ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT (EMG21)
MODULE 1 - SEATWORK 1
4th Quarter SY 2020 – 2021
ACTIVITY 1-3
Group Members:
Torres, Robin DL.
Rendon, Emil Renfred A.
Umayam, Martin Joshua P.
Marcos, Stephen Shadrach P.
Jimenez, Luq Willis A.
Activity 1
Planning
1. Describe the situation(s) that best illustrate each of the four (4) management
functions of POLC.
The planning function is an overall important and a recurring theme throughout
the entire film. Billy Beane, which is played by Brad Pitt, conducts the overall
planning for the Oakland A’s as a general manager. This function is clearly
depicted especially in the situations that shows the scouting meetings where he
and the other scouts plan and discuss what they could do to replace the three of
their star players they lost during the end of the baseball season. Proper planning
is also shown in the film as a major factor in the team’s success which resulted
from careful planning not only from Beane but from Peter Brand as well. The film
widely captures the fact that careful planning is always the key to success.
Through thorough planning, a team can go the distance despite having the
disadvantage. This disadvantage, which in Billy Beane’s case, the lesser budget,
is something that careful planning and proper execution of the tasks at hand
should aim to turn it into something positive itself. This is seen in the film when
Peter and Billy decided to hire players based on their potentials rather than their
talents that was already seen and judged by the critics.
2. Add management insights and learning from each of these situation(s) of POLC.
Just like what we have indicated in the first number, proper planning is the most
important and crucial key to success. Without it, everything will just crumble as
actions or things are to be done without proper procedures. Throughout watching
the film, we have learned that proper planning goes together with proper risktaking ideas and ideologies which was clearly exhibited by Brad Pitt’s character,
Billy Beane in the movie by hiring players based on statistics (which was
provided by Peter Brand) as well as their own observations of their raw
potentials. Through this, we can say that both things may or may not result to a
success story, but it will always be worth the try. In the film, it was also clarified
and solidified the stance that most managers have in which planning is the
hardest parts and roles in each organization or team as you are always given a
choice to do what you think is right and that anything might go wrong at any
given moment but despite it all, we can still say that careful planning and proper
execution always gets the job done.
As a result, and as these learnings are applied not only in our future lines of work
but in our daily lives as well, let us always remember the ideas and ideologies
that lie beneath this function and its concepts. Let us always ensure that
everything and detailed was planned up to its tiniest bits in order for us to
properly get a job done for without the planning phase, the other functions and
phases would just fail or cease to exist.
Organizing
1. Describe the situation(s) that best illustrate each of the four (4) management
functions of POLC.
The actions made by Billy Beane and Peter Brand in planning the Moneyball is
one good situation that illustrates organizing. Even when members of the scout
administration disapproved of their new strategy, they persisted with their plan.
This shows how Billy Beane, a general manager, has the authority in making and
implementing decisions, while other members can only make opinions or
suggestions. Scott Hatteberg was chosen to be recruited to the team by Billy
Beane and one of the members of the scout. Aside from Hatteberg, other players
were also recruited to replace Giambi, one of their key players.
2. Add management insights and learning from each of these situation(s) of POLC.
By being able to know the strengths and weaknesses of each group member,
things will be able to get the way it is planned, the group will be more organized
which can result in a better outcome/output. In the movie Moneyball, it can be
seen that during the games of the Oakland Athletics Art Howe, a conflict can be
seen because the manager is contradicting the new strategy of Beane and
Brand. He wants to continually do the strategy that was more usual/traditional for
him which makes them lose the game. But when he gave a chance to the new
strategy and tried something new, they began to win with a total of 20
consecutive wins. This movie is very significant especially nowadays, wherein
most people stick to the traditional way even when there is a more convenient
way.
Leading
1. Describe the situation(s) that best illustrate each of the four (4) management
functions of POLC.
The best situation that Billy Bean illustrated leading is when he started to interact
with the players on his team. To be specific it is when he hit the bat on the radio
because the team was having fun even though they are losing several times in a
row. After this scene he started to trade and look for more players based on their
statistical numbers and their new strategy. He traded Pena to Hatteberg, and
Giambi to Mabry as a first step. Then they talked to players about their statistics
in playing baseball to know their strengths and weaknesses for them to get better
at this. Billy Bean was casual about this because he was a player, and he was
seen by his team as a leader who knows how the game on the ground works.
After this the Oakland athletics team won twenty games in a row. They are the
only team to have accomplished this achievement.
2. Add management insights and learning from each of these situation(s) of POLC.
When Billy Bean did not interact with the players to keep him from getting
attached emotionally because at some time, he will have to trade them or let
them go they were losing most of their games but when he started to change his
strategy in leading the team, he increased their chances of winning just by simply
talking about their strengths and weaknesses during training and encouraging
them to become a leader. Even though they may have lost a lot in the past he
made sure to keep them confident and strong because as he said they are a
winning team.
Another insight and learning from this situation is that as a leader you need to be
present and engaged to what your goal is because it is not only about decisions
and money it is also about motivation, confidence, and connection to your team
that will bring victory. Baseball is a team sport and as a team everyone must be
seen to be contributing to their objective and it is the only way to manage a
winning team and as a leader you must see the potential of your teammates not
only based on what the eye can see because there will always be room for
improvement when you are pushed and motivated by yourself or others.
Controlling
1. Describe the situation(s) that best illustrate each of the four (4) management
functions of POLC.
As the movie goes on, controlling can be observed being applied. One situation
that best illustrates the management functions of POLC is when Beane sticks
with the traditional and he traded Pena and other players for Art Howe to make
Hatteberg play. He is attempting to maintain control of the team's circumstances
by requiring them to keep to the plan. As the strategy progressed and they saw
the outcomes, they made modifications by trading another player to another team
and adding a new player. Another instance of controlling that we can see was
when he discharged the head scout and replaced him with someone else. This
scenario demonstrates Beane's attempts to command and control the team.
2. Add management insights and learning from each of these situation(s) of POLC.
One insight and learning from each of these situations is to make and follow your
plan as a team. Having a plan is very important to any team’s success and if a
plan did not work well then that is the time to replan and make adjustments in
order for the team to be successful. It is okay to fail on your plans but make sure
to get up strong and turn the failure to a success.
3. Critique the style, skill, and approach of Brad Pitt as general manager of sports
team organization. (Tip: refer to reference lectures taken up in class)
One thing we noticed was Billy Beane’s dictatorial leadership style. His ideas
have a sense of finality, as evidenced by their use of the Moneyball technique on
the board. This moment demonstrates how he commands the board, and as he
stated, “this is not a discussion,” implying that the plan is set in stone, and he
was simply informing them of what would happen in the future. He also employs
a path-goal style to leadership, in which he sets goals with the members and
then determines the best path to attain those goals, in this example, employing
the Moneyball methodology. For me, this strategy is simple and goal-oriented,
which I believe is quite valuable for a sport organization like baseball.
4. How would these illustrated management principles and functions in the movie
be applicable in a larger business-for-profit organization? Explain how did you
see the movie in the light of the initial learnings gained in the course?
Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are all management duties in a
non-profit organization, and they are all intertwined and interconnected, just like
in the movie. You must begin by establishing a long-term aim, which in the case
of the film is to win, while in the case of the business it is to profit. To organize,
they arrange a team by knowing each and all person’s flaws and strengths to
make human cooperation efficient, much like in the movie. While leading, you
must urge your subordinates to complete their tasks correctly and successfully.
You must set a good example for them and inspire them to be their best selves.
Finally, controlling that is similar to steering an automobile, which straightens
things up and makes modifications as needed to attain the aim. A sports
organization is not dissimilar to a non-profit organization. Both have objectives,
plans, resources, and dangers, among other things.
We are already exercising managerial functions without even realizing it, and
now that we are conscious, we may apply what we have learned in real-life
scenarios. For us, the film was eye-opening. We saw managers at work and
watched how they used the principles we had just discussed and saw in the
power slide. It demonstrated how the functions and principles of management
are intertwined and inseparable from one another. We also learned the value of
confidence, teamwork, communication, understanding, time management, and
patience, among other things. We also saw the value of studying engineering
management since, in addition to the fact that it will be useful in our future
careers, some parts were already vital while we were still students.
Activity 2
1. Consider Elon Musk’s background in the computer industry and the difficulty of
starting a revolutionary car company. Do you think California is a good place
from which to base Tesla Motors? Why or why not?
California is a great place to base a company and start a business. There are a
lot of reasons on why this is and let us discuss them in the next few statements.
Firstly, California’s location on the western part of the United States opens the
opportunities for businesses, especially Tesla Motors to reach a worldwide
audience as it would be very easy to ship their manufactured vehicular products.
Through this, Tesla Motors would be able to have a chance to become one of the
world’s leading motor and car products. Secondly, California houses the “Silicon
Valley” where the leading worldwide companies such as Google and Apple are
based. In this particular area in the state, Tesla Motors would be able to have a
boost in advertisements as well as in sales as it would be much easier to access
networking and other types of computer-related products in which Tesla itself is
integrating into their cars. Thirdly, is that in California, due to the presence of
leading Colleges and Universities that specializes in Engineering and Mechanics
such as Stanford University (which is also in the Silicon Valley), there would be a
greater pool of talents and minds that could contribute into Tesla’s revolutionary
ideas. Lastly, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, California state is
ranked fifth in the world’s economy so basing Tesla there will provide consistent
revenue and income which could keep the company running in the long run.
2. What managerial skills does Musk used to keep the company moving ahead?
Explain how each skill was applied or demonstrated by Musk.
Elon musk demonstrated all three managerial skills in moving ahead Tesla
Motors. His conceptual skills are fully demonstrated because he put his own
money and investor’s money at risk in making the first electric sports car in the
market with the hopes of dominating the US market with electric cars by 2030.
His reasons for making an electric car demonstrated his creative thinking in
solving the world’s problem like dependency in fossil fuels and greenhouse
gases.
The Human skills of Elon Musk is that he does not have a permanent office
because he is always busy interacting and learning with the engineers who are
building the electric car. He works as a first line manager as well as the top-level
manager. When Elon Musk took over in 2008 in the time of the financial crisis, he
was able to find investors from his past relationship in the computer industry.
Lastly, Elon Musk has enough technical skill in the work that he does because he
has a degree in Physics and Finance, and he is also the inventor of Zip2 and
X.com. His curiosity of electric cars and his style of managing continues to grow
his technical skills in the industry. His knowledge in Finance saved them in the
2008 crisis and the choice of making a sports car as their first car to sell in the
market is carefully planned for the company to survive start-up.
3. What attributes/characteristics does Elon Musk exhibit that make him an effective
manager?
Elon musk is flexible, committed, focused, has good communication skills, and
has excellent leadership skills. This helped him to get to where he is right now
and now, he became one of the richest people.
4. Which management style best describes Musk’s leadership? Why?
Let us become a little more serious for a moment. Elon Musk's management
style is best described as Visionary management style. When it comes to
specified leadership or management styles Elon Musk is innovative, Elon Musk is
inspiring, Elon Musk is fast-acting, Elon Musk is ambitious, and Elon Musk is
obsessive. He believes there is always a better way to do things, and he strives
for continuous development. He has great ambitions and tries to rally his people
behind his (sometimes absurd) vision and goals.
Activity 3
1. What is the case all about? Is there any problem/s needed to be solved? If yes,
what is it?
The case that we were tasked to read was all about Procter & Gamble (and
especially Kay Bross’ production of an electronic document management system
which is now integrated into the Adobe LiveCycle application or extension.
Throughout reading the case, there were not any problem that it is facing except
for the fact that signatures as well as unsolicited auditing or hacking could be
possible if their systems or servers were hacked which could be a major problem.
Overall, we believe that the system is deemed beneficial especially in improving
productivity, innovation, and work in the company or an organization.
2. List the advantages and disadvantages of paper documentation and electronic
documentation?
Advantages of paper documentation
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The person who does not know his way of using computers will be able to handle
his work properly by using paper documentation.
Paper documentation is required in court rooms so in case there will be a law suit
the documents are already ready.
It is tangible and easy to handle.
Disadvantages of paper documentation
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Laborious to work with
It takes too much time to organize, archive, and manage.
Extra expense for the company if there will be too much paper documents
because they will need to rent a warehouse to keep it off site.
Involves manual searching of documents.
Indexes are not accurate.
Flummoxed companies because of the change in workflow.
It is vulnerable to damage. For example, Fire, Flood, and earthquakes.
Advantages of electronic documentation
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Helps companies to interact globally.
Saves money.
Proven to save an average of 30 minutes of signing and archiving per week.
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Employees can sign a document globally using SAFE.
Efficient way to do business.
Companies will find the documents needed fast.
The communication is instant because it is real time.
Disadvantages of electronic documentation
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Not everyone trusts the system.
Not everyone wants to change the way they work.
Prone to hackers
The IT systems has its own problems.
3. List down the tasks or activities performed by the top, middle, and first-line levels
of management at P&G.
Top
The top management decides and handles the com[any financial which they aim
to gain greater control of documents, reduce administrative oversight, trim costs,
accelerate R&D initiatives, and improve tracking and signature compliance. They
also wanted to be sure it had a legally enforceable signature on file.
Middle
The middle management made sure that the employees accepted the new
workflow and taught them how to use the new application for authenticating
digital signatures and signing and storage processes into its everyday workflow.
They made sure that the company could authenticate digital signatures and build
signing and storage processes into its everyday workflow.
The tasks of First-line
The first line management has to accept the new workflow and learn how to use
the eLab application to store and authenticate digital signatures. The employees
now use Adobe LiveCycle software and employ two-factor authentication.
4. Being the Senior Public Key Infrastructure Specialist, what management style did
Kay Bross demonstrated? Explain.
Kay Bross exemplified a visionary leadership approach. Bross and other
executives at P&G felt that key pieces were not in place when the company
considered migrating to an electronic record keeping system several years ago,
and that the company needed to ensure that it could authenticate digital
signatures and integrate signing and storage processes into its daily workflow.
5. What approach to management did P&G executed in this case? Explain
As from the case study of Procter and Gamble, P&G's problem is that they are
having tons of dilemma of using papers for their files. Now their goal is to go
paperless and switch into a digital way that will involve major changes to the
company's workflow and create challenges to their compliance. The managerial
approach they did in order to overcome this dilemma is Cooperative Social
Systems Approach. P&G gathered and managed their researchers, clinicians,
quality control staff, marketing specialists, and dozens of other internal P&G
staff and external partners to share documents and analyze to reach the goal of
taking the company into a paperless system. From the changes they did result
went good as the typical employee will save 30 minutes a day of signing and
archiving per week and a 5 to 10 percent productivity increase for the employees.