According to the five-step planning model presented by Koontz and O'Donnell, what is the initial step in the planning process?
Explanation
This question assesses knowledge of the sequential five-step model of planning. The model emphasizes that before any goals can be set or actions determined, a manager must first build a foundation of understanding the organization's current situation.
Other questions
What are the two fundamental components that make up organizational plans?
Which planning approach is characterized by first setting specific goals and then creating the necessary action statements to achieve them?
What are the four sequential stages of the Deming cycle, which is used to integrate organizational learning into the planning process?
Which category of plans includes rules, policies, and procedures and is designed to address issues that managers encounter repeatedly?
A budget, which is a plan expressed in numerical terms, is classified as what type of plan based on its frequency of use?
What type of hierarchical plans define an organization's long-term vision and articulate its mission and what business it is in or hopes to be in?
An organization’s general aims, which are often ambiguous and expressed in public statements like annual reports to achieve acceptance by constituencies, are known as what?
A study on the financial performance of firms that engage in planning found that the median return on investment over a five-year period for organizations engaged in strategic planning was what percentage?
What is the defining feature of a cybernetic control system?
What is the primary function of postaction controls within an organization's control system?
In the example of the Weyerhaeuser company, what specific and challenging goal was given to its truck drivers to significantly boost performance?
What was the estimated savings for Weyerhaeuser in the first nine months after implementing the specific goal for its truck drivers to load their trucks to 94 percent of legal weight capacity?
According to the research on Management by Objectives (MBO) by Rodgers and Hunter, what was the average productivity increase observed in the programs they studied?
In the study of 70 cases of Management by Objectives (MBO) conducted by Robert Rodgers and John Hunter, how many of those cases demonstrated increased productivity gains?
In a mechanistic organization, where are planning and controlling activities typically located within the organizational structure?
What is the term for a planning approach that starts with a general directional plan and later transitions to more specific goal-oriented planning as uncertainty decreases and knowledge grows?
What is the primary role of administrative plans within an organization's planning hierarchy?
According to goal theory, which set of characteristics in a goal will most effectively motivate performance?
What is the term for the degree to which a person accepts a goal as their own?
What is a potential negative side effect of goal setting, as identified by total quality management (TQM) pioneer W. Edwards Deming?
A manager inspects framed walls on a construction site and gives approval before electricians are allowed to begin their work. This is an example of what specific type of control?
What is the name for the management philosophy and technique, based on the human resource model and Theory Y, that defines an organization's goals and controls through collaboration between managers and employees?
Research on MBO effectiveness indicates that performance effects tend to be strongest under what condition?
An employee's job satisfaction, as an affective reaction to performance, is primarily determined by what?
What is the term for plans created to provide alternative courses of action if events, such as a natural disaster, disrupt a planned course of action?
In which organizational context is domain planning most likely to be the prevailing approach?
Which of the following is NOT listed as one of the seven corporate goals established by the Hewlett-Packard Corporation as an example of pursuing multiple goals?
What is a potential negative consequence of a control system that overemphasizes easily measured behaviors like attendance?
What is the term for the psychological condition that can develop in workers who repeatedly fail to gain personal control over their work environment, leading to passivity and depression?
In the case study of the Duluth Police Department, what was the primary change implemented in the work schedule to address conflicts over summer vacation time and improve morale?
Within the framework of standing plans, what is the term for general statements of understanding or intent that guide decision-making while permitting some level of discretion?
In the four-step traditional control model, what is the third step that occurs after establishing standards and monitoring behavior?
Which of the following is NOT listed as a characteristic of a good and effective control system?
In an involvement-oriented (organic) organization, what role does management primarily play in the planning and controlling processes?
A study by Cornell and Indiana University, cited in the chapter, estimated that absenteeism cost U.S. companies how much money per year?
What is the third step of the planning process, where managers establish the assumptions about future events on which they will build their action statements?
In which of the following situations would domain planning be a more suitable approach than goal planning?
Plans that cover the day-to-day functions of an organization's technical core fall under which category of hierarchical plans?
What is a potential dysfunctional result of a poor control system that focuses on unreasonable ends and means goals?
Under which conditions do Management by Objectives (MBO) programs tend to be more effective?
Which of the following plan types is an example of a standing plan?
A manager observing and providing advice to an employee while the work is being performed is an example of which type of control?
Why are long-range plans typically less specific and more flexible than short-range plans?
What concept is used to illustrate the complex and interrelated systems of goals set at the organizational, divisional, departmental, and job-related levels?
What is a common reason cited by managers for resisting formal organizational planning?
What is the term for a specific action plan, typically created to complete a component of a larger program?
How does the planning process feed the controlling process?
In a Management by Objectives (MBO) process, what is the employee's primary role immediately after a set of goals has been collaboratively established?
What is considered the most important influence on the nature of an organization’s control systems?