Differentiate between the symbolic view
and the omnipotent view of management. Include specific examples of each view
to support your answer.
Answer:
a. The
view of managers as omnipotent is consistent with the stereotypical picture of
the take-charge business executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying
out the organization's goals. This omnipotent view, of course, isn't limited to
business organizations. We can also use it to help explain the high turnover
among college and professional sports coaches, who can be considered the "managers"
of their teams. Coaches who lose more games than they win are fired and
replaced by new coaches who, it is hoped, will correct the inadequate
performance.
In
the omnipotent view, when organizations perform poorly, someone has to be held
accountable regardless of the reasons, and in our society, that
"someone" is the manager. Of course, when things go well, we need
someone to praise. So managers also get the crediteven if they had little to
do with achieving positive outcomes.
b. The symbolic view says that a manager's ability
to affect outcomes is influenced and constrained by external factors. In this
view, it's unreasonable to expect managers to significantly affect an
organization's performance. Instead, an organization's results are influenced
by factors managers don't control such as the economy, customers, governmental
policies, competitors' actions, industry conditions, control over proprietary
technology, and decisions made by previous managers.
The
"symbolic" view is based on the belief that managers symbolize
control and influence. How? By creating meaning out of randomness, confusion,
and ambiguity or by trying to innovate and adapt. Because their effect on
organizational outcomes is limited, a managers actions often involve developing
plans, making decisions, and engaging in other managerial activities, which are
done for the benefit of stockholders, customers, employees, and the public.
However, the actual part that managers play in organizational success or
failure is minimal.
Management,
10e (Robbins/Coulter)
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