It’s a great feeling to be sought for your opinion and participation when your organization needs to make an important decision. But what happens when the organization’s managers don’t listen? Management consultant Liz Ryan perhaps put it best: “When you work for a company that is not interested in your opinion, you can tell. They make it obvious. Once you know in your gut that your boss is not interested in your opinion, what other choice do you have than to find another job?” Some suggest that these bosses perhaps should be let go. Given that bad members can lower employee satisfaction and engagement, supervisors who exercise this form of control often emphasize politics over productivity and abuse their power, while employees complain because of the lack of support they are getting. They are “thrown under the bus” and forced out of the loop, and communication is all one way. Giving employees a chance to voice their opinions as part of the process leads to improved justice perceptions and satisfaction, and thus regularly not listening to feedback can be an issue. For example, one study found that both employees and managers recognize that paying lip service to employees and soliciting their suggestions without taking their advice occurs. Employees who became aware of this feigned interest were more reluctant to offer input later, experienced more conflicts with colleagues, bullied others, and refused to participate in meetings. Conversely, employees who had their ideas implemented spoke up more often and had better interpersonal relationships with their coworkers.   1. Do you think sometimes managers are justified in not taking their employee’s advice? Why or why not? 2. How should managers handle their employees’ dissatisfaction with not having their advice put into practice?

Practical Management Science
6th Edition
ISBN:9781337406659
Author:WINSTON, Wayne L.
Publisher:WINSTON, Wayne L.
Chapter2: Introduction To Spreadsheet Modeling
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 20P: Julie James is opening a lemonade stand. She believes the fixed cost per week of running the stand...
icon
Related questions
Question

It’s a great feeling to be sought for your opinion and participation when your organization needs to make an important decision. But what happens when the organization’s managers don’t listen? Management consultant Liz Ryan perhaps put it best: “When you work for a company that is not interested in your opinion, you can tell. They make it obvious. Once you know in your gut that your boss is not interested in your opinion, what other choice do you have than to find another job?”

Some suggest that these bosses perhaps should be let go. Given that bad members can lower employee satisfaction and engagement, supervisors who exercise this form of control often emphasize politics over productivity and abuse their power, while employees complain because of the lack of support they are getting. They are “thrown under the bus” and forced out of the loop, and communication is all one way.

Giving employees a chance to voice their opinions as part of the process leads to improved justice perceptions and satisfaction, and thus regularly not listening to feedback can be an issue. For example, one study found that both employees and managers recognize that paying lip service to employees and soliciting their suggestions without taking their advice occurs. Employees who became aware of this feigned interest were more reluctant to offer input later, experienced more conflicts with colleagues, bullied others, and refused to participate in meetings. Conversely, employees who had their ideas implemented spoke up more often and had better interpersonal relationships with their coworkers.

 

1. Do you think sometimes managers are justified in not taking their employee’s advice? Why or why not?

2. How should managers handle their employees’ dissatisfaction with not having their advice put into practice?

Expert Solution
trending now

Trending now

This is a popular solution!

steps

Step by step

Solved in 2 steps

Blurred answer
Knowledge Booster
Ethical code
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, operations-management and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
  • SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Practical Management Science
Practical Management Science
Operations Management
ISBN:
9781337406659
Author:
WINSTON, Wayne L.
Publisher:
Cengage,
Operations Management
Operations Management
Operations Management
ISBN:
9781259667473
Author:
William J Stevenson
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education
Operations and Supply Chain Management (Mcgraw-hi…
Operations and Supply Chain Management (Mcgraw-hi…
Operations Management
ISBN:
9781259666100
Author:
F. Robert Jacobs, Richard B Chase
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education
Business in Action
Business in Action
Operations Management
ISBN:
9780135198100
Author:
BOVEE
Publisher:
PEARSON CO
Purchasing and Supply Chain Management
Purchasing and Supply Chain Management
Operations Management
ISBN:
9781285869681
Author:
Robert M. Monczka, Robert B. Handfield, Larry C. Giunipero, James L. Patterson
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Production and Operations Analysis, Seventh Editi…
Production and Operations Analysis, Seventh Editi…
Operations Management
ISBN:
9781478623069
Author:
Steven Nahmias, Tava Lennon Olsen
Publisher:
Waveland Press, Inc.