To understand the significance of managers in any organization, one needs to know the roles they play. These roles according to Cie©lihska (2007, 7) include: Interpersonal roles that mean that the manager acts like the figure ead of the organization making him the representative of the organization of the organization in all matters concerning the organization. The manager also is the leader of the organization and the main liaison officer of the organization.
The manager also serves the information role. In this role, the manager monitors the activities of all the other employees pertaining to the organization, disseminates roles and activities to the employees, and together with these, he or she is the main spokesperson of the organization to the other organizations and the public as a whole. The manager also plays the role of the decision maker in the organization.
In this role, the manager analyzes the environment both internal and external to see which possibilities lie available for the organization for investment and growth, handles all the challenges and any type of conflict that may arise internally or externally offering the best solutions, and negotiates on behalf of the organization with potential investors and other parties. With that in mind, the paper will assess the significance of managers at Toyota Motor Corporation.
Toyota Motor Corporation is the largest vehicle production company in the orld (Le, 2014). Its size is attributed to its output capacity, its large sales volume, the management style and skills, amongst other factors. Since its inception in 1937, the management of the company through its founder Kiiricho Toyoda adopted management systems that saw the company beat stiff competition from industry giants such as Ford Motor Corporation at the time to emerge as a market giant.
The management systems adopted by Toyota include (Takeuchi et al. , 2008): The Toyota Production System Simplicity in communication Strict adherence to hierarchy but with a bit of freedom when it comes to simple ecision making Steady but sure growth Good employee welfare programmes Good remuneration packages Production of products that can fulfill the needs of consumers from every income level The Toyota Production System insists on efficiency.
The system allows the company to eliminate wastes that arise from issues such production of more products than the market actually needs, long waiting time for a product to move from one stage in the production line to the other, transporting the raw materials and finished products, storage of the products, and waste incurred from production of defective products. This system saw the company urvive through the post World War II economic depression that hit the world, crippled economies, and saw that Toyota emerge as a reputable motor vehicle manufacturer.
The system also allows for manufacturing of quality and affordable vehicles. This has allowed them the privilege of tapping into the different market segments. Toyota’s management system also ensures that there is simplicity in communication. This is important as ideas and information freely flows both vertically and horizontally among the employees. Toyota’s management also is keen in attaining steady growth that is sustainable. This voids unplanned invest that can lead to great losses in the case that the investment turns out to be a loss. The management also values its Toyota’s employees.
This is evident from Toyota’s investment in recreational parks, staff cafeterias, and other amenities that the employees can take a break from work and enjoy and in so doing giving them a chance to socialize, brainstorm, and relax their minds. It is clear now that the policies and systems put in place over the years by manager at the Toyota Motor Corporation have contributed largely to the company’s success. Through their brilliance, the company has survived through conomic meltdowns and still emerged strong. It is therefore now evident that managers and the decisions they make play an important role in the success of a company. . Compare and contrast organic and mechanic organizations Organizations have a structure that govern their operations and see to it that everything flows seamlessly. This structure varies from organization to organization. The structures adopted and commonly used by most organizations are the mechanical and the organic structure. The mechanical structure also referred to as the bureaucratic structure refers to an organizational structure here all activities relating to management is concentrated at a central (Hartzell, n. a).
This structure is best for the management of organizations that operate in environments that feature stability and certainty. The mechanic structure bases itself on a system where there is a well-defined hierarchy. The highest level of management takes part in making the major decisions while the work of the lower levels of management is to adhere and implement the decisions made. This structure affects decision making and communication whereby the lower levels of management are not to dispute any decision make nd that communication is to follow and adhere to the laid down channels.
Mechanical structures also characterized by individual specific tasks. Here, each individual receives a specific activity to accomplish. This is highly efficient as it minimizes the interaction between the different departments of the organization thus saving on delivery time. The organic structure on the other hand is an organizational structure that organizations located in environments of uncertainty and instability use. Here, decision-making capabilities are spread among different individuals on different levels of management.
Communication channels here are also open and employees on different management levels can freely communicate and pass information both vertically and horizontally. These factors are favorable to the environment such an organization operates. This is because important decisions are made fast enough and new information is shared easily when it surfaces. The fact that in an organic organization tasks are not individual specific means that they can also be shared amongst individuals.
This is also an important attribute as the environment such organizations operate in require flexibility and fast completion of tasks. Both organic and mechanical structures are designed to achieve success in the environments that the organizations operate in. This means that they share a number of similarities that mentioned above. For instance, both the structures make for efficiency in task accomplishment. In addition, both the structures ensure that though the environments vary in their needs, the performance of the company is not affected by flows in the management structure.
The organic and mechanical structures have differences too. Among the differences, mechanical structure has strict adherence to hierarchy while the rganic one does not. In the mechanical structure, tasks are given to specific individuals while in organic structure the tasks can be shared. Finally, another difference between mechanical and organic structure is, in the mechanic structure, decision making and communication bases on the hierarchy while in organic structure they can occur horizontally and vertically. . Describe the process that can help a company of your own choice formulate its corporate strategy Organizations achieve growth and success by meticulously planning what their next move will. This involves formation of corporate strategies. Though the strategies formulated may be good and perfect, the way it is implemented is of high importance. tackling the question above, Safaricom Limited which is a Kenyan mobile telephone service provider will be used.
There are several steps or processes that should be followed in order to ensure that good corporate strategies are formed. These process include: Setting the Organization’s objectives Evaluating the Organizational environment Setting quantitative targets Aiming in context with the divisional plans Performance analysis Choice of strategy The above named process if applied in Safaricom’s corporate strategy will see o it that the company continues enjoying the success and market leadership that have been part of its story since its inception in Kenya.
The section that follows will explain how these process will be of benefit to Safaricom. In setting the Organization’s objectives, Safaricom will need to figure out first what it plans to achieve in a certain period of time. This will ensure that in formulating the corporate strategies, they all remain in line with the company’s set objectives. Also this will ensure that wastage of time and resources is eliminated in both the formulation process and also in the strategy implementation phase.
Another advantage of setting the Organization’s objectives is that it oils the wheel for the implementation phase of the strategies as the those required to perform such tasks will be well versed in what to do. Safaricom also will have to evaluate the organizational environment. They may achieve through a number of methods. Examples of such methods include conducting surveys of both the internal and external environments, performing analysis of past results and future forecast amongst other methods.
By doing this, the company will know its short comings and where to make changes in order to come up with a more forth coming and nclusive corporate strategy. Safaricom will also need to set quantitative targets. Setting quantitative targets such as the volume of sells they plan on achieving, the volume of output that they can produce, and also the amount of loss they need to cut will ensure that the correct strategy is formulated and implemented. Everything that Safaricom aims to achieve should be in line with the company’s departmental goals.
This is another process that needs to be looked at. If the organization’s goals are all in line with each individual departmental goals, then the corporate strategy formulated will work to the advantage of the company as whole. This is because all goals will be similar and that they do not conflict each other. In order for Safaricom to formulate a good corporate strategy, it will need to analyze its performance. This is done by going through its financial and sales records and in so doing learning where there were short comings.
Through the knowledge they will have acquired from the analysis, the company will be able to design a strategy that will drive them away from losses to profits. After going through this process, Safaricom now will be ready to adopt a corporate strategy hat is engineered to suite all their needs and ensure them success in their endeavors. 4. What do you understand by the term “organizational culture”? Suggest how a company can create an innovative culture Organizational culture is a set of behaviors, beliefs, and characters that influence the way individuals carry themselves and handle their activities at work.
These behaviors are as a result of interaction between employees and are shaped by the vision, mission, and the core values of the organization. There are numerous ways in which a company can generate an innovative culture. These ways include performing xperiments in order to generate ideas, giving the staff and employees the time they require to generate ideas, putting money into systems that encourage idea generation, and offering monetary incentives to encourage innovativeness among employees.
The employees of an organization will be developing a culture of innovativeness if they are encouraged to perform experiments. These experiments will in turn bring up ideas that will encourage innovativeness. Because the idea generation process requires time, employees should also be afforded the same. With ample time, the employees will be able to brainstorm or ven observe and learn from their surroundings thus encouraging a culture of innovativeness. The organization should also put in place funds that for the sole purpose of idea generation.
