have been hit as hard by new technology as the newspaper and magazine
publishing industry. The emergence of online news sources and blogs has forced prestigious
news organizations from the New York Times to Time magazine to lay off editorial staff and
announce deep budget cuts. Have students use the Internet to research challenges facing
the struggling newspaper industry and to identify the turbulent forces shaping the future of
news reporting. Using concepts discussed in the chapter, students should answer the
following question: How might management of traditional news organizations use
innovative management thinking to help their businesses survive turbulent changes and
make the transition to the new workplace?
