Managing people
Socialising and entertaining
Douglas McGregor formulated the
famous Theory X and Theory Y:



Theory X is the idea that people
instinctively dislike work and will
do anything to avoid it
Theory Y is the view that
everybody has the potential to
find satisfaction in work
Some people have suggested the
Theory W (“whiplash”) which is the
idea that most work is done under
conditions of slavery
Most managers still choose the Theory
X:



They believe that their
subordinates need constant
supervision if they are to work
effectively
They think that decisions must be
imposed from above without
consultation
The managers who work in this way
are called authoritarian managers
Different cultures have different ways of
managing people:


Some cultures prefer frequent
consultations in decisionmaking (all members contribute to
this process)
This is called management by
consensus: a group decision that
is acceptable to all members of the
group, a general agreement
A recent trend in managing people
is



To encourage workers to use their
own initiative (to make decisions
on their own without asking
managers first)
This is called empowerment
(employees improve operations,
reduce costs and improve product
quality)
Empowerment is used to establish
better relationships with
customers
Empowerment is linked to the idea of
delegation:



Delegation is handling a task over
to a subordiante
If you delegate you transfer the
decision-making responsibility to
some subordinate organisations
You give someone the authority to
undertake specific activites or
decisions
Another trend is virtual management:


In virtual management the teams of
people are not physically present
at the work site, they are linked
by e-mail and the Internet and they
work from their own premises
(homes)
Another word for virtual
management is off-site
management
In managing people the managers
need to be good at:


Observing: they must understand
the behaviour, the strengths and
weaknesses of their staff
Listening: in order to learn about
their staff’s problems


Asking questions: to find out all the
information they need to make the
right decisions
Speaking: in order to communicate
their objectives clearly to all their
staff
“The international manager”


In recent years, many companies
have expanded globally through
mergers (uniting), joint ventures
(two or more companies or people
doing business together) and cooperation with foreign companies.
This means that many managers
work abroad as a part of a
multicultural team



Still, many of them have difficulties
adapting to the new culture.
The first example of failure in this
segment is a German manager
with IBM who took up a position as
product manager in England.
He stopped the employees from
leaving the company building at
lunchtime (they had the habit of
going to a pub).


This made him unpopular. The
problem is he didn’t think of cultural
differences. It is true that IBM
didn’t allow drinking during working
hours, but he didn’t understand that
staff in other countries might be
more flexible in applying the rule.
The second example is about an
American manager who came to
France.



He was unable to win the trust of
his staff although he tried all kinds
of ways to do so.
He set clear goals, worked
longer hours, participated in all
the projects, visited offices and
even took employees out to
lunch one by one.
To them, he seemed more
interested in getting the job done.

By walking around and visiting
everyone in their offices, he gave
the impression that he was
“checking up” on staff.
Socialising and entertaining
Some useful expressions
Socialising is an important part of good
management:


Being on time: how late do you
have to be before you are
considered “late”?
The way people dress: the
company’s policy might also be
smart-casual (dressing smartly
but in casual clothes). What about
dress-down Friday? Does it exist
in your country? (a company allows
people to dress less formally than
on other days)



How you address people (first
names or family names?)
Giving gifts: What should you
give? Does the person unwrap them
immediately or wait till later? (to
say thanks you usually say: That’s
very kind of you.)
Shaking
hands/kissing/hugging/bowing
: when is it appropriate?
Making excuses:
conversation:



It’s very kind of
you, but...
I’d like to take it
easy if you don’t
mind.
It’s very kind of
you, but another
time perhaps.
Making




What do you like
to do in your
spare time?
Where are you
going for your
holiday this year?
Can you tell me
about any
interesting places
to visit?
What about you?
Showing interest: Saying
goodbye:


Interesting!
Really?





Thanks very much
for your
hospitality.
I really enjoyed
the meal.
Thanks for
showing me round
the city.
I’ll be in touch
soon.
Goodbye. All the
best.
Word building
Conditionals
Word building: complete the missing
words in the columns










NOUN
Patience
Calmness
Weakness
Toughness
Emotion
Consistency
Sympathy
________
Enthusiasm
_________
ADJECTIVE
patient
______
______
______
______
______
______
formal
______
creative
OPPOSITE
________
nervous
strong
______
_______
________
________
________
________
__________
Conditionals:

First conditional: a possible
condition and its probable result
if + present simple, will + base
form of a verb
If we meet our sales target, we’ll
get a bonus.


Second conditional: an unlikely
condition and its probable result
if + past simple, would + base form
of the verb
If he listened more, he would be
a better manager.
Conditionals are often used
when negotiating.
Complete the sentences with: will,
would, won’t, wouldn’t




I’m sure they ____ continue doing
business with you if they weren’t
satisfied.
If he was able to deal with pressure,
he _____ be an excellent
negotiator.
If I lose this order, I’m afraid it
_____ affect my commission.
If you don’t increase the discount,
we _____ be able to increase the
size of our order.

We ____ have to turn to another
supplier if you were able to deliver
this month.
Complete the sentences with the
correct form of the verbs in brackets:




We ____ (give) you a 15% discount
if you pay cash.
If they ____ (pay) late, we would
close their account.
If you ______ (deliver) this week,
we will place a bigger order.
We _____ (deliver) this week if you
paid cash.



We will give her a free gift if she
______ (increase) her order.
If they make a concession, we
_____ (do) the same.
If you place regular orders, we
_____ (cover) insurance.