107. “The most effective way for managers to assign work is to divide complex tasks into their simpler component parts. This way, each worker completes a small portion of the task but contributes to the whole.” Is the most effective way for managers to assign work to divide complex tasks into their simpler component parts, as the speaker here suggested? This problem has arouses controversy between different opinion groups. While some people may contend that dividing complex tasks into their simpler component parts can enhance effectiveness, others may hold an opposite view that doing so can do harm to a company. Recognizing a proper solution to this problem could be achieved only by incorporating all the relevant aspects, I will agree with the speaker’s idea though qualify somewhat. Firstly, dividing complex tasks into their simpler component can reduce the total time required to complete the task, thus increasing effectiveness. Since a whole task can separate into a number of parts, each required different skills and knowledge, it is more efficient to complete several parts of the task at once than to complete one after another. For example, if a publishing house intends to translate an encyclopaedia consisting of 10 chapters, chapters that concerns different fields, the most effective way for the publishing house to get the work done is not to find a tranlator who has the ability to translate all the meterials but to find several translators, each targets at a special chapter. By this way, the work can be done effectively since different translators just finish one part of the work they are most expertised on, thus reducing the overall time required and increasing effectiveness. Second, except for reducing the time, dividing complex tasks into their simpler component is an effective way for managers because doing so will simplify the task, making the task much easier. If a complex task becomes simple and easy, it bears larger possibilities that the work successfully get done, so it is an effective way. For instance, it may seems difficult for a coach to teach someone to swim, however, by parctising different, separate movements on the land, beginners can easily learn how to swim gradualy. Imagine, if the beginners do not practise from part to part but just merge in the warter swiming with no parctice sections set by the coach, it is highly possible that they can hardly grasp the skills or that they would make more efforts to get the same result. However, there are some occations that this method does not applicable. First, routinely working on one part of the work, employees may become too bored to be creative or underestimate their contribution to the whole task, thus endangering the spirit of the team and causing the productivity decline. Second, restriciting on one part, employees have no chance to find defects in the whole system. Lacking constructive suggestions of its inner employees, the company will bear disadvantages in the long run. In addition, it is also somewhat risky to counter the future of the whole company on several managers making the final decisions, because only them have the insight of the development of the whole. In conclusion, I agree that in most cases the most effective way for managers to assigh work is to divide complex tasks into their simpler component parts because it guaratees a less time required and a higher successful rate. However, there are several cases that this way may disadvantage the whole task.
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