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How Organizational Structures Support or Impede Innovation
Organizational structures acts as the main guideline of how to run activities like supervision, coordination and task allocation. Also, it defines the flow of information in diverse levels of management (Swan, 2007, P. 177). On the other hand, innovation entails changing the organization’s processes or coming up with new ideas to improve the company’s performance.
Therefore, for change to take place, the organizational structures should be active to avoid confusion. Moreover, the management should have a positive attitude to embrace changes which occur as a result of the transformation process. Innovation depends on the employee’s flexibility, adequate information and communication systems and proper project management.
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For change to be effective, people should have knowledge about various matters. According to the epistemology of possession, knowledge is a personal property of an individual, who interprets the meaning of data according to perceptions, experiences, and previous understanding. Various people with different past experiences are likely to draw different conclusions from the same information. Since knowledge is based on an person, what individuals agree on as true is driven by those in power since their justifications often have a lot of weight.
For instance, in western medicine, clinicians who claim about the best treatments, basing their knowledge on scientific research override the competing claims which come from less powerful groups applying alternate therapies (Newell et al., 2009, P. 15). The sales persons can use support innovation by sharing ideas from customers because they are in a position to understand the customers’ needs. These thoughts help the organization to come up with better products to suit the market’s needs.
Additionally, the firm tries hard to maintain a fairly flat organizational structures to avoid many rules and regulations. Moreover, the firm did not have a human resource department, and would employ its workers formally through the word of mouth. These features help in recruiting the most competent workers because recruitment considers a person’s ability to apply his knowledge in diverse areas. Moreover, the organization ensures that there are adequate resources for implementing in all technologies to facilitate project implementation.
Organizations use ICT to carry out knowledge work. However, the human agency, physical properties of some ICTs and institution within which the people make their work influence the effect of ICT on education. Research shows that technology determines the type of organizational structure.
The organizational structures have the ability to support or impede innovation in some ways. Change starts with the management of awareness that different people possess. If workers conduct the improvements appropriately, people will learn to embrace and apply the change correctly (Camison & Villar-Lopez,204, P. 100).
References
Camisón, C. and Villar-López, A., 2014. Organizational innovation as an enabler of technological innovation capabilities and firm performance. Journal of Business Research, 67(1), pp.2891-2902.
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Establishing an effective POLC Framework
Introduction
Outdoor recreation or activity refers to the pursuit of leisure activities that appeal to the lovers of natural or unnatural activities in remote village settings or towns. These are largely team sports that attract hardened individuals who are risk takers and love challengers. The sporting activity maybe canoeing, waterskiing, rock climbing, surfing, fishing, hunting, sailing or even horseback riding among other sports events.
The management of such an event provides a complex test of organization skills and a web of complicated decision-making that stem from clear understanding of business operations. The complex situations demands for skillful and competent managers who have clear business strategies and vision for successful business operations (Davidson & Stebbins, 2011).
The management of Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park (Outdoor Adventure) and as per the wishes of the three family members, who own the company but are not experienced on handling complex outdoor sporting activities, seeks to establish an effective POLC framework. The company strategically resolved to:
1). Reaffirmed the need to develop and share a strong and motivating mission statement.
2). Change the personnel in charge of resource organization
3). Implement new measures to ensure effective training of manpower, recruitment and development of sound employment policies and job descriptions (Miska & Mendenhall, 2015).
4). Find new ways of improving leadership and motivating employees to work hard.
5). Enumerate the critical aspects of adopting measures of standard performance, balance score cards and effective feedback systems that reflect the company’s vision and mission.
6). To implement the POLC framework and weigh its impact on organizational growth.
Planning
Mission and Vision
The mission of the outdoor facility is to provide fun activities that are safe and which are designed to enhance rich outdoor experience for children, teenagers, young adults, team building work groups that target relaxation and also holiday making. The vision of the facility is to provide unrivalled Outdoor experience that would be an entertainment destination for thousands of professions throughout the country and other fun lovers. The number of visitors currently visiting the facility out-numbers the resources available and mishandling of customer bookings have been noted severally due to staff incompetence and lack of clear operations structure. The result has been loss of potential customers and sales.
Goals, Objectives and Strategy
The company seeks to develop and set goals that are consistent with the management strategies as espoused by the company’s mission and goals. The operations of the company have been organized to develop targets that would ensure that the goals of the company have been achieved. The Outdoor Adventure’s management team has ensured that the operational strategies that had been earmarked to improve performance have been fully implemented in an effort to increase sales and improve customer experiences. The strategies are addressed during the initial POLC framework planning to ensure that the crucial concepts are also captured in the POLC framework.
Organizing
Organization Culture
Outdoor Adventure was established b three owners who shared a dream of developing a first class outdoor facility that would provide memorable experiences to all its customers. However after several years in existence the owners are not on the same page regarding the management of the Outdoor sports center. The management wants to institute a new organization culture that would enhance more team work and create more production and sales.
Organization Structure
The organization lacks a clear organization structure which is making the company to be ineffective in its role as a first class facility. The current structure provides no job definitions or roles. The company needs to adopt a clear organization structure that has clear hierarchy order as depicted below. The major advantage of hierarchal organization structure is that it provides an appropriate centralized structure that is consistent with the nature of the business that needs a strong management presence in most of its operations.
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Job Profiles, Descriptions and Responsibilities
John Thomas oversees most of the company’s general operations and is also responsible for making key organizations changes and business operations. Carl Thomas is also responsible for general business operations together with Joe.
Phillips is responsible for daily operations at the company while also coordinating and assigning duties at the park. Roberts is in charge of sales and marketing and works directly under the three directors. Finesse is in charge of the human resource and is responsible for hiring competent staff. The stores department is manned with Smith who also oversees the work of other store’s supervisors while also controlling the inventory. She reports to Phillips. The concepts of POLC are meant to equip the organization with qualified personnel who can steer the company in the right direction.
Leadership
The lack of a clear organization structure in Outdoors Adventures led to ineffective leadership which also trickled to other departments and eventually affected the customers (Miska & Mendenhall, 2015). Poor communication among the owners resulted in ineffective business operations. To promote innovation at the park, the management ought to consider knowledge-based leadership as a way of promoting innovation (Doh and Quigley, 2014).
Knowledge based leadership would provide better and well informed judgment on the part of the three owners given that some employees are concerned on what are the real objectives of the park from the owners perspective. Leadership skills form one of the major components or pillars of POLC framework (Conway, n, d).
Control
Balanced Scorecard
The best way to implement strategic controls in a company is through the use of balance scorecard that has aligned the four major functions with the company’s strategy that has also incorporated the company’s mission and vision. The balance scorecard (BS) translates a company’s vision and strategy into reality.
The BS identifies the relationship between a company’s operations control and the strategic controls of a company. What the customers are exposed and what the management wants the customers to see. How the company’s financial resources match the shareholders expectations and the best way to grow (Kaplan & Norton, n, d).
Strategic Human Resource Management
The human resource management plays a critical role in POLC framework. The HR department must hire competent employees to ensure that the services provided by the company are above the average standards and qualities of all the company’s services are universally acceptable and are consistent with the company’s objective.
Davidson, L., & Stebbins, R.A. (2011) Serious Leisure and Nature: Sustainable Consumption in the Outdoors. Hound mills, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Doh, J. and Quigley, N. (2014) Responsible Leadership and Stakeholder Management: Influence Pathways and Organizational Outcomes. Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(3), pp.255-274.
Strategic planning management is a process that aims to predict future events and plan for them. Strategic planning management is faced by many problems including frequent criticism, skepticism, poor leadership, lack of consensus, over ambition, and lack of momentum in the long term. In this paper, we will discuss the common challenges that face strategic planning (Brassard and Ritter, 2010)
Poor leadership is one of the problems that face strategic management teams. If the leaders in an organization do not support the strategic planning management process cannot succeed (National Center for Healthcare Leadership, 2009). Some key leaders show little interest in the strategic planning management process after the strategic planning process has taken off. Sometimes these leaders may fail to show up for important meetings. Other times, leaders fail to provide a mission to guide the strategic planning process. If leaders fail to provide ongoing leadership and a vision for the project plan the process is bound to fail.
Lack of consensus is one of the other challenges that face strategic planning. Most members of the strategic planning team have different ideas about what should be done (O’Dea, de Chazal, Saltman and Kidd, 2006). Disagreements are likely to occur on the appropriate course of action to achieve the strategic objectives. Unfortunately, the strategic planning process cannot succeed if the planning team fails to reach a consensus.
Setting unrealistic and over ambitious strategic goals is also a major problem in the strategic planning process. Often, the people charged with strategic management are often young, bright, visionary, highly motivated (Rollof, 2009). In most case, these fertile minds often end up coming with over ambitious and unrealistic goals. Getting these over ambitious individuals to abandon their goals can be a cause of tension among the strategic planning team. Overly ambitious goals may overstretch the organizations resources.
References
Brassard, M., & Ritter, D. (2010). Memory jogger 2: Tools for continuous improvement and effective planning. (2nd ed.). Salem, NH: GOAL/QPC. ISBN: 9781576811139
O’Dea, N. A., de Chazal, P., Saltman, D. C., & Kidd, M. R. (2006). Running effective meetings: A primer for doctors. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 82(969), 454?461. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563767/
The only way that knowledge can be implemented is by using the information available, to tackle the problems or even scrutinize the available opportunities. In a global market, creation and management of knowledge are done through bringing out the distinctive characteristics between mediocrity and competitive superiority (Gimlin, 2012).
The ability to manage the complicated systems of information and communication that usually come together to build up knowledge in an Organization that is dynamic is a difficult assignment. For this to comprehend, one needs first to understand the flow of information and communication in the diverse areas and activities that take place in an organization, including its processes or workflow (JDA, 2013).
Workflow management encompasses various factors including, the utilization of a minimum amount of available resources, maximizing the value that is built for customers, ensuring that all the measures concerning total quality management have been met and re-engineering (Gimlin, 2012). When workflow has been well managed, it steers an organization in attaining its objectives and the goals set for the identification of problems and establishing decision- making processes that eradicate those problems (JDA, 2013).
Going’s manufacturing division, so as to streamline its workflow, it requires monitoring process planning and scheduling. Therefore, the organization is to ensure that there are comprehensive harmonized, possible responsive solutions to tackle, balance and assign across all the operations spectrum of the firm. Perfect solution for Going Inc. production planning needs should incorporate all of the above.
Thus acquiring a customizable functionality that helps in providing the required support for all of its precise needs (JDA, 2013). Production planning offers solutions to the problem of poor relationships with its unions. Putting in plans the right programs to allow employees air out their opinions and grievances is part of production planning. Thus enabling the organization to optimize performance and ensure its desired results are achieved and provide an appropriate responsiveness to the market (Gimlin, 2012).
Going’s Inc. can solve the problems involved in production planning process through drawing a workflow diagram. It helps conceptualize how tasks and activities will follow between resources whether they are people or machines and provide the conditions that allow a smooth flow of these activities. It can be adopted for the purposes of documentation and implementation because it gives a complete over view of a business process (Gassmann, 2012).
Going Inc. workflow can be streamlined if it focuses on its capacity and the problems associated with how much airplanes they produce and deliver to their clients. One efficient way of streamlining work log is the use of technology and control systems in the production process so that the human element is reduced and machines are embraced. In Going Inc. there is a problem of work backlog.
The number of planes produced, is low than the demanded ones. For this problem to be corrected, the company can adopt the time study measurement of all activities and study on line balancing, study of re-work/scrap dollars as the immediate methods of improving the problem of backlog encountered in the production of planes. A time study measure helps establish a bottom-line from which to direct the improvement efforts.
It also helps in assisting on setting the work standard to regulate performance (JDA, 2013). It is very difficult to know whether there is improvement in work or differences in performance in a unit if there is no time study measure. Line balancing on the other hand levels the workload across all the processes in a unit or value stream so as to eliminate bottlenecks and excess capacity. Any problem slows the process and capacity in excess yields to waiting and usually there is no absorption of fixed costs.
Inventory management is a system within a company that controls the ordering process of plane components required for production, it also ensures that these components are stored property without damages and finally that they are used in the right scale in the planes already manufactured and ready for sale. Inventory department in Going Inc. also ensures quality check and quality of the final products.
Going basically has 10,000 parts going into the models of planes under production. Her inventory and stock taking is done once a year and it is done by an external firm. Of those 10,000 components, 30,000 are stored at Goings assembly point in hanger (JDA, 2013).
Through a critical analysis Going’s inventory, it is evident there exists a gap. Inventory and stock taking is a sensitive area and it should not be solely left to an external firm. Heavy losses could be incurred in case of a go slow leaving Going with completely no parts to go into production. Considering that only 30% of these parts are stored in Hanger, queue/moving of the remaining 70% should possibly occur more frequently leading to exposure of these delicate parts to hazards such as accidents and carjacking.
As a recommendation, Going should come up with a department within the company to help in inventories and also expand the warehouse at Hanger to accommodate more parts.
References
Burrows, R. (2012). a revolutionary model for sales and operations planning in the new on-demand economy. . New York: Amacom.
Gassmann, H. (2012). applications in finance,energy, planning and logistics. london: world scientific. london: world scientific.
Gimlin, R. J. (2012). Optimization of SKU creation process and adherence improvement through use of workflow management. Massachusetts : Massachusetts Institute of Technology,.
Management refers to the people who are tasked with the responsibility of setting the strategy of organizations and coordinating the efforts of employees so as to achieve set objectives. Primarily, their plans depend on the use of available organisational resources. Therefore, to be a manager, there are various factors that one has to understand. Moreover, one has to learn continually so as to improve their skills and abilities in leading their organisations. This assignment involves reflecting on five different activities that are related to management.
Each activity is a learning process for learners, I included. Therefore, the knowledge gained is vital for improving my skill levels, understanding class discussions, and enhancing my experiences. There is a reflection on each topic highlighting the various lessons I learned and the importance of that particular study. The reflection is based on the class activity experiences, personal knowledge, and researched findings. Moreover, vital information was obtained from activity reflection sheet, which I used to fill after each topic.
Primarily, information contained in the reflection write up of each event includes; the importance of the activity study at the workplace, importance of concepts studied during each task, ways in which I used the knowledge covered in carrying out the excercise, and lastly, what I learned personally from the activities. Also important to note is that that I perfumed different tasks in different topics. However, I took the initiative of learning other activities that were assigned to other group members or other groups.
Elements of Effective Self-Management in the Workplace
Self-management involves personally taking up the responsibilities of organizational functions (Whetten, & Cameron, 2012, 21-29). Tasks associated with management such as directing, controlling, staffing, organizing, and planning become a responsibility of one’s self. As a result, self-management helps to spontaneously bring an organisational structure to a business establishment. Self-management is, therefore, an alternative to the more familiar hierarchical organizing method.
Various elements need to be understood at the workplace so as to establish effective self-management. This includes understanding the competencies of individuals in an organization, knowing the existing intelligence levels of the workforce and understanding the boundaries that govern one’s freedom to communicate and interact with other people regarding their teams (Cheung, & Cheng, 2016, 17-29). These factors have to be clearly identified so as to understand the nature of organization duties as to whether they are urgent, important, not urgent, not important, or not urgent and not important.
Through this activity, I managed to learn the various self-management levels that a manager has to cope with beginning from my own self to my personal relationship with the business. Moreover, I was able to learn the three different types of intelligence that apply to businesses. This included the IQ, the EQ, and the CQ (Thomas & Adams, 2015, 99-114). From the study, it is clear that for effective self-management, one has to possess both the intelligence and be able to combine them well according to situations.
Another key lesson was learning about various competence areas. There are technical related competencies, human, business, and personal traits competencies. The activity also involved understanding the core requirements for effective self-management. For instance, there are particular qualities such as likeness for solving problems, understanding client’s needs, and being able to work virtually that are crucial for those who want to manage themselves.
The concepts involved in self-management are vital at the workplace. For instance, they help in proper prioritizing of activities to be carried out. Moreover, they are important in dealing with fragmentation, change, or ambiguity. Personally, I was able to self-evaluate myself regarding my self-management abilities. Moreover, I have thoroughly evaluated myself regarding self-awareness and stress management. Borrowing from Johari’s window explanation, I was able to identify and group business information regarding what is known to myself and what is known to others.
Individual Strategies and Techniques for Self-Development
The course description of self-development is that it is a range of activities that are undertaken with an aim of bettering one’s self. It involves learning new and better skills while doing away with bad habits (Garman, et.al, 2012, 219-222). In this activity, I participated in the identification of needs, priorities and choosing options. This was one if the five activities that are important for self-development.
Self-development involves various concepts which are all kick-started by carrying out a self-assessment on yourself. After that, one has to identify their needs, be able to prioritize them and chose the best options. Moreover, self-development requires that one sets smart goals and identify areas of weakness that they can enhance through training and development.
My task involved identifying various personal needs that motivated me towards perusing my career. I had tothink about some other things that made me chose to study for this career apart from financial benefits, recognition, and the ability to afford. I realised that some internal needs led to my preference of my current career choice aside from others.
This included factors such as satisfaction, career recognition, and passion, among others. Moreover, I discovered that it was important to prioritize needs (Joy, et.al, 2012, 17-23). This is because all needs however insignificant they may seem may affect a person’s decision-making and the process of personal development in many ways. Needs have to be prioritized in order of their importance and urgency. However, one needs to be careful with needs that seem to be urgent because in most casesthese needs are less significant to a person’s self-development.
The other two self-development concepts; goal setting and conduction of a needs analysis, are also vital. This is because the goals a person sets goes a long way in defining the skills one might choose to better through training and development. On the other hand, a needs analyse is important as it indicates the areas a person needs to improve on.
In my task, I depended majorly on carrying out my personal needs analysis, assessing myself and going back to evaluate the goals I had set earlier which led me to peruse this career. These activities were important as they helped me complete my task and identify what means more to me between job satisfaction and financial benefits.
Elements of Effective Interpersonal Relationships in the Workplace
Interpersonal relationship refers to a deep, close, and strong association between two or more individuals. The period which the interaction lasts may be brief, or enduring. In this concept, the interpersonal relationship is based on business interactions. However, as per the topic, the relationship needs to be formed in various contexts including cultural, social, and economic influences.
Effective interpersonal relationship is influenced by certain abilities. I was able to understand that communication is crucial for forming and maintaining relationships. This is because people who are in a relationship need to communicate and understand each other. As a result, communication skills have to be enhanced for effective management. The course was very wide and as a result, it enabled us to be introduced to reaction time as a critical factor in communication. This is the time taken for one communicating party to respond to the other party after being spoken to (Steiner, 2011, 153-156).
At the workplace, interpersonal relationships are imperative. As part of my activity, I was able to learn that the relationship that exists between working individuals in an organisation influences the output that comes from such people. For instance, a junior employee is likely to give his or her best if he has a good relationship with his supervisor or manager. Moreover, I felt that strong interpersonal relationship at the workplace helps to maintain workplace or rather professional ethics. Consequently, this goes a long way in creating an enabling environment for business operations (Adams, 2014, 327-330).
My task during this activity involved assessing various conflict management approaches. According to my Adams (2014, 340-343), conflict arises when individuals fail to understand each other due to the existence of a bad relationship between them. Using individual elements of effective interpersonal relationships, I was able to comprehend how one can be able to manage conflict in the workplace.
As per my findings, having good workplace relationship helps in minimizing conflicts that might arise in the workplace. On the other hand, good and efficient communication between disputing parties helps in managing already existing conflicts (Byrkjeflot & Jespersen, 2014, 448-451). These discoveries were important to me because they erased my initial beliefs.
This is because I used to think that interpersonal relationship, especially at the workplace, has no influence on conflict. Moreover, I used to believe that only professional relationships existed at the workplace. However, this is contrary to the activity studies as both interpersonal and personal relationships can exist at the workplace
Personal Leadership Approache Qualities and Their Impacts on Others
Personal leadership simply refers to the leadership of the self. It involves personally taking the responsibilities of all life aspects affecting you and leading them towards a direction that best suits you. Various qualities of personal leadership were discussed in this seminar. However, the qualities were not presented directly but were put forward in the form of theories. These theories include; leadership trait theories, leadership behaviour theories, contingency leadership theories, leadership transformational theories, and charismatic leadership.
For the theories to apply and be effective, certain influencing tactics have to be put in place (Donsophon, Jhundra-indra, & Raksong, 2015, 59-76). I was able to understand that tactics are means through which individuals who hold leadership positions transform bases of power into various specific actions. Moreover, the topic expanded my knowledge of personal leadership by describing the meaning of each of the nine influencing tactics.
Primarily, these tactics included; legitimacy, reciprocal exchange, rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, personal appeals, consultation, coalitions, pressure, and integration. To add on that, I was able to learn about three specific responses to personal leadership that influence tactics.
This are resistance: comes about when the target to be influenced repels the request, compliance: comes about when the target of influence obeys a request unwillingly, and commitment which comes about when the target of influence agrees and supports a request (Joyce, Nga, & Mun, 2013, 505-519). Lastly, I was able to understand the most efficient influencing tactics and the least effective tactics as well as the direction of influence in an organisation.
My primary activity involved analysing and assessing charismatic leadership. As per my findings, this type of leadership involves having the ability to motivate and inspire. According to Thomas (2014, 335-337), Charismatic leaders are able to achieve excellent outputs by inspiring and motivating their juniors to be committed to their organizational course and be able to perform at the topmost levels.
I was able to understand that motivation achieves this through use of the knowledge gained in studying influencing tactics (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2013, 56-61). Moreover, I was able to comprehend that the choice of a leadership theory or style is mainly influenced by factors such as sequencing of tactics, the ability to use a tactic, and the relative power of a tactic. Overall, the seminar was very educating especially on ways to effectively lead others well and be able to obtain optimum outputs.
Engaging with others in the workplace
There are various factors which govern the level of engagements at the workplace. This seminar revolved around enhancing professionalism through workplace engagements. This means that irrespective of the engagements carried out at the workplace, professionalism has to be observed and fostered through them (Heller, 2012, 307-315).
Various terms and concepts come into play regarding workplace engagements. These concepts include ethics, diversity, cultural stereotypes, and CV evaluation. Through the study of this course, I was able to understand the meaning and importance of these terms and other factors as explained below.
Ethics refers to the generally accepted code of conduct. Different workplaces have distinct ethical requirements. However, most of these requirements are closely related as they are all aimed at enhancing professionalism. As I discovered through studying the topic, ethics is the chief influencing factor regarding an individual’s professional development (Holden, et al., 2012, 245-254). This is because it ensures that one sticks to the right behaviour so as to uphold the organization’s morals and values.
On the other hand, diversity refers to accepting another person as they are. In this concept, the seminar involved enlightening us on how to accept other people irrespective of their ethnicity, origin, gender, or skill levels. I was also able to understand the relationship that exists between diversity and stereotyping. Stereotyping can be said to be a product of diversity in which people develop certain thoughts about individuals with certain traits (Steiner, 2011, 150-156).
My activity during the study of this topic involved analysing diversity and ways in which people are different. These are the tasks that were assigned to group three. In handling my task, I relied on the concepts stated to be important regarding engagement of people in the workplace. For instance, in understanding diversity and how people are different, I considered various stereotypes that are associated with my culture and those of my group members.
Diversity and ethics are crucialin the workplace. Ethics helps maintain professionalism and ensure good working relationship between juniors and their supervisors and among employees (Kalbers, & Fogarty, 2015, 64). On the other hand, diversity helps an organization to have a broad range of skills. This is because people from different backgrounds and cultures offer different and unique skills. Moreover, an organization is able to enjoy a broad view of options from a diverse workforce.
Conclusion
Efficient management is essential for the success of an organisation. Therefore, individuals tasked with the duty of managing have to possess various vital skills in order to achieve desired organisational objectives. From the study, there are different ways of managing. This is because; there exist many theories which explain different modes of leadership. For instance, charismatic leadership is different from traits leadership theory. However, a choice of a leadership theory might not be sufficient to steer an organisation to success; it needs to be accompanied with other abilities.
Having self-management qualities, effective leadership qualities, and high level of professionalism with the capacity to self-develop helps one become a good manager. In the assignment, I was able to use the knowledge and skills I gained during the class discussions to carry out my own activities. This means that various management concepts can be grasped easily if one has interest and the desire to learn.
Regarding self-management, one has to learn to differentiate important and urgent factors from the non-insignificant. This is vital as it will help the management in prioritizing organizational activities. On self-development, managers have to understand their needs and choose the sections that they can improve through further skill acquisitions through training and development.
On the other hand, leaders have to be able to choose good leadership styles that will be effective. This is important as it will help them to appropriately use the leadership influencing factors to motivate employees and be able to obtain optimum results. The exercise was very educating; I was able to learn many new concepts relating to management and how to use them.
Buchanan, D.A., & Huczynski, A.A. (2013). Organisational Behaviour: An introductory text (8th ed). London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
Byrkjeflot, H., & Kragh Jespersen, P. (2014). Three conceptualizations of hybrid management in hospitals. The International Journal of Public Sector Management, 27(5), 441-458. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1662675378?accountid=45049
Donsophon, K., Jhundra-indra, P., & Raksong, S. (2015). A CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF MANAGERIAL PROFESSIONALISM STRATEGY AND FIRM SUCCESS. Allied Academies International Conference. Academy of Strategic Management. Proceedings, 14(2), 59-76. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1764885668?accountid=45049
Heller, J. C. (2012). professionalism, revenue enhancement, and self-interest: An ethically ambiguous association. HEC Forum, 24(4), 307-15. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10730-012-9198-5
Holden, M., Buck, E., Clark, M., Szauter, K., & Trumble, J. (2012). Professional identity formation in medical education: The convergence of multiple domains. HEC Forum, 24(4), 245-55. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10730-012-9197-6
Joy, Gemini V, MBA, M.Phil, & James, P. S. (2012). Do prestige goods enhance self-esteem and professionalism? A study on users of luxury-branded shirts. Marketing Review St.Gallen, 29(1), 17-23. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11621-012-0106-9
Joyce, K.H. Nga, & Mun, S. W. (2013). The perception of undergraduate students towards accountants and the role of accountants in driving organizational change. Education & Training, 55(6), 500-519. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ET-07-2012-0074
Thomas, M., & Adams, J. (2015). ADAPTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES TO THE MANAGEMENT OF SPECIAL EVENTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 4, 99-114. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215099782?accountid=45049
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2012). Developing management skills (8th ed.; Global ed.). London: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Anderson, L.E., & Bolt, S.B. (2014). Professionalism: Skills for workplace success (3rd ed.; International ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson.
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Leadership theories include transactional leadership theories and transformational leadership theories. Transactional leadership theory deals with maintaining the operation flow, using disciplinary powers and an array of incentives as ways of ensuring employees perform as expected (Redman, 2013, p 33). Transactional leadership is tailored towards ensuring that everything is running smoothly.
Conversely, transformational leadership involves going beyond the day to task to come up with strategies that would make the organization performance improve and achieve the intended objectives. Some of the activities conducted by transformational leaders include promotion of team building, motivation and employee collaboration to accomplish the expected change (Redman, 2013, p 41).
On the other hand, emotional intelligence theories emphasize on the ability to comprehend and effectively manage individual emotions and of others. The objective of a leader is to accomplish the set task keeping in mind the team to ensure that everything runs as expected. The four elements of emotional intelligence include self-management, awareness and social skills (MacFarlane, et al, 2011, p 69).
Task 4.2
Transformational leadership mostly encourages teamwork and motivation of employees to work together to accomplish the set objective. As a transformational leader, it is important to set goals and incentives that push employees to perform to the best of their abilities at the same time providing opportunities for personal and professional growth.
On the contrary, transactional leadership can be applied through formal authority and responsibilities. Employees will obey the directives that result in expected performance. Transactional leadership can be applied by using both incentives and punishment to enhance performance behaviors (Stainback and Tomaskovic-Devey, 2012, p 74).
Espinilla et al., (2013, p 227) highlight that emotional intelligence theory can be applied by coming up with a strategic plan. Understanding emotions in this process entails perceiving, and managing them. For instance, perception of emotions can be done through surveying to understand customers’ feelings about a specific product. Understanding emotion involves documenting the impact of various market plans by paying close attention to emotional aspects and financial implication. Managing emotion deals with understanding how to be a leader and encouraging desired emotional reaction that will generate positive outcomes.
Task 4.2
At Hounslow tasks should be allocated equally to promote good working relationships and easy management. Every staff needs to comprehend and be made aware of their job description and additional responsibilities. Some of the attributes and features that can help in improving work relationship include trust and honesty.
Additionally, reliable individuals can easily provide constructive feedback and share experiences with other colleagues to impart knowledge and the relevant skills to other colleagues. Effective communication and interaction skills are necessary to manage working relationships (Stainback and Tomaskovic-Devey, 2012, p 77).
Strategies that improve team building also enhance intrapersonal work relationships. Building a conducive environment where communication is open and clear goals are stipulated will results to efficient performance. Team building makes every employee feel valuable in the organization.
Organization structure refers to infrastructure and human resources and how they are utilized to achieve the specified goals. The overall organization structure needs to be designed to motivate employees to work to the best of their abilities. Work coordination, general operation, employee function and the organization culture need to be conducive to create innovative cultures that foster the competitive advantage of an organization (MacFarlane, et al, 2011, p 76)
Task 4.3
Managing working relationship requires that leaders should trust employees to carry out their duties to high standards. According to CITATION an effective leader is required to respect their employees, be considerate, honest and value their employee’s opinions. Leaders are required to enhance the culture of openness within their teams and put a lot of effort to understand the different values, backgrounds and perspectives of each team members.
Stainback and Tomaskovic-Devey (2012, p 143), explain that working as a team requires effective communication because teamwork focuses more on collaborative efforts to achieve the goals of the organization. Constructive feedback is a process where individuals facilitate a conducive environment to acquire additional skills using appropriate communication strategies. Communication skills require a good understanding of employee perspective on certain issues hence developing a good teamwork.
My own development is primarily influenced by management and leadership approach. As such, I will utilize performance appraisal to help me identify my areas of weaknesses and strengths. I will focus on improving on my weakness by undergoing training or improving myself using self-directed reading to improve my management knowledge.
I will also acknowledge other managers approaches and try to learn from successful managers and leaders. However, I consider the use of team target setting and task allocation to be the most effective management approach. The reason is because I have learned that task allocation not only benefit an individual but a team as a whole.
Espinilla, M., de Andrés, R., Martínez, F.J. and Martínez, L., 2013. A 360-degree performance appraisal model dealing with heterogeneous information and dependent criteria. Information Sciences, 222, pp.459-471.
Gale, T. C. E., Roberts, M. J., Sice, P. J., Langton, J. A., Patterson, F. C., Carr, A. S., & Davies, P. R. F. (2010). Predictive validity of a selection centre testing non-technical skills for recruitment to training in anaesthesia. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 105(5), 603-609.
Johansson‐Sköldberg, U., Woodilla, J. and Çetinkaya, M., 2013. Design thinking: past, present and possible futures. Creativity and Innovation Management, 22(2), pp.121-146.
MacFarlane, F., Greenhalgh, T., Humphrey, C., Hughes, J., Butler, C., & Pawson, R. (2011). A new workforce in the making? A case study of strategic human resource management in a whole-system change effort in healthcare. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 25(1), 55-72.
Redman, T. (2013) .Performance appraisal, in Wilkinson, A. and Redman, T. (eds) Contemporary Human Resource Management. London: FT Prentice Hall.
Stainback, K. and Tomaskovic-Devey, D., 2012. Documenting desegregation. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Tay, K.J., Moul, J.W. and Armstrong, A.J., 2016. Management of Prostate Cancer in the Elderly. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 32(1), pp.113-132.
Performance management is defined as an integrated strategic approach to delivering sustainable success to the organization by improving individual performance. Performance management is a system that helps in identifying ways to achieve the set organizational goals by constantly assessing and providing feedback that results in improved employee performance (Johansson‐Sköldberg, et al, 2013, p. 121).
The main approaches to measuring performance have identified the domains where adjustments are necessary. Performance appraisal is one of the appropriate ways of measuring individual performance. Performance appraisal involves measuring, providing feedback, positive reinforcement sharing and agreeing on set standards. Measurement is the process of determining if the set organizational goals were achieved.
After obtaining individual performance progress feedback is provided involving positive feedback to reinforce good performance. Exchanging and sharing of ideas involves reviewing the past performance and sharing experiences for learning purposes. The agreement is the final process where the set goals and objectives are discussed (Gale, et al, 2010, p 606).
Task 3.2
Identifying individual training needs of an employee refers to reviewing the set goals and addressing the key activities to be conducted to achieve the set goals. Assessment of individual training and development needs entails monitoring performance and evaluating weak points.
Keen observation and measuring employee performance and progress is important because the outcomes will provide the training needs and the type of training and development for individual employees. Development of needs involve conducting period training as part of the learning and development process. Periodic training will improve individual skills and behavior attitudes to increase the level of performance (MacFarlane, et al, 2011, p 63).
Task 3.3
According to Tay, Moul and Armstrong (2016, p 115), some of the strategies that can be implemented for improvement of individual in health and social care place of work can be done by offering performance feedback and incentives. Performance feedback is offered using appraisals and targets. Employees will be motivated to achieve certain targets and goals which are geared towards achieving organization goals.
If employees achieve the goals they will be rewarded by using incentive packages such as bonuses in form of increasing salary, additional training or other recognition rewards. If an employee does not achieve the goals, they should be criticized constructively to work towards achieving organization goals. This will boost individual performance because the employee will understand what is expected of him.
Performance feedback whether positive or negative can solve conflicts and update employees on their weak areas hence giving the opportunity to rectify their performance behavior that might hinder employees from achieving their career objectives.
Gale, et al. (2010, p 609) states that attractive performance –based incentives motivate employees with nonfinancial incentives having lasting impact than financial incentives. Incentives might vary from increased wages to training and development program and special rewards.
HR managers need to implement reward systems that will motivate employees. Rewarding is the process of recognizing employee’s performance and acknowledging their contribution .Rewards will encourage individuals to aim higher and work towards meeting the set objectives.
Theories are a set of acceptable ideas or principles that are used to analyze specific situations or events. The most common theory of group work is the Tuckman’s model. According to Tuckman, team interaction can be viewed as four parts of different phases including forming storming, forming and performing (Tay, Moul and Armstrong, 2016, p 18).
According to Armstrong forming is the stage where members rely on leaders to guide the team Employees look up to the leaders to provide direction .During this stage, team members start organizing themselves and being familiar with their roles .Members try to agree on specific issues and the task to be accomplished.
Storming is a process in which ideas are generated and deliberated upon by the groups. Teams identify various issues and try to finding solutions for the negative issues that might affect the team. This process might be disruptive and members might disagree. Disputes are likely to occur.
This requires members to reflect and have the capability of being patient for the e group to stay together. Leadership guidance during this stage is equally important to provide clear direction to its members (Tay, Moul and Armstrong, 2016, p 121).
Forming is an important step because it aids group members who have overcome their grievances to agree on several issues. At this stage discussions are more open and issues are discussed honestly. Members adjust their behavior patterns and attitudes towards promoting good team work. During this stage leaders become reluctant and members are more dominant (Tay, Moul and Armstrong, 2016, p 121).
Belbin’s theory of group specifies the role of individual team members emphasizing that every member of the team possesses unique behavior that can influence performance. According to Belbin, using inventory questionnaires with nine different roles with unique characteristics can help identify the role of each member of the team.
These characteristics include coordinator ,shaper ,plant ,implementer ,resource investor ,completer ,monitor ,evaluator and team worker . Every role has its strengths and weakness, however understanding each responsibility of the team plays an important role in making an effective team. High performing teams use all these combinational roles to increase team efficiency (Townley, 2014, p 108).
Task 1.2
Teamwork is the willingness of individuals in a team to work together to achieve a common goal. This involves developing an interest in the team and working for the good of the team. Hounslow home care can use the following approaches to developing effective teamwork. In all healthcare setting including Hounslow care homes, healthcare teams are either formal or informal teams with specific purposes.
These teams have definite leaders with individuals within the team having specific roles. Informal groups have no structure, but everyone has equal status. Within several healthcare settings comprises of multi-disciplinary teams which are informal teams (MacFarlane, et al, 2011, p 55).
MacFarlane, et al, (2011, p 59) emphasize on effective teamwork as a process of embracing diverse skills. Team members should focus on the strengths to compensate for the weak areas. Effective teamwork is about ensuring that the main objective is well stipulated and understood by every member of the team. Teamwork requires the engagement of every team member in the duties of health and social care to minimize communication barriers that might arise. Teamwork requires every member to be given equal opportunity to air out their concerns and opinions.
Teamwork has several merits. For instance, it offers better solution. A well-managed team produces more results. Teamwork creates a supportive environment and propels individuals towards working effectively. Employees’ levels of confidence increase thereby allowing them to perform to the best of their abilities. Teams also create a supportive environment that propels employees towards implementation.
The environment boosts the confidence of workers motivating them into delivering their best. Moreover, teamwork have been cited to provide platforms of generating new approaches on how tasks should be accomplished. One of the disadvantages of teamwork includes unequal participation. In some teams, members sit back and wait for others to work on their behalf an aspect that can result in conflicts at work (MacFarlane, et al, 2011, p 61).
In addition, teamwork has been linked closely to limited creativity. This is because employees may become so focused on working for the general good of the team and how to fit in to the concept of the team that they contribute their ideas. Consequently, the lack of innovation may hinder an organization from moving forward. Scholars have also argued that team work at times can take longer to record the expected results.
This is because they require to go through several processes such as selection, socialization, and organization in the bid of completing a task. This eventually adds on the expenses on manpower and equipments required to complete a task.
Reference
Tay, K.J., Moul, J.W. and Armstrong, A.J., 2016. Management of Prostate Cancer in the Elderly. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 32(1), pp.113-132.
In health and social care, recruitment and planning refers to a process that deals with identifying appropriate individual to help in the organization’s care needs. Recruitment and planning in these settings need better staffing which is achieved through filtering strategies. Planning should also include retention strategies. The first factor to consider is the overall aim of the recruitment exercises in relation to the organizational goals and objectives (Redman, 2013, p 16).
On the same note, an organization should also consider availability of potential workers who meet the job requirement. The management can consider recruiting from employees who are already in the organization or from potential employees who reside in the area. If such employees with the required job requirements are not available, then management must consider the cost that they may incur in training individuals to meet the required standards or providing incentives to motivate potential employees relocate from other areas.
On the same note, an organization should consider the strategies required to attract the right potential employees to work in the organization (Espinilla et al., 2013, p 222.). For instance, the organization may consider using the internet to advertise in order to reach the potential employees.
The issue of the cost of recruitment and financial implications are important factors, training and career progression strategies need to be part of planning and recruitment process. Other factors to be considered during recruitment and planning include applicant’s practical knowledge and skills and the general behavior rating and attitude .Qualification and the experience are important factors in this sector.
There is the need to consider internal recruitment process as a motivation, and a retention strategy which is a common feature in Human resource policies in health and social care settings. Failure to identify the right candidate advertising is the best option a candidate can be identified. The organization can use several advertising approaches including the internet, jobs centers, and newspapers (Gale, et al, 2010, p 609) Recruiting agencies is one avenue of attracting suitably skilled workers.
Task 1.2
Nations across the globe have implemented their own legislative and policy requirements that are likely to influence the identification, recruitment and employment process. It is important for an organization to pursue the set legislations. For instance, in many European countries, government regulations emphasize on equal rights and opportunities for everyone despite the individual religion, gender, race and ethnic background.
Some of the main legislations that guide the process of recruitment and employment include; the discrimination Act of 1975, the race relation Act of 1976, employment policy and legislation employment relation Act of 2004 and Employment Act of 2008 (Department of Work and Pensions, 2013, p. 5).
The sex discrimination act of 1975 protects individuals from being sexually harassed or wrongful dismissal due to protected characteristics. The law also protects potential candidates from discrimination of employment opportunities, rejection and refusing promotion or being given antagonistic working conditions due to protected characteristics. In most organization discrimination takes place when procedures, policies and practices do not favor those who share specific protected characteristics (Townley, 2014, p. 92).
Some of the protected characteristics recognized by law include age, disability that is unfair treatment of a disabled person, gender reassignment this is to treat people in the process to change their gender, marriage, and civil partnership which include married individuals, pregnant women, race, religion, sexual orientation and sex (Stainback and Tomaskovic-Devey, 2012, p 42).
The employment and policy legislation Act of 2004 entails conflict resolution processes in workplaces .The laws recognize the employment tribunal’s rules that include equal wages. The sex discrimination Act of 1975 protects individuals from all types of discrimination. Individuals seeking employment face several challenges; the sex discrimination Act of 1975 covers discrimination including dismissal due to protected characteristics, decisions not to hire individual, and rejection of an individual for training and promotion based on protective characteristics.
The employment Act includes conflict resolution process and implementation of minimum wages and employment standards that need to be adhered to by the employers (Department of Work and Pensions, 2013, p 19).
Task 1.3
The main selection and recruitment approach is the use of interviews. Carrying out interviews, evaluating potential candidates and using tests mostly conducted at the assessment centers can be ideal in ensuring that the best candidate is selected.
Interviews can be the first process of selection, where an individual meets a selection committee comprised of different stakeholders for interviews. Interviews will reveal important traits of candidates. Interviews can provide opportunities to determine employee weaknesses and certain drawbacks. Confident candidates are considered to have strong leadership personalities (Gale, et al, 2010, p 607).
The second approach s the use of assessment center: Potential candidates can be selected and recruited through assessment centers. Assessment centers can administer tests; the results of the tests can help predict potential employee attitudes. Several measures can be used to measure candidate’s performance. Behavior evaluation, IQ tests, psychometric assessment tests are among the commonly used methods of assessing individual capabilities (Gale, et al, 2010, p 605).
