MAN 128 Human Relations Assignment #1 Chapters 1 – 4

Grading: There are 20 questions for a total of 100 points for this assignment and
each question or case study question is worth 5 points.
5 points – Question answered completely and no spelling or grammar errors
4 points – Question almost answered completely and/or one spelling or grammar error
3 points – Question missing concept or answer and two spelling grammar errors
0 -2 points – Question lacking complete information and more than two spelling or
grammar errors

Chapter 1

1. Consider the importance of Elton Mayo and his work in the Hawthorne Studies to
the history of human relations. Fear was noted as a possible driver for productivity in
the studies. Do you think fear is a good long-term motivator for employees? Why or
why not? How would human relations skills affect a fear motivation?

I do not believe it is a good long term motivator. As the Hawthorne Experiment and
Elton Mayo noted, fear can increase productivity – however this was only noted to
be in short term amounts, and not examined in terms of the long term. While fear
may motivate people to become productive or get something done, the long term
effects of fear can be incredibly detrimental. This can lead to a plethora of problems
for an employee who is motivated by fear, such as anxiety, stress, depression, anger
issues, etc. that will ultimately outweigh the productivity provided by fear. In the
modern world, this worker would likely begin looking for other employment if
possible.

Poor human relations skills, which could be intentional or unintentional, can

contribute to feelings of fear for employees. Whether a manager is unknowingly
intimidating or purposefully trying to be intimidating, both can lead to the discomfort
or fear of their employees.

2. How can the development of human relations skills help you on the job as a
manager? As an entrepreneur? As an employee?

They can help in a wide variety of ways. The ways in which we communicate make
up the foundation of human relations, and communication, whether intentional or
unintentional, is a driving force behind how we perceive others and even ourselves.
When a manager is a strong communicator with good human relations skills, they're
able to more easily work with their employees and motivate them, as well as lead
them. Leading others is a skill that requires a great deal of human relations skills, as
one has to manage a group of different people with different thoughts and beliefs
effectively to get a common goal done, while making sure everyone is (ideally)
satisfied. An employee, too, can greatly benefit from these skills. Poor attitudes,
whether due to a lack of self-esteem, self-awareness, or perhaps factors outside of
someone's direct control, can greatly affect one's ability to perform as an employee.
Understanding concepts like mutual respect, having a good measure of self-
awareness, and having good communications skills, are all ways employees can do
a better job to work with not only their manager, but also each other. Entrepreneurs,
too, will benefit from these same skills. Whether they find themselves working with
others, or above others, all of the above listed skills will come in handy for similar
reasons. Working alone as well, a great deal of self-awareness and intention to self-
improve (known as a growth mindset) will carry such a person a long way.

3.Consider the information on Theory X and Theory Y. Which theory do you think is
more useful, and why? If you chose Theory X, why do you think some people who
win the lottery continue to work anyhow, or do volunteer work? If you chose Theory
Y, why do you think some employees seem unhappy with working no matter what
they are doing?

I believe Theory Y is far more useful to both the workplace and society as a whole.
Theory X, to me, speaks to a poor attitude on behalf of the manager. He has the
inability to sympathize with employees and understand difficulties they may face,
and has a view that is very self-centered. This view comes across as somewhat
aggressive, with instant assumptions that any problems employees may have is at
their fault, and takes no amount of responsibility. Theory Y assumes the best about
people, and offers more room for non-hostile and open communication with others,
allowing for cooperation and mutual understanding and respect.

Some employees may be unhappy regardless of their work for a variety of reasons.
There are personal factors that may play in to this, such as events going on out of
their control outside of the work environment. An employee who recently lost a loved
one, for example, may be unhappy at work for an extended period of time, as
working is probably the least of their concerns. However, if we're talking long-term,
i.e. “no matter what they are doing,” this can perhaps be attributed to poor attitude.
While it is important for managers to provide a safe and comfortable working
environment for their employees, as well as work on their relationships with them, it
is not solely the duty of the manager to please the employees. Employees, too, must
make an effort to work with their managers and be open to communication. Those
who do not will find it difficult to enjoy any of their work, shutting themselves off from
others and viewing work or their interactions in a negative sense no matter what the
job may be. This can arise for multiple reasons, such as a lack of self-esteem, lack
of motivation, or other various factors that extend outside of the workplace.
4.List three reasons why human relations issues are more important today than ever
before.

The globalization of the world's economy means that human relations are more
important than ever, as America competes to remain relevant on the global scale.
Maintaining an image of American excellency is important in this endeavor, as we
strive to have positive relations with other nations and the people's of those nations
to allow us to remain a powerful economic force. Additionally, human relations
issues are more in the forefront of the modern working force's mind than ever before.
More so than ever before, workers are aware of their rights and fighting for better,
more positive working conditions. Managers and employees alike must focus more
on human relations to maintain a healthy and productive work environment. Finally,
it's the case that in the modern day, more people are employed in the service
industry than ever before. Whereas much of the workforce was one based on
production, the modern worker has to interact with many people daily. To maintain a
productive and profitable business, it's important that employees have a good grasp
on the skills needed to maintain positive human relations, and have good
interactions with customers and those they serve.

5.Read Case Study 1.1 at the end of Chapter 1, The Fighting Carpenters and
answer and discuss the following:
What steps should Alan take to solve the conflict in his department?

This seems to be a conflict that would require a great deal of mediation. The
employees working under Alan are in a very tense situation, and one that does not
seem like it will resolve itself without outside help. An easy answer could possibly
pertain to moving one of these groups out of his team and replacing them with
another, though this would likely cause a great deal of frustration and resentment for
the employees . Better yet would be to attempt to mediate the situation by identifying
the causes of the hostility. Unfortunately, it seems as though the anger between
these groups has gotten to a point where it should never have been allowed to, and
may not require a great deal of work to fix it. While it would be easy to simply
threaten the employees in some way (threaten to withhold pay, fire them, or take
other disciplinary actions against them), and this may even promote productivity in
the short term, it would not address any of the long term issues. The best approach
to take at this junction is to sit down with the groups, or their “leaders,” and identify
the problem, and begin to take steps towards resolving it where possible.

6.Could Alan have done anything to prevent this problem from occurring in the first
place? If so, what?

As previously stated, this problem likely escalated to this point, as the case study
states this has already happened several times before. Alan should have stepped in
much sooner at the first signs of conflict to try and mediate and resolve the issues
between his employees, instead of letting them boil over.
 Chapter 2

7. You are certain that your co-workers see you as a cranky, reclusive hermit.
Actually, they think of yourself as a shy person who is quiet but nice to be around.
How can this difference between self-concept and others’ opinions exist side by side
regarding the same person? Explain, using concepts from this chapter.

This is due to the looking glass self, which is the self that you assume other people
see you as. However the looking glass self is not reflective of reality, but rather the
assumptions one makes about others perceptions. While it is conceivably possible
for the looking glass self to reflect reality, it is merely a way in which we perceive
ourselves through others. Often, this perception is much more negative than the
reality, as in the example. When one has a poor self-image, they can tend to project
those negative feelings onto others, assuming this is how others will see them as
well, resulting in a situation such as the above scenario.

8. Complete Working It Out 2.2 at the End of Chapter 2 Testing Your Locus of
Control. After calculating your score, did you have more an internal or external locus
of control? What does this mean?

I have a more internal locus of control. This means that I feel as if I have control over
my life and the events that occur in it, believing that I “shape my own destiny,” so to
speak.

Read Case Study 2.2 at the end of Chapter 2. and answer 9. and 10. below.

9. Let’s say that you were Julio’s counselor. What additional advice would you give
him? Why?

I would suggest Julio to use positive self-talk. While it may seem silly to some,
looking into the mirror and encouraging yourself is a tested and proven way to
increase self confidence. This can help Julio build more confidence and have a
better self image of himself over time, hopefully helping him improve his public
speaking. Additionally, more time spent practicing will be helpful. Perhaps if Julio
wishes to continue working on his stagefright, he can try doing other small
speaking events to become more accustomed to it and more comfortable
speaking in front of others.

10. Explain the role self-esteem played in this case.

Julio seems to have a very healthy amount of self-esteem, but when it comes to
public speaking his self-esteem is clearly lacking. Julio lacks confidence in
himself and his abilities in regards to public speaking.
Chapter 3

4. What does the term “self-awareness” mean to you after reading this chapter?
Use an illustration from your own experience to clarify your definition.

To me, self awareness is one's ability to recognize how they are impacting others
around them. This may be physically, mentally, or emotionally, as well as intentional or
unintentional. But it deals with ones ability to perceive how you are being perceived by
others. The first thing I think of when I imagine self-awareness, though it may sound
somewhat silly, is grocery shopping. I try to be very self-aware of myself in regards to
the physical space I occupy. Because of this, when shopping, I am always actively
seeing if others are around me, and if I am in their way. I am aware that others may
need to get things from where I am standing or the space I am occupying, so I attempt
to be self-aware of my own presence and make room for others.

5. Briefly explain each of the four panes of the Johari Window. How can this model
help you understand yourself better by understanding your relationships with
others?

Open Pane – Contains information that one knows about oneself and has no reason to
hide.

Hidden Pane – Contains information and feelings hidden from other people

Blind Pane – Contains everything other people can see about you, but that you can't
see about yourself

Unknown Pane – Contains unknown talents, abilities, and attitudes. Maybe forgotten
and repressed emotions or experiences as well.

This model can help people by being self-reflective or self-aware. Being familiar with
this model, we can look inward to understand our interactions and relationships with
others, applying the knowledge from the various panes to help better shape our
interactions with others. Additionally this can help prevent us from making poor social
decisions, such as telling someone something from the hidden pane that should not be
moved into the open pane.

Read Case Study 3.1 and answer questions 13., 14. and 15. below:

6. How did self-disclosure affect the situation that Sydney and her co-workers
experienced?
 Sydney found herself not self-disclosing anything about herself. This caused her
co-workers to view her as being emotionally distant and unapproachable,
causing them to form poor opinions of her.

7. Were Sydney or her co-workers doing anything wrong in the situation described?
Explain.

As someone who is fairly introverted themselves, I feel as if the co-workers were

being very unfair and rude towards Sydney. That having been said though,
human relations is a two way street. While Sydney didn't intentionally do anything
wrong or act in bad faith, she did do something “wrong” by not self-disclosing to
her co-workers. Even though Sydney may be uncomfortable with this to a certain
degree, a very small amount of self-disclosure could go a long way in helping to
“humanize” Sydney in the eyes of her co-workers.
8. How could the discomfort in this situation between Sydney and others at her
company have been avoided?

While I hate to make this situation sound like it was the fault of Sydney, as I
previously mentioned, a little self-disclosure could go a long way. By being more
personable with her co-workers, Sydney could have formed better relations with
them initially and left better impressions.

Chapter 4

9. Where do attitudes come from? When in people’s lives do they develop?

Our attitudes are the result of the beliefs and feelings we have about ourselves
and others. They develop all throughout our lives, based on our experiences and
interactions with others, though certain aspects of our attitudes can be attributed
to things like our parents or the culture in which we are raised.

10. What is a values conflict? Have you ever been involved in a conflict that involved
values differences? If so, what was the focus of the conflict? Was it
interpersonal? Did it seem that it was you (or someone else) against the group?

A values conflict is a conflict that occurs when one has to make a decision, but
two separate values are at odds with one another. I have previously worked in an
environment where numerous values conflicts were at play. My manager
expected his employees to stay and work late if things needed to be done, but he
did not have the authorization or ability to pay us overtime for this work. I greatly
value my free time, and would leave every day after 8 hours of work at 5pm. This
 was not appreciated by my manager, who valued our work being completed,
especially during “busy season,” more than the free time, or (in my opinion)
mental and physical health of his employees. It did not feel like I was against a
group, as most of my co-workers agreed with my sentiment, though very few
were willing to argue and just dealt with the extra work. Rather it felt as if I was in
conflict with the manager, as the entire office did not have this value per se.
Read Case Study 4.1 at the end of Chapter 4 “Make Your Own Attitude” Answer
questions 18., 19. and 20. below:

This section does not appear to be present in our provided textbook. I'm
not certain if a previous version had this case study, but 4.1 is titled “You
Own Your Attitude,” and 4.2 is “The Relationships in Human
Relationships.” I attempted to use the search function to look through the
entire book, but could not find this case study anywhere in the book. If this
is some sort of error or oversight on my part, please let me know and I'd be
more than happy to go back and answer these questions as soon as it's
brought to my attention. That having been said, I do not believe this case
study is available to us so I am unable to answer the following questions.

11. What is the basic problem at Emma’s workplace?

12. Who really is responsible for Emma’s attitudes: herself or her co-workers? What
can she do to change to a more positive attitude?

13. If Emma continues to work at the same place without doing anything about her
problem, what are some likely long-term outcomes?