$4.$ Human Relations Management

Management at Work

Congratulations! It$$s your first day as a new manager and you$$re excited. You$$ve always dreamed of working in a nonprofit organization, and now you are the development manager for a rainforest preservation agency similar to the Rainforest Action Network.

You have a team of four employees. Liam, the financial analyst, is from Ireland, and he knows everything there is to know about protecting and growing donations. Destiny, the events planner, is from Charleston, South Carolina, and she is a genius at handling all the details of a fundraiser. Andry is from Madagascar, and he writes all of the content for your fundraising letters and website. Finally, Marjorie is from Berkeley, California, and she prepares profiles of potential donors and makes suggestions about what types of fundraising events might appeal to them.

Although all of your employees are very good at what they do$,$ the group has had some problems in the past. Andry and Marjorie have decided that they will write no more than one discrete piece of work per day, even if they are capable of writing more. If Andry writes more than one part of a website, Marjorie torments him by sending him a stream of instant messages questioning his mental abilities. Destiny and Marjorie tend to disagree about what kinds of events will appeal to donors, and they have had some heated arguments in the past. Marjorie usually wins these fights, which is making Destiny very resentful. Liam has told you that the group needs a strong leader who will make sure that the organization$$s goals are met.

After reading about the history of management in your textbook, you find yourself particularly fascinated by the human relations approach to management. The theories seem so modern, but could they really be used in today$$s world? You decide to put them to the test.

Topic

Theorist

Teams

Coordination

Cooperation

Next, you look at the problems in the department. Destiny and Marjorie seem to be using the approach to conflict resolution that Mary Parker Follett warned against.

Finally, you consider how to start solving the problems in the organization. What would Mary Parker Follett recommend you do in this situation? Check all that apply.

Get Destiny and Marjorie into one room. Have them present their visions of what a fundraising event should be$,$ and then brainstorm with them to find ways to achieve both of their goals.

Try to understand why Andry and Marjorie feel that one piece of writing per day is an acceptable work output. Be a role model in establishing new productivity norms, but recognize that your actions may not have much of an impact on them.

Be sure that your orders are understood and that your employees have the ability to carry them out. Match your directions with the overall strategy of the organization; at the same time, help people achieve their personal goals.

Remember that you must have power with, not over, your team. So when you ask Andry and Marjorie to write more, be sure to give them facts and information they need to understand the reason for your request.