Marshall’s Processing Plant: a Case Study
Case Analysis 1
Marshall’s Processing Plant: a Case Study
Laura Knight
I chose the case study from chapter three, Teamwork atMarshall’s Processing Plant (Miller, 2009, p. 57-58). The case study explains that management at the processing plant would like input about getting employees to participate again in the Team Management System. The Team Management System at Marshall’s consists of teams of employees representing their job function within the plant. These teams meet once a week to discuss ways to improve production. Once a month a representative from each team of employees is chosen to attend the Marshall Team Meeting and bring issues to the table for discussion from each work group
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Is your workplace safe? Do you encourage camaraderie and team building exercises? Some examples might be: company picnics, luncheons or holiday pot-lucks. These lower level needs will need to be addressed and achieved in order for workers to move onto the issues that management wants to focus on such as productivity, innovation and efficiency. Looking at McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y I would determine if Marshall’s management is using the negative aspects of the classical management theory and making assumptions about the workers (p. 43). If I found that Marshall’s management was adhering to Theory X more than Theory Y I would suggest a shift towards Theory Y thinking and managing. Theory Y states that workers will seek out satisfaction of the higher-order needs if management treats them as such and if those lower-order needs are satisfied. I would focus particularly on point number five of Theory Y, which states: the capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organizational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population (p. 43). Looking at this point could address participation levels in the team management system. For example instead of allowing employees to elect the same people to represent each production area in the Marshall Team monthly meetings, perhaps try a
In this paper, the definition and description of what a case study is, what are some reasons for using a case study, what are some disadvantages and advantages of this approach? Also included in this paper I will talk about what are some of the ways a researcher can acquire information that can is used for a case study. A case study can be defined as a descriptive account of the behavior, history, and other relevant factors concerning a particular individual (Cozby, Bates, 2012).
McGregor first published his ideas in his book, The Human Side of Enterprise. One of the experiences he had that influenced his thoughts was from work that he did at his grandfather’s establishment for temporary workers in Detroit. Because he was a close acquaintance of Abraham Maslow, who developed “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” McGregor wished to counter the scientific approach on management (“Douglas McGregor,” 2008) and named Theories X & Y.
C. Padmore discussed “Teamwork” was discussed amongst staff. Staff was given a handout on “Teamwork” Staff also offered up a few examples of teamwork.
When managing people, McGregor’s model, indicated below, shows to styles of management. Theory X is directive, whereas Theory Y is enabling, and looks at employee engagement/ teamwork in order to achieve the
One of the most successful companies of recent memory is Whole Foods, the all-organic grocery store that caters to customers who are concerned about the 'sourcing' of their foods. A cornerstone of Whole Foods' success is its use of team leadership to enable the organization to fulfill its functions and mission. This paper will evaluate how Whole Foods uses teams to advance its interests and create a positive corporate culture.
I have recently accepted an employment position with a large, high profile jewellers firm. The organisation manufactures imports and repairs jewellery for distribution to its many stores in all states. My position title is ‘Team Leader of Distribution and Warehousing’ – a frontline management position. There are 12 team members in my team from different backgrounds and with differing levels of expertise. Some team members have worked with the organisation, and in this division, for a number of years. Other team members are relatively new, while some have worked in other departments/ sections
Theory X and Theory Y, developed by Douglas McGregor, grew out of opposition towards classical management methods. Classical management theorists, such as Fredrick Taylor, focused on scientific training and efficiency and did not account for personal and behavioral issues, such as management styles or job satisfaction. McGregor saw these deficiencies in the classical school of management which lead him to develop a theory of management that would factor the importance of the individual worker. If a manager could tap into the feelings and attitudes of their workers, then the manager would be able increase their employee’s motivation which would then increase production. McGregor’s theory viewed the employee as a person and not as a machine
1). Even though the company’s plants in Ohio and Austin, Texas are unionized, John Amasi, director of Production and Engineering, firmly believed that a new approach to organizational design was needed at the Corpus Cristi plant. He considered that the use of self-directed teams would serve to raise productivity greater than the 80 and 82% currently, and increase the quality in work behaviors and material output. After gaining the support of the board of directors, securing the hiring of Jay Winslow from Wolfe’s number one competitor, and a collaborative meeting with all members of this development, Amasi and Winslow began putting into practice of the use of self-directed teams in the new
This leadership style bases itself on McGregor’s Theory X, that regards team members to be careless and disliking work, assumes they attempt to avoid work as much as possible, and are in need of guidance from their leader.
The twentieth century has brought in a number of management theories which have helped shaped our view of management in the present business environment. These emerging theories have enabled managers to appreciate new patterns of thinking, new ways of organising and new ways of managing organisations and people. Over the years these different theories have enabled the study
Management theories are utilized in various organizations in an effort to increase organizational effectiveness and service delivery. The management theory that an organization decides to adhere to will vary based on the type of organization, as well as, the services and/or products that it offers. Therefore, it is not uncommon for an organization to use multiple theories when implementing strategies in the workplace.
The self-directed work team is an autonomous work unit capable of self-management. Such team has little need for direct supervision from managers; rather, the manager’s role is to meet the need of the team through the provision of resources, training and encouragement (Douglas & Gardner, 2004). The team is typically comprised of 5 to 15 members who are responsible for performing and managing all or most aspect of a set of interdependent work tasks (Yeatts and Hyten, 1998). In order to overcome the competitive challenge for production efficiency and effectiveness, organizations have focused on
Douglas McGregor was a management professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He introduced a new motivational theory in his book ‘The Human Side of Enterprise’, stating that all workers were divided into two groups: Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X workers were lazy, irrational and unreliable, and were only motivated by money and threatened by punishment. Theory Y workers were able to seek and accept responsibilities and fulfil any goals given.
2007). Kermally (2005, p.36) explain that McGregor believed ‘how managers manage people in practice depends on what assumptions they make about workers’. It means that which kind of leadership managers choose, according to how managers perceive workers’ attitudes toward their job. Managers believe their workers related to Theory X and Y normally use strict supervision approaches to reduce workers’ control on their job, in contrary, managers allow workers to be innovative and willing to authorise more responsibility to Theory Y workers (Waddell et al. 2007).
Discontinuing business with Marshall would be the best option from a spiritual as well as a business standpoint. Viewing this situation from a business perspective, the actions of Marshall were not only deceitful but also illegal. Referencing the spiritual aspect the choices of Marshall were extremely immoral. Across the world it is common knowledge that a good relationship between businesses and their suppliers is vital to the prosperity of the business of the receiving party in addition to the supplier. According to the Tasmanian government business department in order to maintain this relationship two important factors are to pay suppliers promptly and communicate with a supplier if an extension for payment is necessary. Marshall neglected to take either of these steps. Although invoices are generally not viewed as legally binding documents the Muscadine Company would have been within their rights to discontinue being Marshall’s supplier based upon his consistent late/non-payment for the supplied goods. Marshalls lack of knowledge or apathy for business law is also concerning and would be basis for termination of any business relationship. Marshall asking the Muscadine companies son to sign a contract is against the law. The most obvious reason for this is that the son was a minor at the time of entrance into the contract. Minors in most cases are considered incapable of entering into a legally binding contract because of their