MGT312 Wk 1 to Wk 5 Discussion Questions

MGT312 Wk 1 Wk 1 Discussion - Essential Skills of Great Manager

Keeping Mintzberg's (1989) framework in mind, which categorizes effective management into 10 essential skills across three roles: interpersonal, informational, and decisional? To better understand these concepts, please reference Section 1.3 of your reading. Then, reflect on the best managers you've worked with recently or in the past.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What made these managers particularly great at managing people?
• What skills in each of the 3 categories do you think they were best at and why?
• As you compare different managers and the essential skills that they were best at, how were they all similar or different?

Wk 2 Discussion - Organizational Culture and Employee Performance

Reflect on organizations that you are a part of or have been part of in the past. Consider the influence of their cultures on the morale and performance of the employees. As you develop your reflections, integrate relevant theories from your textbook to deepen your analysis and provide a theoretical framework for your observations.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• How did the cultures of the organizations affect the performance and the morale of the employees?

• What were the main differences you noticed between organizations with a strong, positive cultural identity and those that were less positive or had a weak organizational culture?

• What strategies would you recommend to improve an organization’s culture? Provide an example to support your response.

Wk 3 Discussion - Building Working Relationships

Reflect on the strategies you use to build effective relationships in your workplace and how these strategies vary based on your level of responsibility in comparison to others (leader, follower, or peer).

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• How would you describe the strategies you use to build effective relationships in your workplace?

• How do you adapt your relationship-building strategies for different people you work with (e.g., leader, follower, peer)?

• How might your relationship-building strategies vary based on different work settings (e.g., office, remote, or hybrid work environments)?

MGT312 Wk 4 Discussion - Working in Different Team Structures

Our personality traits—behaviors and characteristics that reflect our emotions and thoughts—shape who we are as individuals and how we interact with others in our work and team environments.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• What are the personality factors that you think are important to be a successful team member of (1) a traditional work team, (2) a self-managed team, and (3) a virtual team?

• What are some examples of individual differences that are valued among members of an effective team?

• Why do you think team structure matters when it comes to working effectively as a team member?

Week 5 Discussion - Decisions, Decisions Reflecting on the Past to Avoid Traps in the Future

Consider decision-making traps and issues such as judgmental heuristics, decision bias, knowing when to quit, and knowing who to involve. Then, reflect on some past decisions you made that did not turn out as well as you’d hoped.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

• Reflecting on a past decision that did not turn out as well as you hoped, what decision model did you follow?

• How did the culture of your organization influence your decision-making process?

• What decision-making traps and issues did you encounter?

• How could you avoid those traps and issues when making decisions in the future?

• What role can organizational culture play in mitigating decision-making pitfalls and improving overall performance?

MGT312T Organizational Behavior for Managers