s03a - the moral character management practice
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Joyce Liu and Karin Goh on "The Moral Character Management Practice".TRANSCRIPT
The Moral The Moral Character of Character of Management Management PracticePractice
-- John RobertsJohn Roberts
Karin & JoyceKarin & Joyce
BackgroundBackground
““We are not accustomed to doubt the We are not accustomed to doubt the effectiveness of managers in achieving effectiveness of managers in achieving what they set out to achieve and we are what they set out to achieve and we are equally unaccustomed to think of equally unaccustomed to think of effectiveness as a distinctively moral effectiveness as a distinctively moral concept” concept”
(Macintyre 1981,pg 71)(Macintyre 1981,pg 71)
BackgroundBackground
MoralityMorality - Private sphere of our lives, - Private sphere of our lives, realm of our immediate personal realm of our immediate personal relationshiprelationship
ManagementManagement- Realm of public affairs- Realm of public affairs
BackgroundBackground
Managers’ practices are not judged by Managers’ practices are not judged by reference to moral standards but reference to moral standards but merely in terms of the effectiveness merely in terms of the effectiveness with which they secure given objectiveswith which they secure given objectives
Effectiveness of manager’s day to day Effectiveness of manager’s day to day practice depends upon his or her ability practice depends upon his or her ability to manipulate other human beings into to manipulate other human beings into compliant modes of behavior compliant modes of behavior
Case Study – PYT LtdCase Study – PYT Ltd
In early years, PYT Ltd had achieve a In early years, PYT Ltd had achieve a very rapid growth very rapid growth
In recent years, it In recent years, it begun to begun to reach the reach the limits of its customer market and failed limits of its customer market and failed to repeat businessto repeat business
Senior management blamed on its style Senior management blamed on its style of managementof management
Research – PYT LtdResearch – PYT Ltd
High Sales Target, Incentive Payments,Threats to job security
Short term personal interest in mind
Staff oversells to customers
Sales people preferred to leave the company
High turnover and strong customer resistance
Case Study - DaveCase Study - Dave
Hard and detached managerHard and detached manager
Easier it make objective decisions when Easier it make objective decisions when there’s no friendshipthere’s no friendship
No ‘advantage’ in finding out more No ‘advantage’ in finding out more about the people he worked withabout the people he worked with
Personal relationship might actually Personal relationship might actually interfere with his ability to make interfere with his ability to make ‘objective’ decisions‘objective’ decisions
Case Study - DaveCase Study - Dave
His relationship with his staff were His relationship with his staff were viewed as means to achieve future viewed as means to achieve future promotionpromotion
Staff were generally unwilling to work Staff were generally unwilling to work and required to be forced to do soand required to be forced to do so
Style of management characterized as Style of management characterized as ‘Theory X’‘Theory X’
Case Study - ValCase Study - Val Val’s values changed when she got Val’s values changed when she got
married, she realize that there was more married, she realize that there was more to life than being a success in the job to life than being a success in the job
Her style of management characterized in Her style of management characterized in a shift from ‘Theory X’ to ‘Theory Y’a shift from ‘Theory X’ to ‘Theory Y’
She recognized that treating staff ‘like She recognized that treating staff ‘like kids’ might have been a contributory kids’ might have been a contributory factor to the high rate of turnover in stafffactor to the high rate of turnover in staff
She had force herself to let others be She had force herself to let others be responsibleresponsible
Case Study - ValCase Study - Val Present herself to staff as an advisor Present herself to staff as an advisor
and co-ordinator of their activitiesand co-ordinator of their activities
Managers were now presented as the Managers were now presented as the servants of staffservants of staff
Her aim was to help them develop their Her aim was to help them develop their own capacity for self-direction and self-own capacity for self-direction and self-controlcontrol
Developed relationships with her staff Developed relationships with her staff and she appeared much more and she appeared much more responsive to individual differences in responsive to individual differences in beliefs, feeling and aspirationsbeliefs, feeling and aspirations
Case Study- Rita (Dave)Case Study- Rita (Dave)
Dave demoted her due to her Dave demoted her due to her poor performancepoor performance
Dave used his aloofness and Dave used his aloofness and distance to get Rita do what he distance to get Rita do what he wantedwanted
This undermined her confidenceThis undermined her confidence Thus diminished her chances of Thus diminished her chances of
proving herself to Daveproving herself to Dave
Case Study- Rita (Val)Case Study- Rita (Val)
Consoled RitaConsoled Rita Val tried to rebuild Rita’s Val tried to rebuild Rita’s
confidenceconfidence Rita thought that Val handled Rita thought that Val handled
her just righther just right This way Val is able to serve her This way Val is able to serve her
own and Rita’s interest. own and Rita’s interest.
Case Study- Christine (Val)Case Study- Christine (Val)
Confided in Val as to why she Confided in Val as to why she missed her sales targetmissed her sales target
Val used this ‘personal Val used this ‘personal information’ to gain controlinformation’ to gain control
Demonstrated that her interest Demonstrated that her interest in Christine was only in Christine was only instrumentally motivatedinstrumentally motivated
Caused a resistance in ChristineCaused a resistance in Christine
Dave’s style of managementDave’s style of management
StrengthStrength The most effective means for achieving The most effective means for achieving
his targetshis targets Led him to impress his superiors and be Led him to impress his superiors and be
indifferent to the consequences of his indifferent to the consequences of his actions for his staffactions for his staff
WeaknessWeakness Staff were generally unwilling to work Staff were generally unwilling to work
and required to be forced to do so. and required to be forced to do so. High turnover rateHigh turnover rate
Val’s style of managementVal’s style of management
StrengthStrength Enable her to understand the needs and Enable her to understand the needs and
concerns that informed their behavior. concerns that informed their behavior. More effective practice, good sales More effective practice, good sales
results and low turnover rateresults and low turnover rate
WeaknessWeakness SuperficialSuperficial In the case of Christine, Val’s In the case of Christine, Val’s
appearance of concern, led her not into appearance of concern, led her not into conformity but into resistance.conformity but into resistance.
Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking
Personal motives and beliefs Personal motives and beliefs
Led them to ignore subjectivity of the staffsLed them to ignore subjectivity of the staffs
People behave differently when they are People behave differently when they are observedobserved
People act like how they are being treatedPeople act like how they are being treated
It seems that employees prefer theory YIt seems that employees prefer theory Y
Critical ThinkingCritical Thinking When people perceive they have friendly When people perceive they have friendly
supervision, they are happiersupervision, they are happier
Do not use ‘personal information’ as tool to Do not use ‘personal information’ as tool to manipulate and control staffsmanipulate and control staffs
Manipulative forms of control forces staff’s Manipulative forms of control forces staff’s individualismindividualism
Individualism diverts the realization of potential Individualism diverts the realization of potential organized relationshipsorganized relationships
Only moral character of management practice Only moral character of management practice is effectiveis effective