Sabtu, 02 Januari 2010

Perenungan di Usia Dunia yang Semakin Tua

Perenungan di Usia Dunia yang Semakin Tua

Gemerlap kemeriahan perayaan tahun baru terasa di seantero dunia. Semua orang merayakan tutup tahun dengan suka cita dan menyambut tahun yang baru dengan segenap perayaan. Semua orang berpesta, tiupan terompet bersahut-sahutan di seluruh penjuru, gemerlap kembang api menghiasi langit.

Semua orang merayakannya dengan pesta pora. Hanya segelintir orang yang mengisi malam pergantian tahun dengan bertafakur padaNya. Hanya segelintir orang yang memahami esensi dari pergantian tahun yang sebenarnya. Adakah kita menyadari bahwa usia dunia ini semakin tua? Menyadari bahwa ada banyak perenungan yang semestinya dilakukan? Mengevaluasi apa yang telah dilakukan di tahun sebelumnya? Membuat resolusi yang membangkitkan semangat untuk memperbaiki diri dan tidak melakukan kebodohan yang sama?

Pergantian tahun tidak harus dirayakan dengan pesta pora berlebihan. Hal itu bukan hal yang membahagiakan, justru seharusnya kita bersedih karena artinya usia dunia ini semakin tua. Di usia yang semakin tua ini, apa yang sudah kita lakukan? Apa saja yang sudah kita capai dalam hidup? Apakah kita mengalami kemunduran? Prestasi apa yang sudah ditorehkan di tahun kemarin? Dosa apa saja yang diukir?

Siapkan mental lahir batin untuk menyongsong tahun baru karena tantangan yang akan dihadapi semakin berat, persaingan semakin ketat. Manuver ap yang sudah kita persiapkan untuk menghadapi serangan tantangan dan persaingan masa depan? Apakah sesungguhnya kita sudah siap menghadapi tahun baru ini?

Kawan..

Rasa bahagia-sedih, memiliki-kehilangan, berhasil-gagal, optimis-pesimis, sehat-sakit, semua akan silih berganti mengisi hari-hari kita ke depan. Persiapkan diri kita untuk menghadapi manis dan pahitnya tahun baru ini. Tahun ini harus bisa menjadi tahun yang lebih baik dari tahun sebelumnya. Never give up to be a good person!..:-)

MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

Managers perform various function, but one of the most important and least understood aspects of their job is proper utilization of people. Research reveals that worker performance is closely related to motivation; thus keeping employees motivated is an assential component of good management. In a business context, motivation refers to the stimulus that directs the behavior of workers toward the company goals. In order to motivate workers to achieve company goals, managers must be of their needs.

Many managers believe workers will be motivated to achieve organizational goals by satisfying their fundamental needs for material survival. These needs include a good salary, safe working conditions and job security. While absence of these factors result in poor morale and dissatisfaction, studies have shown that their presence result only in maintenance of existing attitudes and work performance. Although important, salary, working conditions, and job security do not provide the primary motivation for many workers in highly industrialized, especially at that professional or technical levels.

Increased motivation is more likely to occur when work meets the needs of individuals for learning, self realization, and personal growth. By responding to personal needs-the desire for responsibility, recognition, growth, promotion, and more interesting work-managers have altered conditions in the workplace and, consequently many employees are motivated to perform more effectively.

In an attempt to appeal to both the fundamental and personal needs of workers, innovative management approaches such as job enrichment and job enlargement, have been adopted in many organizations. Job enrichment gives workers more authority in making decisions related to planning and doing their work. A worker might assume responsibility for scheduling work flow, checking quality of work produced, or making sure deadline are met. Job enlargement increase the number of tasks workers perform by allowing them to rotate positions or by giving them responsibility for doing several jobs. Rather than assembling just one component of an automobile, factory workers might be grouped together and given responsibility for assembling the entire fuel system.

By improving the quality of work life through satisfaction of fundamental and personal employee needs, managers attempt to direct the behavior of workers toward the company goals.

A. Answers the following questions about management and the development of human resources. Questions with asterisks (*) cannot be answered directly from the text.

1. Why is it important to have employees who are motivated?

Because research reveals that workers prformance is closely related to motivation.

2. What is the meaning of motivation in the workplace?

In a business context, motivation refers to the stimulus that directs the behavior of workers toward the company goals. In order to motivate workers to achieve company goals, managers must be of their needs. managers have altered conditions in the workplace and, consequently many employees are motivated to perform more effectively.

3. How do many managers believe workers are motivated?

Many managers believe workers will be motivated to achieve organizational goals by satisfying their fundamental needs for material survival. These needs include a good salary, safe working conditions and job security.

4. What happens when fundamental needs are not satisfied?

While absence of these factors result in poor morale and dissatisfaction, studies have shown that their presence result only in maintenance of existing attitudes and work performance. Although important, salary, working conditions, and job security do not provide the primary motivation for many workers in highly industrialized, especially at that professional or technical levels.

5. For which workers is satisfaction of fundamental needs not a primary motivation? *Why do you think this is true?

6. When does increased motivation generally occur for professional or technical workers?

Increased motivation is more likely to occur when work meets the needs of individuals for learning, self realization, and personal growth.

7. What are some personal needs? *Which one do you consider the most important? *Why?

Responsibility, recognitions, growth, promotion, and more interesting work.

For me, the most important is responsibility because in life, anything we do, must responsibility, not only for the boss and my self, but for God too. In the end my life, I believe the God will asked me about my activity in the world.

8. Why have job enrichment and job enlargement been adopted as management approaches in many organizations? *Do you view them as effective approaches? *Exlplain.

I think both of them as effective approaches because the workers can choosen their potential, need, so they will be enjoy to work.

9. What is job enrichment? *Which personal needs does this management approach appeal to?

Job enrichment gives workers more authority in making decisions related to planning and doing their work. A worker might assume responsibility for scheduling work flow, checking quality of work produced, or making sure deadline are met.

10. *If you were the manager of a unit that assembled pocket calculators, how might you incorporate job enrichment or job enlargement in order to increase workers’ motivations?

I think I choose job enlargement to control workers with increase the number of tasks workers perform by allowing them to rotate positions or by giving them responsibility for doing several jobs.

B. Determine which of the following statements are true and which are false. Then put T or F in the blanks. Rewrite false statements to make them true.

1. T There is a close relationship between worker performance and motivations.

2. F In highly industrilized societes satisfaction of fundamental needs results in motivated employees who work more effectively.

3. F The desire for more interesting work is a fundamental need. The true is personal needs, not a fundamental need.

4. F A manager using the job enlargement approach might consider rotating employees. The true is rotating posisition.

5. F Managers attempt to improve the quality of work life through satisfaction of fundamental and personal employee needs. The true is managers attempt to direct the behavior of workers toward the company goals.

Vocabulary Exercises

A. Write down any terms that you did not understand in the reading. Find each term in the reading. Look at its context, and try to figure out the meaning. Discuss these terms with your classmates.

B. Look at the words in the left-hand column and find the correct synonyms or definitions in the right-hand column. Copy the corresponding letters in the blanks.

1. D thus (line 3) a. new; different

2. I stimulus (line 5) b.the fulfillment of one’s potential capacities

3. G material (line 9) c. essential; necessary

4. F aware (line 7) d. consequently

5. H morale (line 11) e. put together

6. C fundamental (line 9) f. conscious

7. B self-realization (line 17) g.physical rather than spiritual or intellectual

8. E assemble (line 30) h. the mental condition of an individual or group

9. J rotate (line 27) i. something that causes a response

10. A innovative (line 22) j. systematically alternate

C. Complete the sentences with the noun and verb forms provided.

1. Maintenance/ to maintain

a. Maintenance of the current high productivity level was a challenging goal for the factory suervisor.

b. When the employee was transferred to a different part of the country. It became difficult for him to maintain close ties with his former co-workers.

2. Assumption/ assumed

a. The assumption that most workers are highly motivated by a good salary has been proved false.

b. When the employee did not come to work for three weeks and failed to contact his employers, the amployers assumed that he had quit.

3. Rotation/ rotated

a. The three workers rotated positions so that each one could perform a variety of tasks.

b. Some workers do not want to partisipate in job rotation because it interferes with their established routines.

4. Utilization/ utilize

a. Managers utilize various techniques to encourage employees to work more effectively.

b. The proper utilization of resources-both fiscal and human-is an important managerial responsibility.

5. Adoption/ has adopted

a. The company adoption a new policy regarding sick leave.

b. The factory managers has adopted of a new management approach resulted in increased production,

Look at the reading to answer these questions.

1. What does each of the following refer to?

Lines

Words

Referents

7

Their

workers

9

These needs

Fundamental needs

11

These factors

Good salary, safe working condition and job security

12

Their

Workers

2. Match the connective word or phrases with the appropriate functions.

b.contrasting But (line 1)

Although (line 13)

a.Showing the result thus (line 3)

Consequently(line20)

3. The reading discusses two kinds of worker needs and provide example to explain them. List each need and three example below.

Need : fundamental needs

Example : good salary, save working condition, and job security

Need : personal needs

Example : responsibility, recognition, growth, promotion and more interesting work

4. Two terms are defined in the reading using this form:

Term being defined à verb à definition

Find and copy these definition in the spaces below.

a. Job enrichment gives workers more authority in making decisions related to planning and doing their work.

b. Job enlargement increases the number of tasks workers perform by allowing them to rotate positions or by giving them responsibility for doing several jobs.

5.Change the semi formal definitions to formal definitions. Use this form:

Term being defined à verb to be à class à (that, which) à definition

a. Job enrichment is a management approach that workers more authority in making decisions related to planning and doing their work.

b. Job enlargement is increases which the number of tasks workers perform by allowing them to rotate positions or by giving them responsibility for doing several jobs.

In lines 21-30 job enrichment and job enlargement are described and illustrated. Decide which management approach the following descriptions and examples represent. Then write and an X in the correct column.

Statement

Job Enrichment

Job enlargement

1. Workers check quality of work produce

X

2. Workers rotate positions

X

3. Workers are given more authority

X

4. Workers schedule work flow

X

5. Workers are responsible for assembling an entire fuel system of a car

X

6. Workers help plan their work

X

7. Workers perform a greater number of task

X

8. Worker make sure deadline are met

X