Important Questions and Answers: Principles of Management - Directing

1. Define Direction.

Direction may be defined as the process of instructing, guiding and inspiring human factors in the organization to achieve organization objectives.

2. State two important characteristics of Directing.

Any two characteristics of Directing are:

ü Directing is an important managerial function through which the management initiates actions in the organisation.

ü It is a continuous process and it continues throughout the life of the Organization.

3. Mention the importance of Leadership

ü  Motivating Employees

ü  Leader develops team work

ü  Better utilization of manpower

ü  Creating confidence to followers

ü  Directing group activities

ü  Building morale

ü  Maintaining discipline

4. Name the various leadership styles.

ü  Autocratic or Dictatorial leadership

ü  Participative or Democratic leadership

ü  Laissez – faire or Free – rein leadership

5. What are the advantages of democratic leadership?

ü  The subordinates are motivated by participation in decision – making process. This will also increase job satisfaction

ü  Absence of leader does not affect output

ü  Labour absenteeism and turn – over will be minimum

ü  The quality of decision is improved

ü  The leader multiplies his abilities through the contribution of his followers.

6. What is laissez-faires

Complete freedom is given to the subordinates so that they plan, motivate, control and otherwise be responsible for their own actions.

7. List out the human factors in managing.

The Human factors in managing include:

ü  Multiplicity of roles

ü  Individuality and

ü  Personal dignity.

8. Define creativity.

Creativity is defined as the ability to produce new and useful ideas through the combination of known principles and components in novel and non-obvious ways. Creativity exists throughout the population largely independent of age, sex and education.

9. What are the steps involved in creative process?

Creativity is defined as the ability to produce new and useful ideas through the combination of known principles and components in novel and non-obvious ways. The steps involved in creative process are:

ü Saturation

ü Preparation

ü Frustration and incubation

ü Inspiration or illumination

ü Verification

10.            How are problems solved by creative tool?

Creativity tools are designed to help you devise creative and imaginative solutions to problems. Creativity tools are designed to help you devise creative and imaginative solutions to problems.

11. What is a SCAMPER tool?

SCAMPER is a checklist that helps us to think of changes where S - Substitute

C - Combine A - Adapt M - Modify

P - Put to another use E - Eliminate and

R - Reverse.

12. What is a meant by reframing matrix?

Reframing matrix is a simple technique that helps to look at business problems from a number of different viewpoints. The approach relies on the fact that different people with different experience approach problems in different experience approach in different ways.

13. What are the steps involved in simplex tool?

Simplex tool is an industrial-strength creativity tool. The steps involved in simplex tool are:-

ü Problem finding

ü Fact finding

ü Problem definition

ü Idea finding

ü Selection and evaluation

ü Planning

ü Sell data and

ü Action.

14. Differentiate Innovation and Invention.

Innovation means the use of creative ideas. It is not only relevant to high-tech enterprises but also crucial for old-line, traditional companies, which may not service without the infusion of innovation.

Ex: A new product or a service.

Invention means really finding new things that are not already available. It is mostly applicable in the field of science.

Ex: Invention of radio.

15.            How can be harmonizing objectives achieved?

Harmonizing objectives can be achieved through:

ü Mutual trust

ü Cooperation and understanding and

ü Workers participation in management.

16.            Define Multiplicity of Roles.

Individuals are not only the productive factor in management Plans. They are members of social system of many organizations.

17.            Mention the various factors involved in using motivational techniques:

ü Money

ü Reward : intrinsic and extrinsic

ü Participation

ü Quality of working life

18.            What is job enrichment?

Building into jobs a higher sense of challenge and achievement. (or) Job enrichment is therefore based on the assumption that in order to motivate personnel, the job itself must provide opportunities for the achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement and growth.

19.            What are the limitations of job enrichment?

1. Job enrichment is based on the assumption that workers want more responsibility. But, in practice, most of the workers may prefer less responsible jobs with good social interaction. Such workers may show feelings of inadequacy and fear of failure to job enrichment.

2. Some jobs cannot be enriched beyond a certain point.

20.            Give the required guidelines to make effective job enrichment.

1. Use job enrichment selectively after taking into account situational variables such as job characteristics, personal characteristics of employees, Organisational level etc.

2. Provide a supportive climate for innovation and change.

21.            Define Leadership

Leadership is the process of influencing the behavior of others towards the accomplishment of goals in a given situation. Leadership is the ability to influence others and enthusiastically making them to achieve the desired results.

22. What is Communication?

Communication is passing of information from one person to another person with understandable manner.

23.            Mention the various elements in the process of communication

ü Sender

ü Communication Channels

ü Symbols

ü Receiver

ü Noise and feedback in communication

24.            List the different types of communication flow

ü Downward Communication

ü Upward communication

25.            Explain the creative process?

Creativity: Creativity is the ability to create large number of ideas quickly. Creative process has interacting and over lapping phase. It has four phases:

ü Unconscious Scanning

ü Intuition

ü Insight

ü Logical Formulation

Unconscious Scanning: A condition beyond consciousness.

Intuition: It connects unconscious with conscious

Insight: It is the result of hard work

Logical Formulation: referred to as verification

26. What is brainstorming?

This kind of training is given to increase people’s creativity and decisional ability. These types of training individual participants are encouraged to give their own ideas to resolve the existing problem.