Read Each Scenario And Determine If The Manager Should Invol

Read Each Scenario And Determine1 Should The Manager Involve Others

Read each scenario and determine: 1. Should the manager involve others? Support your reasoning. 2. If involving others, how much authority should be delegated – none, some, or all? Use figure 8.2 for reference. Scenario 1: You are the office manager in a busy car-repair shop. You handle the shop’s credit functions and share a computerized accounting system with the bookkeeper and a newly hired accounts payable clerk, both of whom report to you. The owner has asked you for a recommendation, by next month, on which new accounting software package to buy. In my opinion, I as the manager should definitely involve others. I would involve both the bookkeeper and the accounts payable clerk. I would delegate some of the power to the bookkeeper and the newly hired accounts payable clerk. My reasoning would be that I share the accounting system with the two individuals. Furthermore, the change would not only affect me but them as well, so this would need to be a shared decision. Moreover, since it is shared a system, if I left them out of the decision, it would essentially make the employees that report to me feel powerless and undervalued as an employee. Including them in the decision is a smart idea because they both have dealt with the current system so they will know what upgrades need to be seen in a new accounting software package. Even though the accounts payable clerk is new, he or she could have prior experience with a different software and know that it was a good software and could recommend it or she could know that it wasn’t a very good software and be able to steer us clear of it. Nonetheless, these are the two people along with myself that will be using the new system so they should definitely have a say in the decision.

Scenario 2: You are the manager of a gift store in the mall, supervising 10 longtime salespeople. Now that Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, your store needs more creative ways of preventing shoplifting during the hectic year-end holiday buying blitz. In this scenario I would involve others. I would include all 10 salespeople to get their opinions. They will be better qualified due to their floor sales experiences. They are used to their customers behaviors and how to handle difficult situations such as shoplifting. In this situation I would take all their feedback attend to their needs. I would also help and support them with any knowledge that I have as a leader. The best thing I can do is to be engaging with the team to enable them to form new creative ways. The holidays can bring out the best and the worst in people, so it is important to get opinions from every single one of my employees. No idea is too small or too big to not consider. Everyone’s ideas are important and will be a part of the decision-making process.

Scenario 3: You are the operations manager in the local plant of a global manufacturing corporation. Your department has four shift supervisors (two per shift) and 80 assembly-line employees. A critical piece of machinery broke this morning, and the shift supervisor says it cannot be repaired. Your plant’s monthly production will fall considerably below forecast unless action is taken.

Paper For Above instruction

Effective managerial decision-making often requires careful consideration of whether to involve others in the problem-solving process. The decision to involve others depends on the situation's complexity, the expertise required, and the potential impact on team dynamics and employee morale. Using figure 8.2 as a reference, managers must assess the scope of involvement and delegate authority appropriately. This paper explores three distinct scenarios to analyze the necessity and extent of involving others in managerial decisions.

Scenario 1: Choosing New Accounting Software in a Car-Repair Shop

In the first scenario, the office manager at a busy car-repair shop faces the decision of selecting a new accounting software package. The manager handles credit functions and shares the accounting system with the bookkeeper and accounts payable clerk. Given the shared nature of the system and the direct impact on the users, involving others is essential. The manager should delegate some authority to both the bookkeeper and the accounts payable clerk because their input is crucial to selecting a software that meets operational needs and enhances efficiency.

Delegating some authority allows these team members to contribute their practical insights based on their experience with the current system, potential software options, and prior software familiarity. The bookkeeper, being experienced with accounting software, can provide valuable recommendations, and even the newly hired accounts payable clerk, if equipped with prior experience, can identify deficiencies or advantages in different software. Their involvement fosters a sense of shared responsibility and enhances buy-in for the final decision.

Research suggests that involving employees in decision-making increases engagement and motivation, particularly when the change directly affects their work (Wooldridge & Chowdhury, 2008). Moreover, sharing decision-making authority in this context aligns with participative management principles, fostering collaboration and improving the quality of the decision (Vroom & Jago, 1988). Therefore, in this scenario, involving both the bookkeeper and the accounts payable clerk with delegated authority is justified and beneficial.

Scenario 2: Preventing Shoplifting in a Gift Store During the Holiday Season

The second scenario involves managing a team of ten longtime salespeople at a mall gift store facing increased shoplifting risks during the holiday season. Here, involving the sales staff in developing strategies is particularly important because they possess experiential knowledge about customer behaviors and store dynamics. Their insights can lead to innovative, practical solutions that management alone might overlook.

Engaging all salespeople in the decision aligns with participative leadership approaches, encouraging ownership and commitment to the implemented measures (Likert, 1967). The manager should gather input from each team member, considering their individual observations and suggestions. This inclusive approach fosters a collaborative environment and ensures that various perspectives, from different shifts and customer interactions, contribute to creating effective anti-theft strategies (Avolio & Bass, 2004).

Given the collective expertise and the impact of the decision, delegating some authority to the team members to implement their ideas is appropriate. However, the manager should retain ultimate decision-making authority to ensure consistency and alignment with store policies.

Scenario 3: Machinery Breakdown in a Manufacturing Plant

The third scenario involves an operations manager at a manufacturing plant facing a critical machinery failure that threatens production output. The shift supervisors, responsible for overseeing production, state that repair is impossible, and immediate action is needed. This situation presents a complex challenge requiring urgent and possibly high-stakes decisions.

In such a crisis, the manager may need to involve key personnel—such as the shift supervisors for their operational expertise and decision-making authority—while also considering cross-departmental collaboration if necessary. The level of involvement should be high, with the manager possibly delegating full authority to the supervisors to expedite decision-making and implement contingency measures swiftly (Fiedler, 1964).

However, the manager must also assess whether to involve higher-level executives or technical experts if the issue extends beyond immediate repair options or requires significant resource allocation. The delegation of authority should be based on the urgency, complexity, and potential impact of the decisions.

Conclusion

Deciding whether to involve others and the degree of authority to delegate depend on situational factors, the expertise needed, and potential impacts. Involving relevant team members fosters collaboration, enhances decision quality, and boosts morale. Nonetheless, managers must carefully evaluate each scenario to delegate appropriately—ranging from shared input to full authority—to ensure effective and efficient problem resolution.

References

• Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2004). Multifactor leadership questionnaire. Mind Garden.
• Fiedler, F. E. (1964). A contingency model of leadership effectiveness. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 1, 149-190.
• Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and values. McGraw-Hill.
• Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. Prentice-Hall.
• Wooldridge, B., & Chowdhury, R. M. (2008). Building feeling into decision-making. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 29(7), 633-649.