Mgt 311 - Exam 2

Front 1

Give 2 to 4 reasons that a would-be leader in a peer project team would focus on improving the group's process, rather than telling members what to do.

Back 1

1. In peer groups,, there is no formal leader with authority to direct others.
2. The group may lack a member with such great expertise that everyone will simply defer to them.
3. Volunteering to do certain helpful things (i.e. communicating about meetings, keeping notes) and making suggestions usually is not too threatening to other group members.
4. If your efforts have a visible impact on getting work done, group members may start to listen to you because they believe it is in their best interest.

Front 2

Name the four concepts in the SMART goal mnemonic.

Back 2

1. Specific enough to be Measurable
2. Aligned with upper management ideas
3. Reachable but ambitious
4. Time-bound (has a deadline)

Front 3

Which SMART goal is this an example of?
Need the draft report and cover memo by Monday noon; final report with production supplies due Wednesday by FedEx deadline.

Back 3

Time-bound (T)

Front 4

Which SMART goal is this an example of?
This'll be tight but it's similar to last month's report.

Back 4

Reachable but ambitious (R)

Front 5

Which SMART goal is this an example of?
New York HQ has a big presentation to Wall Street analysts and needs data on our operations.

Back 5

Aligned with upper management ideas (A)

Front 6

Which SMART goal is this an example of?
Please run these standard reports as of September 30th (end of 3rd quarter):
-Gross output
-Breakage/scrap rate
-Labor consumption
-Productivity comparisons for the 1st and 3rd quarters
-Forecast on all of the above for 4th quarter
Get 1 display sample casting for new Expandrium line B
Draft a 1-page cover memo with key points for my review

Back 6

Specific enough to be Measurable (SM)

Front 7

Be able to draw the Expectancy Model diagram from memory.

Back 7

.

Front 8

Name the 3 links in the Expectancy Model, and what they represent.

Back 8

Link 1: effort-to-performance
Link 2: performance-to-reward
Link 3: reward-to-personal goals

Front 9

In the Expectancy Model, must the "rewards" given to the worker be tangible, such as a pay raise?

Back 9

No
Herzberg says that a lot of the most "motivating" rewards are the intangible ones (interesting work, recognition, etc.)

Front 10

Give examples of tangible vs intangible rewards.

Back 10

Tangible: a bonus, a promotion, a giftcard (physical)
Intangible: recognition, a training session (not physical)

Front 11

What link in the Expectancy Model does the following leadership action affect?
Manager makes a habit of noticing good performance and tries to make sure that good performance is rewarded

Back 11

Link 2 (performance-to-reward)

Front 12

What link in the Expectancy Model does the following leadership action affect?
Manager teaches a person skills for doing the tasks assigned to them

Back 12

Link 1 (effort-to-performance)

Front 13

What link in the Expectancy Model does the following leadership action affect?
Manager tailors reward to the worker's ambitions, so one performer will be rewarded with a computer job, while another gets a chance to do merchandising

Back 13

Link 3 (reward-to-personal goals)

Front 14

How does the following action boost the motivation of the group members and cause them to accept a person's influence? (Use vocabulary and concepts of the Path Goal and Expectancy Model.)
Leads a discussion that results in the group coming to a shared understanding of the assignment's requirements

Back 14

The group now perceives the goal more clearly

Front 15

How does the following action boost the motivation of the group members and cause them to accept a person's influence? (Use vocabulary and concepts of the Path Goal and Expectancy Model.)
Repeatedly gets the group back on track when the discussions veer off course

Back 15

The group has been helped down the path

Front 16

In scheduling, what two things belong in your calendar?

Back 16

1. Deadlines (including exams and project due dates)
2. Meetings

Front 17

Why put all deadlines into your calendar?

Back 17

Because deadlines drive so much of our work, you need to have them in one place so you can plan your efforts.
In particular, noting all deadlines helps warn you when deadlines will hit in rapid succession.

Front 18

Why put meeting times into your calendar?

Back 18

The general idea is to prevent less important activities from "crowding out" more important ones (such as group meetings).
Blocking off meeting times on a calendar helps you align your time allocation with your priorities.

Front 19

Which group meetings should you try to schedule first, and why?

Back 19

The last couple of group meetings.
At the end of the term when everyone's schedule is quite jammed, you will already have identified the times you will meet.

Front 20

Be able to draw the ABCD prioritization diagram from memory.

Back 20

.

Front 21

What does the A quadrant stand for?

Back 21

Attack immediately (high importance, high urgency)

Front 22

What does the B quadrant stand for?

Back 22

Buildup in bite-size bits (high importance, low urgency

Front 23

What does the C quadrant stand for?

Back 23

"Cover Yourself, Amigo" (low importance, high urgency)

Front 24

What does the D quadrant stand for?

Back 24

Delay/Dump (low importance, low urgency)

Front 25

Which ABCD quadrant is a strategic investment of your time now?

Back 25

B quadrant ("trap quadrant")
Contains items which are important to your goals but not urgent in terms of deadline - people tend to put off these items
Important to allocate time to work on B quadrant items - starting it now will be helpful and putting it of will be harmful in the long run

Front 26

Which quadrant would the following task fit into?
Prepare for tomorrow's exam

Back 26

A quadrant

Front 27

Which quadrant would the following task fit into?
Get a new (better) job

Back 27

B quadrant

Front 28

Which quadrant would the following task fit into?
Start going to the gym and getting in shape

Back 28

B quadrant

Front 29

Which quadrant would the following task fit into?
Watch new TV show that starts right now

Back 29

C quadrant

Front 30

Which quadrant would the following task fit into?
Organize your sock drawer

Back 30

D quadrant

Front 31

Define consensus.

Back 31

Genuine and unanimous agreement in a group about an opinion or decision.

Front 32

Hidden consensus can exist behind apparent _____. How can you diffuse conflict in such a situation?

Back 32

Disagreement
By helping people understand that not everyone may get their first choice in a consensus decision.

Front 33

Hidden disagreement can exist behind apparent _____. Why does this arise? Why is it important to expose hidden disagreement?

Back 33

Consensus
People will often try to avoid conflict by keeping quiet about their objections or real opinions.
It's better to have conflict now than to see a plan fall apart later because people secretly disagreed all along.

Note: You may need to be a bit hard-nosed about challenging whether everybody agrees enough to call it a consensus.

Front 34

What is the difference between supporting a decision vs. being enthusiastic about a decision (in situations of hidden consensus/disagreement)?

Back 34

100% enthusiasm is unlikely (not everyone gets their first choice) and workable does not necessarily equal ideal, but often times, everyone will agree that certain idea(s) are "workable" and they'd support it if needed

Front 35

In a situation of hidden consensus (behind conflict) where you observe each person arguing for their own idea, what is the problem and how can it be solved? (2 steps to finding hidden consensus)

Back 35

Problem: deadlock and escalation of conflict
Solution: find hidden consensus
1. See if everyone will agree that certain idea(s) are "workable" and they'd support it if needed
2. Explain that 100% enthusiasm is unlikely; workable =/= ideal ("not everybody gets their first choice")

Front 36

In a situation of hidden disagreement (behind false consensus) where you observe a "too easy agreement" (yeah, whatever), what is the problem and how can it be solved? (2 steps to testing consensus)

Back 36

Problem: no commitment/follow through
Solution: test the consensus
1. Solicit opinions, so all give input
2. Call people out with risk-oriented questions (i.e. Given the stakes, is this good enough? I see downsides; are we okay with them? Honestly, I don't like it; Bob, how about you?)

Front 37

Identify 3 competitive aspects of a business that you (as a local, low-level store manager) do NOT have much influence over.

Back 37

Convenient location
What the business carries
Prices

Front 38

Name 5 competitive aspects of a business that you DO have some influence over if you are a good leader. (Things that can improve customer preference for your business.)

Back 38

Friendly, attentive help
Prompt service (fast)
Accuracy (few errors)
Personal vs. impersonal feel
Product's actually good (i.e. taste of coffee)
Well-organized
Clean and well-maintained

Front 39

Name 5 of the benefits of internships in "how to get any job."

Back 39

More likely to land job in industry of choice
More job offers at graduation
Higher starting salary
Greater satisfaction with first job
Extended exposure to potential employer
Twice as likely to land job requiring college
Improve knowledge of industry, function, job titles, career paths
More rapid advancement for non-interns
Gain something substantive to put on resume
Gain job reference and hopefully letter of recommendation
Solid lead with at least one potential future employer
College credit (maybe)
Salary (maybe)
Learn what you don't like

Front 40

Name some features of a good internship.

Back 40

Opportunity to work at or slightly above your skill level
Formalized acculturation program
Established program with committed resources and a clearly assigned supervisor or mentor
Exposure to various developments and/or functions
A defining project and, if possible, a resulting product, such as a report or plan
Established channel of consideration for permanent hire

Front 41

What makes the summer before graduation so important, career-wise?

Back 41

Because the number one indicator of the first full-time job you will hold after college is the last full-time job you hold before you graduate.

Front 42

If you're going to take a less-than-ideal job, why is it important to at least get a job in an industry that interests you?

Back 42

Because you want a job that will advance your career interests rather than a job that will make you miserable.

Front 43

What is the minimax strategy for decisions?

Back 43

The decision-maker chooses the option that MINimizes his MAXimum regret (pick the option with the most acceptable "worst case scenario" for you as an individual)

Front 44

Define project.

Back 44

An outcome that will require multiple Next Actions over a time span of up to a year.

Front 45

Define next action.

Back 45

A specific physical result that you can accomplish in one sitting or less (often 1-4 hours of effort) and which can move a Project forward.

Front 46

Is the following an example of a Project or a Next Action?
Get a new (better) job

Back 46

Project

Front 47

Is the following an example of a Project or a Next Action?
Send out resumes

Back 47

Next Action

Front 48

In dealing effectively with internal commitments, one of Allen's central points is that you can increase your peace of mind for a particular problem or situation by identifying your intended successful outcome, then identifying the very next physical action required to move the situation forward. Give an example.

Back 48

In planning a vacation, the first step you should take is to look up airline prices.

Front 49

What is the difference between horizontal and vertical management?

Back 49

Horizontal - grab bag of unrelated items; maintains coherence across all the activities in which you are involved
Vertical - coherent steps to a larger project; manages thinking up and down the track of individual topics and projects

Front 50

Is this set of items an example of horizontal or vertical management?
Vacation, Aunt Martha, stat plan

Back 50

Horizontal

Front 51

Is this set of items an example of horizontal or vertical management?
Vacation, destination options, reservations, research costs

Back 51

Vertical

Front 52

Name the 5 stages Allen uses for managing workflow.

Back 52

1. Collect (things that command our attention)
2. Process (what they mean and what to do about them)
3. Organize (the results)
4. Review (the results)
5. Do (choose what to do)

Mnemonic: California Provides Organic Rice Daily

Front 53

Note how Allen emphasizes collecting all of your "open loops" or "incompletes," and explain the benefit of collecting all open loops.

Back 53

Need to clarify thoughts so that they won't be "on your mind"
If everything is being collected, it is being managed in some way
Can reduce stress

Front 54

Be able to draw the processing diagram on p.32 of "getting things done" from memory.

Back 54

.

Front 55

Define informational interview.

Back 55

Informal background conversations with industry insiders to gather intelligence for the job search.

Front 56

State the 3 key goals of informational interviews.

Back 56

1. Find out if you are a "good fit" for the industry, role, or company.
2. Find out how to prepare yourself now so you'll be a strong candidate later.
3. Find out how to conduct your search process.

Front 57

Give 3 example questions for the informational interview goal "find out if you are a good fit for the industry, role, or company."

Back 57

-What are the different jobs in this field, and how can I find openings?
-Are there opportunities for advancement, professional development, and growth?
-What are the rewards and frustrations of this work? What's the lifestyle like?
-What is the atmosphere or culture of this company? Is it friendly to women?
-What kinds of characters or personalities tend to thrive in this field?

Front 58

Give 3 example questions for the informational interview goal "find out how to prepare yourself now so you'll be a strong candidate later."

Back 58

-Do employers in this field look for certain educational credentials or GPA levels?
-What kinds of work or internship experience should I try to get before applying?
-What are some ways that a student can build their appeal as a candidate?
-What kinds of specific knowledge, skills, and abilities do employers look for?
-How does this company differ from competitors? Are the employees different also?

Front 59

Give 3 example questions for the informational interview goal "find out how to conduct your search process."

Back 59

-What are the most common entry-level jobs, and how can I find openings?
-How and where do these companies recruit? Who typically does the hiring?
-Who else can I contact - maybe someone who recently started out in the field?
-What companies or roles are hiring these days?
-What advice do you have for a young person trying to get started in this field?