Introduction to Management

0 · How to Use Thisread first

MGB1010 is graded 100% by coursework — no exam. Marks: Quiz/Test ~30% (weekly Revel quizzes + sims, W1–10), Written ~35% (two group tutorial tasks + a reflection), Artefact ~35% (sustainability piece). Check your unit guide for exact weights.

The weekly Revel quizzes are the only broad recall test — they sweep every definition, theorist & framework across W1–10. So this sheet is a recall bank: management + theories + environment + organising (Side 1); leading, planning, controlling, deciding, ethics & diversity (Side 2).

1 · What Is Management?W1

Management = getting work done efficiently and effectively through and with other people; coordinating + overseeing others' work so goals are met. There is no single agreed definition — the unit deliberately shows it is contested.

Efficiency = doing things right; most output from least input (means / resource use). Effectiveness = doing the right things; pursuing goal-attaining activities (ends). Good managers do both.

Three themes: management (the knowledge), managing (the doing), being managed (the follower view).

1b · Levels of Managementthe pyramid

• Top — set org-wide direction, strategy, broad goals
• Middle — translate top goals into operational plans; bridge top & first-line
• First-line — supervise non-managerial staff doing day-to-day work

Manager = coordinates & oversees others' work; distinct from a non-managerial employee.

1c · Katz's Three Skillsshift by level

1d · Mintzberg's 10 Roles3 clusters

• Interpersonal — figurehead, leader, liaison
• Informational — monitor, disseminator, spokesperson
• Decisional — entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator

POLC = Planning · Organising · Leading · Controlling — the unit's spine, detailed W5–6.

2 · The Theory TimelineW2 · classical

Situate the classical theories in context, then evaluate & trace their evolution.

2b · Administrative & BureaucracyW2

2c · The Human SideW2 · behavioural

Organisational behaviour (OB) · the study of people's actions at work (motivation, leadership, groups).

2d · The Modern ToolkitW2

• Quantitative / mgmt science — stats, optimisation, modelling for decisions
• Systems — org as interdependent parts; an open system trading inputs/outputs with its environment
• Contingency — no one best way; the right approach depends on the situation (size, tech, environment, task)

2e · Case · McDonald'sW2 · Taylorism live

The contemporary proof that classical scientific management still runs — paired with the Ford assembly-line video.

• Standardisation / "one best way" — exact pre-set standards (pre-measured inputs, machine-cut patties) so a meal is identical in any country
• Time-and-motion — engineered cook times, a two-sided grill to halve time, a self-portioning fry scoop; efficiency is engineered, not left to the worker
• De-skilling / low discretion — staff have almost no say in how to prepare/serve: the Taylorist trade of control for consistency
• Selection & training — rigorous, echoing Taylor's "select & train scientifically"

Discussion hooks: positive impacts of scientific management; what Follett would critique (the human/relational side it ignores); theory evolves (menus, sustainability, innovation).

3 · The EnvironmentW3

External environment = forces outside the org that affect performance.

General (macro) — PESTLE: Political · Economic · Sociocultural · Technological · Legal · Environmental — broad conditions affecting everyone (e.g. an oil shock, COVID).

Specific (task): actors with direct impact — customers, suppliers, competitors, employees, pressure/interest groups, strategic partners, regulators. Assessment often asks you to link one general factor to one specific actor.

Environmental uncertainty = degree of change + degree of complexity; the higher both are, the more managers must scan, monitor & adapt. Quiz link: a general-environment factor (e.g. an oil shock) ripples through to specific-environment actors (suppliers, customers).

3b · Stakeholders & CultureW3

Stakeholders · any party affected by, or able to affect, the org's decisions (internal: employees, owners; external: customers, suppliers, community, govt). Stakeholder management vs a narrow shareholder focus — tied forward to W9's ethics models.

Organisational culture · shared values & ways of doing things that shape behaviour. Schein's 3 levels:

4 · EntrepreneurshipW4

Entrepreneurship · pursuing opportunities & creating value, often via new ventures, innovation & risk-taking. The unit weighs the benefits (autonomy, reward) against the challenges (risk, workload, failure rate).

Drucker's 7 sources of opportunity:

1. The unexpected
2. The incongruous (conventional wisdom fails)
3. Process need (gaps in how things are made)
4. Industry & market structure change
5. Demographics
6. Changes in perception
7. New knowledge (protect it)

4b · Social EnterpriseW4 · tri-sector

Social enterprise · balances a social/environmental mission with commercial viability — a "double / triple bottom line" (economic + social + environmental); faces more complex stakeholder groups than a private firm.

Tri-sector leader · experience across private + government + not-for-profit sectors = the highly employable "triple threat." Examples the unit cites: STREAT, "Who Gives A Crap".

Entrepreneurial traits discussed: drive, vision, risk tolerance. A recurring tension: founders often struggle to delegate & empower as the venture scales — control that built the firm can later cap its growth.

5 · Organising · StructureW5

Organising = arranging & structuring work to accomplish goals. Org structure = formal arrangement of jobs (who reports to whom, who does what, where). The 6 elements:

• Work specialisation — split work into tasks; raises efficiency but past a point breeds boredom/fatigue → human diseconomies
• Departmentalisation — group jobs: functional · geographic · product · process · customer
• Chain of command — continuous line of authority (now one element of power/influence)
• Span of control — # staff a manager can supervise; wider = flatter, cheaper
• Centralisation vs decentralisation — where decision authority sits
• Formalisation — degree jobs are standardised by rules (high = little discretion)

These six choices together describe any structure. Organisational design = the act of developing or changing them. Modern firms add cross-functional teams & a customer focus on top of the classic functional split. The right mix is a contingency question — there is no single best design.

5b · Mechanistic vs OrganicW5 · contingency fit

Contingency rule: stable/simple environment → mechanistic; dynamic/uncertain → organic. There is no universally best structure — it depends on strategy, size, technology & the environment. Most real firms sit somewhere between the two poles.

5c · The Learning OrgW5 · modern design

Learning organisation · continually learns, adapts & changes. Features: boundaryless design, teams, empowerment, open/timely/accurate information sharing, strong relationships, a shared vision, collaboration.

Contemporary design questions the unit raises: the 4-day working week; decentralised, participative structures that need better-developed staff. Most firms in practice choose "a bit of both" on centralisation rather than a pure extreme.

Why structure matters here: W5 deliberately pairs organising with leading — "the structure facilitates the leadership style". A flat, organic, empowered design suits transformational leading; a tall, mechanistic one suits transactional control. The learning organisation is the organic ideal taken to its limit.

5d · Five Power BasesFrench & Raven · W5

Authority is just one element of the broader idea of power/influence (taught for the Ferguson case, Side 2):

• Coercive — fear / punishment
• Reward — give things others value
• Legitimate — formal position in the hierarchy
• Expert — special skill / knowledge
• Referent — identification with traits / charisma

The first three are positional (they come with the role); expert & referent are personal (earned, not granted) — usually the most durable. Great leaders blend several at once.

6 · POLC Overviewthe spine

The four functions are interdependent & circular, not a one-off sequence — the unit's organising spine, introduced in W1 and deep-dived across W5–W6:

the loopPlan → set goals & strategy
Organise → structure work & resources
Lead → motivate & influence people
Control → measure vs standard, correct
↻ then revise the plan…

POLC evolved from Fayol's original functions (he had five: plan, organise, command, coordinate, control). W5 pairs Organising + Leading ("structure facilitates the leadership style"); W6 pairs Planning + Controlling. All four are detailed on Side 2.

Key idea for the quiz: the functions are a continuous cycle, not a checklist done once — a control finding feeds straight back into the next plan. Managers do all four constantly, in parallel, at every level of the organisation, not in a tidy one-after-another order.

6b · Theorist Quick-Index Idrill these

6c · Globalisation & SDGsW3 · context

Managing across borders — global events & national differences shape decisions. Develops into national-culture-and-leadership and the GLOBE study (Side 2). W1 ties management to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — management knowledge is contested & culturally shaped, not neutral; the unit asks where it even comes from (which disciplines feed it).

7 · Side-2 Blueprintleading → ethics

Side 2 = the "L–P–C" functions plus deciding, communicating & the responsibility topics. Quiz-wise these weeks are theory-name + keyword heavy — motivation & leadership models especially.

Sequence: Leading (motivation + leadership, W5) → Planning & Controlling (W6) → Deciding (W7) → Communication (W8) → Ethics/CSR/ESG (W9) → Diversity (W10).

These map to the "managing" and "being managed" themes: how a manager acts, and how it feels to be on the receiving end of that action.

8 · Motivation TheoriesW5 · Leading

8b · Theory X vs Theory YMcGregor

8c · Process TheoriesW5

Equity theory · people compare their input : output ratio to others'; perceived inequity (under- or over-reward) drives them to restore balance.

Expectancy theory (Vroom) · effort = Expectancy (effort→performance) × Instrumentality (performance→reward) × Valence (value of the reward). Any link = 0 → no motivation.

Content vs process: Maslow, Herzberg & McGregor are content theories (what needs drive people); equity & expectancy are process theories (how the mental calculation works). The quiz often asks you to sort a theory into the right family, or to map Herzberg's two factors onto Maslow's five levels (hygiene ≈ lower needs; motivators ≈ upper needs). Know which camp each theory sits in.

9 · Leadership TheoriesW5 · Leading

Leadership = the process of leading & influencing a group toward goals. Managers "do things right" (short-term, means); leaders "do the right thing" (long-term, ends, inspire). The theories evolved in waves — trait → behavioural → contingency → contemporary — each fixing the last's blind spot.

9b · Contingency & ContemporaryW5

9c · Transactional vs Transformationalkey compare

The four I's of transformational: Idealised influence · Inspirational motivation · Intellectual stimulation · Individualised consideration. Also: charismatic (personality-driven bond) & visionary (credible future vision) leadership; empowerment = more employee discretion & voice.

Leader vs manager: every leader needs managerial authority, but the unit stresses they differ — managers maintain & solve problems; leaders inspire & set direction. Transformational builds on transactional: the strongest leaders use both, rewarding performance and raising aspirations.

10 · Case · Sir Alex FergusonW5 · leadership & power

The leadership/power anchor (Man United, 26 yrs). Students annotate the case before class for traits & power types, then complete worksheets on each. Map his style onto the models:

• Trait — drive & fierce will to win, self-confidence, deep football knowledge, reading opponents (= Kirkpatrick & Locke list)
• 5 powers (French & Raven) — legitimate (total authority); coercive (fines, terminating a captain); reward (selection, praise); expert (tactical / video analysis); referent (loyalty, "family" culture)
• Task vs relationship (Ohio State) — task: fitness regimes, discipline code, drills; relationship: private chats, knowing "well done" matter, nurturing young players
• Transformational — inspirational speeches (idealised influence) + handling each player differently (individualised consideration)
• Organising / change — rebuilt the club not just the team (youth academy, wide span of control, three squad age-layers) & adapted 26 yrs to sports science → leadership adapting to a changing environment
• Decision-making — fast & decisive, confident bets on unproven youth (Ronaldo, Rooney) balanced against bounded-rationality risk
• Planning & control — working "two games ahead"; the costly mistakes (selling Stam) showing planning's rigidity/risk; control via quick post-match correction

Assessment hook: a "Letter to Fergie" judging which parts of his style still hold up in a 2026 business context. One case, many models — exactly how the quiz tests application: it gives a behaviour, you name the matching concept.

11 · PlanningW6

Planning = defining goals, setting strategy, developing plans to coordinate activities. 4 reasons to plan: coordinates effort · reduces uncertainty · cuts wasteful overlap · sets the standards used in controlling.

Criticisms: can create rigidity; can't replace intuition/creativity; may fixate on today's competition; past success ≠ future survival.

Goals: traditional top-down vs jointly set; stated vs real goals. MBO · jointly set, specific, measurable goals with periodic review of progress. SWOT · internal Strengths/Weaknesses + external Opportunities/Threats — the foundation of strategic planning.

Plan types: strategic vs operational, long vs short term, specific vs directional, single-use vs standing. P & C run as one loop — the goals you plan become the standards you control against, and control results feed the next plan.

12 · ControllingW6

Controlling = monitoring activities, comparing actual performance vs standards, correcting deviations. P & C are circular: plan → set standard → measure → revise → re-plan.

The control process (3 steps): measure actual performance → compare it to the standard → take managerial action. On a deviation a manager can: do nothing · correct it (immediate or basic) · revise the standard.

Three controls by timing:

Performance measured against a standard underpins the whole control loop. Worked example the unit uses: writing an assignment — feedforward = preparation & research; concurrent = drafting checks & supervisor input; feedback = the returned mark & comments.

13 · Decision-MakingW7

Rational process (8 steps): identify problem → set criteria → weight them → develop alternatives → analyse → select → implement → evaluate.

Rational model assumes a fully logical, value-maximising decider with complete info.

Intuitive decisions draw on experience & accumulated judgement — fast, but exposed to the biases below.

13b · Conditions & BiasesW7

Decision conditions: certainty (outcome known) · risk (known probabilities) · uncertainty (unknown probabilities — the hardest, most common case).

Biases (know a definition for each): overconfidence · anchoring · confirmation · framing · availability · escalation of commitment · hindsight · sunk-cost · self-serving · representativeness.

Group decisions: + more info/perspectives & acceptance; − slower, conformity pressure, groupthink, minority domination, ambiguous responsibility. The Asch conformity study shows how the majority can override an obviously correct individual judgement.

Defence: awareness of your own biases is the first guard. Group techniques (devil's advocate, brainstorming, the nominal-group technique) deliberately surface dissent to curb groupthink & conformity.

14 · CommunicationW8

The tool for "getting work done through others" (collaboration, persuasion, negotiation, coaching).

the process modelsender → encode → message → channel →
decode → receiver → feedback
( noise = interference at any point )

Styles (Dwyer): assertive (pursue own goals without trampling others; states a view and listens; win–win) · aggressive (win at others' expense) · submissive/passive (fail to state own needs). The unit pushes the assertive style as the goal.

Active listening (Bolton): (1) Attending — eye contact, open posture, focus; (2) Encouraging — open questions, brief encouragers, allowing silence; (3) Feedback / reflective — paraphrase, reflect feelings, clarify, summarise.

Watch for barriers: filtering, emotions, information overload, defensiveness, jargon, selective perception — all are "noise". The assertive style + reflective listening are the unit's practical toolkit for getting work done through others.

15 · Ethics, CSR & ESGW9

To whom is an org responsible?

Social-responsibility spectrum: social obligation (do the legal minimum) → social responsiveness (respond to social needs) → social responsibility (CSR — pursue long-term good beyond obligation).

ESG = Environmental · Social · Governance — the modern reporting frame; students compare real sustainability reports (Apple, Unilever, LEGO). Corporate governance = how firms are directed & controlled (board oversight, accountability). Reputation drivers (RepTrak / LEGO): Workplace, Conduct, Citizenship.

15b · Ethical ApproachesW9

• Utilitarian — judge by consequences / greatest good
• Rights — protect basic rights & liberties
• Justice / fairness — apply rules equitably

Each approach can justify a different "right" answer to the same dilemma — which is exactly why ethical choices are hard.

Factors shaping ethical choice: individual values & stage of moral development, moral intensity, organisational culture & structure (the Tim Cook / Apple dilemma is used as the case). The unit's frame combines reasoning, intuition & moral principles — not rules alone.

16 · Diversity, Equity & InclusionW10

Diversity = "all the ways people differ"; brings broader perspectives & mirrors a diverse customer base.

• Surface-level — visible demographics
• Deep-level — values, attitudes, personality

Inclusion · moving beyond bias & prejudice to valuing uniqueness + creating belongingness (Randel et al.'s inclusive-leadership frame).

Equity ≠ equality (equity adjusts for different starting points). Managerial levers: recruit/develop a diverse workforce, foster an inclusive culture, reflect community diversity in output. Debate: quotas vs targets; plus First Nations awareness. Inclusion outcomes = belongingness + being valued for uniqueness.

17 · Theorist Quick-Index IIdrill these

18 · Quiz / Study Disciplinewin the marks

• Do the Revel quiz each week — they build cumulatively across W1–10
• For every model, store name + keyword + one example
• Master the compare-pairs: X vs Y, mechanistic vs organic, transactional vs transformational, shareholder vs stakeholder, Maslow vs Herzberg
• Practise scenario → theory mapping (the dominant stem)
• Watch the "odd one out" & "which is NOT" question forms — they test the boundaries of a definition