2. Question one:
Do the original goals of the team management
system used at Marshall’s comport more with the
philosophy of human relations or human resources
management?
The goals of the team management system at Marshall’s
comport more with human relations management, because
management maintained the right to make the final
decisions. Essentially, this program is a form of maintenance
communication. The intentions of management are unlike
those of the human resources style of management because
management is not truly taking the ideas of the workers into
consideration.
3. How would the theorists
discussed in this chapter
(Maslow, McGregor,
Likert, and Blake and
Mouton) analyze the
current situation at
Marshall’s?
Abraham Maslow would say that
the program is not working
because the workers’ self esteem
needs are not being met
(because management is not
valuing their opinions) and
therefore, the workers are unable
to move up in the hierarchy of
needs to reach self-actualization
and achieve their full potential.
4. How would the theorists
discussed in this chapter
(Maslow, McGregor,
Likert, and Blake and
Mouton) analyze the
current situation at
Marshall’s?
McGregor would observe that the
managers want to be Theory Y
managers, who believe that
workers desire responsibility and
to be able to fully utilize their
intellect, but they are not having
success with this. If they want to
be true Theory Y managers, they
must put full trust in their workers.
5. How would the theorists
discussed in this chapter
(Maslow, McGregor, Liker
t, and Blake and Mouton)
analyze the current
situation at Marshall’s?
Blake and Mouton, using their
Managerial Grid as the model, would
note that the managers are using
“Middle of the Road” management,
because although they are
moderately concerned with
production and with people, they are
not reaching full potential. “Team
Management” is the goal of the
managers at Marshall’s, and they
can get there by satisfying the
workers, which will increase
productivity in turn.
6. How would the theorists
discussed in this chapter
(Maslow, McGregor, Liker
t, and Blake and Mouton)
analyze the current
situation at Marshall’s?
Likert would think that the
“climate” of the organization is
consultative (System III):
although there is a high level
of vertical communication and
the views of the employees are
taken into
consideration, decisions are
still made at the top and
control still rests primarily at
the upper levels of the
hierarchy.
7. Question two:
•
Employees identified three reasons for not participating in the program at
Marshall’s. How would you deal with each of these problems? Is it possible
(or desirable) to satisfy all groups of employees and achieve full
participation? Would human relations and human resources theorists have
different ideas about the importance of these various reasons for not
participating in the team management system?
• The human relations approach would
It is very desirable to satisfy all groups of employees
not see an issue with the program
within the company, because satisfied workers may work
because management is doing their
harder. It is possible to do this by studying and addressing
the concerns of each group individually. For the first
best to create maintenance
group, concerned with the extra “busywork,” the meetings
communication. Human resources,
should be short, concise, and optional. The team should
however, would see an issue
send out newsletters or “minutes” detailing discussion at
because the employees are not
the meetings, as well as opening up discussion through
being used for what they are: assets.
email, so as to not waste anyone’s time. For the second
The company is therefore missing
group, who felt that these things should be in the hands of
management, we suggest that a manager be present at
out on valuable ideas thus
each meeting in order to mediate discussion. For the final
management would need to undergo
group, concerned that their views were not actually being
training workshops in order to
considered, the employees should come up with multiple
understand how they should be
solutions/ideas that work for them, and then allow
utilizing employee ideas and helping
management to make the final decision among those
to stimulate new ones.
choices. This method satisfies group two also, because
management would have to be highly involved.
8. Question Three:
What changes would you make in the team management system at
Marshall’s that would increase participation? What changes would you
make to enhance the effective use of human resources at Marshall’s?
How would you institute these changes and communication them to
employees?
In order to increase participation, management must
begin to actually value and utilize the ideas of the
employees. This will renew the employees’ faith in the
program. Management must be involved in the
program, but still leave the control in the hands of the
employees. In order to transition to a human resources
approach, management must allow employees to come
up with ideas and make decisions as a team in regards
to those ideas. The work teams must be allowed to
collectively make decisions for the plant. These
changes in turn should be announced throughout the
plant to renew the interest of employee participation
within the work teams. Thus, increasing morale in this
way will in turn increase production, the main goal of
implementing this program.
