Masters' Management Style

Part 2: Analytical questions

1. Describe Masters’ management style. Use evidence from the case study to support your answer.

Masters’ management style is autocratic leadership style, which including planning, organizing and controlling (Hickey et al, 2005, pp.23-7). According to the case study, Masters focused on cost control, and set strict deadlines to some departments. Furthermore, he did not trust his staff. Therefore he was isolated by the subordinates due to the ignores of suggestions of his staff. He did not give opportunities to subordinates to think about the organizational objectives like how to develop a new and improved telescopic handler, just set the goals and concentrated on cost saving. Finally, he cannot give enough motivation to the staff because he cannot make them satisfied with their basic needs. Therefore, some best employees decided to quit the job.

2. Imagine you are the management consultant referred to in the case study. What management style would you recommend that Masters adopt to manage his different staff members?

I would recommend Masters to use participative leadership style, or democratic styles. Firstly, in order to attract the staff to share their opinions and suggestions, participative leadership style can be used to the staff from the Engineering Department (Hickey et al, 2005, pp.27-31). By doing this, not only the staff can have more opportunities to make decisions that Master can benefit from this leadership style, but also this style also will lighten staff stressed. Secondly, for staff from the Engineering Department, the participative style means more communication and interpersonal skills for Masters. He have to take staff’s comments into consideration, because they know better of the productivity.

3. Using one or more motivation theories, advice Masters how to