Canadian University of Bangladesh (CUB)

Masters in Maritime Transportation and Logistics

Term Final Exam, September-2022
Course Name: Management and Organizational Behavior
Course Code: MLT-1105

Name: Lalu Chowdhury

Student ID: 22214007

Part- A
Question-1: Describe Katz’s three managerial skills and how the importance
of these skills changes depending on managerial level?

Answer:

Managerial Skills: - Management skills can be defined as certain attributes or

abilities that an executive should possess in order to fulfill specific tasks in an
organization. They include the capacity to perform executive duties in an
organization while avoiding crisis situations and promptly solving problems when
they occur. Management skills can be developed through learning and practical
experience as a manager. The skills help the manager to relate with their fellow co-
workers and know how to deal well with their subordinates, which allows for the
easy flow of activities in the organization.

Types of Management Skills:

According to American social and organizational psychologist Robert Katz, the

three basic types of management skills include:

1. Conceptual Skills

These involve the skills’ managers present in terms of the knowledge and ability for
abstract thinking and formulating ideas. The manager is able to see an entire
concept, analyze and diagnose a problem, and find creative solutions. This helps the
manager to effectively predict hurdles their department or the business as a whole
may face.
1|P age
For managers, conceptual skills are required for the following managerial job roles:

 Decisional Roles: Conceptual skills are required for making decisions, particularly
non-programmed or strategic decisions. Non-programmed decisions are relevant
for solving sudden problems in which various alternatives cannot be decided in
advance.

For example, launching a new product, business expansion, and so on.

 Entrepreneur: Conceptual skills are relevant for planning and building models.
From an entrepreneurship mindset, a model is an abstraction of reality. It is a
simplified representation of some real-world phenomenon.

Models are used in different fields, for example, economic models, business models,
transport models, etc.

2. Technical Skills

Technical skills involve skills that give the managers the ability and the knowledge to use
a variety of techniques to achieve their objectives. These skills not only involve operating
machines and software, production tools, and pieces of equipment but also the skills
needed to boost sales, design different types of products and services, and market the
services and the products.

Technical Skills are concerned with what is done, it shows an ability to use tools,
procedures, or techniques in a specialized area. These skills pertain to knowledge and
proficiency in procedures, methods, and techniques which are used in doing work.

Matthew Boulton has called these skills hard skills and is easily visible in a person.

Technical skills learned by Accountants, Engineers, Managers, Operators, and other

persons are developed by the actual practice on the job.

For example, the person who is responsible to maintain files and records in an
organization must have technical skills relating to how files are maintained and he learns
this through practice.

For managers, technical skills are required for the effective performance of the following
managerial roles:

 Managers are responsible to maintain workflow in the organization. The workflow

involves the initiation of actions, that is, who will initiate action and who will
receive it.

2|P age
For example, in an organization, one person gives materials to another person, initiation
of action, and other people receive it. For directing workflow, managers must have
technical knowledge of the work concerned.

 Managers are responsible to maintain order in the work system. that is there
should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place. For
maintaining an effective order system, the manager must have knowledge of the
work systems and workflow.

3. Human or Interpersonal Skills

The human or the interpersonal skills are the skills that present the managers’
ability to interact, work or relate effectively with people. These skills enable the
managers to make use of human potential in the company and motivate the
employees for better results.

For example, Human skills are required for the effective performance of the following
Managerial Roles:

➤ Disseminator: Every manager disseminates and interacts on a daily basis with his
superior, subordinate, and outsider.

➤ Group Communication: Managers interact with others as a member of groups. Such

groups may be constituted either formally by the organization in the form of various
committees and workgroups.

➤ Empathy Monitoring: Every manager communicates with others frequently. These

people may be from within the organization or from outside. Every manager must have
the ability to be ’empathic to understand others’ views in the right perspective as a good
listener besides a good orator.

➤ Leader: When a manager directs his subordinates, he does not only use his formal
authority because of its obvious limitations but relies more on his leadership ability.

➤ Negotiator and Motivator: It is essential that managers motivate their subordinates

properly, so the best result can be achieved.

➤ Disturbance Handler: Conflicts may arise in the organization between two persons, in
the group, or between two groups. If such conflicts are not resolved amicably and within
the given time frame, these may disturb organizational inefficiency. Therefore, a manager
must have the ability to resolve conflicts and disturbances appropriately.

3|P age
Managerial Skills Summary: -

 Conceptual skills deal with ideas

 Technical skills deal with things,
 Human skills deal with people.

Every person has all these skills in varying proportions depending on the structure
of his brain and the environment he lives in the case with managers. Every
manager is required to possess these skills in varying proportions depending on
the nature of his functions.

Exhibit 1–5 Skills Needed at Different Management Levels

Top managers: Individuals who are responsible for making decisions about the
direction of the organization and establishing policies that affect all organizational
members. They need ‘Conceptual Skills’ more.

Middle managers: Individuals at levels of management between the first line

manager and top management. They need ‘Human Skills’ more.

Lower-level/First-line managers: Supervisors responsible for directing the day-to-

day activities of operative employees. They need ‘Technical Skills’ more.

Since managers at different levels perform different types of functions, managers at

different levels require different skills. Generally, as one goes up higher in the
organization level, one needs conceptual skills more.
4|P a ge
Conclusion: -
Management skills are a collection of abilities that include things such
as business planning, decision-making, problem-solving, communication,
delegation, and time management. While different roles and organizations require
the use of various skill sets, management skills help a professional stand out and
excel no matter what their level. Business owners are entrepreneurs until
they become managers. When they become managers, they will feel frustrated
because they will need to deal with new problems like managerial problems. And
management is not a simple task. It needs knowledge and experience. Because of
that, there is the existence of hierarchy, organizational structure and possibilities
for each organizational member with adequate knowledge, experience and skills
to move from the bottom to the middle and top level of the managerial pyramid.

Good management skills are vital for any organization to succeed and
achieve its goals and objectives. A manager who fosters good management skills is
able to propel the company’s mission and vision or business goals forward with
fewer hurdles and objections from internal and external sources.

5|P age
 Part- B
Question 4 (15*2= 30 marks)
Nancy has worked for Noname Shipping for 12 years as one of two deputy superintendents. James,
the other deputy superintendent, has been working in the role for 8 years. Recently when the
position of senior superintendent became vacant due to the retirement of the incumbent (Peter),
Nancy felt that the position of senior superintendent would naturally fall to her. On the contrary,
senior managers of Noname Shipping decided to employ Paul, a new and much younger applicant for
the position, who in their view was better qualified, but who, in Nancy’s view, did not have the
experience necessary for the job.
i) Discuss the merits and demerits of the senior managers’ actions and explain how they could
have acted differently in the situation.
ii) Based on the different theories of motivation, explain what can be done from a management
point of view to motivate both Nancy and Paul.

Answer to the Question no-4(i): -

Senior Managers’ of Noname Shipping decided to employ Paul, less experience than
Nancy, but young &better qualified for the rank of ‘Senior Superintendent’.

Here, Senior Managers made internal recruitment for the senior rank and focused
on ‘traits/qualifications for the rank of Senior Superintendent’ rather than ‘job
experience’.

On basis of the Senior Managers’ Actions, following merits & demerits are
observed as per my view: -

Merits of Internal recruitment for the senior rank: -

Hiring internal candidates can be more efficient than recruiting externally, because it can:

 Reduce Hiring Time.

 Reduce Onboarding Time.
 Lower Cost to Management.
 Encourage Employee Engagement and Morale.

6|P age
Demerits of Internal recruitment for the senior rank: -
Despite all the merits of internal recruitment, there are some things to keep in mind.
Hiring from within organization can: -
Create resentment among employees and managers: In the above case, Nancy was
expecting promotion as she was experienced. But senior’s manager chooses much
younger and qualified Paul. Also, managers are often uncomfortable loosing good team
members and may even go so far as to hinder the transfer or promotion process.
Leave a gap in existing work force: When someone promoted to fill an open position,
their old position becomes vacant. This means that a series of moves and promotions may
ensue that could disrupt business operation. Ultimately it may need to turn to external
recruitment in addition to internal hire.
Limit pool of applicants: Relying solely on internal hiring means Organization Top
Managers could miss the chance to hire people with new skill and ideas.
Result in inflexible culture: Doing most of hiring from inside business may result in a
stagnant culture. This is because employees can get too comfortable with the way things
are done and struggle to spot inefficiencies and experiment with new ways of working.
External hires are essential in shaking up culture and offering a fresh perspective on
existing problem.
Merits of much Younger and Qualified VS much Experienced applicant:

There are numerous advantages of choosing much younger, qualified less experience
candidates Vs much experienced candidate.

# Company culture development: While hiring, choosing between little experience or

vast experience is a big decision that can ultimately impact the company culture within
organization. Less experienced employees may bring exciting energy and curiosity that
challenges more experienced workers.

# Get the best candidates: Experienced candidates sometimes think that they can land
almost any of the jobs for which they apply. There is some truth to it-especially in a low
unemployment market. Therefore, it can be more challenging to develop loyalty with
these seasoned veterans.

# More friendly to embrace Technology: Much younger and less experienced persons
are always more likely to embrace new technology. On the other hand, Vast experienced
employees are less likely to embrace all the modern technology. Now a days, more and
more companies are introducing new, cutting-edge technology which a mature person
may struggle to pick up.
7|P age
# Less salaries compare to More Experienced worker: Mature workers tends to
occupy the slots of more senior positions within an organization, so they are likely to
command a higher salary compared to the younger one.

Demerits of much Younger and Qualified VS much Experienced applicant:

There is no denying that nothing can really substitute for experience. That is why when it
comes to hiring for managerial positions in particular, the majority of organizations
prefer hiring more experienced people.

# More training is required for younger: One of the biggest advantages of hiring more
experienced workers is that as compared to younger workers, they don’t require as much
training which in turn can save company resources.

# Prone to do Mistakes: Younger and less experience persons are more likely to slip up
due to lack of experience. Hiring a more experienced employee should means that there
will be fewer chances of blunders or mistakes. This is because more experienced
employees will have an accumulated a lot of work-related experience throughout their
career. They are less confused compared to someone less experienced on a job.

# Careless attitude: Young & Less Experienced workers have a tendency to be careless
or irresponsible at times. On the other hand, mature workers tend to show a more
dedicated and responsible attitude towards their wok. Mature employee tends to be more
careful working on the tasks assigned to them, while their more junior colleagues often
have a more casual attitude towards their work.

# More likely to involved in workplace Politics: Much younger workers have a

tendency to butter up their managers and bosses to seek their favor. Mature experienced
workers are typically less interested in petty workplace politics. They tend to keep their
focus on their work rather than participating in insignificant politics within the
organization.

Conclusion: -

Every new employee should be hired on the basis of skills, merits and qualifications
rather than on the basis of his or her age or seniority. Company should select right
individual who can prove to be a truly valuable asset to the firm.

8|P age
Senior Managers of Noname Shipping could have acted following different
way in the situation:

To avoid resentment, senior managers need to cultivate trust and ensure hire effectively.
They could:

1. Ensure candidate Nancy to understand company hiring process and why Nancy is
‘not selected’. It would be good to give her interview feedback or pointers on what
skills she might need to develop to be successful in the future for internal
promotion.

2. Share their thinking of possible career move with their team member
(superintendents) and ask them to take part in formulating company business
succession plan. That’s way, if a position opens, they could immediately consult
their plan to see which employee may be a good fit.

3. Avoid any decision where ‘consideration of any individual and is influenced by a

comparison with (referent) others – based on perceptions of equity. As People
always seek social equity in rewards that they receive for performance.

Conclusion: -

At the end of the day, it is important to structure hiring process to ensure fair and
effective recruiting. Better to use screening test and structured interviews which help to
asses candidate more objectively and communicate well with all candidates. These
practices will help senior managers in good hiring decisions and will build trust in hiring
process.

9|P age
Question: 4(ii) Based on the different theories of motivation, explain what can be done from
a management point of view to motivate both Nancy and Paul.

Answer: -

Motivation theory is a way of looking at the motivation of a person and how this
influences his behavior, whether for personal or professional reasons. It’s
important to every aspect of society but is especially relevant to business and
management. Motivation is the key to more profitable employee, as a motivated
employee is more productive.

There are many different forces that guide and direct our motivations. It is
important to ensure that every team member in an organization is motivated and
meet the bottom line. Various psychologists have studied human behavior and have
formalized their findings in the form of various motivational theories. These
motivational theories provide insights into the way people behave and what
motivate them.

Adam’s equity theory: -

– People’s motivation extends beyond a consideration of their individual selves

and is influenced by a comparison with (referent) others – based on perceptions of
equity.
– “Referent” others – people or reference points (e.g. in time or context) that
individuals use as a comparison for a judgement of equity in their own situation.
– The more intense the PERCEIVED inequity, the greater the (de)motivational
response.
People seek social equity in rewards that they receive for performance.

10 | P a g e
Expectancy Theory: -
Expectancy theory explains the process of why someone chooses one behavior
over another. In making this conscious choice, there are three elements
considered: expectancy, instrumentality and valence.
Expectancy (Effort → Performance): -
Expectancy is the belief that effort will lead to better performance - perception that "I
can do this". This is driven by things like:
 Competency: having the skills and knowledge needed for the job.
 Difficulty: feeling that the goal is achievable.
 Support: knowing where to get the correct information, or who to get it from.
 Control: believing I have the ability to affect the outcome; that the outcome isn't
"out of your hands".

Instrumentality (Performance → Outcome): -

Instrumentality is the belief that if I perform well, an outcome that my value will be
achieved. In other words, "If I do this, I will get something that's important to me". This
is influenced by things like:
 Transparency: having clear policies in place to define workplace rewards.
 Clarity: understanding the relationship between performance and outcomes.
 Trust: knowing that the policy is applied fairly to all individuals.

Valence (V(R)):-
Valence is the unique value anyone place on the outcome of his expectation. It's the
sense that, "I find this outcome important because I'm me". Valence is affected by:
Preference: which reward satisfies my intrinsic motivations, e.g. someone who is
motivated by earning money won't value peer recognition or an extra day off.
Background: the societal values and behaviors that are highly regarded by this
individual, which may be very different in different cultures.

11 | P a g e
 Good Managers know that there isn't a one-size-fits-all path to employee
motivation. The same employees doing the same role will have different
approaches to how they work, different backgrounds and beliefs, and value
different rewards that are meaningful to them. Understanding expectancy theory
can help to create motivational programs that are more effective and practical for
the individual, and build a positive correlation between efforts, results and rewards
for all employees.

Use of Expectancy Theory of Motivation for Nancy and Paul:-

*Make sure promises to team to be aligned with company policy. When Senior
Manager offer team members specific rewards for their work, need to consider
checking employer’s policies to ensure they can provide them. For example: Deputy
superintendent Nancy felt that the position of senior superintendent naturally falls to
her, because she was not informed company succession policy of recruiting a new,
much younger and qualified Paul instead much experienced Nancy.
*Create challenging but achievable goals, Senior Managers’ need to trust their team
to handle the tasks they give, and challenge team to reach their full potential. At the
same time, remember to keep expectations achievable to keep team member
motivated and confident in their work. For example: someone may track the sales
metrics for a sales team and create weekly sales goal that are similar to the best
performing weeks while remaining achievable.

12 | P a g e
 *Ensure the assigned tasks match the team member’s skill set. Part of motivating
team includes understanding the unique skills they bring to the company and seeing
how they can use those skills to meet their goals. When Senior Manager assign an
employee a task based on their skills, they are likely having more confidence in their
ability to finish it. For example, if a manager knows a team member who has in strong
background in giving public presentations, he may give this type of work to them
instead of assigning it to more introverted team members.
*Set clear connections between performances and reward. Always communicate
expectation and reward clearly. The more transparent I am, the more my team can
trust as they are going to receive rewards for their works. For example: Noname
shipping may provide a clear structure for bonuses that include qualitative or
numerical goals that team members can easily track to see how they are performing.
*Make reward distribution fair and logical. When I distribute rewards for
performance on a project or task, make sure that reward match the levels of effort put
in and performance achieved. It also important to distribute reward to team member
fairly. For example: Senior manager should very clear to Nancy and Paul that
promotion decided by Paul energetic performance and nothing wrong happened with
Nancy. Nancy can be rewarded in extra bonus if applicable.

Conclusion: -
Motivation is a state of mind, filled with energy and enthusiasm, which drives a person to
work in a certain way to achieve desired goals. Motivation is a force that pushes people to
work with a high level of commitment and focus, even if things are going against them.
Motivation translates into a certain kind of human behavior. In short, motivation is the
driving force behind human actions. Employee motivation is key to an organization’s
success. It's the level of commitment, drive and energy that a company's workers bring to
the role every day. Motivated employees can lead to increased productivity and allow an
organization to achieve higher levels of output. Motivation helps developing employees as
future resource. By motivating employees, Senior Managers’ of any organization can make
them(employees) an asset for the organization.

=========================================================================================

13 | P a g e