Q1. Describe Master’s management style.
According to Hickey (2005, pp.23-7), managers who are autocratic were rigid in their management method. From the case study we can see that Master has an autocratic management style. Firstly, when Master works with Engineering department staff, he failed to delegate authority to the stuff, in contrast, he interferes in the department management. Moreover, he never takes into account the staff’s opinion before he makes decisions. For example, he set a tight deadline without talking to the staff involved ,which caused the staff increasingly stressed and considering quitting the job. Therefore, Master held all the powder and never accept the other staff’s opinion.
Q2. Imagine you are the management consultant referred to in the case study. What management style would you recommend that Master’s adopt to manage his different staff members?
Firstly, Master needs to pay more attention to delegate authority to the two department managers. According to Bartol (2003, pp.369-370), delegating appropriate responsibility to the employees who can achieve the required task’s goals is one of the motivators which can promote the staff’s job satisfaction. Secondly, in terms of the two department employees, Master need focus on meeting the employees’ physical needs and security needs. According to Hickey (2005, pp.27-31), individuals have intrinsic needs that they are impelled to seek to satisfy. These intrinsic needs are arranged in four levels which are physic needs, security needs, ego needs and self-actualisation needs. The third need level means employees are desired to be valued or be praised. In the case study, when the engineering department staff tried to solve some problem Master told her that she has to get approval from him first. Thus Master failed to satisfy the third need level which is ego needs. Furthermore, some newer staff have been injured, therefore, Master unable to meet the staff’s physical and security needs level which is the reason why employee morale is at an all-time low.
Q3. Using one or more motivation theories, advise Masters how to motivate his different staff members.
Firstly, according to Bartol (2003,pp.369-370), delegating