Personnel Management & Dealing with People - AMBAI free online business management course

Visit our Home Page for information about this Program Printer friendly version of this guide
Study Guide	This is a Study Guide. As the name implies, it guides the student in the reading of the textbook, The Virtual MBA. The textbook is divided into 12 Chapters and each chapter into several Sections. Sections are numbered consecutively from the beginning to the end of the textbook. We will refer you to the textbook by citing the Section number. This Subject is based on Chapter II of the textbook.
"Get people to cooperate with you...	... but also learn from the reluctant ones and, if justified, accommodate them". This is good advice given in the textbook. A caveat: some persons very much like Nora's employee Peter, tend to abuse a manager who accommodates them easily. Limits should be clearly established. Now please read Section 11. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please continue
Make a solid diagnosis before acting...	... and first of all, do no harm!" Replicas of the Personnel manager in Nora's company exist, unfortunately, in many firms. Now please read Section 12. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please answer the questions
Self- evaluation questions	Question 1 What positive results can a good manager obtain for him/herself from a reluctant but competent employee? See Model Answer A1
Self- evaluation questions	Question 2 What should the Personnel Manager have done before sending the offending memo to Nora's staff members? See Model Answer A2
Personality and situation analysis...	Often potentially good employees are discarded because a correct situation analysis was not made before taking action. Now please read Section 13. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please continue
Is the employee "stupid and lazy"...	... or is it the situation he is living in? It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two possibilities. A bad situation may cause an employee to behave in such manner that his/her boss will fell a deep antipathy for him or her; this creates the same feeling in the employee. In this case both, but especially the manager, must leave their feelings and prejudices aside and look for the real reasons of the problem. Now please read Section 14. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please answer the questions
Self- evaluation questions	Question 3 Which are the two basic rules a good manager -like a good doctor- should follow before taking any action? See Model Answer A3
Self- evaluation questions	Question 4 Which are two basic elements of a good diagnosis in people management? See Model Answer A4
Roles should match qualifications	Her ex-professor Hume scrutinizes Nora's evaluation of her employee Robin. He has a point.... Now please read Sections 15. to 17. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please answer the questions
Self- evaluation questions	Question 5 Robin was not ready to be a Senior S.E., the position he had been assigned to fill. How is this type of problem called? See Model Answer A5
Self- evaluation questions	Question 6 Which was the point Nora recognized Dr. Hume had made correctly? See Model Answer A6
Challenge your employees, but...	You will now read about the conditions necessary to get benefits from assigning challenging roles to employees. Now please read Section 18. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please continue
The two very different management styles	Nora is participative and warm with her subordinates. Her friend Bill performed very tight supervision his employees. How could both be successful? Now please read Sections 19. and 20. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please answer the questions
Self- evaluation questions	Question 7 It is good to challenge good employees, but under certain conditions -"buts". Which are they? See Model Answer A7
Self- evaluation questions	Question 8 Recall -in your own words- the definitions of the two styles of management mentioned above. See Model Answer A8
There is a style for each situation.	What would happen if Nora and Bill switched jobs and continued with their previous styles? Now please read Section 21. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please continue
The managers' dilemma.	When to leave a lot of room to your subordinates and when to supervise them closely? Now please read Section 22. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please continue
Check if your beliefs are correct	Nora was sure of her beliefs and failed to re-check them. She could have avoided a problem by not acting by habit. Now please read Section 23. and 24. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide. Please answer the questions
Self- evaluation questions	Question 9 Assuming that in general a participative style of leadership is preferable to a tight supervision, what should a manager do if he or she is momentarily supervising a department which demands the latter style? See Model Answer A9
Self- evaluation questions	Question 10 If Robin and Nora had done something they did not, and had avoided acting in a certain way, they would not have misunderstood each other. Which are those things? See Model Answer A10
The changes in labor relations and how to deal with the new situation	Employment for life, long term career building and other situations taken for granted some time ago are not present any more. How can managers and employees adjust to the new situation? Now please read Section 25. to 28. of the textbook and return to this point of the Guide.
Here we say: So long!	This is the End of the Study Guide for the Subject Managing and Dealing with People. The Subject belongs to the Curriculum of the Certificate Program in Management and Business Administration offered by AMBAI as a Public Service.
To access all subjects and the Final Test of this Management and Business Administration Program click here.
A2 - Consulting with the immediate supervisor, in this case, with Nora.. Back
A1 - Learn from the reluctant employee, if he is talented and capable. Back
A4 - Personality and situation analysis. Back
A3 - Make a sound diagnosis, and be sure not to do any harm.. Back
A6 - Assigning challenging roles may be an effective incentive for talented and ambitious employees. Back
A5 - Robin had a "Role" problem, which consist in been expected to perform a role the person is not aware of and/or not capable of. Back
A8 - 1) Warm, participative, "by objectives". 2) Tight supervision, close checking, giving subordinates little room for decision taking.. Back
A7 - Give them the means to perform well (training, resources). Establish clear and realistic goals. Reward success. Back
A10 - Check that their own beliefs were real. Avoid acting according to their own habits. Back
A9 - Aim at evolving his or her department into the type that would work well under a more participative style. Back

	American Management and Business Administration Institute 955 Massachusetts Avenue # 3000 - Cambridge, MA 02139-3180 - USA - Fax 1-760-457-3335 Management and Business Administration Online Campus: www.ambai.org email: campus@ambai.org
For Enrolled Students only! For info on AMBAI Certificate Programas click HERE	Study Guide for the Certificate Program in Management and Business Administration.

AMBAI Free Online Distance Course in Management and Business Administration