Business Tasks:

The working environment

Over to you: Think about your job or one you would like to have. Do you, or would you, work on your own, or
as part of a team? Which do you prefer?

As a brand manager, I would prefer to find a balance between individual work and team collaboration in order
to achieve excellence. During the first days, it seems to be more beneficial working alone as it enables more
focus. Especially for developing the adequate strategies for advertising, having your own working schedule
and being your own boss to shape the workflow is essential. That would allow me to put all of my mind into it
and result in less distractions like the interaction with coworkers. Being fully responsible for the design, I
would furthermore implement the tasks faster as I wouldn’t rely on anybody for their contribution to the task.
It also makes me really uncomfortable when someone is breathing down my neck to make sure that I am on
task.
However, teamwork is also critical to success in that position. We all have a limited set of skills and a finite
knowledge base, but by sharing ideas we are able to see beyond our blind spots. So I would be able to receive
feedback and improvement tips for my ideas developed at home. Through their creative impulses and unified
perspectives, it would greatly help me. On top of that, for an extrovert like me, it is much more fun to discuss
and interact with others and not just sit at home and work on my own.

Management styles

Exercise 2: Look at B and C opposite. Read the text and answer the questions.

1 What have the long-term effects of McGregor's thinking been, according to the article?
2 Which factors reveal whether a manager believes more in Theory X or Theory Y?
3 Nametwo things that result from these factors.
4 Did McGregor think that Theory X or Theory Y represented the best way of doing things?
5 Who influenced McGregor's thinking? What did this thinker believe to be the main factor in determining
people's behaviour?
6 Is employee dissatisfaction due to something within employees themselves, according to this thinker? Why?
/ Why not?
Over to you
Write a memo to the head of your organization or one you would like to work for, suggesting ways to
encourage initiative among employees.