INPUT
Listening
1. Listen to Part 1 of the interview with P.Y. Gerbeau. He mentions four priorities for good management. What are they? In what order (1–4) does he mention them?
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having the right people planning and vision brand management organisational skills |
good leadership knowledge management building relationships marketing ability |
2. In the second part of the interview, P.Y. Gerbeau talks about how to manage. Before you listen, try to predict what he says about the following: making mistakes, employees and taking risks, building relationships, books and experience.
Now listen and make notes about what P.Y. Gerbeau says.
3. Listen to Rachel Babington, Head of PR at Disney Channel UK, talking about leaders and managers. Complete the notes, using up to three words in each gap.
Company background
Disney Channel is a cable TV network run by The Walt Disney Company and started in 1983.
Good leaders ...
- have ___ (1), i.e. to make the business progress.
- inspire staff.
Managers deal with the ___ (2) of leaders’ ideas.
Good leaders also ...
- avoid being too ___ (3)
- are not too involved when working with ___ (4)
- give people the ___ (5)their professional lives.
4. You will hear Rachel Babington talking about empowerment. Before you listen, work with a partner and predict what she might say to complete the notes below.
5. Listen and complete the notes on what she says, using up to three words for each space.
Empowerment
Workers empowered by:
- deciding their job’s ___ (1)
- being given ___ (2) of their job.
Changes in management style
In last ten years, management has only changed at a ___ (3).
Managing people
People need:
- ___ (4) in the future to work towards
- reasonable work pressures
- a ___ (5) to help them progress.
6. You will hear a television programme in which an occupational psychologist, Mariella Kinsky, is interviewed about work-related stress. Listen to the interview and take notes on what the main causes of work-related stress are, and what employers can do to reduce it.
7. Listen again and choose the best answer, a, b or c, for questions (1–8) in accordance with the text that you have heard.
1) Which workers are most likely to suffer from stress?
a) shopfloor workers
b) non-managerial white-collar workers
c) managerial staff
2) According to Mariella, what is the principal problem doctors have with stress?
a) It’s hard to diagnose.
b) It’s hard to treat.
c) It’s hard to cure.
3) What indicator of stress has been increasing in recent years?
a) staff turnover
b) absenteeism
c) workplace sabotage
4) According to Mariella, what is the principal cause of the increase in stress?
a) longer hours in the office
b) increased management supervision
c) increased workloads
5) According to Mariella, which of the following was the main reason why people suffered less from stress in the past?
a) a friendlier working atmosphere
b) a better work-life balance
c) stronger unions
6) What contemporary social circumstance has probably increased stress levels?
a) richer lifestyles
b) reduced family sizes
c) higher expectations
7) According to the speaker, why has stress become ‘respectable’?
a) It doesn’t reflect on your ability to do your job.
b) It doesn’t show you have a weak character.
c) It reflects the importance of the work you do.
8) According to the government, what is the most effective way for employers to reduce stress?
a) by offering counseling
b) by involving employees in decisions affecting their working lives
c) by organising employees in teams
Reading
1. Read the text below and answer the questions.
1) According to this article what are the prime objectives of the Personnel Department? 2) What needs to be done after staff have been appointed? 3) How is the Personnel Department involved in the payment of wages and salaries? 4) How does the law protect the employee? 5) What do you think might be included in an induction programme? 6) What problems would you expect if an off-job training programme was to be arranged? 7) What do you think would be the purpose of interviewing candidates for a job? 8) What does an Industrial Tribunal do? 9) Why should the Personnel Department be concerned about the employees’ attitude to work? 10) How do you think grievances should be dealt with?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
The Personnel Department is concerned with the provision and maintenance of a workforce. There are two dimensions to the task. The first is to ensure that employees are available in the right numbers, at the right time and with the necessary skills for the jobs that need to be done. This is the dimension of quantity. The second dimension relates to the quality of the workforce and is evidenced by the workers’ enthusiasm and motivation. Highly motivated workers will be more productive.
The personnel function in an organization has many facets. There will have to be contact with line and departmental managers to ascertain staffing requirements. Applicants for jobs will need to be interviewed and recommendations made for appointments. Procedures will need to be developed for upgradings and promotions as well as selection. After staff have been appointed induction programmes will need to be organized so that the new recruits can fit in as efficient members of the team as soon as possible. Further training may be necessary, either in the firm (on-job) or at college (off-job). Such programmes need to be arranged to fit in with the normal work schedules.
The whole framework of pay is obviously of concern to personnel, including salary scales, overtime and bonus payments where appropriate. The calculations are complicated somewhat by flexible working hours which give staff the opportunity to choose their own attendance times within certain limits. There is generally a core time during which all staff are expected to be present.
The records maintained for all employees will show the remuneration paid, together with tax deductions, and will include details of training, examination successes, lateness and absences. There is, in effect, a personal profile for every member of staff.
In the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement that every employee must receive a written statement setting out the terms and conditions of their employment. The statement will include a job title which could be relevant if the employee is subsequently dismissed for refusing some task for which he was not employed. Modern employment law accepts that the employee’s job cannot be taken from him unfairly. Any employee who is dismissed unfairly may be entitled to compensation where an Industrial Tribunal considers the dismissal was wrongful or unfair. When a worker is no longer required he or she is made redundant and this entitles him or her to compensation depending on his or her length of service and pay. Workers cannot be discriminated against either because of their race or their sex, by law.
The Personnel Department has an overall responsibility for carrying out the policies of the Board of Directors in relation to staffing, but is also expected to help in the formulation of that policy. A vital area of involvement would be the negotiations with trade unions and the shop stewards, listening to grievances and attempting to cope with them, but also attempting to anticipate them. The Department should be concerned with all matters of welfare, from lighting and heating through to safety and personal hygiene.
No matter how automated production becomes, the roles of people are central in every business. The most expensive equipment is ineffective in the hands of careless or disgruntled workers and the Personnel Department carries the main responsibility for ensuring that morale is high in the organization.
2. Started in 1971, the Virgin Group operates in a wide range of markets, from music to finance and travel. Skim the web page text very quickly (in two or three minutes) to find out what qualities Branson has which make him a good leader.
RICHARD BRANSON - LEADER OF VIRGIN
Richard Branson – the founder and owner of the Virgin Group, an empire of 350 companies that includes Virgin Atlantic airlines as well as ventures in other industries like telecommunications, trains, cosmetics and credit cards – says his goal is to turn Virgin into the most respected brand in the world. Branson’s skill as a brand builder is one of the reasons underlying his longevity as a business leader.
It is difficult to separate the success of the Virgin brand from the flamboyant man behind that brand. He travels the world weekly, reinforcing his good-natured, visible, jet-setting, billionaire reputation – a reputation like the reputation of the companies he owns. “Generally speaking, I think being a high-profile person has its advantages,” he says. “Advertising costs enormous amounts of money these days. I just announced in India that I was setting up a domestic airline, and we ended up getting on the front pages of the newspaper. The costs of that in advertising terms would have been considerable.”
What is the most important quality of a good leader? “Being someone who cares about people is important,” he says. “You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them.”
How does a man who owns 350 companies get it all done? Branson places enormous value on time-management skills. As chairman of a large group of firms, Branson says he spends about a third of his time on trouble-shooting, another third on new projects, both charitable and business, and the last third on promoting and talking about the businesses he has set up. “As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you must also understand the art of delegation,” says Branson. “I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses, and I have to be willing to step back. The company must be set up so it can continue without me.”
In order for this process to work, employees must be happy. Branson says his philosophy of “look for the best and you’ll get the best” helped him build an empire recognised for its young, fun culture. “For the people who work for you or with you, you must lavish praise on them at all times,” Branson says. “It’s much more fun looking for the best in people. People don’t need to be told where they’ve slipped up or made a mess of something. They’ll sort it out themselves.” Branson feels strongly that if an employee is not excelling in one area of the company, he or she should be given the opportunity to do well in a different Virgin Group job. Firing is seldom an option.
Motivational strategies extend to innovative ideas. The key to encouraging innovation within the Virgin ranks, suggests Branson, is to listen to any and all ideas and to offer feedback. Employees often leave companies, he reasons, because they are frustrated by the fact that their ideas fall on deaf ears. Interaction between employees and managers is fundamental.
Branson has developed a level of trust with his top managers by setting the direction and then stepping back to let them navigate. “I come up with the original idea, spend the first three months immersed in the business so I know the ins and outs, and then give chief executives a stake in the company and ask them to run it as if it’s their own,” explains Branson. “I intervene as little as possible. Give them that, and they will give everything back.”
From http://www.knowledge@wharton
3. Read the text again and choose the best answer, a, b, c or d, to these questions.
1) What is Branson’s business aim?
a) To diversify Virgin’s activities
b) То make Virgin a global company
c) То survive longer than other business leaders
d) To enhance Virgin’s brand image
2) What, according to Branson, is the business advantage of being well known?
a) It is easier to establish new ventures.
b) It saves money on publicity.
c) Не is offered special advertising rates.
d) It makes his brands easily recognisable.
3) What, for Branson, is the key to managing his workload?
a) Being continuously involved at all levels of the enterprise.
b) Concentrating on problem-solving.
c) Making his companies independent of him.
d) Continually expanding his empire.
4) How, according to Branson, can you ensure optimum performance from staff?
a) By having an enjoyable corporate culture.
b) By pointing out your employees’ mistakes.
c) By dismissing incompetent workers.
d) By telling people that they are performing well.
5) Why, says Branson, do many businesses lose good employees?
a) Managers do not listen to employees’ suggestions.
b) Managers do not know how to communicate with staff.
c) Managers do not encourage innovation.
d) Managers do not delegate.
6) How does Branson optimise performance from his CEOs?
a) By giving them specialist training.
b) By giving them a financial interest in the company.
c) By giving them a three-month trial period.
d) By offering them innovative ideas.
4. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the following.
1) someone who establishes an organisation (paragraph 1) – founder; 2) a new activity, usually in business, involving risk or uncertainty (paragraph 1); 3) which are real but not immediately obvious (paragraph 1); 4) very confident behaviour (paragraph 2); 5) from the beginning (paragraph 4); 6) say a lot of nice things about (paragraph 5); 7) made a mistake (paragraph 5); 8) dismissing (paragraph 5); 9) completely involved (paragraph 7); 10) the detailed or complicated facts (paragraph 7); 11) share or financial involvement in a business (paragraph 7).
5. Discuss these questions in groups of three.
1) How much of Branson’s leadership style do you think is a question of personality, and how much is a question of technique? 2) Which things do you most admire about Branson’s leadership style? 3) Would you like to work for him?