Answers – Management Theory and Practice

(1)

1. The main principle that can be considered is the division of work. This is based on
the principles of management emphasized by Henry Fayol who focused on the
division of work in the workforce to ensure productivity, accuracy, and speed of the
operations can be maintained.
 
2. Another integral principle that should be kept in mind is discipline. This is integral,
especially for new employees. Discipline ensures that any project in the company
can be completed in a manner that is representing the core values of the company
and ensures smooth operations.
 
3. Remuneration is another integral aspect that should be focused on to ensure
management can be implemented in a manner to achieve success. Remuneration
ensures that the new employees can focus on their organizational needs rather than
thinking about their monetary needs. This helps in ensuring staff stability for the long
term.

(2)
Introduction -

The controversy with regard to the nature of management, as to

whether it is an art or a science, is very old. This controversy,
however, is not very much in the air now though the
controversy is yet to be settled.
It is to be noted that the learning process in art differs from that
of science. Learning of art involves its continuous practice while
learning of science basically involves the assimilation of
principles.

Much of the controversy of management being as art or science

is on account of the fact that the earlier captains of industry and
managers have used intuition, hunches, commonsense, and
experience in managing organizations. They were not trained
professional managers, although they were very brilliant and
had developed commonsense through which they managed
well. However, commonsense and science differ considerably in
solving the problems.
  Management uses theories and concepts to handle emerging problems
similar to science. Science's theories are the result of extensive research and
experiments; in a similar manner, management's theories are based on
routine observation and experimentation. Over time, these ideas will serve as
management's guiding principles.
 Everyone can apply their learning of management in a distinct and unique
manner, much as how various artists can present words in literature in unique
ways in the arts. The whole point of the arts is to innovate and communicate
through creativity, as when two painters portray the same scenario in a variety
of ways. Likewise, two individual managers will approach the circumstance
differently. Managers frequently have original and creative approaches to
solving issues.
 Management can be both an art as well as a science. It is regarded as a
science since it has a systematic body of information that encompasses
certain universal principles. The reason why management is deemed as art is
that it demands specific abilities that managers must exhibit. Art focuses on
the implementation of knowledge and abilities, while science furnishes
knowledge. 

Management as an Art:
Art is the experienced and personal utilisation of subsisting information to accomplish solicited
outcomes. It can be procured via education, research and practice. As art is involved with the
personal utilisation of data some kind of inventiveness and creativity is needed to follow the
fundamental systems acquired. The essential characteristics of art are as follows:

 The presence of theoretical knowledge: Art assumes the presence of specific academic
knowledge. Specialists in their particular fields have obtained specific elementary
postulates which are appropriate to a specific sort of art. For instance, the literature on
public speaking, acting or music, dancing is publicly acknowledged.
 Personalised application: The application of this primary information differs from person
to person. Art, hence, is a highly personalised notion.
 Based on custom and creativity: Art is practical. Art includes the creative practice of
subsisting intellectual knowledge. We know that music is based on 7 notes. However,
what makes the style of a musician different or distinctive is his performance of these
notes in an artistic way that is uniquely his own solution.

Management as a Science:
Science is an organised collection of knowledge that emphasises definite universal truths or the
action of comprehensive laws. The central characteristics of science are as follows:

 The organised body of knowledge: Science is a precise entity of knowledge. Its systems
are based on a purpose and consequence association.
 Universal validity: Scientific conventions have global genuineness and application.
 Systems based on experimentation: Scientific conventions are originally formed via
research and then tested via repeated trial and error under the regulated situations.
(3)a

Conflict is a situation where any two parties have contradictory or opposing

viewpoints or opinions. Generally speaking, conflicts are basically disagreements
between teams or individuals. Conflict is any difference of opinion between
two or more individuals or groups. Conflict happens whenever there are
discrepancies between two or more people's interests, values, goals, and
perspectives. It may exist in an individual, inside an individual, within a
group, or within an organisation.
Conflicts demonstrate a lack of a number of things, including compatibility,
understanding, and understanding among those who share an
environment. It may increase feelings of anxiety and emotion, diminish
satisfaction, and impair performance.

In any business organization, there are several employees, departments, projects, or

even different methods of performing a task. This diversity can sometimes lead to
situations where there is some sort of incompatibility and this is termed
organizational conflicts.An organizational conflict can arise due to a variety of
reasons like - opposing goals, different opinions, or incompatibility in the working
style.
In the present case, the firm named Lemon Tree is suffering performance issues due
to organizational conflicts. The possible conflicts present in the organization can be -
 Disagreement in the task - This means that there may be different viewpoints
among the employees relating to the goal of the task or how the task has to
be performed.
 Another prominent type of conflict could be conflicts due to unclear job roles
that make it difficult to understand whose role is what and also to make any
one person accountable for any work. Ambiguous responsibilities create
confusion among the employees and also badly impact the overall
performance.
 The conflict between the employee and Management - If the employees and
the management here do not have cordial relationships and there are
differences among them, it can lead to interpersonal conflicts. The ineffective
coordination between them could also be the reason behind the delayed
decision-making process.
 Differences between the departments - A hotel has several departments and
at times there may be a situation where two or more departments have
opposing goals or interests.
 Due to internal issues inside the company that hinder performance
and growth, Lemon Tree, a well-known resort chain in India, is losing
market share to its competitors.
  Performance and effective management are crucial for the
organisation to achieve the finest outcomes, including productivity,
market share, excellent sales, promotion, and wonderful customer
relationships. The corporation is assisted by the management
concept in stabilising all the variables to conduct successful scientific
research.


(3)b

Change the Composition of the Team

If the conflict is between team members, the easiest solution may be to change the
composition of the team, separating the personalities that were at odds. In instances
in which conflict is attributed to the widely different styles, values, and preferences of
a small number of members, replacing some of these members may resolve the
problem. If that’s not possible because everyone’s skills are needed on the team and
substitutes aren’t available, consider a physical layout solution. Research has shown
that when known antagonists are seated directly across from each other, the amount
of conflict increases. However, when they are seated side by side, the conflict tends
to decrease.

Create a Common Opposing Force

Group conflict within an organization can be mitigated by focusing attention on a

common enemy such as the competition. For example, two software groups may be
vying against each other for marketing dollars, each wanting to maximize advertising
money devoted to their product. But, by focusing attention on a competitor company,
the groups may decide to work together to enhance the marketing effectiveness for
the company as a whole. The “enemy” need not be another company—it could be a
concept, such as a recession, that unites previously warring departments to save
jobs during a downturn.

Consider Majority Rule

Sometimes a group conflict can be resolved through majority rule. That is, group
members take a vote, and the idea with the most votes is the one that gets
implemented. The majority rule approach can work if the participants feel that the
procedure is fair. It is important to keep in mind that this strategy will become
ineffective if used repeatedly with the same members typically winning. Moreover,
the approach should be used sparingly. It should follow a healthy discussion of the
issues and points of contention, not be a substitute for that discussion.
Problem Solve

Problem solving is a common approach to resolving conflict. In problem-solving

mode, the individuals or groups in conflict are asked to focus on the problem, not on
each other, and to uncover the root cause of the problem. This approach recognizes
the rarity of one side being completely right and the other being completely wrong.

Conflict-Handling Styles

Individuals vary in the way that they handle conflicts. There are five common styles
of handling conflicts. These styles can be mapped onto a grid that shows the varying
degree of cooperation and assertiveness each style entails.