This question contains two parts; be sure to answer both. First, explain the two things managers need to do to successfully implement a decision when using the rational model of decision making. Second, imagine that you are an office manager who has decided to implement a new policy of requiring all employees to be at their desks at 9 a.m., because too many employees have been arriving late. Explain how you will implement this policy based on the two criteria in the first part of this question.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

To implement a decision successfully, managers need to do two things:

(1) Plan carefully. Especially if reversing an action will be difficult, you need to make careful plans for implementation. Some decisions may require written plans. As the office manager, you may wish to write a memo that outlines the new policy; you may also email the memo to everyone in the office, as well as give them a hard copy and post it on the office bulletin boards. The written policy would make it clear that customers begin calling at 9 a.m., and that excellent customer service means that all office staff must be available to take calls from customers during official business hours.

(2) Be sensitive to those affected. You need to consider how the people affected may feel about the change—inconvenienced, insecure, even fearful, all of which can trigger resistance. This is why it helps to give employees and customers latitude during a changeover in business practices or working arrangements. Some employees may commute from quite a distance, and they may get stuck in traffic that is beyond their control, which makes them late to the office. In your policy, you might indicate that occasional lateness is excusable when the circumstances demand it, but that employees who are going to be late should call a "buddy" in the office to ensure that the phones are covered until the late employee arrives. Good managers will also explain how the new policy benefits everyone: customers are more satisfied, more customers come to the company, the company earns more money, and everyone's job is more secure (and high performers get better raises when the time comes).