ADM 2004 - International Congress of Administration

Management tools to improve interpersonal relationships between managers and sub

ordinates in the production process
Sergio Escorsim (CEFET / PR) <escorsim@uol.com.br> Dr. João Luiz Kovaleski (CEFE
T / PR) <kovaleski@pg.cefetpr.br> Dr. Luiz Alberto Pilatti (CEFET / PR) <@ lapil
atti pg. cefetpr.br>
Abstract Nowadays the interpersonal relationships are increasingly complex, due
to the turbulence of the economy in the modern world and the speed with which th
ings happen, requiring speed in decisions, production processes and the relation
ship between suppliers / producers / customers. In this maze of information and
multiple tasks of those who manage the production, a real struggle is fought for
survival in the business world. Increasingly, the competitiveness is fierce and
an important link in the process has been often overlooked, bringing immense di
ssatisfaction on the factory floor, which is the interpersonal relationships bet
ween managers and subordinates, greatly affecting the outcome of production. We
tried to show that there are management tools that are of extreme importance in
improving the inter-relationship between command and controlled, greatly benefit
ing the balance of this relationship. It was aimed at demonstrating the importan
ce of using appropriate management tools to improve relationships between manage
rs and subordinates in the production process. Keywords: Production management -
Management Tools - Interpersonal Relations. 1. Introduction The production mana
ger of today needs to have a series of characteristic inherent and essential to
their profession, among them: always recycle their knowledge, learn to formulate
strategies, capacity to resolve conflicts and, above all, learn to value and co
nstantly motivate employees. Management is one of the most complex sciences that
exist, because it deals with people, and people are extremely complex beings. A
person is different from another. People think and act differently. What is goo
d for one may not be for another. What matters for one may not interest another
and so on. Therefore, to manage efficiently it is necessary that the Administrat
or or Manager of Production aware of human relationships and the behavioral scie
nces who are Psychology and Sociology, Politics and Ethics. Besides the knowledg
e of these sciences, it needs to have much ability to "seek, refine, maintain an
d use" a team of efficient and quality because it depends on the positive result
s of the Organization in performing their duties. The administrator of the produ
ction works with three key elements in the process, they are: people, machines a
nd materials, whose association results in the production, which generates the n
eed for administration.
1
On this assumption, and other factors, is an evident need of Directors and its s
uccess depends on harmony in the inter-relationship of people in the productive
process. In this case, the use of management tools is essential. 2. According Ch
iavenato Contextualization (1991 pp. 1), the modern society we live in is compos
ed of organizations. Almost everything that man needs - if not all - is made and
produced in organizations. Modern man spends most of his time and his life with
in organizations. In short, he says that organizations are composed of resources
such as people, buildings, machinery and equipment, money etc.. Usually we spea
k of social organizations, because without people they simply do not work. Organ
izations do not exist at random, they serve to produce something. The production
is the primary goal of any organization. Slack (1997 pp. 56), speaking on "Deve
loping a manufacturing strategy for the organization," argues that the administr
ation of production involves hundreds of decisions, one-minute intervals during
a work week. As a result, it is vital that production managers have a set of gen
eral principles that can guide decision making toward the goals of the organizat
ion. Moreira (1998 pp. 10) says that "organization" is the process of joining (c
ombining) the productive resources: personnel (manpower), raw materials, equipme
nt and capital. Resources are essential to the achievement of planned activities
, but should be organized coherently to better use. And "Direction" is the proce
ss of making plans that are on paper into concrete activities, assigning tasks a
nd responsibilities to employees, motivating them and coordinating their efforts
.€The three authors stress the "organization" as the most important factor of mo
dern society and there are inserted the human, material, equipment and capital.
It is also clear the role of production managers in coordinating and motivating
employees to turn plans into production. Montana (pág.174 l999), in his book "Ma
nagement", to discuss the Human Resources Administration, says that each person
brings to the organization a different talent, a different level of expectation,
a contribution different and sometimes even a different problem. Organizations
can not buy the human mass, as well as a day of work can not be used twice, a da
y of work lost is a day of lost work and can only be replaced by another resourc
e person doing that particular service . A day of low productivity is a situatio
n even worse, since the person is spending its resources but is not presenting a
satisfactory level of productivity. Although the organization may waive the per
son under certain conditions, it can also leave the organization at any time, th
erefore, the organization must continually strive to maintain a positive environ
ment to encourage each individual to continually make their work more productive
. This will benefit both the person and the organization. Campos (1974 pág.45) r
eports that the ideal type of leader is one who delegates tasks through a correc
t sense of limit. They do it sparingly, conscious of its responsibilities. This
sense of responsibility is one of the hallmarks of great leaders, the organizers
. Through him, we see the moment when the weight of the tasks begins to exceed i
ts capacity. Show themselves to be able to choose which they delegate tasks to a
ssistants, training them to exercise those powers and delegated them gradually.
2
Bernardes (2003 págs.182, 183) focuses on "communication" as a highly important
factor for those in positions of responsibility in organizations. Communications
systems allow operational and administrative efficiency in the flow of informat
ion for planning and control. Three cultural variables are closely related to co
mmunication: technology, principles and feelings. In the same order, includes th
e means chosen, namely, electronic communication, the boundaries of each and ins
ecurity. In 1985, William Ouchi publishes a book entitled "Theory Z - How can co
mpanies meet the Japanese challenge", a time when the world was lost with the gr
eat advance in technology, productivity and low cost of Japanese products. It to
ok a decade for entrepreneurs understand what Ouchi concluded: "The secret of Ja
panese success is not technology, but a special way of managing people." The aut
hors Montana, Campos Bernardes Ouchi and emphasize the need for a positive envir
onment to make work more productive. The administrator is responsible for conduc
ting this environment and should lead you to leadership and motivation. It is al
so fundamental to the choice of auxiliaries for the exercise of powers delegated
. Communication is another factor of major relevance for the inter-relationship
with the people involved in the production process and that the Japanese success
was not the technology but rather "a special way to manage people." 3. Manageme
nt Tools Before the concepts presented and considering the results of a 35 years
professional experience managing production companies, states that are necessar
y management tools to improve interpersonal relationships between managers and e
mployees, aiming at harmony at work and perhaps greater productivity in producti
on processes. We selected six working tools to the administrator of production,
considered indispensable in this process: Leadership, Communication, Decision Ma
king, Delegation, Motivation and Update. These management tools, if well impleme
nted, ensure the success of the production process, because the machines or serv
ices depend on the man who runs and every human being is prone to errors, which
can be expensive for the company or take the venture to failure . It is for prod
uction managers to avoid or minimize these errors and ensure the success of the
organization. Objectively, this article will address these six tools. 3.1 - Lead
ership is a reciprocal relationship between those who choose to lead and those w
ho decide to follow them. Any discussion of leadership must attend to the dynami
cs of this relationship. Strategies, tactics, knowledge and practices are harmle
ss unless they meet the fundamental human aspirations that connect leaders and t
heir followers (Smith, 1998 pp. 73).€It can be concluded that a leader is someon
e who influences people to think and act a certain way to achieve a preset goal.
The production manager must know the human nature of people who will be under h
is command that he has successfully lead them to the desired goal. Leadership is
one of the most important factors of organizational change. It can be said that
organizations are not managed, they are led by individuals passionate about win
ning cultures that promote high performance, set ambitious targets, measure resu
lts and require accountability. Hesselbein (et all, 1996 pp. 34) says they are t
hree
essential attributes of a leader believing in yourself (confidence), the passion
for work and love for people. In this context, leadership involves planning, st
rategy and communication. Communication should be open, clear, openly and honest
ly at all times, always showing respect for subordinates. The main characteristi
cs of leadership are: be accepted, admired, respected and followed. These princi
ples are inherent in a good production manager. 3.2 - Communication means the ac
t or effect of transmitting an order, participate or advise. According to Bellow
s (in Chiavenato, pág.452 1982), communication involves an exchange of facts, id
eas, opinions or emotions between two or more persons and is also set as interre
lationship through words, letters, symbols or messages, and as a means to partic
ipant in an organization share meaning and understanding with others. Technicall
y, it is said that communication is a process of transferring meanings. Communic
ation is one of the most important tools of the administrator, because it determ
ines the success of the message. In any communication process, there is, on one
hand the "sender" and the other the "receiver" of the message. Between the trans
mitter and receiver is a channel that is continuously bombarded by barriers that
interfere with communication. In a communication process, the "sender" selects
who will talk consolidates (makes understandable - the language they will use) a
nd transmits the message. The barriers that affect communications are of orders
psychological, sociological and technical. The administrator of production shoul
d be alert to these interferences can be highly damaging to the results of under
standing. Psychological barriers interfere with the values, attitudes, interests
and motivation of subordinates. The sociological work on culture and language t
here is implied to be employed, with consequences in the social classes of our s
ubordinates. Finally, technical barriers are all those from the improper use of
the channel. Example: I tell you one thing and mean another. When communicating
we should examine the true purpose of communication. What we want with it: - Get
Information? Start activities? Change attitudes? Set goals?. For us to succeed,
we must plan communication. Given the importance of this tool in production pro
cesses, it is necessary to study in detail, what we communicate to eliminate or
minimize the negative effects of barriers that can affect the results of our goa
ls. Chiavenato (1985 pág.456) says that communications are vital and indispensab
le in any form of social life, especially in business. Communication is a seriou
s matter in any work situation and even more so when we determine the execution
of an order of service and workmanship and anything can go wrong if not interpre
ted correctly.
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3.3 - Decision making Our ancestors in the distant past, when faced with a situa
tion of danger, had to make decisions in a moment, because the smallest hesitati
on meant death. Those who were quicker to defend himself or eliminate the proble
m, had more success and left more offspring. From this premise, the first man ev
olved and learned to defend itself and only after analyzing the problem. Because
of this, we often decide based on known facts. Thus, the entrepreneurs of the p
ast acted as masters of the absolute right to make decisions. For many years, pe
ople have lived believing in myths or false wisdom of those who held some kind o
f power and the effect on the community was very strong. Today, faces the same n
eed of the past to make quick decisions, with large differences in evolutionary
course, the world is increasingly complex, there is too much information, perfor
mance pressure and a host of alternatives. Now the challenge is to drive busines
s at the speed of thought. There is no way to escape, you decide or someone deci
des for you. Just as important is learning to make decisions make informed decis
ions. According to Montana (1999,€p. 74) an analysis of the functions of the adm
inistrator reveals that virtually every manager, no matter what your official ti
tle, makes decisions during the course of their work. This puts the decision-mak
ing as ordinary function of the manager. Many people begin the discussion of a p
roblem by finding when trying to exit that suits you best, without studying the
alternatives, and reaching the settlement by trial and error. Therefore, caution
is recommended when analyzing a problem. There is need for discipline in seekin
g solutions. People well-trained and well prepared have greater insight and visi
on in solving problems. Many people freeze when making decisions and this featur
e is a psychological disorder that has a solution through training. Successful m
anagers are able to see solutions and paths where others can not see and the dif
ference is in professional training. Therefore, the decision is a process of ana
lysis and choose from various alternatives available in the course of action tha
t is oriented towards a goal to be achieved. The decision maker chooses the alte
rnative. The fear of failure is the greatest difficulty that managers face. Ther
efore find it difficult to take decision. This does not eliminate the risk. Igno
red problems have serious consequences. The "decision" to "not take the decision
" is an alternative. "Do not take the decision" is as risky as "decision making"
because "not taken the decision" is "a decision", the "decision" to "not make a
decision." So there is no output, decision making is the responsibility of the
administrator, you need to know to make good decisions, or choose the best alter
native. 3.4 - Delegation means to instruct, to instruct a person to solve a prob
lem or task. Montana (1999 pág.162) says that delegation is the process that mak
es possible the administration or management. At a time when a service becomes v
ery complex, diverse or bulky for one person, there is the need for delegation.
Nowadays, the overhead task is revealed by a tendency to over-centralization by
executives and production managers, whose accumulation of responsibilities reduc
es efficiency, leading to inevitable emotional imbalances in the relationship of
work environment. The consequences from stress can lead executives to irreversi
ble damage to health. The leader should not do the job that may be made by one o
f its
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subordinates. The delegation of tasks and responsibilities is a vital tool in th
e rational organization of labor and a need of modern management. To delegate ta
sks, we need to prepare our subordinates and choose responsible and requires som
eone who is respected by the team to carry out our determination. The efficiency
of the process requires that subordinates and superiors have identical percepti
ons of the degree of authority and subordination of each. It is important to cla
rify that the superior is aware that the delegation of functions does not transf
er responsibility. The employee receiving the delegation shall be responsible fo
r the task, before delegating the authority, which remains responsible to his su
periors. The delegator will always be responsible for the actions of their subor
dinates. These requirements are essential to delegate effectively. The use of a
correct sense of limit and be aware of responsibilities is the mark of great man
agers of production. Through the sense of responsibility we were able to pick as
sistants who will receive delegated powers. Training subordinates, delegating as
signments gradually, starting by making minor and tracking our orders to verify
that no errors occur, certainly it will be treading a path that will ensure the
success of our accomplishments. A competent delegation allows the production man
ager to find time to plan and hold in the activities of greatest relevance, thus
providing greater result in the goals and objectives of production. 3.5 - Motiv
ation is a tool that is of great importance in the production process, and means
"to arouse interest, curiosity." The man is an animal permanently dissatisfied,
always striving to achieve something more than necessary to judge their satisfa
ction. The impulse that leads men to fight for something is determined by some r
eal or apparent necessity, driven primarily by their expectations or their desir
es. A satisfied need is not motivation to stay at the same level, man needs to h
ave the prospect of new challenges. Human needs are complex and can be considere
d infinite, as is always missing something.€People look for reasons to live and
depend on an impulse, a stimulus-driven force in a sense, that is capable of sat
isfying the desire. In the field of motivation and focus on making productive en
terprise, managers need to know that their employees have desires, impulses, ins
tincts, needs, desire and intention. This set of factors is always directed towa
rd a target that varies from person to person, but intrinsically, men seek "happ
iness" that is obtained through the health, comfort, welfare, professional achie
vement, recognition for the work, progress, among other . The man has need for a
chievement, social approval, power, knowledge, skills, finally, to succeed, rega
rdless of their social class. The environment consists of various organizational
levels and we can only understand the people there included focusing on the con
text, the reasons of human behavior and how to motivate them to be more producti
ve and satisfied. The complexity of human motivation is brilliantly illustrated
and understood by the so-called "Hierarchy of Needs" Maslow, psychologist, consu
ltant, U.S., 6
scholar in the field of motivation, which created a theory that human needs are
organized and arranged in levels, a hierarchy of importance and influence. The h
ierarchy of needs is represented and viewed in a pyramid where the base, the nee
ds are the lowest and the highest at the top. Maslow says that the needs are bec
oming more sophisticated in that it moves from level. In it, whether we are a me
mber of a primitive tribe, a group of poor, middle class or a privileged group o
f wealthy, often it will be entirely satisfied with the essential things that al
ready have. Continually seeks to better quality and variety, always seeking grea
ter satisfaction in life. 3.6 - Update It does not help dominate broad knowledge
of administration if there is no update. The impact of constant change, new dir
ections of development, new technologies appear in our lives so wonderful and un
predictable. No update will happen a great machine for the crushing of the trans
formations, which is technology. The upgrade and reorganization in the workplace
and business processes must be incessant self-renewal. " If action is not taken
to be smart shall be bound to a crisis of character disintegrating for lack of
sufficient knowledge to prevent the exploitation of existing possibilities and t
he vision of opportunities that come with rapid evolution. Techniques that worke
d in the past does not guarantee success in this. What we said "a winning team d
oes not move," was superseded by modern administration, because we live in a wor
ld of rapid change and constant innovation. Today, one of the main responsibilit
ies of the administrator is "change management". If a business is giving clear s
igns of growth and success, it is necessary to assess how long this feature will
be present. It is important to reflect on the alternatives that the company has
to eliminate the negative factors, however, that strategies can be put into pra
ctice in cases of diversion or crisis? The new era will be of permanent and bett
er performance can be achieved only with great effort, which will require invest
ment of human, technological and administrative. The important thing is to under
stand the need to "update" and through it to prepare our team to achieve busines
s goals and objectives. Technological innovations are permanent and serious conc
ern is the speed of change. Know or follow all the changes and technological inn
ovations is absolutely impossible, but it must be a production manager to date a
nd well informed. 4 - Conclusion The tools presented to demonstrate its importan
ce as a management tool, because through them obtain skills for efficient harmon
y in relations between managers and subordinates, and that would achieve greater
efficiency with the goals and objectives of production. The key to success of a
production process as well as the business organization, is in human resources
because they provide competitive advantages. The search for tangible results fro
m the Scientific Management of Taylor, Ford and Mayo, which incorporated new var
iables to the processes of production, the need for recognition and security for
workers on the factory floor, promoted July 1
large change in the way people drive. As a result, have also changed the paramet
ers of command,€changing the mode of treating people in organizations. More rece
ntly, with the advent of Japanese techniques, a new style of managing people, ma
king it clear that not enough good work environments, but people strongly commit
ted to their duties, requiring rewards for their ideas and achievements in produ
ction. Every action generates a reaction, and therein lies the crux of the matte
r: people committed and well prepared for the exercise of its functions require
administrators responsible for managing the production process. Therefore, these
work tools are essential to production managers.
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n of Production. São Paulo: Makron, McGraw-Hill, 1999. HESSELBEIN, F. et all. Th
e leader of the future. São Paulo: Futura, 1996. MONTANA, P. J.; Administration.
São Paulo: Saraiva, 1999. MOREIRA, DA Introduction to Production and Operations
Management. Thompson Learning, 1998. SLACK, N. et all. Administration of Produc
tion. São Paulo: Atlas, 1997. Ouchi, WG, Theory Z - How can companies meet the J
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