HL Unit 1

Question 1

Organizational culture

Answer 1

The shared values, attitudes and beliefs of the people in a group or in a business
Influences the way employees interact and make decisions

Could be observable, visible e.g. dress code, hierarchy

Could be non-visible e.g. staying late, salary expectations

Question 2

What might influence organizational culture?

Answer 2

What type of business is it?
- Mission and vision statements
- NGO vs investment bank

Organizational Structure
- Vertical vs horizontal

Location
- Country, city etc

Management
- Centralized or decentralized
- Autocratic or democratic

Other
- Personalities, age of firm etc

Question 3

Cultural clash and when does it happen?

Answer 3

Conflict between two or more culture within an organization

Occurs when:

When organizations grow
- E.g traditional family business goes public
- Traditional values vs shareholder profit

Merge
- From different countries

When leadership change
- Autocratic leader takes over from a less serious one
- New leader encourages team working

Question 4

Charles Handy’s Gods of Management (AO4)

Answer 4

1) Power culture (Zeus)
More centralized/less formal

2) Role culture (Apollo)
More centralized/more formal

3) Task culture (Athena)
Less centralized/more formal

4) Person culture (Dionysian)
Less centralized/less formal

Question 5

Explain Power culture (Zeus)

Answer 5

Power culture (Zeus)
More centralized/less formal
Dominant person or group in control
Autocratic leadership
Centralized decision making
Ex. private car park, management rooms

Question 6

Explain Role culture (Apollo)

Answer 6

More centralized/more formal
Employees have well-defined roles and responsibilities
Clear job titles and roles
Tall, hierarchical, and bureaucratic
Tradition and lack of creativity
Ex. the military

Question 7

Explain Task culture (Athena)

Answer 7

Less centralized/more formal
Teams are formed and empowered to solve problems
Focus on teamwork and getting things done
Authority given to groups and creativity is encouraged

Question 8

Explain Person culture (Dionysian)

Answer 8

Less centralized/less formal
Each individual focuses on their own work/project
No emphasis on teamwork
Ex. firm of lawyers

Question 9

Sources of conflict in the workplace

Answer 9

Lack of job security
Salary and benefits
Working hours
Poor communication
Inequity
Personality clash
Leadership style
Expectations - ex. Overtime
Values
Redundancies
Organizational change - ex. New offices
Resistance to change

Question 10

Approaches to conflict in the workplace - Industrial Action

Answer 10

Actions to put pressure on the other side to solve conflict

Question 11

Collective bargaining (Unions)

Answer 11

EEs negotiate with the employer together, usually using chosen EE representatives
EEs can also form/join Trade Unions

Question 12

Work-to-rule

Answer 12

Only do work which is outlined in their contract and refuse to do any additional work

Question 13

Strike action

Answer 13

Stop working for a period of time and refuse to work

Question 14

Collective bargaining , employers

Answer 14

Saves the business time and makes EEs feel listened to

Question 15

Threats of redundancies

Answer 15

Make them redundant if they don’t agree to terms

Question 16

Changes of contract

Answer 16

Increase working hours or job requirements in new contracts

Question 17

Lock-outs

Answer 17

Temporarily close the factory so the workers do not get paid

Question 18

Closure

Answer 18

Completely close the factory - leading to redundancies

Question 19

Employee participation and industrial democracy

Answer 19

Give EEs more say in the running of the business, working closely with the EEs

Question 20

No-strike agreement

Answer 20

Union members agree do not strike
Usually in return for an agreement -e.g pay will increase

Question 21

Single-union agreement

Answer 21

ER only negotiates with one union
Different unions may have different objectives so negotiating with only one is easier to reach an agreement

Question 22

Conciliation and arbitration

Answer 22

The use of a 3rd party to help resolve a dispute

Conciliation : the 3rd party encourage EE and ER to communicate an reach a compromise

Arbitration : use of a 3rd party to listen to both sides and then make a binding decision

Question 23

Gantt Charts BM Toolkit 9 (AO4)

What is it?
How does it look like?

Answer 23

A diagram used in projects management that allows controlling, planing and scheduling a project

Question 24

Pros of using Gantt Charts

Answer 24

It gives planners the big picture of the projects - key tasks, timings, etc

Can identify
- Projects that can be done sequentially (saves time)
- Minimum time needed

Can track progress of the project is on track and make changes

Question 25

Cons of using Gantt Charts

Answer 25

Can become extremely complex for large projects All information in the chart are predictions, which may be inaccurate Need to be regularly updated if timings change or delays

Question 26

BM Toolkit 11 → Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions (AO4)

Answer 26

1) Individualism vs collectivism Prioritizing the individual over the team (individualism) Prioritizing the team over the individual (collectivism) 2) Masculinity vs femininity Measures the extent to which the culture follows stereotypical gender roles 3) Power distance Measures the extent to which hierarchy and rank are accepted in society 4) Short termism vs long termism How far in advance does the culture plan for? How likely are they to sacrifice the short-term for long-term gains 5) Uncertainty avoidance Attitude to uncertainty Highly structured routines/plans vs. Flexibility 6) Indulgence vs self-restraint Enjoy life vs Duty/Sacrifices