CLEP Principles of Management flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Scientific management

Taylor's approach using time-and-motion study, standardized methods, and scientific selection and training of workers to maximize efficiency, separating planning from execution.

Bureaucracy

Weber's ideal structure with clear hierarchy, division of labor, formal rules, impersonal treatment, and merit-based advancement, producing rational-legal authority.

Theory X and Theory Y

McGregor's contrasting assumptions: Theory X views workers as disliking work and needing control; Theory Y views them as seeking responsibility and self-direction.

Contingency theory

The view that no single management approach fits all situations; structure and leadership style should match environment, technology, size, and task uncertainty.

Open system

An organization that takes inputs from its environment, transforms them, and returns outputs, relying on feedback and boundary spanning to adapt.

Span of control

The number of subordinates directly reporting to one manager; a wide span creates a flatter hierarchy, while a narrow span adds management layers.

Delegation

Assigning a task and the authority to complete it to a subordinate; accountability for results remains with the delegating manager.

Matrix structure

A design combining functional and product or project reporting, so employees have two bosses, gaining flexibility but risking role conflict and confusion.

Job enrichment

Vertical loading of a job that adds planning, control, and decision responsibility, increasing intrinsic motivation compared with simply adding more tasks.

Mechanistic vs organic

Mechanistic structures are rigid, specialized, and hierarchical; organic structures are flexible, broadly defined, and network-like, suited to changing environments.

SMART goals

Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound; specificity and feedback improve commitment and performance evaluation.

Management by objectives

A process where managers and employees jointly set goals, assign responsibility, review progress, and evaluate performance against agreed objectives.

Bounded rationality

Simon's concept that cognitive limits and incomplete information lead decision makers to satisfice, choosing the first acceptable option rather than the optimal one.

Escalation of commitment

Persisting with a failing course of action because of sunk costs and prior investment; prevented by preset exit criteria and independent review.

Rational decision model

A sequence of defining the problem, generating alternatives, evaluating them, selecting one, implementing it, and evaluating results, assuming full information.

Nominal group technique

A structured group method where members write ideas independently, then rank them, reducing conformity pressure and dominant-participant effects.

Leadership vs management

Management emphasizes order, control, and efficiency; leadership emphasizes influence, vision, and guiding change toward shared goals.

Initiating structure

A task-oriented leadership behavior from the Ohio State studies involving defining roles, setting schedules, and clarifying expectations for followers.

Path-goal theory

House's theory that leaders clarify paths to goals and use directive, supportive, participative, or achievement-oriented styles matched to task and follower characteristics.

Fiedler contingency model

A model matching a leader's fixed style, measured by LPC score, to situational favorableness determined by leader-member relations, task structure, and position power.

Expectancy theory

Vroom's theory that motivation depends on expectancy (effort leads to performance), instrumentality (performance leads to outcomes), and valence (outcome attractiveness).

Herzberg two-factor theory

Hygiene factors such as pay and conditions prevent dissatisfaction, while motivators such as achievement and responsibility produce satisfaction and motivation.

Referent power

Influence based on admiration, identification, and personal attractiveness rather than formal position, reward, or punishment.

Control process

A cycle of setting standards, measuring actual performance, comparing results to standards, and taking corrective action when deviations occur.

Feedforward control

Control applied before work begins, such as screening inputs or prequalifying suppliers, to prevent problems rather than correct them afterward.

Management by exception

A control principle directing managerial attention only to significant deviations from standards, conserving time on routine performance.

Balanced scorecard

A performance measurement system tracking financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth perspectives to link measures to strategy.

Current ratio

A liquidity measure calculated as current assets divided by current liabilities; higher values suggest greater ability to meet short-term obligations.

Total quality management

A management philosophy emphasizing customer focus, continuous improvement, employee involvement, and fact-based decisions, supported by statistical process control.

Hofstede dimensions

Cultural dimensions including power distance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence-restraint.

Entry mode tradeoff

Exporting has low risk and control; licensing and joint ventures share risk and control; wholly owned subsidiaries give highest control at highest risk.

CSR pyramid

Carroll's framework ordering corporate responsibilities as economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic, with economic responsibilities as the foundation.