INLS 131:  Management for Information Professionals

Week 10: March 19-25, 2002
Decision-Making;
"Secrets" of Delegation;
Case Study 3

Assignments

This week we will examine decision-making and the various options managers can select in the way decisions get made. One option used to be autocratic--that is, the manager decided and informed his/her troops how it was going to be. This may still occur in some organizations, but increasingly the norm is for the manager to be consultative, even if he/she ultimately makes the final decision. In some cases the manager may well turn the decision over completely to the employees to resolve. If you did any of the leadership tests, you will have seen that consultative management is perceived as one of the elements of a good leader

Chapter 15 describes three approaches to making decisions:  rational, bounded rationality, and (the one folks enjoy because of its title) the garbage can model. Using the notion that decision making should involve both the leader and the members of the group, Vroom and his associates propose seven rules for what to consider in determining how decisions should be made. These rules involve such things as

• how important the decision is,
• who has information important to the decision,
• how likely it is that the decision will be accepted by those who have to carry it out,
• whether the problem or issue requiring attention is structured or not.

Some people find the flow chart a little complicated to follow and perhaps somewhat deceptively simplistic, but the ideas underlying the model are important. Table 15-3 presents what I call a realistic approach to decision making. The last sections of the chapter deal with the "zone of indifference" (an old concept dating back to one of the very first writers about management, Chester Barnard), cultural differences in decision-making (a rather abbreviated treatment), and intuition in decision-making ("seat of the pants").

We will also consider what are the "best practices" to follow when delegating a task. Please refer to Secrets of Delegation for some notes describing the four aspects of a task or project that need to be addressed when delegating a job. These are

• the definition of the task,
• to whom and within what parameters accountability is delegated,
• what responsibility is delegated,
• what authority (in terms of money, materials, technical support, and political power) is being transferred as well.

The key here is specificity. As an employee being delegated a job, you might well ask that all of these aspects be addressed--preferably in writing.

The learning objectives this week are to:

• understand decision making as a social process
• apply decision-making rules to given situations
• delegate tasks effectively.

You have two tasks and a new case study assigned. You will have a choice in the first task. You may choose either to work out a decision-making experience or a delegation task. Actually I'll give you three choices. (If you would like to do a Task 21a and substitute readings as you may have done for either task 14 or 15, you have this option here as well) The second task asks for your comments about the last group experience. In the case study I want to see how well you have been able to use your understanding of organizational context, managerial issues, and to complete this task in your virtual group effectively and efficiently.

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Task 21: Decision-Making or Delegation

Select either A or B below.

1. Decision-Making. Choose a decision-making experience you've been involved in recently (at work or outside of work). You may use a situation you've already written about from a different perspective if there is decision making involved. Post your description of the experience and reflections about it. Examine the experience from the perspective of the decision-making model presented in Chapter 15, focusing on who ultimately made the decision, who had input to it, and how appropriate it was given the circumstances. Then step back from the experience and consider what you learned from the observation and analysis that might make you more effective in selecting a decision-making approach in the future. Post your summary, reflections, a comparison to the model in your text, and conclusions (action plan) to the Decisions and Delegations forum by or before April 1.  Please label your posting "Task 21-A:   A Decision Experience."&.
2. Delegation. Choose a delegation experience in which you've been involved (at work or at home) and in which you were either the delegator or the delegatee. Use the "Secrets of Delegation" as a standard for comparison. Using our learning model, describe the experience, relect on it dispassionately, compare it to the standard (abstract conceptualization) and then come up with a plan for future action that you could follow (either as delegator or delegatee) in a way that would improve the situation. Post your comments to the Decisions and Delegations forum by or before April 1.   Please label your posting "Task 21-B.  A Delegation Experience."
3. Task 21-C: Alternative. If you would prefer to explore the literature and share your reading with your classmates as an option, follow the instructions provided in tasks 14a and 15a and post your summaries with citations and your comments about them to the Decisions and Delegations forum labeling your posting "Task 21-C: Readings on Delegation and/or Decision-Making.

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Task 22: Group Process--Part III

In Week 5 you studied group dynamics and work teams. You analyzed two groups--one of your own choice and the class group you worked with for the first exercise. Now, please send me by e-mail your comments on the second case study group. Some of the questions I'd like you to address arise from our most recent readings and are as follows:

1. In what way(s) did your second group work better than the first group? In what way(s) was it worse? To what do you attribute the differences?
2. Were you aware of any conflicts? If so, how were they handled?
3. How was leadership exercised and by whom?
4. Were you comfortable with your individual contribution to the group?
5. Were you pleased with the final product? How would you evaluate it?

I am looking here for your growth in understanding of how groups work and how you individually perceive ways of affecting the final outcome (whether you actually did what you know how to do or not). Remember to exercise good feedback principles by being specific, description and non-judgmental. Please send me your email about your Group 2 process on or before April 1.

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Case Study 3: BMG International

The third case is very complex and probably somewhat removed from the past experience of most of the folks in the class. It involves one multinational company that is part of a multinational conglomerate. An apparently successful growth strategy is described based on dividing by geographic region and then integrating through introducing a new hierarchical level and a top-level coordinating committee. We are introduced to Rudi Gassner; we learn about his managerial approach and have an opportunity to discover how it works. And we have an decision-making issue:  whether past methods of planning in which managers' salaries are based on reaching or surpassing set targets should be changed in  midstream because of changing circumstances.

You will find Group 3 assignments on the Group Assignments page. In some cases I have identified a coordinator, in others I've left it open for one of the members to volunteer for this task. As we've done for the past two case studies, please post your group summary with the names of all the members in your group to the Case Study Analyses forum with the subject line: "BMG International Case" by or before April 22. This will be your last case study so try to put everything you've learned about group process and management into effort in this case analysis. Include the names of everyone in the group on your report

Some of the aspects you will want to consider include:

• The context:  a multinational company in the commercial music industry
• Organizational change through division and integration
• Organizational culture and diversity in a multinational company
• Gassner's managerial approach, his sources of power, and his influence style
• The issue:  should the Executive Committee modify its business plan and bonus targets? What are the pros, cons, and recommendations? Who should make the decision and how should the decision process be carried out?

The dual goal of this exercise is to apply the textbook concepts to this case to deepen your understanding of how management works in various contexts, and to continue to acquire experience and added competence in virtual teaming. Your final report may be in part a restatement for clarity, an identification of issues, an exploration of alternatives. The emphasis here is on terseness--being able to put forth ideas crisply and to the point.

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Week 11