1
Institute of Technology and Business
in České Budějovice
Management and Leadership of
Employees
Study Support for the combined form of study
Guarantor: Mgr. Zdeněk Caha, MBA, Ph.D.
Faculty of Corporate Strategy
Department of Management
Author: Mgr. Zdeněk Caha, MBA, Ph.D.
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Contents
1 Metodika práce se studijními oporami ...........................................................................3
2 Summary.........................................................................................................................6
3 Preparation for seminars...............................................................................................10
3.1 Management and leadership of employees, its goals and tools – analysis of a practical
example....................................................................................................................10
3.2 Performance characteristics of employees, their types, differences and utilization –
controlled discussion of a practical example ...........................................................15
3.3 Abilities and personal effectiveness of employees – analysis of personal effectiveness
..................................................................................................................................20
3.4 Personality traits and approaches of employees and their relation to their performance
– analysis of an example from the practice..............................................................24
3.5 Work motivation and its type. Typology of individual motivation of employees.
Motivation tools of a manager – analysis of a practical example............................29
3.6 Managerial communication, the principles of persuasion and influencing. Creativity,
its importance and development. Emotional intelligence and its application to
management. Management styles and their effectiveness – analysis of a practical
example....................................................................................................................36
3.7 Assignment, delegation and control of tasks – analysis of wrong procedures on the
basis of concrete examples.......................................................................................46
3.8 Assessment and transfer of feedback – example of a case from the practice ..........51
3.10 Conducting meetings – analysis of a practical example ..........................................61
3.11 Principles and tools of coaching. Personal problems of employees and their solution.
Interviews with employees and their types – analysis of concrete problematic
situations from business sphere................................................................................65
3.13 Principles of leadership. Problematic tendencies of managers – analysis of an
example from the practice........................................................................................80
3
1 Metodika práce se studijními oporami
Studijní opory pro kombinovanou formu studia jsou určeny pro studenty Vysoké školy technické
a ekonomické v Českých Budějovicích ke studiu povinných, povinně volitelných a volitelných
předmětů. Studijní opory jsou studijní pomůcka, která doplňuje výukové bloky jednotlivých
předmětů, vyučovaných v programu Řízení lidských zdrojů v bakalářském studiu, především pak
pro kombinovanou formu studia.
Kombinovaná výuka probíhá formou výukových bloků, kde jsou studenti v přímém kontaktu s
vyučujícím. Přímá komunikace s vyučujícím je možná nejen v rámci blokové výuky, ale i v
konzultačních hodinách a elektronicky.
Studijní opora doplňuje studentovi přímou výuku a odráží aktuální stav poznání daného předmětu.
Součástí studijní opory jsou také anotace předmětů, které zahrnují:
 základní informace o předmětu,
 název předmětu a jeho doporučenou dobu studia v semestru a ročníku,
 garanta předmětu a seznam vyučujících.
 způsob zakončení předmětu zkouška/zápočet,
 výukové metody a metody hodnocení,
 podmínky pro úspěšné absolvování předmětu včetně upřesnění způsobu hodnocení,
 podmínky pro úspěšné absolvování předmětu,
 cíl předmětu, vycházející z profilu absolventa,
 témata přednášek a seminářů,
 studijní zátěž studentů,
 povinnou a doporučenou literaturu, která je dostupná v knihovně VŠTE ,
 výstupy z učení, tedy teoretické znalosti, které by měl student získat studiem přednášek a
praktické dovednosti, které by si měl osvojit v rámci jednotlivých seminářů.
Každá studijní opora je určena pro konkrétní předmět a jejich struktura se odvíjí od rozsahu
předmětu, tedy počtu přednášek a seminářů na daný semestr. Přesný rozsah u jednotlivých
předmětů najdeme ve studijním plánu. Rozsah předmětu je ve studijní opoře koncipován nikoli po
týdnech, ale po dvouhodinových blocích, tzn., pokud má předmět dotaci 26p/26s, studijní opora
4
obsahuje 13 témat přednášek a 13 témat seminářů. V tabulce níže jsou uvedeny příklady možného
rozsahu.
Tabulka 1: Rozsah a počet přednášek/seminářů
Název předmětu Rozsah Vysvětlení
Počet jednotlivých
přednášek/seminářů v
jednotlivé studijní opoře
Ekonometrie I. 26p + 26s
26 p = 26 přednášek po 45
minutách
26 s = 26 seminářů po 45 minutách
13 přednášek po 90 min
(výpočet 26:2=13)
13 seminářů po 90 min
(výpočet 26:2=13)
Řízení lidských zdrojů 52p + 26s
52 p = 52 přednášek po 45
minutách
26 s = 26 seminářů po 45 minutách
26 přednášek po 90 min
(výpočet 52:2=26)
13 seminářů po 90 min
(výpočet 26:2=13)
Příprava na přednášky je zaměřena na získání teoretických znalostí a je členěna na
následující podkapitoly:
 Klíčová slova,
o nejedná se o nejčastěji použitá slova, ale slova charakterizující probírané téma.
 Cíle kapitoly,
o vztahují se ke studiu příslušné kapitoly a k tématu dané přednášky či semináře.
 Výstupy z učení,
o jedná se o číslované výstupy z učení podle anotací, tedy jaké znalosti student získá
studiem příslušné kapitoly.
 Abstrakt (příprava na přednášky),
o je tematickým průřezem (výtahem) celé kapitoly.
 Studijní literatura,
o je členěna na povinnou a doporučenou literaturu a je zde uveden rozsah stran,
kterým by se měl student věnovat v rámci samostudia.
5
 Kontrolní otázky,
o uvedeny otázky ověřující výstupy z učení, tedy získané znalosti a dovednosti.
 Zajímavosti z dané problematiky,
o odkazují na zajímavé odborné články či webové stránky, které rozšiřují znalosti
studentů nad rámec jejich základních znalostí.
 Odkaz na seminář,
o odkazuje na téma semináře, které vychází ze získaných teoretických znalostí
studenta.
 Příklad dobré nebo špatné praxe,
o tato kapitola je uvedena pouze u předmětů, obsahujících pouze přednášky. Příklad
simuluje a odráží postup řešení dané problematiky v podnikatelské praxi.
Příprava na semináře je zaměřena na osvojení si praktických dovedností a obsahuje:
 Klíčová slova (stejné, jako v případě přednášek).
 Cíle kapitoly (stejné, jako v případě přednášek).
 Výstupy z učení,
o jedná se o číslované výstupy z učení podle anotací, tedy jaké dovednosti student
získá studiem příslušné kapitoly.
 Příklad, uvedení vzorového úkolu,
o vzor souvislého příkladu/úkolu s vypracovaným vzorovým řešením včetně
komentářů. Příklad slouží k ověření praktických dovedností studenta.
 Zadání samostatné práce
o další zadané příklady/úlohy/samostatné práce, kde cílem je prohloubit schopnost
samostatné práce studenta a podpořit jeho tvůrčí a kreativní myšlení.
 Studijní literatura (stejné, jako v případě přednášek)
Výchozím předpokladem pro práci se studijními materiály je osvojení si obsahu výkladové části
opor a schopnost aplikace teorie k řešení zadaných úkolů. Pro studenta je nezbytné seznámit se se
základními pojmy a dále pracovat s povinnou a doporučenou literaturou.
6
2 Summary
Period Year 3/ 5th term
Course Management and Leadership of Employees
Language English
Guarantor Mgr. Zdeněk Caha, MBA, Ph.D.
Guarantor faculty Faculty of Corporate Strategy
Department Department of Management
Lecture tutor ---
Seminar tutor Mgr. Zdeněk Caha, MBA, Ph.D.
Assessment type z.
Assessment note attendance at seminars 70 % see further notes of the subject guarantor
Extent and
intensity
0/2
Credits 2
The goal of the
course
The goal of the subject is to familiarize students with the main principles
and tools of successful management and leadership of employees
in organizations that directly or indirectly influence their performance
and behaviour. The main topics of the course are among others the
management styles of a manager, situational management, individual
performance characteristics of employees, their differences and
applicability, motivation behaviour of a manager, principles
of leadership and coaching, the most frequent psychological obstacles
to performance on the side of employees as well as of the organization
and prevention of personnel risks.
Learning
outcomes
After successful completion of the course a student:
23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational
leadership,
23.2 understands the performance characteristics and their utilization,
23.3 understands personality traits and attitudes of employees and their
relation to their performance,
23.4 understands the individual motivation of employees and its types
and understands the motivation tools of a manager,
23.5 understands the importance of the emotional intelligence and its
application to management,
23.6 understands the principles of leadership,
23.7 knows the principles and tools of coaching,
23.8 is able to deal with conflicts at workplace and identifies
problematic tendencies of managers,
23.9 copes with the prevention and solution of unwanted behaviour of
employees,
23.10 copes with the prevention of personnel risks of an organization.
7
Syllabus of the
subject
Seminars
1. Management and leadership of employees, its goals and tools –
analysis of a practical example. (23.1)
2. Performance characteristics of employees, their types, differences
and utilization – controlled discussion of a practical example. (23.2)
3. Abilities and personal effectiveness of employees – analysis of
personal effectiveness. (23.3)
4. Personality traits and approaches of employees and their relation to
their performance – analysis of an example from the practice. (23.3)
5. Work motivation and its type. Typology of individual motivation of
employees. Motivation tools of a manager – analysis of a practical
example. (23.4)
6. Managerial communication, the principles of persuasion and
influencing. Creativity, its importance and development. Emotional
intelligence and its application to management. Management styles
and their effectiveness – analysis of a practical example. (23.1, 23.2,
23.5, 23.10)
7. Assignment, delegation and control of tasks – analysis of wrong
procedures on the basis of concrete examples. (23.7)
8. Assessment and transfer of feedback – example of a case from the
practice. (23.10)
9. Team formation and leading – analysis of a practical example.
(23.1, 23.10)
10. Conducting meetings – analysis of a practical example. (23.10)
11. Principles and tools of coaching. Personal problems of employees
and their solution. Interviews with employees and their types –
analysis of concrete problematic situations from business sphere.
(23.1, 23.7, 23.9, 23.10)
12. Stress at workplace and its prevention. Prevention of and coping
with unwanted behaviour of employees, mobbing and bullying at
workplace. Conflicts at workplace, their causes and solution –
analysis of an example from the practice. (23.1, 23.8, 23.9)
13. Situational leadership. Principles of leadership. Relation between
management and leadership. Problematic tendencies of managers –
analysis of an example from the practice. (23.1, 23.6, 23.8)
Organizational
forms of teaching
seminar
Complex
teaching methods
frontal teaching
project teaching
group teaching – cooperation
brainstorming
critical thinking
independent work – individual or individualized activity
teaching supported by multimedia technologies
Study load
Activity
Hours per term
Daily form Combined form
8
Preparation for lectures 0 0
Preparation for a seminar, exercise,
tutorial
10 10
Preparation of a seminar paper 12 15
Attendance at lectures 0 0
Attendance at a seminar, exercise,
tutorial, industrial visit
13 8
Preparation for the final test 11 13
Final test 1 1
Preparation for presentation 4 4
Presentation 1 1
Total: 52 52
Assessment
Methods and
Assessment Rate
20 % seminar paper
10 % seminar paper presentation
70 % final test
Exam conditions Course assessment consists of continuous assessment (30 – 0 points –
seminar paper and its presentation) and a written test (70 – 0 points).
The overall classification is a sum of the points for the continuous
assessment and the written test. The overall classification of the course,
i.e. the points for the written test (70 – 0) + the points for the continuous
assessment (30 – 0 points): A 100 – 90, B 89.99 – 84, C 83.99 – 77, D
76.99 – 73, E 72.99 – 70, FX 69.99 – 30, F 29.99 – 0
Teacher's
information
The attendance in the lessons in all forms of study is dealt with by a
special internal standard (Registration of VŠTE students' attendance).
70 % attendance at seminars and exercises is compulsory for daily
students.
Compulsory
literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada.
ISBN 978-80-271-0227-3.
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a
právní vědy a European Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5.
Recommended
literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí - Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a
motivovat. 3rd extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5.
Webpages http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
Publishing
activities
Subject guarantor and tutor (Mgr. Zdeněk Caha, MBA, Ph.D.)
CAHA, Z. and J. URBAN, 2017. A Code of Ethics as Part of the Ethical
Management in Czech Republic Companies. In: Strategic Performance
Management. New Conceptss and Contemporary Trends. New York:
Nova Science Publishers, 403-411. ISBN 978-1-5361-2682-2.
9
CAHA, Z., 2017. The Education and Development of Company
Managers in the Czech Republic and Ukraine. In: Proceedings of the
3rd International Scientific Conference Innovative Economic
Symposium: Strategic Partnership in International Trade. České
Budějovice: EDP Sciences. ISBN 978-2-7598-9028-6.
CAHA, Z. and J. URBAN, 2017. A Code of Ethics as an Organizational
Management Tool and its Use in the Czech Republic. Lüdenscheid:
RAM-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-942303-50-7.
HITKA, M., L. LIŽBETINOVÁ, Z. CAHA a Y. XU, 2016. Facility
management - Instrument for the management of support processes for
HRM outsourcing. Communications: scientific letters of the University
of Žilina. 18(2), 38-44. ISSN 1335-4205.
CAHA, Z. and J. URBAN, 2017. Etické řízení organizace. Od etického
kodexu k etickému řízení. Lüdenscheid: RAM-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-
942303-53-8.
Topics of
bachelor thesis
Management and leadership of employees in a large company (case
study)
Management and leadership of employees in a small company (case
study)
Application of situational leadership at workplace (case study)
10
3 Preparation for seminars
3.1 Management and leadership of employees, its goals and
tools – analysis of a practical example
Key words
Managerial tasks and functions, management of employees, leading of employees,
management tools, leadership tools, differences between the tools of management and
leadership
The goals of the chapter
To explain the goals and tools of management and leadership of colleagues, to clarify the
differences between management and leadership, to explain differences between traditional
and modern roles of managers in managing people.
Learning outcomes
 23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational leadership
Abstract
A manager has to cope first of all with the four traditional management tasks or functions:
the task to plan the work of his/her section and to distribute it among individual colleagues,
to assign concrete work task to employees and to monitor and coordinate their fulfilment.
These traditional tasks form the basis of the activities of each manager related to the
management of people; however, rules are no more sufficient for successful performance
of personnel management function in a modern organization.
The main reason is that the achievement of the best possible performance and the full
utilization of his/her potential is no longer possible by direct management based mainly
on orders in today’s organization. It requires creation of conditions supporting the efforts
and interest in doing the best work, but also the work environment strengthening their
responsibility and initiative and stimulating them to further development of their abilities.
New management functions related to the management of people or also indirect
management tools are referred to as leading. They include four more important managerial
11
tasks, namely the task to motivate employees, to delegate more demanding and more
independent tasks connected to higher authorities to them and to support them in their
fulfilment, i.e. to take care about their future development. These duties of a manager also
include dealing with further social tasks of a managerial function, for example to help
employees with the solution of personal problems obstructing them from the full
performance, to solve conflicts that sometimes occur between employees, to act as a leader
giving the sense and importance to the task in an organization, emphasising its values and
providing employees with the necessary securities, particularly in critical situations.
A significant part of the tasks related to the every-day management and leadership
of employees is based on social or communicational abilities of a leader, which form his/her
main management tools: the ability to give and obtain information, to persuade and act
credibly, to motivate, lead and influence the others, even without exercising directly the
authorities of a manager resulting from his/her position in an organization.
For example, the task to motivate and inspire employees is based among others on the ability
to set motivation goals, to act as a personal example, to encourage responsibility, interest
in the work and personal self-confidence of employees, to give them new stimuli etc.
Delegation of growing authorities is based on the ability to assign gradually more
complicated tasks to the employees accompanied by adequate possibilities to make
decisions, to enable them to do more important work that also provides employees with
higher satisfaction.
To support employees in the fulfilment of their tasks means to create favourable work
environment, including interpersonal relations enabling them to give their best, to provide
them with the information they need for their work, to remove obstacles that hinder their
work, to provide them with support and help if necessary not limiting their self-confidence
etc. Permanent development of the abilities of employees is based on the efforts of managers
to care that their colleagues get the adequate instructions or training they need to be able to
carry out their work well and efficiently, on their ability to act as a coach etc.
A successful manager and leader of people needs to understand the employees as individuals
characterized by a complex of qualities and as groups or teams. This is substantially
supported by the knowledge of psychology.
12
Example (assignment of a task)
What main knowledge and abilities should training of new managers before their
appointment to a managerial function be focused on?
Unlike in the professional dimension of management, whose requirements might differ
at different places, the acts resulting from the personnel dimension of management are,
to a significant extent identical for all managerial functions, regardless their hierarchic level
or functional sphere. The expertise demands for a managerial function might be significant,
however, the fact that they miss sufficient expertise and technical abilities however is not
the reason why they fail in their functions (why they are not able to achieve their goals), but
the fact that they miss the ability to lead colleagues.
Training of new managers should therefore focus on three areas of knowledge. We refer
to them as three conditions of successful management of people. They are:
 understanding to personal and situational factors that condition the performance and
work behaviour of people. The personal factors that determine individual differences
in work and performance are particularly abilities, personal qualities and habits, work
motivation and work approaches of people. The situational factors that are under
significant influence of a manager or an organization are particularly the way
of management, leadership and communication with employees. The knowledge
belonging to this category is mainly based on the knowledge of psychology,
 acquisition of the managerial procedures necessary for efficient management and
leadership. These are the principles of assignment and delegation of tasks,
developing and supporting motivation, coaching of employees, credible and
persuasive communication of a manager, creation and leading of teams, development
and coaching of employees etc. The abilities belonging to this category relate to socalled
soft or social abilities of a manager particularly applied to his/her behaviour
to and communication with colleagues.
 familiarization with the principles of human management in an organization, i.e.
with the rules and procedures of the selection of people, management, assessment
and remuneration of their performance, with the ways of development of employees
and improvement of their efficiency, management of changes and corporate culture
etc. The rules and procedures that belong to this category have the characters
of management principles applied to wider groups of employees and resulting from
generally applicable requirements of human resource management as well as from
13
the requirements dictated by the business and/or personnel strategy (policy)
of an organization.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain the most frequent problems faced by organizations whose new
managers have not been sufficiently prepared for the performance of the new requirements
of their managerial position.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 23-56)
Control questions
1. What are the traditional tasks of a manager related to the management of his/her
section?
2. What are the new tasks of a manager related to the management and leadership
of colleagues?
3. What is the difference between management and leadership?
4. What does motivation of employees mean?
5. What does delegation mean?
6. What does supporting employees mean?
7. Why is permanent communication with employees important?
8. What does inspiration of employees mean?
9. What knowledge is leading of colleagues based on?
10. What abilities is managing and leading of employees based on?
14
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
15
3.2 Performance characteristics of employees, their types,
differences and utilization – controlled discussion
of a practical example
Key words
Work performance, performance characteristics of employees, the main types
of performance characteristics, individual differences in performance characteristics,
utilization of the differences in performance characteristics
The goals of the chapter
To explain the main performance characteristics of people and their importance, to explain
the differences between the types of performance characteristics ad their practical impacts,
to clarify the character of individual differences in performance characteristics of people,
to clarify the ways and possibilities of utilization of the differences in performance
characteristics of people.
Learning outcomes
 23.2 understands the performance characteristics and their utilization
Abstract
People mutually differ by their performance, i.e. the work results or workplace behaviour,
even if the conditions of their work or the way of their management do not significantly
differ. The quantity and quality of the work done by them as well as their work behaviour
and attitudes to work actually depend to a significant extent on their different personal
performance characteristics.
Some of these characteristics influence the performance of employees directly some rather
indirectly. The first include particularly the personal abilities and motivation. In some cases
they however also include the so-called personal efficiency, i.e. the ability to control one’s
own activity. The personal pace, i.e. how quick employees carry out their work, can also
play an important role within these characteristics. Numerous professions moreover require
creativity from employees, i.e. the ability to think beyond established frameworks, to come
with new procedures or to reveal their possibilities.
16
The performance characteristics that influence the work performance rather indirectly
particularly include personal or character traits that condition the way how employees act in
certain situations and their relations to the social environment. These are for example
responsibility they perform their work with or responsiveness to their colleagues, e.g.
willingness to give them information they need, to help them if they need etc. Emotional
displays and responses usually referred to as emotional intelligence also belong to similar
characteristics like character traits. They are among others empathy, i.e. the ability to
understand the emotions of others, for example dissatisfaction of customers.
A wider group of characteristics arising from personal motivation and character traits
contains the attitudes to work and the organization an employee works for. In adverse
situations these attitudes may lead to the tendency to improper or even asocial behaviour.
Tendencies to non-adherence to required procedures or to cause undue conflicts are some
examples.
The importance of individual performance characteristics for different professions certainly
differs, namely in dependence to the character and specific demands of particular work. It
can however also differ in dependence on to what extent an organization expects its
employees to work independently, i.e. without direct or permanent supervision of a manager,
to what extent it requires them to be able to cope quickly with new tasks, to participate in
decision making etc. Important performance characteristics may for example also include
how fast employees learn new procedures (which is related to their abilities and motivation),
to what extent they are willing to accept higher responsibility or to what extent they are
willing to accept changes or, on the contrary, are resistant to them (which often depends on
their personal traits apart from the abilities and motivation).
Understanding to the psychological bases, i.e. the character and the causes of the differences
in performance characteristics of individual employees is important for their proper selection
and management, mainly the way of the assignment and control of tasks, their motivation
and development.
Example (assignment of a task)
Social abilities of people form a part of their performance characteristics. Assertiveness is
one of them. What is the basis of this ability and in what legal situations is it important?
Assertiveness, or the ability of healthy self-assurance, is a social ability important
particularly in work positions or activities requiring the ability to proceed in compliance with
one’s own goals and needs or the goals and needs of an organization, i.e. to push one’s own
17
opinion and conviction through maintaining healthy and conflict-free relations with the
environment. It can therefore be perceived as a complex of communication skills including
learned ways of communication, that enable a person to assert his/her requirements and
standpoints in a tactful and constructive way.
Healthy self-confidence, ability to express one’s opinion clearly or to demonstrate one’s
requests and requirements, to stick to one’s standpoint and not to yield to pressures
or manipulation are the main displays of assertiveness. Assertive behaviour is still not
impolite or aggressive, however, if necessary it can be resolute.
Assertiveness, like further social or communication abilities, can be developed by training,
even by self-training. It is necessary to realize its character and the difference from the
behaviour which is its opposite and to acquire some basic communication methods that
enable assertive behaviour.
To understand the principles of assertive behaviour, it is useful to compare it with its
opposites. Passive behaviour, characteristic for people that are not able to express or assert
clearly their requests and needs or that are afraid of doing it for some reasons, is the first one
and aggressive behaviour, i.e. behaviour of people who enforce their interests to the
detriment of other people is the second.
A passively behaving person is not able to communicate his/her requests and needs to the
other side, so he/she is not able to enforce them either. One of the main causes of this
handicap usually is that he/she definitely tries to avoid an open conflict. Nevertheless, he/she
is often afraid of a conflict even though there is no threat. Fears of conflicts often lead
passively behaving people to a priori apologetic behaviour. Attempts for self-defence with
no reason are also frequent.
Non-verbal displays of a passively behaving person are, that he/she speaks silently, avoids
eye contact and his eyes tend to look down or aside. Stooping posture and constrained mimes
belong to the non-verbal displays.
In the work practice these people are characterized by inability to cope with the requirement
of others. They hardly resist to manipulating methods and “tricks”. Their response
to unjustified criticism, one of the most frequent workplace manipulations is a typical
example. Even though they are aware of its unfairness, they usually respond by a tendency
to apologize, explain and also excuse. However not by highlighting its unfairness and
standing on their ground.
18
Even a passively behaving person can sometimes take certain aggressive standpoints. It is
behaviour referred to as passive-aggressive, which does not have to be recognizable at first
sight. It is particularly typical in women’s work collectives.
An aggressively behaving person asserts him/herself to the detriment of others, does not care
about rightful claims of other people. He/she has moreover a tendency to humiliate them and
disparage their self-confidence.
In fact, aggression does not necessarily have the form of physical assault, using strong words
or speaking loudly. Sarcasm, irony, sometimes even a quiet communication that is not to the
point but wants to detriment the person it is meant for in some way. An aggressively acting
person might however only achieve his/her goals at the cost of permanent damage of the
relations to others.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain the main types of intellectual abilities and in what work situations
they might be important.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 11-71)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 45-156)
Control questions
1. What is work performance?
2. What are the individual differences in performance?
3. What are the main sources of differences in the individual performance
of employees?
19
4. What are the traditional tasks of a manager related to the management of his/her
section?
5. What are abilities?
6. What are the main types of abilities?
7. What is individual motivation?
8. How can differences in individual motivation display?
9. What are personal traits?
10. What is creativity?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
20
3.3 Abilities and personal effectiveness of employees – analysis
of personal effectiveness
Key words
Abilities of employees, types of abilities, differences between individual abilities, acquiring
abilities, personal efficiency, personal work pace
The goals of the chapter
To explain and illustrate on examples the character and types of abilities influencing work
performance, to clarify the differences between the types of abilities, to explain the
possibility the development of abilities, to clarify the term personal effectiveness and its
practical application.
Learning outcomes
 23.3 understands personality traits and attitudes of employees and their relation to
their performance
Abstract
Individual differences in the abilities of employees have the biggest importance for their
performance and work results in most professions. They arise from different inborn talents,
but also from different possibilities to develop inherited qualities, i.e. the possibility to learn
or train. The extent to which individual abilities are inborn or acquired (and therefore also
the level to which they can be further developed) is however different for different abilities.
The determination what abilities of employees are important at particular positions, how
to verify these abilities of employees and how to develop them is one of the main tasks
of each organization related to the selection and management of people. It is also necessary
to understand what abilities can be developed more easily and in which the development
is more difficult or even impossible.
Basic abilities of employees can be divided into three wider groups. They are
 physical, i.e. the strength, physical condition and stamina, which are important for
physically demanding activities, and psychomotor, which are inevitable for good
21
coordination of sensorial information and physical movements. The basic conditions
for physical and psychomotor abilities are inborn, however they can be developed.
 intellectual, which are the precondition for proper thinking and form the basis of
intelligence,
 social, necessary for successful and effective social behaviour including the
communication with other people.
Differences in the levels of abilities between individual employees might be significant,
however they do not necessarily fully projected into their performance. This is mainly caused
by the fact that most professions have a certain intellect optimum: not only people with lower
level of intellectual abilities achieve a lower performance, but also people whose intellectual
abilities are higher than the optimum for the particular profession. A higher intellectual level
than the optimum can actually reduce their motivation.
Intellectual abilities are inborn to a high extent. Some of them can however be strengthened
by learning or practicing. They are the precondition for correct thinking requiring an analysis
of information, for understanding to principal relations or for imagination. They are so
important particularly for dealing with new problems, but also the ability to remember such
solutions. Inborn intellectual abilities are also an important precondition for successful
learning and therefore for coping with more difficult training and development programmes.
Social abilities are a prerequisite for successful communication and dealing with others and
therefore also for mutual cooperation. They range from the ability to let the other party know
someone’s interest, sympathy and respect (this increases the interest and willingness to
cooperation), via the ability to acquire and pass information and arouse confidence, up to the
ability to draw others to one’s side, i.e. to persuade and influence them efficiently, to
influence them by one’s own example or to elicit a tendency to follow in them i.e. to act as
a leader.
Social abilities are a result of learning or practicing to a significant extent, they are however
also influenced by inborn personal qualities or character traits. They are particularly
important for jobs requiring close cooperation with other people, demanding negotiations
with customers or partners of the company, and for managerial positions. Good social skills
are therefore required for example from sales representatives and marketing specialists,
social workers, teachers, journalists, healthcare staff members etc.
The performance of employees also often depends on their personal efficiency and work
pace. Personal efficiency is a complex of partially inborn, but also partially acquired or
learned abilities and habits to control the progress of one’s work independently. It can be
22
understood as the ability of “self-management” i.e. ability to plan, arrange and organize
one’s work and to adhere to the planned steps and deadlines. The demands for this ability
differ in different professions.
Example (assignment of a task)
What is personal effectiveness and in what work situations can it be practically important
or even indispensable?
Personal effectiveness is a complex of partially inborn, but also partially acquired or learned
abilities and habits to control the progress of one’s work independently. It can be understood
as the ability of “self-management” i.e. to plan, arrange and organize one’s work and
to adhere to the planned steps and deadlines.
The demands for this ability differ in different professions. A part of employees can
do without it, however usually just because others supervise their work continuously, usually
their managers. However, it becomes important for a still growing number of jobs. This
particularly applies to works and professions that require the people performing them
to control the time course and the pace of their work themselves within the assigned tasks.
It is necessary particularly for the successful coping with the requirements for managerial
functions. Numerous problems are linked to the inability of managers to manage themselves,
often problems, which do not seem to be linked to this (in)ability on the first sight and are
attributed to other influences.
The importance of personal effectiveness for work performance is often underestimated. Its
importance is however particularly obvious if we monitor the work of employees and its
time course in detail, e.g. in the form of photographing working hours. Its underestimation
is also caused by the fact that it is often incorrectly understood as the “ability to manage
time”. This misleads to a faulty idea that it is a professional skill that can be easily learned.
The reality is however more complicated: personal effectiveness has mostly a character of
known as well as unknown habits. New habits actually can be learned, however their
acquisition usually requires to get rid of the previous habits, i.e. those that obstruct higher
personal effectiveness.
The habits the personal effectivity is based on therefore usually cannot be achieved just
on the basis of schooling or training. Long-term leading and coaching play an important role.
Their task is to strengthen the new habits consistently. However, if we realize the importance
of personal effectiveness, even self-training can help.
23
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain what are the concrete abilities of personal effectiveness linked to
the management of personal activity on the basis of purposeful use of time.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 23-156)
Control questions
1. Which abilities can be more easily acquired?
2. How can the level of abilities of an employee be best verified?
3. What are the main types of intellectual abilities?
4. For what activities are intellectual abilities important?
5. What is the intellect optimum of a profession?
6. What are social abilities good for?
7. What are the main types of social abilities?
8. For what professions are social abilities important?
9. What is personal efficiency?
10. For what professions is personal efficiency important?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
24
3.4 Personality traits and approaches of employees and their
relation to their performance – analysis of an example from
the practice
Key words
Personality traits, types of personality traits, differences in personality traits, types
of personalities, relation between personality traits and work performance, work attitudes,
relation between work attitudes and performance
The goals of the chapter
To explain the term and the importance of personality traits for work and work behaviour,
to explain the main displays and differences in personality traits at workplace, to clarify the
main types of personalities, to explain the meaning and the differences in work attitudes and
their changes, to clarify the practical importance of work attitudes.
Learning outcomes
 23.3 understands personality traits and attitudes of employees and their relation to
their performance
Abstract
Persons with comparable abilities or similar motivation often do the same work differently.
Some are able to respond more flexibly to changes, others are resistant to changes, some are
characterized by more responsible approach to the fulfilment of tasks, some are less liable,
others differ in to what extent they are willing to cooperate with others, how they respond
to certain stimuli etc.
The common ground of these differences is based on the personality of an employee:
in relatively stable character traits conditioning the differences in the ways of behaviour and
style of work. They are also reflected in what a particular person more or less perceives,
what he/she pays attention to, what feelings certain situations and circumstances elicit in
him/her, what responses he/she chooses in certain situations etc. A personality of a human
being is influenced by inherited qualities as well as by long-term influences of the social and
cultural environment – upbringing and early social experience, education, professional
25
affiliation etc. Inborn dispositions are however usually most important in the formation
of personality traits.
The main five personality traits projected into the work behaviour are:
 extroversion or introversion, i.e. the extent to which a person has the tendency to be
social, friendly, talkative and assertive or, on the contrary, withdrawn, preferring
his/her inner enjoyments and a narrow circle of personal contacts
 emotional stability or lability. This quality reflects the fact whether the emotions
of a person are rather calm, balanced and stable or whether a person tends to more
significant fluctuation of moods or stronger, often negative emotional displays, e.g.
anxiety, depression, anger, embarrassment etc.
 a tendency to cooperation and social responsiveness or on the contrary a tendency
to rivalry reflecting to what extent a person is characterized by confidence in other
people, politeness, kindness, tolerance or tendency to forgive, or on the contrary,
tendency to competitiveness, cynicism or suspicion to his/her social environment,
 responsibility, dutifulness or carelessness, corresponding to whether a certain person
appears as persistent, responsible, hardworking, disciplined, decent and careful or,
on the other hand, chaotic, inconsistent with a tendency to give in to sudden impulses,
 openness to new experience or anxiety about changes. This personality trait
characterizes the interest and willingness of an employee to try and consider new
procedures or ideas, to show curiousness, to be open and tolerant in one‘s opinions
or, on the contrary, to show a tendency to wariness, conservatism, a tendency
to prefer known and expectable things etc.
Personal qualities of employees affect their work attitudes. These are projected into their
different approaches to work, to associates and to one’s own profession or organization
as a whole and into different responses to certain work situations. Positive work attitudes are
particularly at the positions characterized by more complicated and independent tasks. They
are particularly stamina, initiative and responsive social behaviour.
In spite of the fact that work attitudes are related to personality traits they can be influenced
to a certain extent. An organization should therefore try to support positive work attitudes
in employees. The available tools are the management style and behaviour of managers, but
also further workplace conditions, particularly the relations at workplace, the way of the
assessment and remuneration of employees, communication of the company management
with employees etc.
26
The attitudes that a manager can influence by his/her own behaviour or strengthen by proper
tools are for example the interest in the fulfilment of tasks, the attitude to changes at
workplace, the interest in learning new things etc.
Example (assignment of a task)
How can different personality traits of employees be recognized at workplace and how are
they projected into their approach to work tasks?
Differences in personality traits condition in what environment an employee feels better,
what tasks, situations, interpersonal relations he/she seeks, what performance he/she
achieves there and with what motivation he/she works. Different personality traits are often
reflected in the way of perception, thinking, evaluation and behaviour, including among
managers.
Employees may therefore differ on this basis in what work environment and tasks they
prefer, whether they prefer
 working alone in a calm environment or, on the contrary, where “something
happens”,
 solving a new and demanding task or a task that they know and have done before,
 completing their tasks and getting to a certain conclusion or letting them open for
possible changes,
 planning their work themselves or working on tasks as they come,
 solving clear, structured tasks with a solid structure or variable, unstructured tasks
with possible surprises,
 working on tasks requiring continuous and permanent work or on tasks requiring
temporary increased performance followed by a calmer period,
 working on more tasks at the same time or gradually one after another, i.e. whether
they mind having more tasks in progress,
 working on tasks where they can deal rather with ideas, principles and thoughts or on
contrary with people, etc.
Different character traits of employees might similarly project themselves in their relations
to the social environment, for example by whether
 they tend to keep in contacts with a limited number of people who they know well
(and are exhausted by wider social relations) or on contrary to keep in touch with
a lot of people, including those they only know a little or not at all,
27
 they start talking to others themselves or prefer letting this initiative to others,
 they tend to develop their ideas continuously during a dialog or on the contrary
to speak after consideration of what they want to communicate etc.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain the types and the importance of work attitudes important for the
performance and liability of employees.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What does the term personality traits mean?
2. What characterizes personality traits?
3. What are the so-called bipolar qualities?
4. Into what areas are personality traits projected?
5. What are the main types of personality traits?
6. Which personality traits are important for the work performance?
7. What are personality types?
8. What are work attitudes?
9. What personality traits are work attitudes based on? What are the main types of
positive work attitudes?
10. How can positive work attitudes be strengthened?
28
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
29
3.5 Work motivation and its type. Typology of individual
motivation of employees. Motivation tools of a manager –
analysis of a practical example
Key words
Work motivation, types of motivation, motivation factors, increasing of motivation,
motivation of employees, motivation tools, motivation tools of a manager, motivation tools
of a leader
The goals of the chapter
To explain the factors and tools of work motivation, to clarify the main work motivation
theories, to explain the differences in the work motivation of individuals, to explain the
possibilities and ways of the improvement of work motivation, to clarify the difference
between work satisfaction and motivation, to explain the most frequent causes of
demotivation in the practice.
To explain the motivation tools in the hands of a manager, to clarify the main principles
of motivating behaviour of managers, to explain the motivation tools of a manager
in assigning a task, to explain the motivation tools of a manager in every-day management
and leading of associates, to explain the most occurring behaviour of managers leading
to demotivation of employees.
Learning outcomes
 23.4 understands the individual motivation of employees and its types and
understands the motivation tools of a manager
Abstract
Work motivation and its type
There are numerous circumstances that influence the work motivation and therefore also the
interest in the work and its results, the work efforts or responsibility. They can influence it
positively or negatively. A common attribute of such circumstances referred to as motivation
factors is that they satisfy certain needs of employees and therefore elicit their satisfaction,
or they on the contrary hinder their satisfaction and therefore lead to their dissatisfaction.
30
A work activity is actually a motivated activity to a large extent: it is led by the idea that
an employee will satisfy certain needs by its completion, or the idea that if he/she fails
to complete it he/she would not achieve the satisfaction of his/her needs.
Positive motivation factors can be divided into certain groups on the basis of their character
and the way of their impact. Hierarchic classification can be applied, according to how
strongly the factors act, classification to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, based on the fact
whether the work itself motivates the employee or what the employee obtains for the work,
or to material or immaterial factors.
The classification of motivation factors to intrinsic and extrinsic sees motivation as a process.
Extrinsic factors are those that relate to the work itself: the needs that people satisfy by the
performance of their work. Extrinsic factors a formed by what they obtain for the completion
of the work.
Typology of individual motivation of employees
Recognition of the individual motivation profile of an employee, i.e. revealing which
motivation factors are stronger or weaker, is a key to his/her motivation. It is important if we
want to understand what types of task he/she prefers (and therefore performs better), how to
asses him/her, what to emphasise to strengthen his/her motivation how to pass feedback on
him/her or what response we might expect from him/her in various situations. It is moreover
also important for overall assessment of his/her suitability for a particular workplace.
Differences in the motivation of employees are related to their personal traits, the extent of
the satisfaction of their needs, the age or life phase. As a consequence, some of their needs
override others. They respond stronger to the possibility of their satisfaction and if they are
not satisfied, he/she is less satisfied than others.
If the predominance of certain needs is significant we can talk about predominant type of
individual work motivation. The main types of personal motivation can be divided in seven
groups. They are
 significant financial or material motivation. It is not difficult to recognize people
with this dominant motivation. Their relation to work itself is lukewarm and rather
purposeful, in an extreme case cynical: they perceive work just as an opportunity to
make money. The more they are interested in various financial benefits that the work
brings (wage, remuneration and other benefits), in how they could achieve higher
pay, how much the others make, what they could achieve if they took an extra task,
31
whether their good assessment increases a chance to a pay rise etc. They usually
require a financial benefit for each extra work.
 motivation based on interesting work. People with this motivation are interested
in their work and they enjoy it, as it corresponds with their interests and abilities,
or also because they like the social environment at the workplace. They are often
called “souls” They want to do their work well, they are not extra ambitious, they are
satisfied where they are.
 performance motivation. Employees belonging to this group have a higher need for
success and achievement of the best result, e.g. solving a particular difficult problem
or overcoming obstacles etc. The effort to strengthen their self-consciousness
is a common denominator of their motivation.
People with strong performance motivation are therefore characterized not just by the
interest in the work itself, but mainly the effort to prove how good they are. They
therefore seek challenging tasks, try to achieve new abilities, they respond
to challenges that the work or a task bring, and they often tend to compete with others.
In their efforts to prove their capabilities they are willing to work with no regard
to the exertion and time.
 motivation based on personal or professional reputation. Employees of this type are
characterized by an increased need for social or professional appreciation, drawing
attention or making themselves visible. They therefore try to achieve praise and
recognition, they are interested in the impression they make around themselves and
are extra sensitive to the opinions and assessment from the others. Typical symptoms
of this motivation are frequent questions about evaluation of their work, a tendency
to talk about their successes or the care who will be praised for performed work.
 motivation based on social importance of the work. Workers of this group have
a higher need to perform work with wider social impact. A tendency to work with
extra performance, particularly in the conditions where the assigned task is socially
important and the employee believes in its importance, is characteristic for this
motivation.
 motivation based on the need for power. The possibility to enforce one’s own opinion
and to decide not only about the work itself but also about other people at the
workplace is important for people with this kind of motivation. People with a higher
need for power have a stronger tendency to control and influence what the others do,
but also to show them their dominance or to emphasise their social status. They
32
therefore like to speak on behalf of their groups or try to persuade others about their
opinions. They are suitable in situations where others should be persuaded that there
is no space for a compromise.
 motivation based on the need of togetherness. People with this motivation have
a strong need to be a member of a group or an organization. Unlike those of the
previous group they have no problem to conform to the interests of their group
or organization. They want to be popular and cooperate with others, they have
no interest or tendency to compete with them. If problems occur in their work group
they have a need to solve them as quick as possible. They are not only motivated
by the possibility to cooperate with others, but also to maintaining good relations
with them.
Motivation tools of a manager
Motivation factors are effective if they lead to immediate satisfaction of needs. i.e. if they
come as soon as possible after an employee has carried out a certain activity. This fact should
be respected in the application of motivation tools.
It is quite usual in the practice that managers do not have the financial rewards of their
associates under full control. The problem is that they are not able to reward them
immediately. This however does not mean that they do not have tools for immediate
motivation based on factors of non-financial or internal character.
The way of assigning tasks and their control, timely and suitably given feedback, a praise,
recognition, delegation of higher authorities, but also higher attention paid to average
employees belong to the most important ones.
The way of assigning a task is a basic motivation tool. It decides how an employee accepts
it and in what quality he/she performs it.
Employee’s interest in the proper fulfilment of a task and the efforts he/she makes to do it
depends particularly on four circumstances. They are:
 clear explanation of the expected results that the assigned task should bring,
 expression of confidence that the employee will succeed,
 the opportunity for employees to participate in the assignment of the task,
 highlighting the importance of the task for both the organization and the employee
personally.
33
Inspection – or the awareness that the work will be inspected – is however another means
of motivation. If a manager has the habit to inspect the assigned tasks personally, employees
will pay higher attention to their fulfilment. And on the other hand, if he/she does not inspect
them, they are likely to perform their task with less responsibility, to postpone their
fulfilment, sometimes even forever.
The following therefore strengthen the motivation function of inspection:
 pointing out that an inspection will be carried out,
 setting partial inspection points, particularly for long-term tasks,
 recording the assigned tasks including their deadlines before the persons they are
assigned to,
 setting clear criteria according to which the inspection will be carried out.
The motivating function of inspection is however also based on the fact that inspection is
not understood as a display of lack of confidence in employee’s abilities. Its form should not
look like that. There moreover should not be effort to find a defect by hook or crook.
Feedback assessment based on the inspection of work should lean on two rules: it should be
given immediately and be as concrete as possible.
In the instance of critical assessment, it should be led by the effort to prevent unfavourable
emotions and rejecting responses of the criticized person. A help with finding a way out of
the situation should be a part of the assessment.
Example (assignment of a task)
The notification and explanation of work tasks is an important part of the motivation
of employees to the fulfilment of their tasks. What should this notification and explanation
contain?
For important tasks the notification and explanation should contain two facts, namely why
the task is important for the organization and why it is important for an employee personally,
i.e. what it will personally bring to him/her and what consequences would arise if he/she
failed to perform the tasks properly. An employee actually does not have to be aware if the
importance of the task.
Such explanation usually does not require much time on the manager’s side. It however often
decides of how employees will approach to the task. If they do not understand the importance
of the task for the organization or for themselves, or if they do not consider them important,
34
they usually also do not know why should they perform them properly, responsively and
timely. They can be even convinced that the tasks are not worth their efforts.
Understanding the importance of a task strengthens motivation to its fulfilment even if the
task was assigned to the employee in directive manners, i.e. that he/she did not have the
possibility to participate in its assignment. His/her importance grows if the manager has
no possibility how to check the possibility of the performance of the task.
Revealing the personal reasons why an employee should perform concrete tasks,
is particularly necessary in situations when a manager is not able to inspect their fulfilment.
The personal reasons should particularly lean on the inner motivation of an employee
including the wider impact or the social importance of the tasks.
The reasons for this type can differ for different employees. They might be related to the
impacts on the environment that the employee cares about, e.g. with consequences
to colleagues, with the importance of the tasks for the satisfaction of customers, their wider
social importance, but also with the employee’s possibility to verify his/her abilities on the
assigned tasks, e.g. to prove him/herself that he/she is able to solve a certain problem
him/herself with no assistance.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain what ways of inspection of employees can be motivating and what
have rather demotivating effect.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
35
Control questions
1. What is work motivation based on?
2. What are motivation factors?
3. What are main types of motivation factors?
4. What is an individual motivation profile?
5. What are the main types of individual work motivation?
6. What is characteristic for employees with significant financial motivation?
7. What are the main motivation tools of a line manager?
8. What are the main motivation tools of a manager in the assignment of tasks?
9. Why is concrete assignment of tasks important for motivation?
10. Why is the explanation of the sense of assigned tasks important?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
36
3.6 Managerial communication, the principles of persuasion
and influencing. Creativity, its importance and
development. Emotional intelligence and its application to
management. Management styles and their effectiveness –
analysis of a practical example
Key words
Management of employees, managerial communication, goals and tools of communication
of a manager, persuasion of employees, influencing employees, “push” and “pull” methods,
Personal qualities of employees, creativity, application of creativity, support for creativity,
creativity in a group, brainstorming, Emotional intelligence, components of emotional
intelligence, displays of emotional intelligence, application of emotional intelligence to work
and management, development of emotional intelligence, management style, types of
management styles, X and Y theories, directive management style, autocratic management
style, participative management style, liberal management style, personal management style,
effectiveness of management styles
The goals of the chapter
To explain the meaning and the goals of managerial communication, to clarify the
preconditions of successful communication, to explain the preconditions of credibility and
persuasiveness of a manager, to clarify the communication methods supporting
persuasiveness in communication.
To explain the principles of and conditions for successful performance of the basic
management tasks related to the management of people, i.e. assignment, delegation and
inspection of work tasks for employees, to clarify the difference between assignment and
delegation of tasks, to explain the most frequent mistakes in assignment, delegation and
inspection of tasks.
To explain the nature and the importance of creativity as one of the personal qualities
of employees, to explain the relation between creativity and personal qualities of employees,
to clarifythe importance of creativity for company innovations, to explain the relation
between the management style and creativity of employees, to clarify the targeted tools
supporting creativity of employees.
37
To explain the nature and the meaning of emotional intelligence, to clarify the components
and displays of emotional intelligence, to explain the importance of emotional intelligence
for work and management of employees, to clarify the possible development of emotional
intelligence.
Learning outcomes
 23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational leadership
 23.2 understands the performance characteristics and their utilization
 23.5 understands the importance of the emotional intelligence and its application to
management
 23.10 copes with the prevention of personnel risks of an organization
Abstract
Managerial communication, the principles of persuasion and influencing
The ability to communicate is the basis of successful management. Employees that do not
have sufficient information cannot decide properly. They do not know what they are
expected to do and how they can contribute to the improvement of their work, or what is most
important for the satisfaction of the customers of their organization. Their performance
or results therefore lag behind their potential. The ability to communicate effectively –
to give information, to listen to others, to persuade them, to win them for the goals of the
organization – is however not always a commonplace. Even managers with long-term
experience miss them (and they do not know it).
An ability to overcome barriers that prevent colleagues from open communication belongs
to important task of managers. It is often particularly the ability to listen, to show interest
in the opinions of other people, to encourage them to express themselves. Obtaining
information from employees is often a precondition to discovering latent problems of the
organization and their timely solution. Better listening to employees might moreover open
new possibilities that open before the organization.
The ability to persuade people and thus get them for the common goals is another important
precondition of management. It is particularly important in the enforcement of new solutions
and acceleration of inevitable changes. Motivating employees to an activity about the
correctness of which they are not completely convinced (as their manager has not tried or has
not managed) is usually not only more difficult but also costlier than if they are convinced.
38
Motivation to behavior about which employees are not convinced, is usually also less
durable.
The principles of useful and persuasive communication of a manager are worth dividing into
three groups. The first contains the principles of communication with individuals or small
groups, the other contains the principles of communication with larger numbers
of employees including the principles of successful conduction of meetings etc. The third
group contains the principles related to written notifications.
The ability to communicate persuasively with individuals or smaller groups is not only based
on the ability to present rational arguments. The ability to apply or to respect the emotional
aspects of communication is also important, particularly if anxieties or unconference on the
other side has to be overcome.
Persuasive communication is based on five main abilities:
 to act credibly,
 to present opinions or standpoints for which we want to attract the others in a way
that emphasizes common interests of both parties,
 to strengthen our standpoints and opinions by examples,
 to establish an emotional contact with the people we communicate with,
 to be willing to listen to the other party and accept solutions that have the character
of a (prepared in advance) compromise.
Personal credibility is the first prerequisite for each successful communication. If we want
to persuade (anybody) about our opinion or requirement we must expect that they will soon
ask to what extent they can believe our opinions. It is actually often seen in the practice that
people, including managers overestimate their credibility.
Credibility at workplace grows from two basic resources: verification of professional knowledge and
experience of a person and his/her relations to other people. Those with a history of healthy
judgement and work success, who have moreover shown the ability to listen to and help other people,
to respect their interests and adhere to their promises are considered credible. These people are
usually emotionally stable, not subject to moods known as reliable and honest. Other people are often
willing to listen to the opinions of these persons even though they seem to be unconvincing at first
sight.
39
Creativity, its importance and development
Creativity of employees is their ability and interest in coming with new and original ideas,
alternative procedures or different ways of seeing things. Creativity is important
for an organization: it saves time and funds and creates new opportunities.
An organization whose success is based on creativity projected in the ability to change work
procedures, to come with new products, services or even strategies, should search for
creative employees (or employees thinking with a higher extent of creativity than others)
and support their ability to bring new approaches, e.g. through higher independence or more
independent team work. Creative and innovative behaviour of an organization, which
is in the competitive and changeable environment usually inevitable, actually starts in the
creativity of individual persons.
Assessment of candidates to qualified positions (including candidates to managerial
positions where personal creativity is most important) is still traditionally based on the
assessment of their experience or as the case may be, analytical abilities or the ability
of logical thinking in organizations. Assessment of the abilities of personal imagination and
further prerequisites of personal creativity is still much less usual.
A higher level of creativity is particularly required in arts, design, media, art crafts etc., but
also in marketing, creation of strategies, research and development or I some spheres
of education.
Certain personal qualities – wider interest and intrinsic motivation, imagination and
openness to new experience, but also high personal energy, independent judgement, strong
self-confidence, higher ambitions and unconventional thinking are the prerequisites of high
creativity or a tendency to innovation. Creativity is also closely linked to intellectual abilities
– particularly the ability of the so-called divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent
thinking is based on the ability to find differences between various situations, convergent
thinking on the ability to find their similarities.
Creativity at workplace improves work procedures, improves products and services as well
as the business practices and the approach to customers. Most companies therefore cannot
do without it. However, they rarely assess and select their employees on the basis of it.
It is impossible to force oneself or anybody else to creativity, however it can be strengthened.
It is necessary to realize what obstructs it. Routine, a tendency to solve problems,
to overcome obstacles or carry out various activities still in the same manners, that is what
obstructs creativity.
40
Strong-willed people often have problems with creativity as well. When they run into
problems they try to overtake them by higher efforts. They hope that their efforts will bring
them fruits sooner or later and they are convinced that if certain procedures have worked for
years there is no reason to change them.
Creativity is in fact more likely linked to the view angle or the ability to change it than
to efforts. With the ability to look at the same thing as others, but to see something else.
Creative solutions therefore rather arise spontaneously and suddenly, sometimes even when
we are not actually thinking about them. Creativity can however be strengthened.
Brainstorming and other related methods (a six hats method etc.) are the main targeted tools
supporting creativity at workplace.
Emotional intelligence and its application to management
Emotional intelligence is the ability to use emotions for dealing with problems and effective
negotiation. Its importance and applicability relate to both successful management of one’s
own behaviour and influencing interpersonal relations.
Like general intelligence, emotional intelligence can be divided into certain components. In
the instance of emotional intelligence there are five such components. These are the abilities:
 to realize one’s own emotions, i.e. to understand one’s own feelings and moods. It is
an ability that helps with the self-management, it is however also a condition for
understanding and anticipation of the motions of other people.
 co control one’s own emotions. Full control of one’s own emotions is neither possible
nor required. The ability to reduce their negative impact on one’s own behaviour and
to support the emotion whose impact on one’s own behaviour is positive, is a display
of emotional intelligence. The ability to distinguish between situations where
emotions should be emphasised from those where they should be dimmed, is the
prerequisite.
The ability to control negative (unpleasant) emotions (sadness or fear) and impulsive (anger,
fury, aggressivity) and the ability to dim emotions obstructing concentration is particularly
important in the work or managerial practice.
 to motivate oneself. This includes the ability to suppress emotions that weaken one's
own activity (so-called asthenic emotions, for example the feelings anxiety,
uncertainty or fatigue arising for example from a failure), but mainly to induce
strengthening emotions, so called sthenic, which maintain and support self-
motivation.
41
The ability to maintain optimistic feeling even when things go wrong, to fight the
tendency to postpone unpleasant activities etc. are typical examples. People gifted
with this emotional ability are usually more efficient, more persistent and active.
 empathy. i.e. the ability to recognize and understand the emotions of other people. It
is based on the ability to identify oneself with others and to understand their feelings,
among others on the basis of the ability to recall one’s own emotions in a similar
situation and “see things through the eyes of other people”. The ability to perceive
the fears of the other party and understand their causes can be an example.
 influencing or “controlling” emotions of other people. This is an ability based on
empathy. It displays in the ability to contribute to the good feelings of other people,
e.g. to strengthen their feeling of self-confidence, to create and maintain friendly
relations to act as an example, to negotiate and persuade successfully, to solve
conflicts etc.
Emotional intelligence is an important precondition of performance particularly for
managerial positions. Direct managing and leading associates particularly require the
abilities to understand and anticipate their emotions, i.e. the ability of empathy, to show
one’s interest, sympathy and respect, which improves the willingness to cooperate, to elicit
confidence, certainty and optimism in relation to the future and the tendency to follow, i.e.
to act as a leader.
A combination of consistency and empathy: orientation in the fulfilment of tasks
accompanied by maintenance of good relations is important for effective management
of people. The ability of a manager to recognize the emotions of other people, to listen
to their opinions and to understand their needs or fears particularly improves his/her ability
to support motivation, to give a feedback and to support his/her persuasiveness and
credibility.
Management styles and their effectiveness
A management style represents the prevailing way of the behaviour of managerial
employees, or the organization management with employees, projected particularly to the
way of assignment and control of work tasks, the way of decision making, informing
employees, occurrence of bureaucratic elements, social distance between employees and
managers, the interest of the organization in the needs and requirements of employees, the
extent of employee rights in an organization, respect to employees etc.
42
The management style of managers is often based on their personalities or personal habits,
i.e. the character traits, but also on the acquired or obtained opinions and believes.
A management style applied permanently, regardless the current needs is referred
to as a personal management style. It is usually a tendency to apply directive, participative
or liberal style of management, which can lean on the so-called Theories X and Y.
Theory X stands at the back of the directive management style. It is based on manager’s
assumption that employees are “naturally” lazy, do not have big ambitions, avoid
responsibility and have to be forced to performance either by remuneration or by a fear
of punishment. Manager’s tendency to decide nearly always alone, without consultation with
his/her colleagues, is a characteristic display of directive management based on these
assumptions.
A directive management based on autocratic decision making and threats with sanctions can
have its substantiation. For example, in a situation when a company is under urgent pressure
and it is necessary to perform some tasks immediately. It can also be suitable if the abilities
and experience of employees are very limited and their inner motivation weak. This
management style has higher substantiation if work procedures are exactly given in an
organization and most employees carry out manual activity which does not have to be
improved or modified.
In other circumstances this style is however not much effective. It does not support the
interest in the work among employees (it often more likely obstructs it), or the confidence
to the management. It on the contrary often leads to unfriendly approaches to managers and
lack of willingness to cooperate with the company. Management based on sanctions might
prevent some rules from being breached, however it is usually not able to make employees
to work with the highest possible performance on long-term basis.
Theory Y is the opposite to Theory X. It is based on the idea that people have inner
motivation to work, they like their work, they like challenges and are able to improve their
work procedures themselves. They are also responsible and do not have to be still monitored.
Managers should therefore concentrate and not to demotivate them by their behaviour. They
should have partner or personal relation to them, to be sufficiently sensitive to their needs
and feelings and not to intervene in to their work excessively.
Extreme application of Theory Y leads to liberal management, which gives significant
freedom to employees and can even mean that nobody controls their work. It can be suitable
for very experienced and capable employees, however it more likely leads to a situation
43
when the management loses consistency and a manager in the efforts not to touch the
employees is willing to tolerate work of poor quality.
A liberal style does not necessarily have to be based on conviction corresponding with
Theory Y in the practice. It may rather be a consequence of the fact that a manager is not
much interested in the tasks related to the management and leading of his/her colleagues.
This may also be caused by the fact that he/she is interested in the work itself and he/she
does not want to lose his/her expertness, but also that he/she simply does not cope with the
management.
A participative management style is based on the conviction that employees should have the
opportunity to participate in important decisions, particularly those related to their work and
contribute thereto by their opinions. Managers applying this style appreciate the opinions of
their subordinates and deal with them as with partners. They support both-sided exchange of
information, delegate wider authorities and lead on the basis of long-term goals not
transferring their responsibilities on the employees. Clear definition of the “rules of the
game”, i.e. the rights and obligations of employees as well as managers is a typical
characteristic of this management style.
Of the three basic management styles conditioned by the opinions, traits or personal
preferences of managers the participative style is usually most productive
Example (assignment of a task)
On the basis of what opinions or attitudes of managers can you recognize their tendency
to adhere to a certain permanent management style?
Certain questions related to opinions that influence manager’s behaviour may be an example.
Each of the following “test” question contains two statements and the task is to choose the
one that is closer to your opinions. It does not have to mean that you completely identify
yourselves with it, just choose the closer one. dominance of decision in favour of the first
variant confirms a tendency to directive management, dominance of the opposite decisions
confirms the tendency to use rather the participative management style.
1.
a) People try to avoid work whenever it is possible.
b) People only avoid work if they consider it useless or if it is boring.
2.
a) If employees get more information than they really need for their task, they tend to abuse
it.
44
b) If employees get access to more information than they really need for their work, they
tend to behave more responsibly.
3.
a) Requiring new ideas from employees is not suitable or beneficial. Their awareness of the
situation is too limited, so their ideas cannot have a practical contribution.
b) Requiring new ideas from employees not only contributes to the extension of their
interests but also to development of ideas useful for the development of the organization.
4.
a) If people do not show enough imagination or creativity at work, it is because most of these
people do not have them.
b) Most people are equipped with imagination and creativity. The fact that these qualities
are not always developed is rather a consequence of limitations the employees are confronted
with during their work than of their inability.
5.
a) Unless employees are punished for their mistakes they do not put sufficient demands
on themselves.
b) If employees have the opportunity to decide partially on their work, they act more
responsibly and usually put higher demands on themselves.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text give examples of the behaviour of a manager that insists on directive style
and a manager that rather supports the liberal management style.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
45
Control questions
1. What is management style?
2. Into what areas is management style projected
3. What is personal management style?
4. What are the main types of management styles?
5. What are theories X and Y?
6. What are the displays of a directive management style?
7. What are the displays of a liberal management style?
8. How does a participative management style display and what are its main
advantages?
9. In what situation can a directive style be suitable?
10. In what situation can a liberal management style be suitable?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
46
3.7 Assignment, delegation and control of tasks – analysis
of wrong procedures on the basis of concrete examples
Key words
Management tasks, work tasks of employees, assignment of tasks, delegation of tasks,
inspection of tasks, prerequisites of proper assignment, delegation and inspection of tasks,
management mistakes
The goals of the chapter
To explain the principles of and conditions for successful performance of the basic
management tasks related to the management of people, i.e. assignment, delegation
and inspection of work tasks for employees, to clarify the difference between assignment
and delegation of tasks, to explain the most frequent mistakes in assignment, delegation
and inspection of tasks.
Learning outcomes
 23.7 knows the principles and tools of coaching
Abstract
The main condition of proper assignment of individual tasks is their clarity and
comprehensibility. It is therefore necessary not to be afraid of excessive details in assignment
of tasks. An assignment should contain
 the expected outputs of the task,
 the activities necessary for its performance,
 the deadlines by which a task should be started and completed,
 the way how the completion of the task will be inspected or assessed,
 definition what the employees can decide on independently in the fulfilment of the
task,
 verification that the employee understands the assignment,
 expression of confidence that the employee will complete the assigned task on the
basis of his/her abilities and experience.
47
In the instance of a complicated or long-term task the assignment should also include
 requirement on the employee to inform us regularly in defined intervals on the
progress of the task fulfilment.
 explanation of the wider importance of the task and its proper completion for the
organization as well as for the employee him/herself.
To delegate a task to an employee means to pass its performance to him/her including the
authorities necessary for making certain decisions, usually decisions made so far only by
his/her manager. There is therefore a significant difference between assignment and
delegation. To assign a task to an employee means to tell him/her what to achieve and how
to proceed. To delegate a task means to define the expected outcomes, or set certain limits
and let a certain part of the decision on the procedure or the way of the performance of the
task on the employee. The key to delegation is the confidence that the employee will make
the necessary decisions correctly on the basis of his/her abilities and experience.
The ability to delegate effectively – and pass certain decisions or authorities to an employee
brings benefit to both the parties. It enables managers to improve the performance of their
employees. Too low decision-making authorities actually slow down their work and they
even obstruct it. It also gives them the possibility to concentrate on tasks that only they can
do and make a time reserve for sudden or unexpected tasks. A manager moreover does not
always have to know the best solution. He/she should therefore also delegate to give
employees an opportunity to develop new ideas or discover new work procedures.
An inspection is necessary in each organization. Its main task is not to search for mistakes,
but timely recognize and remove possible drawbacks in work, notify the employees of them
and give them a chance to remove them as quickly as possible. A manager has the task
to create mechanisms that enable him/her to monitor continuously the performance of the
employees, their procedures and outcomes.
The awareness that the work will be monitored is moreover an important motivation tool.
It is therefore important not only to carry out an inspection but also to inform that
an inspection will be carried out.
The inspection itself has on the other hand nothing common with the confidence or nonconfidence
in the employee and should not seem so.
An inspection has to be based on clearly defined tasks and their procedures, i.e. the expected
outcomes and standards of the work, set deadlines or control points agreed on and permanent
evaluation criteria of the work behaviour that an employee should be aware of and that are
48
included in his/her job description or in long-term performance requirements for his/her
work.
Example (assignment of a task)
How do the restraints in delegating particular task on employees display in managers,
what are their reasons, how do managers most often substantiate their unwillingness
to delegate?
Restraints in delegation on the side of a manager display by a tendency to entrust employees
only with short-term and simple tasks. They might be a beginner mistake of managers based
on the habit not to fulfil tasks otherwise than by him/herself. It might also be caused by fears
that the abilities and responsibilities of employees cannot be relied on, that a manager loses
control over the task by its delegation, that he/she is the only one who has the necessary
information, that he/she can do the work faster (and has no time for delegation), that
delegation reduces his/her authority or that it will bring recognition to employees (and not
to him/her).
Most of the fears are pointless. Delegation increases the authority of a manager; managers
that are not able to delegate usually lose their authority among subordinates. A manager
moreover does not lose control over a task by its delegation. He/she still sets their goals, time
schedule and the extent of their authorities, he/she checks the delegated tasks and can rebuke
an employee for an incorrect procedure, including an excess of the entrusted authorities
at any time.
A loss of control over tasks is more likely if he/she tries to perform all the important tasks
him/herself. Successful managers moreover know that if their employees “shine”, it is also
their success.
A fear related to the confidence in the abilities of subordinates might have its grounds.
However, if all employees have been correctly selected and trained, delegated tasks have
been clearly explained to them and they are motivated to their fulfilment, they need to be
given confidence. They only might achieve the abilities to perform more demanding tasks
if they perform them in a certain extent of independence.
If a manager feels to have problems with delegation, he/she should think about him/herself.
Either about whether he/she has done everything for the abilities of the employees or whether
the source of non-confidence is inside him/her. Delegation brings certain risks, but
a manager that is not able to accept them does not fulfil his/her role. He does not utilize the
49
potential of the employees, takes them the opportunity to develop their abilities and hinders
their higher motivation.
There are several simple rules that might help overtake the restraints in delegation
of a certain task:
 when you are assigning a task, concentrate on its expected results not on the exact
procedures or methods,
 specify exactly the delegated authorities. Specify, which decisions should
an employee make him/herself and which require your approval, and check that
he/she understands the entrusted authorities,
 tell the employee to inform you about the work progress regularly,
 delegate tasks on the right people. The most experienced person does not have
to be the most suitable one for delegation. Delegate a task to a person to whom the
solution will bring new experience.
 trust in people that they will do their work well. Do not look over their shoulders too
often and do not check their work too often unless they ask you for assistance.
Assignment of independent work (task)
A reason for insufficient delegation may also be in the fact that subordinates resist it, whether
for lack of self-confidence and fear of failure or for laziness. Even in such a situation
a manager should still try to delegate: gradual assignment of more demanding tasks and
extending the authorities of employees. encouraging their self-confidence, but also finding
the reason why they resist the delegation might be helpful.
In a half-page text explain how a manager should proceed in such a situation.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
50
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What are the characteristics of duly assigned tasks?
2. What are the most frequent mistakes of managers in assignment of tasks?
3. What does delegation mean?
4. What are the reasons for delegation?
5. What are the main principles of proper delegation?
6. What are the most frequent obstacles to delegation on the side of managers?
7. How should a manager proceed if an employee refuses delegation?
8. What are the reasons for and principles of the inspection of employees?
9. What are the most frequent mistakes in carrying out inspection?
10. What tasks should a manager not delegate?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
51
3.8 Assessment and transfer of feedback – example of a case
from the practice
Key words
Management tools, interviews with employees, assessment of employees, types
of assessment, feedback, transfer of feedback, rules and mistakes in the transfer of feedback
The goals of the chapter
To explain the meaning and the goals of the assessment of employees as a management tool,
to clarify the principles of conducting assessment interviews with employees, to explain the
principles of the transfer of feedback, to explain the prerequisites of effective transfer
of a critical feedback, to explain the most frequent mistake in the transfer of feedback
to employees
Learning outcomes
 23.10 copes with the prevention of personnel risks of an organization
Abstract
A timely feedback belongs to the most important preconditions of the performance
regardless the character of the activity being carried out by employees. The reason why they
fulfil their tasks incorrectly is actually often caused by the fact that they do not know about
them. The proper way of the transfer of a feedback, which is often underestimated
by managers, is also very important.
The work of most employees could be improved by a feedback. A significant number
of employees actually do not see the drawbacks in their work. They are convinced that they
do their work well, often better than others.
The drawbacks in the feedback have three main forms. These are situations when
it is transferred insufficiently, late or unsuitably. The most frequent cause
of an insufficiently transferred feedback is that a manager does not pay sufficient attention
to the work of his/her associates. They are convinced that the assignment and (occasional)
inspection of their task is fully sufficient. This particularly applies to managers that are
erroneously convinced that managing people is not their main work task.
52
The reason for an insufficient feedback can however also be that a manager does not want
to rebuke employees for their drawbacks. Even though he/she knows about them, he/she is
afraid that by a criticism he/she could even reduce their performance, or he/she hopes that
they will find the drawbacks in their work themselves. This hope is however usually odd.
An insufficient feedback from a manager is a particular problem if an employee has
no opportunity to verify the results of his/her work objectively him/herself, or if such results
become obvious after a longer time. There are however also employees to whom
an insufficient feedback decreases self-confidence. These are particularly people who have
not achieved enough experience yet and are not sure whether they proceed correctly, and are
afraid to ask a manager about the right procedure as he/she might perceive their question
as inability.
A delayed transfer of a feedback has often similar reasons. It can however be caused
by persuasion that regular assessment of employees serves for the transfer of feedback.
A reproach or criticism given to an employee after a longer time however does not allow the
employee to improve his/her work immediately. Regular assessment at the end of a specific
period is important for the improvement of the communication between an employee and
a manager, however it does not affect the immediate performance.
A negative feedback can be rather general or, on the contrary, concrete, but also more or less
personal. Unsuitable transfer of a negative feedback usually arises from the lack
of concreteness and too much personal presentation.
A general feedback gives generalized assessment. It usually works that it attributes certain
qualities and abilities to an employee and emphasises that he/she keeps behaving in certain,
usually unwanted manners. A concrete feedback on the other hand contains information
dealing with a certain clearly specified situation.
A feedback that is perceived by an employee as a (direct or indirect) “attack” against him/her
is perceived a personal regardless of the fact whether it was really intended so. A personally
perceived feedback (having usually a general character) mostly elicits negative emotions and
is therefore denied. A critical feedback is perceived less personally if it is based on a
comparison of the activity or the outcomes of the assessed person with the generally
applicable standards or requirements. Personal perception of a feedback can be reduced if
only some of the results or activities of the assessed person are assessed negatively.
53
Example (assignment of a task)
How can the effectiveness of a critical feedback be increased?
The effectiveness of a feedback depends on its character. The goal of criticism is to improve
the performance or to change the work behaviour of an employee, not to make him/her angry
or even weaken his/her self-confidence. The condition for its effectiveness is therefore that
the employee accepts it and identifies him/herself with its content.
A tendency to refuse criticism or to resist it (to defend one’s own work and to highlight one’s
own merits) is a consequence of the fact that the criticism sounds too much personal for the
employee. Most often because it is not based on sufficiently factual and concrete explanation
of the consequences that the criticized behaviour led or might have led to, or as it does not
specify which requirements were not adhered to, which rules were broken etc.
If unwanted behaviour of an employee is described by means of its objective impact on the
results of his/her section or the organization, he/she does not have to feel personally attacked.
It is a notification not a reproach or blaming. Example formulations are: “We have not
managed all the tasks as we had to wait for you”, “With regard to these mistakes I had to
spend time on a detailed inspection of the whole report”, “With regard to the fact that your
performance does not reach the required standard, our work group has not achieved its
overall goal this week.
For the same reason, a feedback should refrain from generalizing terms like “always”,
or “never”. Instead of statements like “Your approach to work is wrong”, „you make a lot
of mistakes”, I don’t like your work habits” or “You are still late” we can achieve much
better success by the statements like “The last three analyses you have filed contain
mistakes,” or “You have been late for work three times this week”.
A critical feedback should moreover be given face-to-face so that an employee does not lose
his/her credit in the eyes of other employees.
Finding the way out how an employee should improve his/her performance or behaviour
is one of the important conditions for effective criticism. On the other hand, a criticism has
actually only a small influence on the criticized person and may even be counter-productive.
Only situations where a knowing breach of work discipline is the subject of the criticism are
exceptions. The basis of the common searching for solutions is a notification what we expect
from the employee. For example: “You must improve your performance to the standard
corresponding with 250 units per hour this week.”. If the behaviour of an employee is the
subject of the criticism, the criticism does not have to have a directive character. It can
54
be also provided in the form of a stimulus from the manager to the employee to derive the
required changes him/herself.
Assignment of independent work (task)
A critical feedback can be expressed as general or although negative, still concrete and less
personal. Give examples of the same assessment formulated mainly generally or, on the
contrary, concretely and therefore less personally.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What is the sense and what are the main goals of employee assessment?
2. What are the main types of assessment?
3. What is the goal of continuous assessment of employees?
4. What is the goal of regular assessment of employees?
5. What rules should be adhered to in the transfer of a feedback?
6. What are the main preconditions of effectiveness of a positive feedback?
7. What are the main preconditions of effectiveness of a negative feedback?
8. What are the main displays of unsuitable transfer of a feedback?
9. What does a personally perceived feedback lead to?
10. How can we avoid negative emotions of an assessed person in transferring a
negative feedback?
55
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
56
3.9 Team formation and leading – analysis of a practical
example
Key words
Work teams, team organization of work, creation of teams, effectiveness, management and
leadership of teams, goals and benefits of teams
The goals of the chapter
To explain the goals and tools of the team organization of work, to clarify the differences
between the traditional and team organization of work to explain the principles of team
creation, to explain the rules of team management, to explain the rules of a team leader,
to explain the principles of strengthening team work, to clarify the conditions for and barriers
to team work.
Learning outcomes
 23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational leadership
 23.10 copes with the prevention of personnel risks of an organization
Abstract
Formation or strengthening of team behaviour, i.e. the ability or willingness of associates
to pull together is one of the most frequent tasks of a manager. It is not just the ability to form
the team properly, but also to achieve that the team cooperates and follows the same goals.
The complexity of this task depends on the fact that team work assumes a change
of individual motivation. It requires limitation of motivation focused on the achievement
of personal results and suppression of mutual competition between team members, all for
the benefit of motivation led by common goals, interests and the results of the team
as a whole. There is the precondition to create mutual confidence between team members
and the fact that certain decision-making authorities are passed to the team as a whole.
From the point of view of a manager a work group goes through three phases during the
formation of a team, the initial phase, the phase of controlled discussion between the team
members and the phase of an independent team. In the initial phase the group works on the
basis of individual responsibilities of its members and their discussion or seeking common
57
solutions are limited. In the second phase the manager discusses the work procedures as well
as his/her decisions with the group and “pulls” the group into decisions on the solution
of common problems. Together with the team he/she creates the rules of cooperation and
communication, however the personal responsibilities of group members for the results
of their work remain preserved.
A group however goes through characteristic phases also in terms of its internal
psychological dynamism. It is also applicable here, that if a group should achieve the full
performance it has to pass through at least three development phases, namely the input
(recognition) phase, in which the members of the group mutually assess their abilities, the
middle, potentially conflicting phase, in which their different opinions on work procedures,
solving of problems, team leading and coordination of its activities collide, and the final
(productive) phase, in which the arising team builds its necessary standards, procedures and
rules of its operation and also distributes the main team roles according to the abilities and
experience of the individual members.
A change of the role of a manager supports the creation of a team. Either in the sense that
the manager to whom the team is subordinate directly participates in the work of the team,
however he/she act as the “first” of its equal members. i.e. more as its spokesperson. Or a
member of the team becomes its leader (he/she may be appointed by the manager or voted
by the members, however this role might change from time to time with regards to the
character of the tasks being solved by the team). The managers in this instance does not lead
the team directly, he/she more likely act as a coach.
The usual main tasks of a team leader appointed by the manager or voted by the members
are:
 to monitor that the work of the team does not decline from its goal,
 to care that each team members feels to be a part of the team and has its specific role
there,
 to monitor the adherence to the rules of the team and to initiate occasional selfassessment
of the way how the team works,
 to support different views of the thing. The best team decisions usually come thanks
to different views of its members,
 to seek the possibilities how to strengthen the participation of the team members on
decision-making,
 to distribute recognition among the team members,
 to point out the team success and celebrate even small success in adequate manners,
58
to monitor the relations within the team, to solve problems and destructive conflicts between
team members.
Example (assignment of a task)
How should a team leader respond to problematic behaviour of a team member that
obstructs the team cooperation?
The role of a manager requires him/her to monitor the relations within the team and to deal
with possible personal conflicts between the team members. Individualistic behaviour of
members, particularly the tendency not to cooperate, not to get involved in the collective
work, to block the team work, to seek personal appreciation, belong to barriers to the
formation or successful operation of a team.
Problematic behaviour of team members is usually not hard to recognize. Finding ways how
to face it, particularly the communication methods, is more difficult.
A tendency of some team members to dominate within the team can be characterized by for
example a tendency to enforce one’s authority, status or superiority, but also to talk too
much, interrupt others or suppress their notes and different opinions. A tendency to seek
recognition displayed by an effort to steal the show or to dominate the discussion in the
group is similar. A tendency not to cooperate is usually displayed by unwillingness to
participate in team discussion or by sending non-verbal signals of disapproval. Blocking the
cooperation, characterized by the tendency to long arguments to a single point or to refuse
proposals or discussion is similar.
A team leader should always respond urgently to such problematic behaviour. He/she can
for example suppress the tendency to dominance by saying: “Thank you, I understand your
opinion“. Trying to avoid the eye contact with the problematic person when asking
individual members of the team questions, using non-verbal communication to stop talks
(e.g. lifted arms), not to support but to suppress competition in the team might also be
helpful.
Unless none of these tools helps there is usually no choice but to invite the employee
to a personal meeting and to discuss the matter with him/her. It is possible that he/she just
does not realize the impact of such behaviour and a feedback from the team leader can help.
The tendency to seek recognition can be limited for example by asking the employee to be
more concrete. For example, by the words: „Could you please look at it and give us further
information at the next meeting?” Asking the others: “Does anybody have a different
opinion” and keeping a fast pace of the meeting can also help.
59
The tendency of some members not to cooperate can also be suppressed if the leader asks
challenging questions, keeps the eye contact, obstructs humiliation of certain persons and
uses the sense of humour. He/she may for example suppress the tendency to block
cooperation by the words: “Can you name the grounds that lead you to your opinion?”, or
by asking other members of the team to find positive points in the proposals of others or by
accepting different opinions as potentially useful in the instance of disagreement among team
members.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain the most frequent internal and external barriers to team work and
decide which can and which cannot be removed by so-called teambuilding.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What is a team?
2. What are the main advantages of team work?
3. When is team work particularly suitable?
4. What are the preconditions for the formation of a team?
5. What phases goes a team through during its formation?
6. How does the role of a manager leading a team differs from common
management?
7. What is the task of a team leader?
8. What can obstruct the team work?
60
9. How can team work be supported?
10. What types of persons are unsuitable for team work?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
61
3.10 Conducting meetings – analysis of a practical example
Key words
Conducting meetings, meeting management, goals of meetings, rules of conducting
meetings, tasks of a leader in the preparation and conducting of a meeting, most frequent
mistakes in conducting meetings
The goals of the chapter
To explain the goals and rules of successful conducting of meetings, to clarify the differences
between the main types of meetings, to explain the riles of the preparation of meetings,
to clarify the most frequent causes of mistakes in conducting meetings.
Learning outcomes
 23.10 copes with the prevention of personnel risks of an organization
Abstract
Meetings are necessary in most organizations – for sharing information, assignment of tasks,
preparation or collective acceptance of a decision, finding a new solution etc. However, they
belong to the most frequent causes of time loss. This particularly applies if meetings are
pointless, poorly conducted or convened unplanned. This even more applies to meetings
through which various committees „work”.
There are five main circumstances that decrease the effectiveness of meetings:
 too many meetings. Meetings are convened pointlessly often automatically. Different
means of communication can be more effectively used for the transfer of necessary
information, most often by direct and personal communication,
 insufficient preparation. Preparation of a meeting usually does not require too much
time, but leads to a significant increase of its effectiveness. Attendants should clearly
know from the programme not only what they will discuss, but also what the meeting
should decide on. Meetings should not be convened early, before a real reason for
discussion arises,
 loss of concentration. Similarly, to people, meetings can lose concentration.
Attention has to be paid to the topics that are discussed and a decision made for each
point. Even though a discussion on other topics might be interesting, the topic of the
62
meeting has to be kept. A meeting should not take more time than necessary, so there
is no reason to spend the whole planned time there. If a meeting ends earlier and
some attendants want to stay and discuss further matters there is no reason to waste
the time of those who want to do something else,
 dominance of some persons. These are persons that want everybody to hear their
opinion, preferably during a meeting. They might sometimes come with a humorous
relief, but they often prevent others from their appearance and waste their time,
 missing summary of tasks. A meeting very often ends and people do not know exactly
what decisions were made, what should be done, who should do it and when.
An effective meeting should therefore contain a summary and assignment of tasks
or further steps to individual participants.
A solution of the above listed drawbacks does not have to be complicated. If, however
planning and calling of meetings is within your competences, remember them. Do not call
meetings if it is not really necessary: if you can make certain decisions yourself (because
they are not so important to require the opinion of others) do it. If you need to talk to other
people or to inform them on something, consider a telephone call or a conference call.
If a meeting is really inevitable, for example because your colleagues should share their
opinions or experience, adhere to several rules for the sake of effectiveness. First, invite the
attendants in written. Instead of brief points state what you want to discuss and what you
want to decide at the meeting. The invited will thus know what information is expected from
them and they will probably thing about the topics in advance. They will be better prepared.
Second, start the meeting on time, adhere to its programme and do not let the meeting last
beyond the planned time. Try to make a certain decision on each point, e.g. assignment
of responsibility for further steps. Third, summarize the decisions made and the task assigned
at the end of each meeting. This rule is probably the most important principle of the
conduction of a meeting.
Fourth, after the meeting, preferably the same day, send a record confirming the decisions
of the meeting, the assigned responsibilities and set deadlines. Quick distribution of the
records strongly anchors and strengthens the assigned tasks and the responsibility for their
fulfilment. The act of making the record itself forces you to think whether you really
achieved the expected goals by the meeting.
Fifth, try sometimes to get a feedback from the meeting attendants. It will enable you
to assess whether and in which points the meeting was conducted properly and to gain ideas
for more efficient conduction of meetings in the future.
63
Example (assignment of a task)
Brainstorming is a kind of meeting that should contribute to finding new approaches,
opportunities or solution of problems. What are their goals and the rules of conduction?
Brainstorming is a form of a meeting or group discussion that supports creative thinking
beyond the routine frameworks of thinking. It is most often used as a tool of searching
for new procedures and alternative ways of dealing with corporate problems. The principle
of a meeting organized as brainstorming is unlimited creation of proposals and ideas,
stimulated by group atmosphere and responses to ideas already presented, followed
by classification of ideas and their evaluation.
The goal is to refrain from the fixed ways of thinking, to challenge the routine approaches
and to come with brand new views of things. It is conditioned by the preparation of a suitable
environment, adequate instructions for participants (particularly the fact that the ideas are
not subject to any evaluation or criticism in the first phase), demonstration of the method on
a sample problem and conduction by an experienced person. A written variant is brainwriting
based on filling in ideas into prepared forms, which rotate to support mutual inspiration.
Organization of brainstorming and the assignment of its tasks should be based on the
following rules:
 say any ideas that come to your mind, do not try to limit yourself or exclude
anything
 do not assess or criticize the ideas of other participants
 produce as many ideas as possible
 develop the ideas from other participants
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain what should an invitation or information on carrying out a meeting
should look like, so that its time is utilized to the maximum effectiveness.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
64
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What are the main tasks of meetings?
2. What are the main types of meetings?
3. Why do meetings often lead to a loss of time?
4. What are the main conditions of the effectiveness of meetings?
5. What are the main rules of successful conduction of meetings?
6. What are the tasks of a manager related to the preparation of a meeting?
7. What are the tasks of a manager related to the conduction of a meeting?
8. What are the tasks of a manager after the end of a meeting?
9. Why do meetings often last longer than necessary?
10. Why could decisions made at a meeting be sometimes worse than decisions made
by individuals?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
65
3.11 Principles and tools of coaching. Personal problems of
employees and their solution. Interviews with employees
and their types – analysis of concrete problematic situations
from business sphere
Key words
Personal problems of employees, solving personal problems of employees, causes and
impacts of personal problems of employees, the role of an organization in solving personal
problems of employees, the role of a manager in solving personal problems of employees,
managerial tasks and functions, coaching of employees, goals of coaching, methods of
coaching, coaching of individuals, coaching of groups, coaching of managers, management
tools, interviews with employees, types of interviews with employees, recruitment and
selection interviews, adaptation interviews, interviews in assigning long-term tasks,
coaching interviews, assessment interviews, motivation interviews disciplinary interviews
with employees.
The goals of the chapter
To explain the nature, importance, goals and tools of coaching of employees, to explain the
reasons for coaching, to clarify the importance of coaching as a tool of development, changes
of behaviour and motivation, to clarify the situations when coaching of employees is
suitable, to explain the principles and procedures of coaching of employees by a manager.
To explain the character, causes and consequences of personal problems of employees,
to explain the main types of personal problems of employees affecting their performance
and work behaviour, to explain the difference between personal problems and personal
limits, to explain the possibilities and tools of solving personal problems of employees
by a manager and the organization.
To explain the sense of interviews with employees as one of management tools, to clarify
the goals, methods and the course of individual types of interviews with employees, to clarify
the differences between the main types of interviews with employees, their goals, their
course and methods, to clarify the most frequent mistakes in the conduction of the individual
types of interviews with employees.
66
Learning outcomes
 23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational leadership
 23.7 knows the principles and tools of coaching
 23.9 copes with the prevention and solution of unwanted behaviour of employees
 23.10 copes with the prevention of personnel risks of an organization
Abstract
Principles and tools of coaching
Coaching represents a tool of development of employees at work, supporting acquisition
of new abilities, creation of new approaches to work or achievement of changes of their
behaviour. Its goal is particularly to strengthen social, but also managerial abilities of the
coached. Strengthening of motivation to changes of behaviour or improvement of selfconfidence
in their performance, e.g. trust that an employee will successfully do in a new
situation on the basis of his/her abilities, however remain an important part of coaching.
Coaching than therefore be perceived as a means helping an employee overcome particular
personal barriers that obstruct him/her from the acquisition of new work procedures.
Overcoming a barrier related to misunderstanding to the importance or inevitability
of changes is an example.
Coaching differs from the common, particularly directive management by the fact that
it rarely provides an employee with a definite instruction or direct advice how to proceed.
Instead it helps him/her find a new solution or procedure him/herself through stimuli,
inspiration and encouragement.
In leading employees to derivation of a new solution a coach utilizes their experience. He/she
ask them certain instructive questions that lead them indirectly to new approaches or angles
of view. Such questions are for example:
 What possibilities of further proceeding do you have?
 What do you think you could do in a different way?
 What would happen if …?
 Can you see a way how we might accelerate the thing?
 What do you think about the possibility …?
The goal of the questions is to help an employee to acquire a wider or somehow different
view on the situation he/she is in or the problem he/she is solving and to highlight drawbacks
or limitations of the existing approach and the new possibilities that are opening.
67
If an employee derives a new view or solution the coach confirms its correctness. If he/she
is not sure about his/her newly found solution or if he/she thinks that it will face problems
or objections from others the coach can help him/her overcome the uncertainty or advise
how to overcome the expected objections.
The importance of coaching is based on the fact that an employee more easily and more
permanently acquires a procedure or solution that he/she finds him/herself. The fact that
he/she has found the solution also supports his/her confidence in his/her ability to solve
similar problems in the future and it supports his/her independence. Coaching also supports
self-confidence if an employee needs to overcome fears of insufficient abilities necessary
for a change of work of devaluation of abilities already acquired, loss of authorities etc.
Personal problems of employees and their solution
Personal problems of employees relate to their private life outside workplace. They are
usually temporary, but they can significantly project themselves into their performance and
work behaviour. A manager should therefore expect that serious problems of employees will
affect their work behaviour and performance. In more serious cases they might grow into
mental disorders that become a cause of long-term personal performance limitation.
Various unfavourable personal and family events that might lead to slower work pace
or a higher occurrence of work errors or inaccuracies affected by lower concentration and
emotional problems are among the most usual causes of personal problems.
A loss of working hours, for example as a consequence of longer time spent talking with
colleagues, with whom an employee discusses his/her problems, can also lead to lower
performance, or a loss of time caused by telephone calls not related to the work, late arrivals
to and early departures from the workplace etc.
Personal problems also often cause psychical tension, frustration or anger and can therefore
be projected to employee’s behaviour to customers, colleagues and managers.
Managers should therefore know how to best cope with these problems of their associates.
A personal problem might lead (and usually leads) to a bad feeling, which does not
necessarily lead to low performance.
Solution of serious personal problems of employees usually requires the organization to be
responsive whether by provision of a time off or temporary tolerance of lower performance.
The types of “personal barriers” to work, the extent of the minimum time off that an
employer is obliged to give an employee are defined in the Labour Code.
68
Dealing with personal problems of employees affecting their performance belongs to the
tasks of a manager. A display of sympathy is a basic form of support. If an employee wants
to talk about personal problems with a manager, the managers should be available. A
dialogue about a problem can itself help, as it can help find a solution or facilitate the
emotional coping with the problem.
Personal limits of employees have, unlike personal problems, a more durable, sometimes
permanent character. These are mainly situations when the demands of positions or tasks are
higher than the abilities of employees that perform them and when such persons miss the
talent or gift to cope successfully with a training that might lead to the acquisition of the
proper abilities.
Interviews with employees and their types
Manager’s interviews with employees that are held on various occasions belong to his/her
basic management tools. They are held at the recruitment and selection of employees, within
their adaptation, in the assignment of long-term tasks and work goals, in the assessment
of employees within their motivation, particularly if it is decreasing for some reasons,
in insufficient performance of employees, solving their disciplinary problems (breaching
of the work discipline) or in dismissal of employees.
A manager that conducts an interview with an employee should respect common rules
of conducting interviews, but also principles related to individual types of interviews. The
general rules of interviews with employees are particularly:
 to create an open and friendly atmosphere, i.e. not to emphasise formal authority for
example by sitting at the front of manager’s table,
 to proceed according to clearly set steps, i.e. structure of the interview,
 to speak to the point, not in personal level, rather constructively than critically,
 to encourage an assessed person to speak and to listen to his/her opinions,
 not to be afraid to accept the interviewee’s standpoint if you consider it right,
 to point out the mistakes in the employee’s opinions, i.e. inadequately positive selfassessment,
but also unsubstantiated self-underestimation,
 to obtain ideas from the assessed person, how to improve his/her performance,
information on possible obstacles to his/her work, how he/she evaluates the extent
of his/her authorities, what motivates him/her, what his/her personal goals to the
future are etc.
 to praise the assessed person for achieved results,
69
 to set concrete points of improvement of his/her work together with the employee,
 to close the meeting in a positive spirit.
As an example of the principles of conducting an interview we present the rules related to the
conduction of an assessment interview. Different procedures should moreover be applied
if the performance of the interviewed employee meets our expectations, exceeds them or,
on the other hand, it does not meet them.
If the employee meets the performance expectations, we need
 to appreciate his/her achievements, but to mention that most of the employees meet
the performance expectations,
 to listen to employee's ideas, to give him/her ideas how his/her performance might
me improved,
 to discuss new goals and the ways of their achievement with him/her.
If the employee exceeds the performance expectations, we need
 to acknowledge his/her achievements and ask for his/her new ideas or proposals,
 to find out what further responsibilities he/she could take over from his/her position
in his/her opinion,
 to find out the career goals of the employee,
 to discuss his/her new goals and the ways of their achievement with him/her.
If the employee fails to meet the performance expectations, we need
 to start the interview with the appreciation of his/her achieved success,
 to discuss the goals that have not been met and start with those most important,
 to discuss the ways that might lead to an improvement of his/her performance,
 to lead the employee to the comprehension of his/her drawbacks,
 to draw a plan of the improvement of employee’s performance. i.e. to define
deadlines for its improvement,
to plan the next terms for further meetings with the employee.
Example (assignment of a task)
An important component of interviews of managers with their associates is listening
to their opinions. Why is this ability important and why is it often difficult?
Listening is a key aspect of understanding and communication with other people. It is also
an efficient tool of keeping good relations, prevention of various conflicts and time saving.
70
It is therefore also one of the most important preconditions for success, practically in all
aspects of life.
The reason why listening is so important, often more than speaking itself, is not difficult.
If we want to achieve that others listen to us – and we need it to be able to notify them
of what we want or even persuade them – we must listen to them. And usually earlier than
we start talking. This way we actually win over their interest.
People feel better with people that listen to others and moreover show it, e.g. by asking
question to understand better. They actually feel that they are paid attention and given
recognition. Listening as an expression of interest and respect is therefore one of the most
important ability how to find favour with others. People that have this ability and understand
why it is important are usually popular.
Nevertheless, this ability represents one of the most frequently occurred communication
weaknesses for many people, who moreover themselves are not aware of it.
Training the habit to listen, not to interrupt others and let them speak is really worth it.
Although listening is the most difficult communication skill, learning to it does not have
to be difficult.
It is helpful to realize that we are no clairvoyants, so we never know what others want to say.
It will also help, if we observe carefully what people around us are doing.
As soon as we actually start to acquire the habit to listen to others – and let them know it –
people around us will start feeling better. And all that despite the fact that they even do not
realize what the communication with us changed in. We will be rewarded not only by higher
popularity, but also by the fact that our work will become easier for us.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain what a motivation interview between a manager and an associate
should focus on and what main point it should lean on.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
71
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What are the main types of interviews with employees?
2. What common rules should interviews with employees adhere to?
3. What is the goal of adaptation interviews?
4. What is the goal of assessment interviews?
5. What rule should assessment interviews adhere to?
6. What are the main content points of assessment interviews?
7. What is the goal and content of interviews with employees focused on the solution
of their disciplinary problems?
8. What is the goal and content of interviews with employees focused on the
improvement of their performance?
9. What are the most frequently occurred mistakes in the conduction of interviews
with employees?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
72
3.12 Stress at workplace and its prevention. Prevention of and
coping with unwanted behaviour of employees, mobbing
and bullying at workplace. Conflicts at workplace, their
causes and solution – analysis of an example from the
practice
Key words
Stress, stress at work, causes of stress at workplace, positive and negative stress,
consequences of stress at workplace, removing stressing factors, management style and
stress at work, personal conflicts, conflicts at workplace, causes of conflicts at workplace,
consequences of conflicts at workplace, prevention of conflicts at workplace, solution of
conflicts at workplace, conflict solving strategies, unwanted behaviour of employees,
problematic behaviour at workplace, symptoms of problematic behaviour, causes of
unwanted behaviour, prevention of unwanted behaviour coping with unwanted behaviour,
disciplinary problems of employees and their solution.
The goals of the chapter
To explain the character, causes and consequences of stress at workplace, to clarify the
difference between positive and negative stress at workplace, to explain the principles of the
prevention of stress at workplace, to clarify the relations between the way of managing
employees and work stress, to explain how to detect stress at workplace, to clarify the
relation between work stress and conflicts at workplace.
To explain the character, causes and consequences of unwanted or problematic behaviour
of employees, to clarify hidden symptoms of unwanted behaviour at workplace, to explain
preventive tools limiting the occurrence of unwanted behaviour, to explain the ways
of solution of disciplinary problems of employees.
To explain the character, causes and consequences of conflicts at workplace, to explain the
relation between the way of management and occurrence of conflicts at workplace, the
principles of prevention and solution of work conflicts, to familiarize students with the tasks
and roles of managers in the solution of conflicts, to explain the strategies of solving conflict
sat workplace
73
Learning outcomes
 23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational leadership
 23. 8 is able to deal with conflicts at workplace and identifies problematic tendencies
of managers
 23.9 copes with the prevention and solution of unwanted behaviour of employees
Abstract
Stress at workplace and its prevention
Stress originating from work requirements is a natural part of work life. Slight level of stress
or tension in an organization linked for example to demanding but still realistic deadlines or
with the awareness that work is regularly inspected can be even desirable. It actually helps
mobilize work energy, increase work pace and thus utilize the full potential of employees.
Competition from other employees, which does not lead to personal rivalry can also be one
of the sources of slight stress. Slight stress improving the work performance does not have
to be harmful to health at all.
The causes of negative stress are pointless to a high extent. They are often linked to the
behaviour of supervisors, particularly to unobjective assessment of employees, missing
recognition or improper presentation of criticism. A “management style” based
on concealing of facts, behind-the-scenes acting or frequent inspections arising from lack
of confidence is another cause. It can also originate from management supporting excessive
competition or rivalry among employees.
Persistent unresolved conflicts, frequent, insufficiently explained changes of work tasks,
tendencies of managers to postpone decisions important for the work of employees,
unwillingness to delegate authorities, insufficient transfer of information, unwillingness
to listen to employees, but also a wrong selection of people at important position, are further
undue sources of stress.
Improper personality traits of supervisors also play a role in these situations, particularly
when managerial positions are occupied by psychically unstable people, uncertain, with
lower social or emotional intelligence. They can also be persons that themselves easily yield
to stress, people with tendencies to perfectionism, excessive competitiveness, excessive need
to excel, lack of confidence to other people, bias towards aggressiveness or even
vindictiveness.
Stress might also originate from some organizational causes, like monotonous work
following from excessive specialization, insufficient contact with other employees but also
74
insufficient work load. It can also be caused by improper space arrangement of a workplace
(that does not provide for sufficient privacy and the possibility to concentrate on work),
excessive noise, improper illumination etc.
In such and similar situations we must realize that excessive stress projected into the
behaviour of employees is costly for an organization: it reduces their performance and often
increases its costs.
If we get to a conclusion that our organization suffers from undue or excessive stress
(whether arising from numerous conflicts, wrong decisions, drop of work satisfaction and
motivation, growing complaints of employees, growth of absence and fluctuation etc.) we
should carry out at least an informative analysis enabling us to identify the main stress
factors, their causes and consequences.
An anonymous questionnaire survey among employees is usually the best way. It enables us
to detect the most important stress factors and to reveal the causes of extensive load, which
can be most easily removed.
Prevention of and coping with unwanted behaviour of employees, mobbing and
bullying at workplace
Unwanted behaviour of employees harm companies directly and indirectly. Apart from
damages related to performance drawbacks it can spoil the work discipline of other
employees or to tarnish the reputation of the organization. Apart from the most serious forms
of unwanted behaviour (fraudulent, immoral or illegal behaviour, intentional damaging
of products, company facilities etc) it involves the following displays:
 aggressive, rude or offensive behaviour to the social environment,
 tendency to seek conflicts to disturb team atmosphere and to damage interpersonal
relations,
 lack of responsibility, tendency to apathic or bored behaviour, disinterest in work,
 tendency to absence or tardiness,
 tendency to “bend” and breach internal or generally applicable regulations,
tendency to dishonesty,
 tendency to put the blame on others, to search for fall guys, to create culprits,
 tendency to disrespecting of authorities or negative approach to authorities,
problems with the ability to adapt to the environment or to hierarchic relations.
Less serious but often rather less obvious forms of unwanted behaviour are a tendency
to politicking (seeking colleagues with common personal and power interest, formation
75
of cliques, concealing information etc.), buck-passing, tendency to appropriate the results
of the work of other people, but also inadequate ambitions, a tendency or need to concentrate
attention etc. Even these forms should not be tolerated on long-term basis.
To prevent more serious symptoms of unwanted behaviour from occurrence we should:
 set clear rules of work and social behaviour, apply them consistently and refer
to them often,
 support positive interpersonal relations, by one’s own example and by prising those
who adhere to them,
 not ignore displays of unwanted behaviour, but respond to them immediately,
 consider the possibility how to improve the work environment and the attractiveness
of work or how to remove its possible stressing factors. These might be for example
insufficient workload, no opportunity to prove successful, achieve new abilities etc.
 give employees more opportunity to participate in decision making in matters
directly affecting them,
 listen to the opinions and fears of individuals, observe their behaviour, support their
communication
An immediate intervention is necessary in the instance of an occurrence of unwanted
behaviour. Unlike in performance problems, whose solution might need certain time,
breaching of work discipline has to be stopped before it becomes serious. The managerial
tools in such an instance are oral warning (if the breaching of discipline is less serious),
written warning (unless an employee responds to an oral warning or if the breaching of work
discipline is more serious), and termination or immediate cancellation of employment (in the
instance of repeated breaching of work discipline, where less resolute disciplinary measures
did not lead to improvement of employee’s behaviour, or in the case of an extremely serious
breach).
A personal interview focused on the solution of a disciplinary problem should be based
on five steps. They are a description of unacceptable behaviour, pointing out the impacts
of such behaviour on the organization, specification of the required changes an outline
of consequences if the inacceptable behaviour continues and the rules of monitoring.
76
Conflicts at workplace, their causes and solution
Increased occurrence of conflicts at workplace and their long-term persistence reduce the
performance of an organization and managers should therefore try to avoid them. Occurrence
of conflict can be prevented by limitation of their causes and immediate response to their
symptoms. If they occur their solution should not be postponed.
There are four most frequent causes of conflict at workplace. They are unclear authorities
and not completely clear assessment criteria, poorly combined tasks or contradictory work
instructions to employees, personal antipathies, originating from a conflict of personalities
and different opinions on solution of factual problems at workplaces.
Unclear authorities and not completely clear assessment criteria. Unclear or ambiguous
authorities of individual persons or positions, e.g. overleaping authorities belong to the most
frequent causes of conflicts. It actually creates a space for people to compete permanently
for their authorities. Unclear or not enough objective assessment criteria play a similar role,
particularly if they lead to different assessment of people that do the same work and achieve
the same results. They mostly lead to conflicts as they become a cause of unfairness.
Conflicts originating in ambiguous assessment criteria most often arise in relation to the
salaries or remuneration, work demands, work conditions and promotion opportunities. The
fact that unfairness is sometimes perceived “only” subjectively does not change anything.
“Subjective” feelings of employees are not in fact the cause of conflicts, it is the inability
of an organization to explain the applied assessment criteria clearly to its employees
or to persuade them objectively about the criteria.
Poorly combined tasks and contradictory instructions given to employees are the second
group of causes of conflicts. The consequence is, that some employees are not able to fulfil
their tasks duly and timely not threatening the work of other people. They particularly get
to conflicts if their reward is bound to the fulfilment of their goals.
Conflict of personalities. The third group of conflicts that have personal character are those
originating from the conflict of personalities. They usually arise between people with
significantly different work or personal styles or different work experience and habits.
Persons with the tendency to “enjoy” and seek conflicts, sometimes in the expectation
of strengthening their positions, can also be their sources.
Factual conflicts. The fourth group contains conflicts related to different opinions on work
procedures or the ways of solving certain problems. Unlike the above, they do not have such
a personal character and arise from professional problems. However even these conflicts,
if they are not dealt with in a suitable way, can transfer to the personal dimension.
77
Conflicts are harmful for an organization particularly if they disturb communication and
cooperation between people, spend the work time and exhaust personal energy, hamper
concentration or lead to occurrence of work errors.
Parties of a conflict can choose various strategies in the enforcement of their interests. The
same strategies may be chosen by a manager that solves their conflict, particularly if he/she
takes the role of a judge or arbiter in the conflict. The differences between the problemsolving
strategies is based on the fact to what extent the individual parties (or the person that
solves their conflict) tries to enforce their (momentary) interests or, to what extent on the
other hand they are also interested in the maintenance of good mutual relations enabling the
future cooperation of the parties.
There are five basic strategies of conflict solving, usually referred to as strategies of avoiding
or distraction of attention, strategy of giving up or accommodation of one of the parties
to the other, strategies of compromise, confrontation and collaboration.
Example (assignment of a task)
What types of conflicts are beneficial for an organization and why, and how can
a manager support such conflicts?
Conflicts are usually personally unpleasant. This sometimes leads to an idea that all conflicts
are unwanted, regardless their character. Conflict are in their nature factual, based
on different opinions on the solution of certain work or professional problems and are not
transferred to the personal level (or are solved with mutual respect of the involved parties),
they however might increase the tendency of an organization to innovate. They might
therefore become a source of new solutions and necessary changes.
Total absence of conflicts in workplaces therefore does not mean anything good
for an organization. It is usually a symptom of the fact that the organization suffers from
extensive self-satisfaction or that employees have already given up the possibility to propose
improvements, usually because their managers suppress creative thinking and new
proposals. Total absence of factual conflicts is as unwanted for an organization as extensive
occurrence of personal conflicts.
If conflicts arising from different opinions and points of view do not arise in an organization
and if managers wish to obtain new views on a solution of a complicated problem, they can
try to stimulate factual conflicts at workplace artificially.
A procedure where a manager asks his/her associates for an opinion on a particular problem,
preferably in written, is an example of a method stimulating factual conflicts. This method
78
has a variant where we ask selected members of a work group to collect arguments
supporting particular opinions or decisions and others to collect arguments that reject these
opinions. Another procedure can be based on a division of employees into teams that should
defend individual variants of a solution in a mutual discussion.
If these methods are applied more often they lead to the fact that conflicts are perceived
as a normal part of the operation of an organization and that those that do not agree with
a certain proposal or opinion do not have to do it from personal reasons (e.g. because they
have personal antipathy to those who present the proposal), but also because it corresponds
with their points of view.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain in what ways a manager can contribute to a solution or a removal
of conflicts of personal character between employees.
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. What are the main causes of conflict at workplaces?
2. What conflicts are harmful for an organization?
3. What are the main consequences of adverse conflicts?
4. What are personal conflicts and what do they originate in?
5. What is prevention of harmful conflicts based on?
6. What are permanent conflicts?
7. What role can a manager take in conflict solving?
79
8. What are the main conflict-solving strategies?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of individual conflict solving
strategies?
10. How can favourable conflicts be stimulated?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503
80
3.13 Situational leadership. Principles of leadership. Relation
between management and leadership. Problematic
tendencies of managers – analysis of an example from the
practice
Key words
Management style, situational leadership, direct (directive) management, coaching
supporting, delegation, leadership in an organization, goals and tasks of leaders, principles
of leadership, tools of leaders, behaviour of leaders, personal qualities of leaders, authority
of a leader and its importance, ,anagement of employees, leadership of employees, goals and
tools of management, goals of leadership, tools of leadership, the difference between
management and leadership, preconditions of leader authority, problematic or unwanted
behaviour of managers, “poisonous” managers, displays of problematic tendencies of
managers, impacts of problematic behaviour of managers, personality traits of managers,
dealing with problematic tendencies of managers
The goals of the chapter
To explain the main forms of a situational leadership based on the adaptation of the
management style of a manager to the needs of employees, i.e. their abilities, experience and
motivation.
To explain the character, importance, tasks and tools of leadership in an organization,
to clarify the ways of behaviour of leaders and their personal qualities, to explain
the communication abilities that are preconditions of leadership, to illustrate on examples
the habits of successful leaders, to clarify the main preconditions of leader’s authority
and the causes of its loss.
To explain the character causes and consequences of problematic or unwanted displays and
ways of behaviour of managers, to clarify the preventive tools preventing the occurrence
of problematic managers, to clarify the main personality traits of problematic managers and
the possibilities of their detection, to explain the importance of coaching as a tool limiting
problematic tendencies of managers.
81
To explain the goals and tools of management and leadership of associates, to clarify the
differences between management and leadership and their tools, to clarify the tools
of management of employees, to clarify the tools of leadership of employees.
Learning outcomes
 23.1 understands the importance of management styles and situational leadership
 23.6 understands the principles of leadership
 23.8 is able to deal with conflicts at workplace and identifies problematic tendencies
of managers
Abstract
Situational leadership
The personal management style usually does not correspond with the requirements of all
employees or various situation in which organizations or their managers occur. The so-called
situational leadership based on the ability to apply various management styles in dependence
on the abilities and motivation of employees and the needs of the organization is therefore
its opposite. The prerequisite is that a manager is able to abandon the management style
he/she personally tends to apply and adapt his/her management style to the situation.
The conception of situational leadership is based on the fact that the management style that
a manager should apply towards various employees in various situations should acquire four
basic forms in dependence on their abilities, experience and motivation. These forms should
differ in the extent to which he/she rectifies the work of employees (tells them in detail what
and how they should do) and in the extent of the motivational support he/she provides them
with.
Four main management styles that can be distinguished on the basis of the different extent
of rectification and motivational support are referred to as direct management, coaching
supporting and delegation
Direct management is based on the combination of a high extent of direct rectification and
small portion of motivational support. It is suitable particularly for employees that are still
learning their work tasks: for new employees or those to whom a new task has been assigned.
New tasks and experience are actually motivating themselves, so extended motivation
support is not necessary. They however need clear and direct leading, i.e. exact instructions
what to do and how to do it.
82
Coaching is a management style combining a higher extent of rectification with a high extent
of motivational support. Unlike in the previous style the extent of the rectification of
employees is not only weaker, but usually rather indirect. Instead of giving exact instructions
what to do and how to do it the manager rather provides his/her associates with certain food
for thought or questions to be considered. The management style referred to as coaching is
most suitable when an employee learning a certain new task still needs strong rectification,
but motivation support from the manager is also necessary for his/her successful work.
Supporting is a style characterized by a high extent of motivational support and only a low
extent of direct rectification. It is suitable for situations where employees have already
learned the skills necessary for the performance of the assigned task and have proven their
skills in the practice. They however miss the self-confidence necessary for the trouble-free
performance of the task. They therefore do their work very carefully and require further
motivational support from their manager.
The fourth basic management style, referred to as delegation, is characterized by the fact that
the managers only provide their employees with very limited direct rectification and very
low motivational support. This style is suitable for employees that are already experienced
in the performance of their work tasks and have sufficient self-confidence in relation to them
Principles of leadership
Personal credibility of a manager is the basic psychological precondition of leadership
or leader authority. It enables a leader to win other people over for common goals, to enforce
new solutions, to make changes and often motivate to activities of the correctness of which
employees are not fully convinced at the beginning. People are actually willing to listen
to the opinions of people considered credible even if they first seem unconvincing.
Credibility of a manager grows from two basic sources: expertness, i.e. personal knowledge
and experience and long-term way of behaviour showing that the person respects the
interests of other people, is willing to help them, keeps his/her promises, does not deceive,
does not conceal his/her real interests, does not hinder mutual communication and believes
what he/she says. Showing common sense and work success is not enough for credibility –
the ability to listen to others and create the feeling of certainty in them is also important
Important preconditions of credibility of a leader are among others his/her
 “visibility”, i.e. the tendency to communicate directly and personally, not to hide
behind written declarations, experts, consultants, boards etc.,
 ability to create and formulate clear rules and to adhere to them,
83
 willingness to be responsible for the consequences of his/her decisions, to admit
openly wrong messages and failures,
 interest in the opinions of employees, a tendency not to refuse different views and
avoid unpleasant discussions,
 ability to refrain from unclear or unclearly substantiated decisions, particularly
disputable personnel decisions,
 ability to behave sometimes more formally to employees.
A loss of manager’s credibility on the other hand occurs as a consequence of two main
causes, namely not keeping promises and breaking rules (that they themselves created) and
preference to personal interests, sometimes to the detriment of the organization. It is also
negatively affected by often changing of opinions, discrepancies in the information provided,
postponing communication or unwillingness to respect different views.
Further preconditions of leader’s authority are certain personal qualities, particularly
personal energy, self-confidence, optimism and determination. It is moreover supported by
reasonable assertiveness, emotional stability, ability to inspire and encourage others and
solve fairly their conflicts
Leader’s qualities used to be and sometimes still are perceived as inborn. It is obvious that
some people have higher inborn gift for the above psychological preconditions than others.
The possibility to achieve leader’s authority and learn the “leader behaviour” is nevertheless
open for most managers. Numerous leader characteristics can actually be learned.
Leader’s habits that can relatively easily be achieved are among others
 direct and personal communication with employees
 their support, i.e. willingness to help them and get engaged in their interest if
necessary,
 knowledge of the abilities and needs of associates and an interest in them,
 open feedback, i.e. ability to tell employees even unpleasant things and not to
postpone or delegate this obligation,
 ability to inspire, give associates new stimuli and to care about their development,
however not to enforce new solution and give them possibility to particularize them,
 confidence in the abilities of associates and a tendency to let them know it.
Relation between management and leadership
Management of employees is usually linked to certain forms of direct or indirect pressure.
Managers that manage their associates are equipped with authorities that enable them
84
to support the fulfilment of work obligations, i.e. the achievement of the required outcomes
or performance standards, adherence to prescribed procedures and set deadlines by certain
rewards or enforce them by certain sanctions. Their management tools also contain certain
control mechanisms.
The goals of leading are generally identical; however, the tools differ. It is not based on the
push, but on the “pull”, i.e. on the effort to win the interest of employees on the basis of the
personal example, but also an attractive vision of the company or a section, to which the
employees believe and which they tend to follow. They are rewarded by the possibility
to participate personally in the implementation of an interesting vision, by achievement
of new experience and development of their abilities or by performance of activities that are
interesting for them.
The leader, i.e. the person who the others tend to follow because they believe in his/her
opinions can be practically anybody in the organization. The precondition is that he/she
is able to attract the others to a certain goal or to a certain kind of behaviour not necessarily
being equipped with the appropriate authorities. It is obviously in the interest of the
organization if particularly its managers are equipped with the ability to influence employees
also on the basis of the “pull”.
Management and leadership do not stand opposite to each other, but they support each other.
An organization therefore needs and requires management as well as leadership.
Management gives it stable processes, structures and concrete goals, it creates rules and
ensures their control. Leadership creates visions and common values of an organization,
it supports motivation and confidence to the management among employees and facilitates
changes an organization is going through.
Management and leadership should be in balance in an organization. Their imbalance, which
may appear in both directions, is however more frequent. Dominance of leadership over
management is rather a problem of smaller and starting organizations. The opposite
imbalance, i.e. too much management and not enough leadership on the other hand belongs
to the problems of larger and older organizations. Dominance of leadership over
management often arises because company officers with entrepreneurial or technical
orientation, usually its founders, do not have much interest in managerial activities, they pay
their main attention to development of products and their launch to the market. They expect
strong motivation, high flexibility, identification with the company and strong work efforts
from their employees. They are however often able to achieve them thanks to their example,
personal charisma and convincing company vision.
85
Dominance of leadership over management however starts to face problems with the grow
of a company, which sooner or late leads to a chaos. Stress on the adherence to rules and
procedures and impersonal and technocratic approach to management is on the other hand
one of the characteristics of the imbalance for the benefit of management, which is more
usual in the practice. Most managers expect their subordinates to do exactly what they are
told, they rarely reward employees for creativity or crossing the borders defined by their job
description. They therefore waste the ideas and motivation of employees and exhaust their
energy through various forms of corporate bureaucracy.
Insufficient motivation, low initiative and responsibility of employees then become typical
displays of an organization where management dominants over leadership. Buck-passing
and short-sight approach grow and the ability to make changes declines. If such an
organization starts facing problems, it often paradoxically responds by further stabilization
of the existing systems and structures, i.e. further strengthening the tendency to management.
Problematic tendencies of managers
Problematic personality traits of managers often arise no sooner than after their acceptance
or promotion. The causes might not only follow from insufficient social abilities inadequate
to the requirements for their position, but also from changes in behaviour that only arise after
the promotion
Problematic symptoms of managers that an organization should not tolerate in its own
interest are particularly a tendency to intimidate associates (to base their management
particularly on threats and punishments), to lose self-reflection, i.e. the ability to assess
him/herself impartially and critically, and to surround him/herself with uncritical supports
or “yes-men”.
A threat of punishment and a fear of it is a tool, whose goal is to prevent unwanted behaviour.
It however does not help as a tool supporting productive or otherwise positive behaviour of
employees. Overuse of this tool is therefore definitely ineffective. As a permanent
management tactics it not only leads to resistance among employees but often to increased
stress. Even higher occurrence of mistakes can be its consequence.
Relying on the management based on threats and punishment moreover puts a manager to
the role of a “bumbailiff” waiting for mistakes of employees. This role usually obstructs
open communication with employees and it is moreover difficult to leave it.
Its disputable effectiveness is actually conditioned by immediate and relentless punishment
for all mistakes or drawbacks. Disability to find these drawbacks or willingness to forgive
86
them from time to time lead to the fact that employees perceive the threatening as “empty
threats” and the managers lose their control over them.
“Intoxication” by higher authority at a managerial position sometimes leads to a loss of selfreflection.
Higher interest in one’s own pay or personal use of company resources,
sometimes for the benefit or one’s own vanity, sometimes even in the effort to support one’s
authority is just a mild display of this bias. These tendencies are particularly problematic
in periods when a company is forced to save.
These displays become significantly serious if they lead to a tendency to apply different
assessment criteria to him/herself than to others. A tendency to condemn employees for
mistakes the manager him/herself makes (or even be surprised that such mistakes can be
criticized in a manager) or to excuse one’s mistake by his/her “contribution” to the
organization, is an example.
Loss of self-reflection and reduction of criticism of one’s own behaviour is, as researches
have shown, a frequent consequence of acceptance to a managerial position. Organizations
should therefore be careful about this phenomenon.
A tendency to prefer persons whose preference is not based on higher performance or loyalty
to the organization, but on uncritical loyalty to the manager is the third problematic symptom
requiring attendance. Their main function is to support the manager, to agree uncritically
with his/her proposals, to create allied cliques within the organization, to conceal certain
information etc. This tendency of a manager is often motivated by personal fears, either
of the fact that he/she is not able to succeed in the organization of that colleagues selected
on the basis of their abilities might threaten his/her position.
A tendency of managers to surround themselves with employees whose main quality is the
tendency to say yes and to defend their manager in any situation can obstruct a disclosure
of a problematic manager. Managers of such a type actually mainly survive thanks to the
support of their nearest environment. This leads to a quick loss of the sense of reality and
objective assessment which affect the manager (who him/herself starts to believe his/her yesmen)
as well as his/her closest environment.
Example (assignment of a task)
How does an excessive ego display in managers and how can this problem mark their
organization?
The fact that only a thin border separates positive and negative displays apply to numerous
human traits. Their extension usually decides on which side of the border we found
87
ourselves. A quality that helps in numerous situations can become a problem or even
a weakness if it develops too much.
Strong ego is usually linked to arrogance, egocentrism and tenaciousness. However, unless
it exceeds a certain limit it is in principle positive or even necessary. It brings its holders
necessary self-confidence and assertiveness, supports their ambitions, gives the courage
to lead battles with competitors and strengthens its ability to undergo reasonable risks.
A problem arises if it gets out of control, it means in a situation when one’s single goal
is to promote him/herself. It is a peculiar tax on success, when a strength becomes
a weakness. A strong ego is actually self-centric and fixed on oneself, and sometimes leads
to a loss of forethought. It moreover forces its holder to activities that consume time and
energy and are often stressful.
A tendency to give up to one’s ego can have particularly serious consequences if it strikes
managers. The whole business of people with uncontrolled ego is only about themselves.
They gradually alienate from the organization and often try to get rid of their responsibility.
They actually fear that if they bore it they would lose their prestige. They also feel threatened
at the presence of other people as they fear of being overshadowed or that their qualities
might fail in comparison with other people. They have therefore a tendency to surround
themselves with people that support their ego.
Excessive ego of leaders can therefore cause problems to organizations. A dangerously fast
investment development motivated by the effort “to lead a strong company” is one of them.
According to international researches the losses of big companies related to imprudent and
subjective decisions of their managements represent in average fifteen to twenty per cent
of their annual incomes.
Uncontrolled ego of some persons can however damage not only their environment but also
themselves. Their ego actually becomes a source of their stress.
Assignment of independent work (task)
In a half-page text explain what problematic types of behaviour of managers an organization
should not overlook even if they have not yet developed to an extent that represent a serious
problem.
88
Literature
Compulsory literature
URBAN, J., 2017. Motivace a odměňování pracovníků. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-271-
0227-3. (p. 45-114)
URBAN, J., 2017. Psychologie řízení a vedení. Praha: Ústav práva a právní vědy a European
Business School. ISBN 978-80-87974-15-5. (p. 73-124)
Recommended literature
BĚLOHLÁVEK, F., 2016. 25 typů lidí – Jak s nimi jednat, jak je vést a motivovat. 3rd
extended ed. Praha: Grada. ISBN 978-80-247-5872-5. (p. 34-156)
Control questions
1. Who are problematic managers?
2. What are the main types of problematic behaviour of managers?
3. What are the consequences of problematic behaviour among managers?
4. What personality traits lead to occurrence of problematic behaviour?
5. How can an organization prevent problematic behaviour of managers?
6. How can an organization support problematic behaviour of managers?
7. How can an organization limit problematic tendencies of managers?
8. What procedures might problematic tendencies of managers make easier to their
employees?
9. What kind of managers surround themselves by “yes-men”?
10. What are the symptoms of uncontrolled ego of managers?
Interesting points of the issue
http://www2.cipd.co.uk/pm/
https://hbr.org/
http://ekonom.ihned.cz/tagy/HR-16503