Q.7.

p-194

Standing plans help make an organization more effective. However, they may inhibit experimentation
and organizational learning. Under what conditions, if any, should organizations ignore their own
standing plans? In the area of planning how can an organization balance the need for effectiveness
against the need for creativity?

Ans.

Standing Plans:

Standing plans are made to be used time and again. These plans are formulated to guide managerial
decisions and actions on problems which are recurring in nature. Standing plans are also called
‘repeated use’ plans because these provide guidelines for actions to be taken in future. These plans
provide unity and uniformity of efforts in meeting repetitive situations arising at various levels of the
enterprise. These plans provide ready guidelines for tackling situations of recurring nature. These plans
not only help in co-ordination but in effective management also. Standing plans include objectives
policies, procedures, methods, rules and strategies.

There are three types of standing plans:

1. Policy: A policy is a standing plan that outlines the general response to a designated problem or
situation.
2. Standard operating procedure: A procedure (or a standard operating procedure) is a standing
plan that outlines the response to a particular problem or circumstance.
3. Rules and Regulations: Rules and Regulations are standing plan that designates a specific
required action.

If there's no plan, everyday tasks may fall through the cracks, emergencies may arise with which no one
knows how to cope, responsibilities may not be clear, and--the bottom line--the work of the
organization may not be done well or at all. A good standing plan helps you accomplish your goals.

 It clarifies the roles and responsibilities of everyone in the organization so that everyone knows
what he and everyone else is supposed to do.
 It divides the work of the organization in reasonable and equitable ways, so that everyone's job
is not only defined, but feasible.
 It increases accountability, both internally (when something doesn't get done, it's obvious
whose responsibility it was) and externally (the better the management of the organization, the
better it will serve the community).
 It ensures that necessary tasks are assigned to the appropriate staff members, and creates a
time schedule to get them accomplished.
 It helps the organization define itself.

No plan of any sort is complete without a mechanism for evaluating and improving on it. This is
especially true for a standing plan, which may be the foundation for an organization's success or failure.
If a standing plan works well in practice, then it's likely that staff will be reasonably happy and the
organization's work will get done well. If the plan doesn't work well, then the reasons for that need to
be understood, and management needs to be changed accordingly.
Assume IT organization has the arrangement that representative ought to go into office by 9 am with
formal spruce up. Be that as it may, in an IT organization one software engineer has no compelling
reason to go to in the workplace by 9 am with formal spruce up. On the off chance that he is particularly
ok with casual spruce up and his own work station at home then organization ought to consider this to
get the best yield. So we can state that standing arrangement ought to be adaptable in some uncommon
conditions. Be that as it may, an association need to adjust the requirement for adequacy against the
requirement for innovativeness. They ought to adjust agreeing the way of the work. Organization
shouldn't endure superfluous things yet can affirm things which might be further advancement of the
organization.

Q. 7 p-312

Consider the following list of jobs. In your opinion, what is the appropriate span of management for
each?

Describe the factor you considered in reaching your conclusion:

 A physician practices medicine in a private owned clinic while also supervising a number of
professional nurse and a number of office staff.
1- Competence of supervisor and subordinates is greater. So wider Potential span will go
for this. A physician have to be competent with nurse and office staff to serve better
treatment.
2- There is huge supervisory work. So potential span is wider because physician have to
supervise them accurately to give better treatment.
3- Degree of required interaction is high so there is narrow potential span because they
have to work as a team.
4- Task is similar so wide potential span. Physician have to do his regular job with the help
of nurse and office staff
5- Low frequency of new problem so there is wide potential span.

 An owner-manager of an auto body shop deals with customers, direct several experienced
machines, and also trains and oversees the work of some unskilled laborers.
 Customer
1- High required interaction so narrow potential span.
2- High frequency of new problem so narrow potential span
3- Preferences of supervisors and subordinates high.
 Machine
1- Degree of required interaction low so wide potential span
2- More non-supervisory work needed so narrow potential span
3- More procedure so wider potential span
4- More similar task so wider potential span
 Unskilled labor
1- Greater competence so wider potential span.
2- Greater dispersion so narrow potential span
3- More required interaction so narrow potential span.
4- Higher frequency narrow potential span
 A manager in an international advertising agency directs a team of professionals who are
located in offices around the world.
1- Greater competence so wider potential span.
2- Greater dispersion so narrow potential span.
3- More supervisory work so wider potential span.
4- Highly required interaction so narrow potential span.
5- More procedure so wider potential span.
6- More similar task so wider potential span