The Case of the Missing Time

MGMT 353 Section 2 Organizational Behavior Chapter 2 The Case of the Missing Time Stephanie Dwyer, Chris Johnson, Cody Valkenburg, Randee Parsons October 5, 2011

Question 1: The first problem Chet is encountering is that he is in violation of all four principles of time management. The first principle recommends that one should spend time on matters that are important, not just urgent. The manner in which Chet conducts his day is in direct violation of this principle. This is evidenced by the fact that he lets others dictate how his day is run by allowing people to approach him with matters that are somewhat trivial compared to the caliber of work an executive should be addressing. The second principle states that people should clearly distinguish what is important versus what is merely urgent. Chet seems to be more reactionary in his approach to daily matters. This causes him to deal with urgencies as they come up, and not taking control of how his day is conducted. In dealing with urgent matters, the less pressing-yet more important- issues become neglected. The third principle emphasizes that results are more important than the focus of time management strategies. Chet has clearly not done this. The case says that at the end of the day, he was recounting his effectiveness. He reflected upon the fact that he has adequately studied his work habits. However, where he falls short is that his focus has been on the method of his time management, and not the results. The results are certainly poor because he cannot seem to accomplish his executive-level tasks. The fourth principle explains that one should not feel guilty when they have to say “no” to someone or something. Chet clearly tries to do it all. While he thinks he is appropriately delegating, he is not. There was not one instance in the case in which he delegated an urgent matter or task. The second problem he is encountering is allowing anticipatory stressors to affect his