Effective Thinking in Management

One of the most important tasks in management is to cultivate good collective thinking. American consultant Ben Heirs in his book "The Professional Decision Thinker" explores the art of managing a thinking team.

Every organization has a team of "doers". And the manager's first priority is to transform this group of people into a team of thinkers.

Decision-thinking process consists of four stages. Stage I deals with formulating a question in the clearest possible way. Then the thinkers must gather information relevant to answering the question. Stage II implies creating the most effective range of alternative answers to the question. Stage III concerns evaluating each of the alternatives and predicting the consequences. Stage IV regards decision making. Here, finally the thinking team must weight the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative and decide upon which alternative to act.

The author of the book suggests certain rules to improve decision-thinking process. Here are some of his ideas. The objectives of the thinking game must be explained precisely. The members of the thinking team should understand their roles and responsibilities in the process. As for the manager, he must be very courteous. There must be mutual understanding and trust between the manager and his people. His duties are to stimulate good thinking and prevent its stagnation.

 

Exercise 15. Work in pairs.Discuss the role of creative people in an organization.Use the words and word combinations below.

1. Why are gold-collar workers' ideas so important for a company?

To bring in return; to be profitable; to get / derive benefit from smth; to make / earn money; to profit by introducing a new idea / technology; to receive money.

2. What are gold-collar workers' achievements?

To create a new machine / device; to discover; to make a discovery; to develop a new product; to develop a new technique; to formulate a new law; to introduce a discovery; to invent an appliance; to pioneer a technology; to work out a new method.

3. Where do creative employees work?

In a research laboratory; in a R&D department; in a design office; in a creative department.

4. What are the characteristic features of a gold-collar worker?

Creative thinking; creativity; genius; imagination.

5. What sort of person is a gold-collar worker?

Bright; capable; clever; creative; diligent; efficient; gifted; imaginative; industrious; persistent.

6. Why is it sometimes difficult to handle gold-collar workers?

Absent-minded; ambitious; conceited; haughty; hot-tempered; ill-mannered; obstinate; undisciplined; uncommunicative.

 

Exercise 16. Write about about handling creative employees. Give examples from your personal experience.

 

5.3. Handling Difficult Employees

 

Exercise 1. Focus on the topical vocabulary.

to get along with [q'lPN] v ладить с

to treat people [trJt] обращаться с людьми

treatment ['trJtmqnt] = handling ['hxndlIN] n обхождение, обращение

extrovert ['ekstrvE:t] n экстраверт; человек, интересующийся только внешними предметами; человек, интересующийся только материальными благами; человек без духовных интересов; общительный, дружелюбный человек

introvert ['IntrqvE:t] n интроверт; человек, сосредоточенный на самом себе, на своих переживаниях; робкий, застенчивый человек

lively ['laIvlI] a живой, веселый

sociable ['sqVSIqbl] a общительный, дружелюбный

to show off ['SqV 'Pf] v хвастать, рисоваться

temperament ['tempqrqmqnt] n темперамент

choleric ['kPlqrIk] a холерический, раздражительный, вспыльчивый

sanguine ['sxNgwIn] a сангвинический, жизнерадостный

phlegmatic [fleg'mxtIk] a флегматичный, вялый; спокойный

melancholic ["melqn'kPlIk] a меланхолический, грустный, печальный

patient ['peISqnt] a терпеливый

impatient [Im'peISqnt] a нетерпеливый

cheerful ['CIqfql] a веселый, бодрый

to hesitate ['hezIteIt] v колебаться

right-brain ["raIt'breIn] n правое полушарие мозга

left-brain ["left'breIn] n левое полушарие мозга

imaginative [I'mxGqnqtIv] a одаренный богатым воображением, обладающий творческим воображением

to stand one's ground ['stxnd…'graVnd] не отступать, стоять на своем

to interrupt ["Intq'rApt] v прерывать

suggestion [sq'GesCqn] n предложение

balloon [bq'lHn] n воздушный шар; мыльный пузырь

chronic complainer ["krPnIk kqm'pleInq] человек, который постоянно жалуется на жизнь, непонимание окружающих

clam [klxm] n съедобный морской моллюск; разг. скрытный, необщительный человек

yes-man ['jesmxn] n разг. подхалим, подпевала, лизоблюд

staller ['stLlq] n разг. волокитчик

 

Exercise 2. Try to understand the meaning of the derivatives.

Join, joint; simple, simplicity; relate, relation, relationship; agree, agreement; treat, treatment; difficult, difficulty; divide, division; easy, easily; express, expression; energy, energetic; think, thinking; assert, assertive; calm, calmly, calmness; argue, argument; interrupt, interruption; firm, firmly, firmness; complain, complainer, complaint; appear, disappear; patient, impatient; hesitate, hesitation; attentive, attentively, attention; stall, staller.

 

Exercise 3. Guess what these international words mean.

Modern management; human factor, business organizations; an effective manager; productive specialists; creative subordinates; a problem person; psychological classifications; an active, energetic and optimistic person; a psychologist, psychology; a communicative person; to discuss problems with the boss and colleagues; extroverts, introverts; a choleric temperament, a sanguine temperament, a phlegmatic temperament; a melancholic person; a reason; an artistic person; a logical and analytical method; an adequate technique; a tank, a sniper, a negativist, a bulldozer; chronic; an expert on management; perspective; to produce positive ideas.

 

Exercise 4. Find synonyms in Lists A and B, С and D.

Model 1: to call for – to demand – to require

A. To manage employees, to call, to handle people, to create, to discuss, to encourage, to call for, to make a decision.

B. To make, to lead workers, to take a decision, to deal with people, to cope with people, to name, to demand, to debate, to stimulate, to require.

Model 2: assertive – pushy

C. Sociable, difficult, choleric, clear, phlegmatic, sanguine, particular, sad, hard-working, confident, assertive, right, imaginative, easy, foolish.

D. Hard, hot-tempered, calm, communicative, melancholic, pushy, optimistic, correct, self-confident, diligent, creative, certain, understandable, stupid, simple.

Exercise 5. Read the following word combinations and give their Russian equivalents.

To pay much attention to; to deal with employees; to handle workers effectively; to cope with people; to get along with subordinates; to manage different people successfully; to treat customers well; to be active, lively and sociable; to be hot-tempered and energetic; to be cheerful, energetic and hard working; to be calm and diligent; to be sad and lonely; to switch from one kind of work to another; to encourage workers; to have artistic and imaginative thinking; to have logical and analytical thinking; to argue with people; to stand one's ground; to mock at people; to admire something; to praise workers; to hurt somebody, to hurt somebody's feelings, to find fault with people; to complain about something; to interrupt people; to listen to subordinates attentively; to call for communicative skills.

Exercise 6. Read these sentences with the conjunction both…and (и…и, как…так и) and express the same in Russian.

1. He is both an effective manager and a good person. 2. The company does business both in Europe and Asia. 3. Both men and women hold managerial positions in Europe and the United States. 4. Mr. Collins often goes on business to different cities both in the country and abroad. 5. The news both excited and worried the director. 6. The delegation visited both the factories and the shops. 7. The manager spoke to his subordinate both with firmness and understanding. 8. He is both good-looking and clever.

9. The export manager both speaks and writes French. 10. I'd like to study both economics and management.

 

Exercise 7. Read the following sentences and say the same in Russian.

1. A manager makes his subordinates work hard. 2. The lecturer asked the students to prepare for a seminar on problem employees. 3. The manager told his assistant to come to his office at 10. 4. Don't let him delay his decision until it is too late. 5. The manager knew Mr. Green to be a diligent worker. 6. I'd like you to help me. 7. A good leader helps people under him (to) solve problems together. 8. We expect the director to return at 3. 9. The workers saw the delegation arrive at the factory. 10. The secretary heard the manager speak on the telephone.

 

Exercise 8. Work in pairs. Speak about stimuli to work. Use the model and words below.

Model. A: What makes people work?

B: People work to make a lot of money. Material incentives cause people to feel energetic and enthusiastic about work.

To solve difficult professional problems, to do interesting and creative work, to make a lot of money, to support their families, to earn their living, to hold a high position.

A challenge, creativity, material incentives, duty, necessity, prestige, vanity, good management.

 

Exercise 9. There are workers who are difficult to deal with. Read the text and say what can improve communication with them.