Directing People on the Job

What is an order?
An order is a specific message conveyed by a
leader to a follower for the purpose of
influencing the follower to take desired action.
Types of Orders
1. Verbal Order
2. Written Order
When to use verbal orders?
1. When the order is simple and the message can
be clearly heard
2. When privacy is important
3. Then the follower is intelligent and reliable
4. When a demonstration is involved
When to have written orders?
1. When precise figures or complicated details are
involved
2. When orders must be passed to someone else
3. When workers involved are slow to understand
and forgetful
4. When you want to hold the receiver strictly
accountable
5. When a particular sequence must be followed
exactly
6. When a notice board can be suitably used
7. When you are quoting general instructions on
higher authority
8. When a record is desirable, perhaps the order
may need to be referred in the future
4 Categories of an order
1. A request
o You should use a request whenever you
want a specific action from the people
like this:
a. Anyone who is interested in
work
b. Someone who welcomes
responsibility
c. Someone who is interested in
advancement
d. A group of experienced
personnel with good morale or
e. Someone whose initiative you
want to develop
2. A suggestion
3. Asking for volunteers
o You should ask volunteers for:
a. Jobs that are dangerous and
disagreeable
b. For every extra work
c. For jobs that require overtime
d. When you want a skilled worker
to do a special unskilled job

4. A direct order or command

o One should only use a direct order
under the following circumstances.
a. In case of danger or extreme
urgency
b. When haste is important
c. With lazy and indifferent
workers or chronic objectors
d. For careless workers
e. When all other methods have
failed repeatedly.
Guiding principles on how to phrase orders effectively
1. Clear
2. Complete
3. Concise
4. Acceptable
Decision Making
Decision making is the fundamental process of
management.
Effective Decisions
Decision is a judgement. It is a choice between
alternatives. It is a rarely a choice between right
or wrong. It is at beast a choice between right
and probably wrong.
Managers who make effective decisions know
that one does not start with facts, one starts
with opinions. But opinions are nothing but
untested hypothesis and as such, is worthless
unless tested against reality.
Right decisions grow out of the clash and
conflict of divergent opinions and competing
alternatives.
The main task of a manager is not
administration. It is the making of policy, the
making of the right decision.
The first rule in decision making is that, one
does not make a decision unless there is
disagreement. Right decision demands
adequate disagreement at first.
Effective Managers
What is an effective manager?
1. Effective managers are expected to
make effective decisions.
2. Effective managers does not make a
great many decisions.
3. Effective managers know that a
decision must be based on principle and
should be made on the merits of the
case.
4. Effective managers insist on
alternatives, so that he can choose the
one appropriate one.