KTUQBANK.COM APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University Third / Fourth Semester B.Tech Degree Examination HS210 — LIFE SKILLS Jan 2017 Answer Key 1) a.) receptiveness and openness i) impatient ii) dominance iv) nervousness/stress DEBATE (GROUP DISCUSSION A formal method of argument where speakers take a particular stand on a topic and mare or less, stick to it throughout the session A formal, structured discussion betweena group of people on a topic with a view to reaching @ consensus Aimis to win ‘Aim is to exchange ideas; consensus Speakers take tums to present arguments Participants express their opinions without turns, Defending and attacking are the norm in debate Listening, reasoning and airing opinions are the practices in GD Participants are opinionated and rigid; they have to defend their point of view Participants need to have a point of view or stand on issues, but canbe inclusive of other ideas too Can tum out to be destructive and futile Helps to ponder over ideas and come up with new solutions Often conducted to judge communication skills Often done to judge the personality of the Participants LEFT BRAIN RIGHT BRAIN Side responsible for the three R’s (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic) The Sensory, Spatial, Synthesising side information processed linearly (following information processed holistically ( sees Ktu@)bankKTUQBANK.COM logical order ~ from parts to whole) big picture first — from whole to parts) Controls feelings and emphasises logic Comfortable with acknowledging feelings and emotions Tasks processed sequentially. Complete tasks in order, responds well to schedules and lists, comfortable with planning and structuring Tasks are processed randomly, not necessarily systematic - tend to flt from on task to another Logical Sees cause and effect. Intuitive, Sees correspondence and similarities. ‘Adept at seeing differences and dissimilarities. Works by contrast. ‘Adept at seeing underlying similarities. ‘Seeks connectedness. Highly verbal. Responds better to verbal Predominantly non-verbal. Responds instructions. better to visual/graphical instructions. b Ta)5_| Green is the hat of creativity. The green hat enable us to take an entirely new look at the problem, to go beyond the limits we set for ourselves and see what is not obvious. Out of the box solutions come from green hat thinking. {b)4 | Black — is the hat of caution and critical thinking. We can reflect on how an idea would not work inthe current context. (16 | White -is the hat of facts and data. When wearing a mental white hat, we must focus on analysing available data and trends, and extrapolate from them. (a). | Blue —is the hat of process control and the big picture. It is about the process itself that we think- whether we are approaching the problem the right way. {e)2_ | Red - isthe hat of feelings and emotions. We are free to focus on intuitive insights, anxieties, feelings, etc. (3 _| Yellow ~is the hat of optimism and positivity. The benefits, feasibility, positive assets, etc. are evaluated wearing this hat. 3) _Stepsin group problem solving: 1. Define the problem There should not be any ambigutty regarding the task at hand. The team leader must be able to summarize the problem in a single sentence. eg: - “Our sales have come down because our competitor is able to offer promptafter-sales service.” 2. AnalyseKTUQBANK.COM ‘The following points can be discussed by the team members © Isittrue that the problem exist? ©) What are the reliable indicators? © How grave is the problem? © What are the root causes of the problem? ‘¢ Have there been previous attempts to solve the problem? ¢ Dowe have sufficient data to generate the solution? ¢ Do we have enough experts among us? ¢ Atthe end come up with a question like “How can we attract more competent personnel to do the after-sales service and how can we put in place a system to promptly receive and respond to customers’ complaints?” 3. Set criteria for solution Some of the criteria can be ‘¢ Solution should be workable ‘¢ Solution should be economical ‘¢ Solution should address the cause of the problem ‘¢ Solution should not ring with it undesirable side effects 4, Generate all possible solutions This is basically a brain-storming session in which all team members are to come up with solutions that could solve the problem. Itis important that the solutions should not be evaluated at this point. However, other members can ask questions and clarify the various aspects without being prejudiced or judgemental. The focus here is to generate as many solutions as possible. Also, ideas, even wild ones, are to be voiced freely without reservation. This should continue till the group runs out of ideas, 5. Evaluate and select the best solution Each solution is critically evaluated for its merits and completeness. After narrowing down in this manner, evaluate each potential solution based on the criteria. The following questions can be helpful ¢ What is the exact nature of each solution? 's it possible to implement this with our current resources and work force? Is it economical in the long run? Does the solution address the root cause of the problem? How well does it meet our criteria? Will this solution bring undesirable side effects? If so, isit possible to avoid them? Would a combination of solution work best? ‘A consensus has to be reached by the group at the end of this process asto what should be the solution to the problem. 6. Implement ‘¢ Decide on the modus operandi ‘© Allot individual tasks to team members based o their expertise/strengths if necessary and possible, delegate tasks to people outside the groupKTUQBANK.COM © Decide on how to assess the effectiveness of the solution or “How do we know if the problem is solved or not?” © Decide on a timeframe © Execute 4) (a) Moral autonomy is the capacity to deliberate rationally and decide what is right instead of simply following @ set of rules. it isabout making decisions based on moral concern by reasoning rather than blindly going by what others prescribe. Moral reasoning, here, is not prejudiced and will not be based on any value just because it is founded on religious principles or some political dogma. It is not about doing what one feels like doing but about : © Moral concern '* Acknowledging different perspectives on an ethical issue '* Rigorous application of reason ‘© Making decision without alien influence ‘© Acting on that decision As decision makers, engineers need moral autonomy. As they are responsible for the society and the environment, they should think rationally and develop a sense of morality that ‘would enable them to take the right decisions at the right time. (b) An engineer should ‘© Develop reasonable understanding and awareness about environmental and sustainability related issues in their field of specialisation. ‘© Ask for expert help where their knowledge alone is not sufficient to address about environmental and sustainablity issues. Apply professional judgement in matters concerning environment and sustainability. Integrate environmental planning and management into their projects. ‘© Include environmental protection costs when considering the economic viability of projects. © Understand the value of sustainability, consider life-cycle analyses which include cost-benefit studies of additional measures for environment protection and implement efficient, sustainable solutions. 3) a) In transactional leadership the leader maintains relation with followers through a series of transactions involving rewards and punishments. This is basically a carrot and stick approach, Employers are rewarded for good performance and punished for poor performance. Adherence to established procedure for achieving organisational objectives is given importance. This style is formal and bureaucratic in nature. The leader relies on his position and authority to get things done. Followers (or employees) are motivated by their own self-interest. On the other hand, in transformational leadership the leader transforms the thinking of the followers by instilling in them a sense of mission and excitement. The leader relies on his/her charisma and energy rather than authority. He/she encourages taking risks, trying new and unorthodox strategies and thinking out of the box. ‘The style is not formal but intellectually stimulating. The employees or followersKTUQBANK.COM are motivated by an urge to contribute and to live up to the challenges rather than by self interest. The main features of transactional leadership are contingent reward (promising and providing psychological or materialistic rewards for effort and performance like pay hike or promotion) and management by exception (involves enhancing the existing organizational culture or maintaining the status ‘quo rather than going for radical changes). The main features of transformational leadership are inspiring vision (the leader focuses on broadening the horizons of the employees by inspiring them to look beyond their interest), intellectual stimulation (instead of contingent reward, the leader motivates employees by challenging them intellectually to bring out their best) and individual concern (appreciating the differences between individual employees and treat each one accordingly, giving them personal attention TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP | TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHI Suited for a settled environment | Suited during troubled times where the where efficiency is improved through | need of the hour is innovation and change accepted practices Works well when the emotional level | Appeals to emotions of the followers of the followers is not high Formal and bureaucratic Informal and charismatic ‘Only one leader There can be more leaders Employs planning and execution | Stimulates and challenges mostly to mostly to maintain status quo promote innovation Employs rewards and punishment [Employs influence and _ intellectual using authority and position stimulation using charisma and enthusiasm Reactive Proactive b) The six styles of leadership are © Authoritative style Afffiliative style Coaching style Coercive style Democratic style Pace-setting style 6) (* THIS IS NOT THE EXACT ANSWER. IT IS SUBJECTIVE - AN OPININON BASED ANSWER. HENCE, DO NOT LEARN THIS BY HEART!) a. Geetha ~ a junior member of the staff Bhathra — Geetha’s managerKtu@Jbank KTUQBANK.COM Kumar — Geetha’s male colleague b. Bhathra should summon Kumar and tell him clearly that he does not entertain such behaviour in his company. He should be able to correct Kumar without causing any misgivings and should be able to convince him that team members ought to support each other during crisis. Bhathra could take strict action on Kumar, or anybody for that matter. However, if not handled properly everything would ruin. There might arise issues where all the other employees would feel that Bhathra might be favouring Geetha. Hence, it is a very sensitive issue and must be dealt with utmost care. ¢. Geetha, Bhathra, Kumar and all the other staff members should be involved in resolving the issue. Bhathra, as the manager, could try to reduce the work pressure and motivate his subordinates. He could bring the team together emphasising the need to stand together in order to deal with the work pressure. If needed, Bhathra could notify his superior about the issue, but should try to avoid this as far as possible Geetha could explain her situation to her colleagues as well as her manager and figure out a work schedule that fits both sides best. Kumar should quit making unnecessary remarks and start working as a team; he should try to understand his fellow-workers better. d. If I were Bhathra, I would try to resolve the issue without hurting anyone’s feelings. I could try and make things up between my employees, Kumar and Geetha. I would give them proper instructions and direct them to work as a team rather that apprehending one and favouring the other. As a manager, it is my duty and responsibility to ensure good relationship within my employees. I should also see to that the work is done on time and also productively. At the same time, I cannot risk favouring one employee at the cost of losing or delaying work. Hence, I should be strict with Geetha but cannot chose to ignore her plight just like that. Kumar could be put on track by proper guidance. Building team spirit is key in this situation e. Moral issuers: Geetha is tom between her elderly mother and her work life. She cannot afford to lose either. She has to find a way out that would help her do her best at the company and taking good care of her mother. Bhathra should act wisely. He should prove his worth both as a manager and as a human being. Kumar, on the other hand, should stop bickering and causing unnecessary issues putting everyone around under stress. He should abstain from torturing his colleagues by passing sexist comments. Kumar is acting as a trouble maker and his ultimate motive is to cost Geetha her job Ethical issues: Geetha has to figure out a way to bring a balance in her personal as well as professional life. Kumar should stop plotting against Geetha and discard his ulterior motives. He should be more understanding and willing to work as a team Bhathra should be able to guide his subordinates well.KTUQBANK.COM Ktu@Jbank