The Organic Management Hewlett-Packard - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1559 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? THE ORGANIC MANAGEMENT Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett built their dream – the Hewlett-Packard Company in 1939. Their greatest contribution was not the product that is the core of any business. Rather it was their management style that revolutionized the entry of HP into the American business scene. Their strategy placed their people at the core of their business. They did not believe in the conventional hire-fire policy of the Americans. Even in the 1980s, when the businesses were reeling under the economic burden, HP chose to retain its people by implementing the 4 work days in a week policy which was one of its kind in the history of business. The employees were given the opportunity to innovate and grow within the organisation. They adopted a slow growth policy unlike the other American companies. The growth of the company was phenomenal. On observing the HP way closely, we can understand that the theory underlying here is theory Z. Though it was formulated decades after HP articulated its wa y, the characteristics of HP way can be matched accurately with the theory. Theory Z was the latest addition to the humanistic traditions in management at the time it was propagated. It was built on the foundation laid by Douglas McGregor’s theory X and theory Y. Hence, theory Z is nothing but derived of the best of both X and Y. Theory X is typically an ancient approach to management. It can be considered as the basis of each of the enterprises that came into being since the primitive ages. People are inherently reluctant to work and that the only stimulating factor is punishment. This could be thought as the basis of all sorts of labour and in the extremes- slavery as well. When men are required to work for the builders, all they were doing is prevent punishment. Infliction of pain the dread arising from that thought was the sole driving force to finish the tasks. Pain can be considered in a broader sense here. It could be either the physical pain inflicted on inability to meet the requirements or the pain induced after losing the means of livelihood. This is one extreme of the theory. To give another case that we can relate to, theory X is in play wherever there is a threat of losing their jobs in case of underperformance. Daily wage earners, contract workers and many others working in the unorganised sectors fall in this range. It is an undisputable fact that this produced results. In most of the cases the results were most desirable- from the most talked about monuments to the insignificant routine jobs in an obscure factory. It is in thin context that a few revolutionary thinkers like Elton Mayo came up with their humanistic ideas. To test the same, they conceptualised and implemented the Hawthorne experiments at the Western Electric Company. The most interesting fact about the experiments was that the results were positive irrespective of the kind of stimulus given. For instance in the illumination experiment, merely being chosen amongst a test group itself was sufficient enough to drive the productivity of an individual to the peak. So we can effectively conclude that recognition is what each person strives for. In the present industrial scene, there is indeed a different measurement of the desirable end result. The world has redefined the term desirable for all. Now, there is a drastic shift to the human side of labour from the material gains to business. The mental and physical well-being of the employee is the prime consideration in most companies. This shift in attitude can be attributed not just to the changing industrial climate, but also to the social, political and economic changes in the world. Employee has now found himself at the heart of the process. In this backdrop, one can analyse the counter theory to X, which is called theory Y. This was the soft approach to management. Here, we believe that the employee wants to work for the love of work itself. This theory puts primary focus on self-direction an d initiative rather than a company-driven perspective to work. This focusses more on the reward system in order to boost the morale of the employee and there by better productivity. McGregor mentions a few ways in which theory Y was applied in the industries. For instance, IBM had successfully carried out their decentralisation and deregulation process during this era. Another concept that came into being during this time was Management by Objectives formulated by Peter Drucker. Hence an alignment of the individual aspirations with that of the company became important. The employees would start identifying themselves as part of the organisation. Drawing parallels from the American and the Japanese systems of management one can easily fit certain characteristics of theory X and Y in the big picture. The American system had mostly the characteristics of theory X. They treated their employees solely from a mechanised perspective. Ouchi used the term theory A to describe the Ameri can way of management. It was more mechanistic in nature. The major characteristics were short-term employment, clearly defined career progression, rapid evaluation system, rigid control, and individual decision making. The Japanese management system, which was termed theory J by Ouchi, believed in collective processes. There was a â€Å"moral cohesion† amongst the team members. The defining characteristics of theory J were the collective decision making process, wholistic view, slow growth and advancement, and life-time employment. The stark contrasts in the characteristics of theories A and J roots in the varied socio-political environments in the respective countries. In a study during the 1970s it was found that the American companies fared better in automated production processes than the rest of the world. But in semi-automated industries Japan topped the world. Japan had a more peaceful industrial relations climate as well. The industries started focussing on imp lementation of the best of Japanese management to the American scene to create a more employee friendly industrial climate. The result of this was theory Z. Theory Z incorporates the best of both the practices. It emphasizes on long term employment, contrast to theory A and slightly different from the life-time employment concept of theory J. It includes individual decision making as opposed to that of Japanese management. Ouchi defines â€Å"trust, subtlety and intimacy† as the core values in the culture Z. In essence the meanings are derived extensively from the theories, but one cannot equate Z and the others. Ouchi calls his theory the organic way of managing and this was popularised during the Asian economic boom in 1980s. The implementation of this theory aims at maximising employee involvement, satisfaction, loyalty and productivity. Speaking of theory Z and its impact on the Indian context, we can see that the manufacturing segment operates with more of theory Y where as other newer industries like IT and other services focusses on Theory Z. One can observe this dichotomy in cases of Multinational engineering companies operating in the country. During my stint with ABB Ltd., I was put in a manufacturing facility in the outskirts of Bangalore. But I worked in a global IT team located there. So each day, the shop-floor visit and my workstation gave me experiences that were worlds apart. The manufacturing line had operators who had completed, 10-25 years of experience supervising the contract workers, where as I worked with a team of age group 22-35 years. The manufacturing segment in India being dominated by Trade Unions take collective decisions and there is hardly any attrition except among contract workers. Whereas the IT professionals have to make individual decisions and are strictly monitored and evaluated by their deliverables as a team and also as an individual. There has been a shift to theory Z in the recent years, where apprais als and rewards are incorporated right from the bottom to top of the hierarchy. It is quite palpable in the industrial scene in India. The MNCs have shifted their focus to a more employee engaging and friendly approach. But are the desirable results made? It is obvious that in the present market scenario, the competition is intense and loyalty has taken a backseat. Ultimately the theories aim at alignment of the long term goals of both the company and the individual. The concept of ‘long term’ is long gone from the world. The goals are short term and so are the forecasts. This could be observed in the case of the HP way as well. Currently the company is plagued by unstable management, who is troubled with the style of functioning of the organisation. Though the latter CEOs tried to remove the employee centred ‘HP way’ from HP, it is often seen that they were forced to revise their decisions. Organisations are made of organic building blocks i.e. its people. Hence the organic way of managing, irrespective of the number of names attached to theories, will continue until organisations cease to exist. References Ezaki, Koechi. 1983. ‘The Implications of Theory Z for the Sociology of Organizations’. Mid-American Review of Sociology. Vol.8, No.2, pp 81-91. McGregor, Douglas. 1960. The Human Side of Enterprise. New York : McGraw-Hill. Mayo, Elton. 1930. ‘The Human Effect of Mechanisation’. The American Economic Review. Vol.20, No.1, pp 156-176. Ouchi, W. G. 1981. Theory Z: How American Business can meet the Japanese Challenge. Massachussets : Addison- Wesley. Packard, David. 1985. The HP Way. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Organic Management: Hewlett-Packard" essay for you Create order

The Issue Of Gun Control - 1983 Words

The Issue of Gun Control â€Å"We the people in order to form a more perfect union.† This is the beginning of the infamous Preamble of the United States Constitution. The Constitution is the one and only document this great country’s foundation was built upon. The Preamble is one of the few parts of the Constitution that many Americans know, and can even often recite the entire thing, however, the remanding part is often looked over and unknown. One part, a very important one, is the second amendment. This amendment states that â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of the Free State, their right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (The NRA). This one, small part of the Constitution gives Americans the right to keep and bear Arms, and has been under fire in more recent years. Not only are many American citizens demanding to amend this amendment, the Government has stepped over it completely, all in the hopes to a bolish the use of guns among American citizens. The Founding Fathers put each and every part of The Constitution in place for a reason; to protect the American people’s rights. The issue with gun bans is that they prevent the citizens who properly register and use their firearms, from the having the ability to use them for self defense, giving the advantage to the criminals (Strossel). Gun control laws fail to protect not only individuals, but America as a whole, as the laws are ineffective, and inadequately allow selfShow MoreRelatedGun Issue And Gun Control1401 Words   |  6 PagesUniversity, Gun Politics has been a course I have aspired to take. 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It is important to treat guns responsibly so they do not end up in the wrong hands. I believe gun control violates our inalienable rights. Another piece of our liberty will surely be taken away if guns are banned, and socialism and totalitarianism will be rightRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1208 Words   |  5 PagesWill Christopherson Traverson English 2 1 March 2017 Gun Control The United States has 88.8 guns per 100 people, or about 270,000,000 guns, which is the highest total and per capita number across the globe. The current public gun control debate in the United States seems to be placed on standby until it is sparked up by a major mass shooting. There were at least 126 mass shootings between January 2000 and July 2014.(pro). Opponents of more gun laws accuse supporters of using a horrific event to further

Fast Food Affects on Obese Children Free Essays

Fast Food Restaurants Affecting Obese Children Fast food restaurants have been around for ages from McDonalds to Wendy’s. All have been giving processed foods to people for very low prices. Some say fast food restaurants are the only reason for Obesity, some say fast food is the perfect combination of food and low prices. We will write a custom essay sample on Fast Food Affects on Obese Children or any similar topic only for you Order Now Obesity has majorly increased since the early 1970’s and so has the amount of fast food restaurants. They have even expanded close to schools. When fast food restaurants are too close to schools they affect the student’s weight. More and more restaurants are putting the nutritional facts in the menu, changing people’s minds about what they eat. With these arguments you can see that it’s obvious fast food restaurants cause obesity. Fast food restaurants have grown in popularity, size and distribution. With its popularity growing drastically, the percentage of children from the ages 6-19 that are obese has increased from 5 to a whopping 17 percent since the early 1970’s! with the years going by, more and more children are getting overweight because of fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants are sometimes too close to high schools affecting the students weight and eating habits. If during class you look out the window and see a fast food restaurant it’s hard to resist the temptation. Although only 7 percent of fast food places are within a tenth of a mile 65% are within half a mile. Also listing nutritional facts changes peoples food choices in McDonalds especially. When fast food restaurants list these facts it increases the likelihood of parents choosing healthier food choices. Researcher Dr. Pooja Tandon from the Department of general paediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, when parents have the nutritional facts about the food they choose 100 calories less than parents that don’t have the info. In low-income areas, the information does not affect the parents. So now that you’ve read these few arguments, don’t just forget about it do the right thing. Make a decision and stick to it before more people get stuck on fast food. How to cite Fast Food Affects on Obese Children, Essay examples

Assessment on employee evaluation free essay sample

A thesis is a proposition a candidate has to defend orally before a Panel of Examinees. 2. Dry. Lorenz Charter provided the following criteria that can guide the student in choosing a research problem for his thesis: 2. 1 Novelty and Avoidance of Unnecessary Duplication. Duplication can be avoided if the researcher refers to the card catalogues in the library to find out what researches have already been done on the subject. 2. 2 Importance for the Field Represented. The result of the research work must be able to render since to society and to humanity. It must contribute to knowledge. For instance, the result for the research can be a basis for making decisions for the improvement of the institution or field represented. . 3 Interest, Intellectual Curiosity and Drive. Genuine interest should be one of the reasons for undertaking a study. One will find it difficult to pursue and complete a research undertaking if the subject does not interest him at all. We will write a custom essay sample on Assessment on employee evaluation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. 4 Training and Personal Qualifications of the Researcher. The research paper generally reflects the training and background of the researcher.It shows whether or not he has a thorough knowledge of the subject he is working on. Therefore, the researcher should not attempt to work on a topic for which he has very little background/training. For instance, if he has had no experience in the propagation of plants, he should not use that subject for his research work. If he is a teacher, his work should be on education, if he is a business manager, his work should be on business administration and so forth. 2. 5 Availability of Data and Method.While preparing the proposal the researcher should first find out if the data that he needs for his research are available and if he could possible get permission to gather data for the study. If not, then he should try another topic. 2. 6 Sponsorship and Administrative Cooperation. If a researcher is interested in getting sponsorship for his work he should find out what topics sponsoring institutions are interested in. If the topic he chooses is acceptable to them then he can be sure that at least part of the expenses to be incurred by the study will be shouldered by the sponsor. . 7 Costs and Returns. While making the proposal the researcher should estimate how much he will spend for the undertaking and how much he is likely to gain if the work is successful. This should guide him in his decision. 2. 8 Hazards, Penalties, and Handicaps. The researcher should also consider whether there are hazards that he is likely to encounter in doing the research work. Like a news reporter or a newspaper editor he could possibly encounter hazards if the topic he chooses is controversial.