Basic Management Principles E-Assessment

1(a) I would be more interested in working a company that had a matrix structure. Firstly, has
the clear articulation of project objectives. Once a company has a clear objectives and
direction, the project manager will guide employees and they know that should they do and
when to achieve company’s goals. Not only that, if a organization that had a matrix structure,
the project manager is more easily to motivate employees. After motivate employees, they
will become more enthusiastic and spirited in their work in job to improve their performance.
Secondly, efficient use of resources. We can use the limited resources to decrease the wastage
in work. We can share to use the same resources between different projects, such as facilities,
machinery, equipment and other resources. Matrix structure is less expensive than an
equivalent pure project organization. Thirdly, retention of disciplinary teams. Matrix
structure enables the employees to maintain their skills in working with discipline. Once the
project is done successfully, the team members sharp in their discipline. In the organization,
all of the team members will do their own tasks with responsibilities and own discipline
without disturbing each other. Fourthly, effective communication of information. Because of
matrix structure, it enables different departments to work together and communicate
frequently. If there are some problems during work, we can discuss the problems together and
try to find a correct way to solve it. This can increase communication and conservation
between every employee. While during a project, we can exchange information and ideas
among leaders and employees. This can enhance performance and quick productivity. Fifthly,
flexibility. Since employees communicate with each other frequently, decision making will
become more speedy. So, they can easily diverse situations that the company encounters.

1(b) I will prepare myself to work effectively in a company with matrix structure. Firstly, I
will ensure the teams are more diverse. This is because diversity can play an important role in
helping people to develop matrix-related competencies. For example, the ability to listen to
others with respect to different ideas. Secondly, I will make teamwork a priority. Work in a
company with matrix structure, teamwork is playing an important role in it. We can provide
motivation among each other and share some idea. So that we have many types of idea to use
in work. If we faced some obstacles while working, we can discuss with team members and
find a suitable way to overcome it. Thirdly, communicate with team members. Team
members need to able to communicate their feeling, ideas, opinion and etc. Every team
member should also listen to each other and ask questions when don’t understand. If we don’t
ask when not understand, this can bring a lot of problem in coming work. This will lead to an
effective work process. Fourthly, I will make decision together with team members. Make
decision should based on open dialogue with members to offer their ideas and solutions.
Members should have the team’s support when making decisions. Fifthly, co-define purpose
and goals. To maintain commitment across matrix, I need to share purpose and goals. I will
bring team members and achieve goals together with them

2) Scenario (1)
Reward power. Reward power is a manager give some rewards and benefits to get employee
to follow manager’s order and work hard to achieve company’s goal. In the scenario, the
manager is given the staff a tangible reward. If I give my staff some rewards, such as give
him extra paid vacation leaves, he will feel satisfaction and it can encourage employee to
work hard for company. Rewards also can increase employee’s working efficiency. Not only
give employee tangible rewards, employer can also give some intangible awards, such as give
staff some positive feedback, praise and also recognition.

Scenario (2)

Coercive power.Coercive power is a manager or employer force the employee to follow the
order with some punishment if the staff is not following the instruction. In the scenario, my
boss wants me to work two extra days even I am only a part-time employee. After my refusal,
boss persuade me to work, if not he will pay cuts with his coercive power. So, i will work
hard under this condition. If I as a part time employee, I will respond positively and the
workforce will have a positive and productive output. Think of another angle, this also can
bring some benefits to me, because if I work for extra two days per week, I can receive extra
salaries just when I faced some financial problem.

Scenario (3)

Legitimate power. Legitimate power is a power from formal position in an organization, such
as being a boss or manager in a team. In the scenario, everyone does not treat me as a
manager, all the employees will not follow my instruction and order. As a manager, I need
respect from my employees to achieve company’s goals easily. To gain employees’ respect, I
will be more responsibilities as a manager. I will set clear expectations, so employees will do
their own tasks and can be more productive in their tasks. Besides, I will always listen to my
employees and take their opinions into consideration, so employees will feel valued and they
are play an important role in the organization, employees will give me some respect too.

Scenario (4)

Expert power.Expert power is a person who has experience, very knowledgeable and skillful
in any area. As an experienced marketer, I would like to organize a campaign with using my
knowledge. I can share my knowledge and also experience to all the staff. Staff are more
willing to listen to my instruction and they will more believe me in this area just because I am
an experienced marketer. I will put some afforts into company to achieve the goals easily.
This can also help company to increase productivity too.

Scenario (5)

Referent power. Referent power is a type of power that comes from leader’s capacity to
influence followers. In the scenario, the client belief my personal characteristic and trust my
strength in business. The client willing to follow me because he/she is respect me. As a
salesperson, I deserve the chance that client gives me because I feel confidence will not let
the client disappointed. I will do something that can improve my working effectiveness and
get a good result in business.

3) Hackman and Oldham provided clear definitions on the five core job dimensions and
characteristics. There are skills variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and
feedback. I have worker as a waitress at a restaurant before. First and foremost, skills variety
is the must to become a good waitress. Skills variety is the number of skills used to perform
in the waitress job. As a waitress, I must have a good communication skill. I need the ability
to communicate with kitchen staffs, take order with customers too. I need to good in some
basic languages, such as English, mandarin and also Bahasa Malaysia. When I become a
waitress, I will face a lot of customer that different type of race. So, I must good in many
languages. Next, I must also have problem-solving skill. When customer complain something
to me, I should find a correct way and solve it. For example, have a customer is dissatisfied
and complain with us about the food is no clean, I must take action about that, such as change
a new food for her. Besides, I must have a good customer service skill. As a good waitress, I
must always smile and greet in a friendly when take order with customer. I can’t always show
a angry face or dissatisfied face when talk with customers. After that, time management skill
also plays an important role as a waitress. I have to schedule my daily activities and work
towards achieving the goal of the day. I must be punctual and arrive on time at restaurant
during working hours.

Secondly, task identity. Task identity is the degree to which an employee or a staff
performs a total job with a recognizable beginning and ending. As a waitress, I should do the
whole thing of the scope of work, I can’t do the things partly and another part I let another
person to help me finish it. I need a solid understanding of the tasks, responsibility to the
tasks. For example, my responsibilities as a waitress is to take orders from customers, serve
foods and beverages, check in with customers, collect payment, answer question about the
menu from customers, set up dinnerware, clean up the tables and perform cleaning duties. I
should also check with customers and ensuring their satisfaction after customer finish their
meals. If customers feel satisfaction with their meal, I will talk patiently to them and make
sure they will feel satisfaction in the end.

Thirdly, task significance. Task significance is the degree to which the job has substantial
on other people’s work, well-being and health. Every job has it own meaning, if we work for
a meaningful job and we will feel satisfaction after we done the job. As a waitress, my job is
serve customer and make sure give the guests a good service during their meals time.

Fourthly, autonomy. Autonomy is the degree to which the employee has freedom,
discretion and self-determination in planning and carrying out tasks. Manager gives me
autonomy is good for me because it is a great way to train myself on the job. For example, I
will initiative to go take order with customers even they are not call me and I will introduce
to them about the most famous food in the menu. Not only that, I will ask for their comment
about the food after they finish the meal.
 Fifthly, feedback. Feedback is the extent to which doing the job provides information to
the employee about performance. If a manager gives employee some good and positive
feedback, the employee will feel satisfaction and motivate for coming job. So, they will do
better and try to achieve company’s goals. Feedback can bring effect to work attitude either
good feedback or bad feedback. Feedback can help employees to know the effectiveness of
their performance about the work. Even though will also receive bad feedback, but we can’t
give up and feel angry to customers that give us bad feedback. As a waitress, we must receive
any feedback that given by customers and manager. For example, my manager gives me
some good feedback, I will maintain in try the best to make my performance become more
better; but if my manager and customer give me bad feedback, I will find a correct and
suitable way to improve my performance, will not let my manager and also customer feel
disappointed. If my feedback is good in customer service, I can help the restaurant to increase
the number of customers and also restaurant’s profit.

Last but not least, the five core job dimensions make me feel empowered. These core job
dimension can increase my power heightens motivation because I can improve my own
effectiveness in work and choosing how to do a task and job with my creativity. First, skill
variety gives me some motivation in work. After I have the skill variety, such as
communication skill, I feel more empowered when communicate with guests and staffs.
Secondly, feedback. When manager and customers give me some good feedback in my work,
I will feel satisfied and empowered, so I will work hard for coming job. Lastly, manager
gives some rewards for me and other employees also can make us feel empowered. Reward
can let me become more motivated and willing to work more effectiveness to achieve
company’s goals.

4)Feed forward control is prepared and get ready before operation begin and includes design
policies, procedures and rules to ensure the planned can proceed smoothly. This controls is
focus on human materials, financial resources within the company. This means can avoid for
future problems. In Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) organization, feed forward control is
done by territory managers. For territory manager, the tasks for him is store monitoring and
visits to factory to check its supplies. These actions must be done before finishing the
products. For example, KFC will control the ingredients of making their food because they
have their own specification in their food, such as the colour of the fried chicken must be
same between all the chicken. Not only that, feed forward control can be used in Human
Resource Department of KFC too. A human resource must ensure the employee that hiring is
the right people for all position. Human resource can post advertisement in the right way,
such as newspaper, online job sites and others. Before Human Resource department interview
the person, they should check the candidate’s background, health problem, drug testing for
ensure the person is suitable to work in KFC company. For example, if HR department hired
a drug user can result in working efficiency and other employee injuries. So, HR can’t do a
rushed interview with every candidate, it may result in hiring wrong person for the job.
 Furthermore, concurrent control. Concurrent control takes places while plans are being
carried out. Concurrent control allows manager to monitor work activities when employee is
working. This control can be seen on employees’ performance standard. This type of control
is to ensured that employees work activities produced the correct results. In KFC, this control
is done by Unit Business Manager. This manager should assurance of food quality by
monitoring kitchen staff with number of visits during a day. For example, KFC will
constantly observe what is taking place even while helping out the work. Manager should
ensure decrease the wastage and for superior quality of food. Not only that, KFC should
responsible on the food quantity and freshness of the food. For example, if unit business
manager saw have some food is not fresh, he must quickly ask the kitchen staff to produce a
new one. This can avoid customers make complain after they eat the food that is not fresh.

Lastly, feedback control. This control focuses on use of information about results to
correct deviations from the acceptable standard after they arise. KFC uses feedback control
on customer satisfaction surveys. This focuses on output. Through this control, KFC can
know about either customer are satisfied in their food or not satisfied. Customers of KFC can
also give some comment and bad feedback via customer satisfaction, so that employees can
know which area is done with bad results and what actions that can improve employees’
working effectiveness. Not only that, manager can also use feedback control for employees.
Manager can do a survey and list down the problems that employees’ done. So that
employees will know what they had done wrong.