Efficiency Of The Work Of The Allstate Insurance Company - Term Paper Example

Efficiency Of The Work Of The Allstate Insurance Company Allstate Company is an insurance firm that began its operations in the year 1931. When the firm was being set up, it started its operations as part of another company by the name Sears, Roebuck & Co. This company is well renowned in the insurance world. It has maintained a strong brand name since its establishment. Using the model for goal setting, evaluate Allstate’s goal-setting process to determine whether or not Allstate has an effective goal-setting program. Allstate Company’s efforts in goal-setting program are promising. Goal setting is characterized by a set of distinct conditions that help in evaluating the effectiveness of the goal-setting program. The employees should be in a position to attain the set goals of the company. Necessary knowledge and skills apply in this process, thereby measuring just how much the program is set to work out in favor of the company. In the context of this company, the idea of this condition is down pack. Current job skills and expertise in the company is highly evaluated in the present times in relation to the goals, mission and objectives of the company. Advancement program for employee skills and expertise is operational, training of workers put in place as well as mentoring services. Creative and critical skill development is therefore at the disposal of workers, and opportunities for advancement are therefore created. As much as the condition here is hectic to functionalize, it clarifies the firm’s goals and initiates efficiency in the operations of the company (Andreas, 1998). Difficult goals call for maximum attention and analysis over time. This is the seconds step towards achieving functional goal-setting procedures. The employees must be upfront at all times in regard to the attainment of these difficult goals. Employees focus on their work has been enhanced in this company by the fact there is a childcare unit in the company. The childcare units are favorable to the users since they offer care discounts for the parents. Over and above this fact, Allstate use other means to keep the workers focused to the goals of the firm. These means are: offering dry cleaning services as well as oil-change services. There is therefore little or no time wasted by the employees during work hours when they need the aforementioned services. Day breaks allow the parents to see their children without wasting so much time. They can therefore work as required by the company (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Goal achievement progress need to be monitored at each point in time, and necessary feedback toward such progress reported from time to time. Allstate Company employs Diversity Index twice a year in effectuating this condition in its goal-setting program. Monitoring questions are set up every time a survey for the index is set up. The idea here is to assess whether the company indiscriminately provides quality services to all its customers in the market model. Another aspect highlighted by the index is the working environment that prevails in the company. This is meant to assess the comfort ability of the employees at the work place. The diversity and dynamism of the operation ability in the company determines the rationale of efficient goal setting program. The survey is fundamental to the overall performance of the company since it defines the employer-employee relationship in the working environment (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Another condition necessary to the goal setting program of the company is the need to break down complex goals into sub-goals. This is tailored towards mobilizing the employees to want to reach to the higher goals. However, in order to achieve the higher goals, all the sub-goals must be achieved. The employees will therefore want to achieve the sub-goals as much as possible in order to reach to the big goals. There are no identified sub-goals for the Allstate Company, but it is noticeably important that the company has established many goal-setting programs for the workers. Workers can therefore achieve their duty at work efficiently. “Diversity is Allstate’s strategy for leveraging differences in order to create a competitive advantage” (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, pg. 215). It is obvious that once the employees achieve their goals, the total goal of the company is consequently is consequently met. Finally, in assessing the evaluation of whether the adopted program is efficient or not, it should be considered whether the employees have all the required resources that enhance attainment of the set goals. Employees in the Allstate Company have all the required resources at their disposal. The firm has diversified its portfolio in service offering just to keep the workers focused on their personal and organizational goals. For instance, the presence of catering and postal services within the premises of the company allows the employees to worry less about their meals and post office matters after work. Discuss the competitive advantage Allstate has from the development of the Diversity Index. The diversity index has been put in place for the purposes of goal achievement. Allstate uses diversity strategies to improve its competitive advantage by leveraging differences in the market model. The company advantage is clearly set on the internal and external diversity characteristic of the strategy employed (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Education, resources and opportunities offered to the employees mobilize and unlock their potential. This is the internal diversity strategy by Allstate Company. The external diversity concept is based on the workforce-market relationship. In this company, diversity is not a set goal to achieve. Rather, it is a process engaged in the daily operations of the company. The fact that diversity is a process in the life of the company forms a strong competitive basis for the firm. The diversity characteristic of this company allows Allstate Company to employ more than other competing companies, since the diversity has been spread to the company population. Allstate is therefore bound to success by this fact. Recommend the types of high-performance reward system Allstate should use to motivate its employees to reach its diversity goals. Provide a rationale with your answer. High performance in the job done by an employee can base its roots on the reward scheme or system adopted by the organization (Wofford, 22007). A pay that is based on the skills of the employee counts as a means to achieve diversity in the firm. A reward scheme for employees works out best since they will always seek to maximize the benefits they receive from the company. Another reward base can be in form of premiums sold. In this case, the higher the premiums sold, the more likely the reward is. For instance, in this company, the worker that sells the highest number of premiums may receive bonus salary or take a trip outside country. This will not only motivate the worker that gets rewarded, but also all the others since they would also like to follow suit. Any reward system adopted by the company should ensure that both the internal and external diversity goals are intertwined. Productivity of agents could be used as a basis for external reward system. The characteristic relationship between variables should be analyzed in such a system, so that the overall goal-diverse agent is rewarded. Multilingual employees are an asset to the diversity of the company (West Publishing Company, 2002). The company can even choose to meet the expenses of having some of its workers acquire another language. Embracing diversity in Allstate serves the company right. If you were an Allstate employee, discuss whether or not you would be motivated by the Diversity Index and QLMS. Provide a detailed explanation. If I was an employee in Allstate Company I would find the diversity index and QLMS motivating. The diversity index would provide me with an opportunity to air my opinions. All the activities characteristic to the operations of the company can be presented by using the diversity index as a tool. Such activities relate and are not limited to: customer handling, product quality, employee-employer relations, working environment, worker compensation for services offered to the firm, work load and overall welfare of the company. All these factors are all together integrated and consequently determine personal success alongside that of the company. Motivation derived from the index and the QLMS promotes professionalism and accuracy at the work place (National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 2010). References Andreas, F. (1998). Conflict of laws: federal, state, and international perspectives: Casebook Series. California: Matthew Bender. Hellriegel, D. & Slocum, J. (2011). Organizational behavior: 2011 custom edition (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. National Association of Insurance Commissioners. (2010). Proceedings of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Volume 1. Michigan: University of Michigan. West Publishing Company. (2002). West's bankruptcy reporter, Volume 272. Washington: West Publishing Company. Wofford, J. (2007). Organizational behavior: foundation for organizational effectiveness. Michigan: Kent Publishing Company. Read More