HR Practice in A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd - Essay Example

HR Practice in A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd is a medium sized organisation based in the East Midlands and it manufactures chemical products such as adhesives and sealants for the construction industry. Since the restructure of the organisation three years back, there have been some changes to its operations and structure especially in the Sales Office, Transport and Distribution as well as the Bought Ledger Department which John had ruled with an iron fist thereby overriding the functions of the first line managers. The report notes that the areas of HR practice that should be standardised in the organisation mainly include the key issues related to giving the First Line Managers the autonomy to full practice their duties in order to improve the effectiveness of the organisation’s performance towards achieving its goals while at the same time satisfying the needs of the customers. The report recommended that there is need for employee involvement in decision making to create a sense of belonging. There is also need for reorientation of the employees through training and it has also been recommended that there should be effective communication in order to create understanding among the work mates. It has been recommended that there is need to clearly outline the structure of the organisation for it to be effective as well as improve its performance which is internally based at the expense of the customers. Introduction In the given case scenario, the key issues affecting performance levels at A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd particularly in the Sales Office (Jackie) scenario, the Bought Ledger (Karen) department and The Transport (Melvin) department can be attributed to overriding of the functions of the First Line Managers (FLM) by John Jones who is the Customer Services and Administrative Manager. In order to gain a clear understanding of the concept of FLM, it is imperative to begin by outlining some of the basic functions of First Line management. Basically, first line managers are directly responsible for the production of goods and services. The employees who directly report to them do the organisation’s basic production work (Jackson et al 2001). For instance, a sales manager like Jackie should be responsible for supervising the people who sale different chemical things in the organisation. It can be noted that this level of management is the link between the operations of each department and the rest of the organisation. From the above assertion, it can be noted that the problems encountered by the three departments mentioned above are directly a result of crossing functioning lines of the first lime mangers by John Jones. For instance, Jackie’s department is confronted with problems of not having orders processed on time, deliveries being delivered late as well as customer dissatisfaction in general. The manager of the department does not have the power to influence its operations since John Jones is responsible for everything. The ledger department managed by Karen is also confronted with problems such as poor customer communication, emphasis on internal issues at the expense of the customer which results in customer dissatisfaction among others and this can as well be attributed to John Jones style of leadership which is authoritative. In the same vein, the transport department led by Melvin is underperforming as a result of putting emphasis on internal issues at the expense of the customers by John Jones. As can be noted in the three given scenarios, John Jones is overriding the functions of the first line managers who should perform the various tasks they are supposed to since they are the ones who directly deal with the expected departmental functions. The Administrative Manager is removed from the day to day operations of each department hence interfering with their functions is tantamount to overriding of other people’s duties. First line managers actually spend most of their time with the people they supervise. They direct the actions of the employees who actually do production (leading) and they also play the (controlling) function of making sure that the deliveries arrive, settling disputes among the employees, scheduling vacations and inspecting products (Schultz 2003). It is clear in the given scenarios that the first line managers are not given the opportunity to perform their expected roles in the organisation. Theoretical framework Management versus Leadership In order to understand the functions of management and leadership and their impact on issues of organisational effectiveness with regards to employee performance, it is imperative to begin by explaining the meaning of the two terms as they are often confused though they are interrelated. Thus, according to Kleynhans et al (2006), management is defined as the process of working with people and resources to achieve organisational goals. In this particular case, managers ought to be good at planning, organising, leading and controlling as well as making decisions and they should be able to analyse situations and find solutions to the problems that may exist. As noted in the above definition of management, it is primarily concerned with getting things done through people. Thus, effective management is tied to the organisation’s overall performance and is mainly seen as a twofold process where the managers seek to accomplish the task and satisfy the employees at the same time. On the other hand, leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group of people towards the achievement of organisational goals (Robins S.P., Odendaal A.& Roodt G. 2001). Basically, leadership is concerned with the vision of the organisation while management is concerned with the practical implementation of that vision. It should be noted that leading is a function of management hence the two are somehow related. A leader suggests change and a manager is there to implement and manage change (Buhler 2001). Another relationship between management and leadership is that a leader takes a leading role in developing and inspiring staff while the manager supervises staff. The aim would be the same, to achieve organisational goals. Against this background, this section of the study seeks to critically analyse the functions of management and leadership in a bid to improve organisational effectiveness. As noted, John Jones uses an iron fist in the day to day operations of the organisation where he is overriding all the functions of the first line managers who ought to perform the tasks at the lower level in a bid to satisfy the need of the customers as well as the achievement of the organisational goals. Management/leadership styles One of the earliest and academic approaches to leadership was the trait theory that attempted to identify physical or personality traits that differentiated leaders from the followers. The main assumption in this theory is that leaders were born and not made (Schultz 2003). However, the contemporary approach to leadership is principle centred rather than personality based leadership. The principle-centred leaders possess and promote good basic values such as honesty, integrity, openness, trust participation and empowerment where less emphasis is put on traits. Basically, the core focus is on behaviour of the top leadership where they expected to serve as the role models of their followers. The behavioural leadership theories attempt to identify the differences in behaviour of effective leaders versus ineffective leaders. One of the most widely used leadership style model is Blake and Mouton’s leadership grid (Schultz 2003). The five leadership styles identified include impoverished leader who shows little concern for production and the people. The authority compliance leader has high concern for production and low concern for the people. A critical reading of the given case scenarios show that John Jones is particularly concerned with high production at the expense of the employees particularly the first line managers who are not given the autonomy to exercise their duties. This leadership style often affects the operations of the organisation in a negative manner. The country club leader shows concern for people at the expense of production which is not recommended. The middle of the road leader is in between while the team leader has high concern for both production and the people. Though this model is not always seen as the best, it remains one of the most widely used in determining the effectiveness of the leaders in an organisation. The contingency leadership perspective posits to the effect that effectiveness of the leaders depend on the situation. Fidler’s contingency model suggests three dimensions of situational control which are leader-member relations where the leader has the support of the followers and trust. The task structure depends on how well the job is defined and how well the employees understand what is expected of them (Schultz 2003). The position power refers to the amount of formal legitimate power the leader has to exercise control over the employees. As long as the first line mangers are concerned, the most ideal leadership style is power member relations since these work closely with the followers on a daily basis hence the need for mutual understanding between the two. The path goal leadership theory identifies four leadership styles. The directive style gives the manager the power to explain to them what is expected of them in the organisation. The supportive style shows that the leader is friendly and shows concern for the well being of the followers. This style is also good in that it minimises the chances of conflict among the members of the organisation. The participative style is the most appropriate to organisations during the contemporary period. If the first line managers in particular are given the opportunity to contribute towards decision making, they are likely to create a sense of belonging to the organisation hence would put maximum performance in their operations. On the other hand, the achievement style is concerned with the leader setting high but achievable goals. Roles, skills and attributes of today’s FLM The First Line Managers ought to create flexible working conditions which can motivate the workers to put optimum performance in their day-to-day operations as away of improving the effectiveness of the organisation’s performance. FL managers should also be better positioned to develop their employees as well as put measures in place that would ensure staff retention. These managers should put measures in place that treat the employee as a valuable asset to the organisation as a way of motivating them to do their best in as far as performance is concerned. First Line Managers have the task of monitoring the operations of the other workers in an organisation. However, all the organisations operate in a dynamic environment which constantly changes hence the need for the managers to be also constantly developed so as to be able to cope with the changing times. As a result of the fact that people from different cultural backgrounds are free to work in different places, managers should be developed so as to be impartial when directly dealing with the employees who may happen to come from different cultural backgrounds. The first line managers should also be accommodative to different cultural values of different people from different cultural backgrounds. The managers should not be influenced by such factors as race, gender, religion or culture when selecting employees to join the organisation or when dealing with people already employed by the organisation but hailing from different cultural backgrounds. Creative thinking and problem solving and the FLM First Line Managers usually need strong technical expertise to teach the subordinates and supervise their day to day tasks. It is important for the FLM to develop technical expertise as well as to be creative in the dispensation of his or her day to day duties in an organisation. Lack of experience may not be a big problem for the FLM if he is willing to learn and has the competency to communicate effectively with diverse types of people, to coach and counsel subordinates and to provide constructive feedback. Since the first line manager is directly working hand in hand with the subordinates, he must always be able to be creative and solve problems independently since he is the one who is directly responsible for the tasks being performed by the employees. There are likely chances of encountering various problems during the day to day operations and the first line manager must be better position to brainstorm the situation so as to come up with effective solutions. The FLM should also be able to learn to plan and schedule the work to be performed by the subordinates while encouraging and motivating them to accomplish the work assigned to them. Organisational structure Organisational structure as already noted is a system of formal working relationships that allow the managers to allocate work, coordinate tasks, delegate authority and responsibility in order to achieve organisational goals effectively (Jackson et al 2001). Organisational structure plays a very significant role in the effectiveness of the organisation. He advocated decentralised structures to be considered. Centralised organisation is different from those which are decentralized and this has a bearing on the way the employees would relate to each other. Organisations with a central structure are a little bit restrictive since the employees cannot freely engage each other or just consult their superiors with regards to issues arising at work (Carrell et al 1995). Where everything is centralised, it is very difficult to learn if not impossible since the order of the day in such an organisation would be characterised by that top down communication style. This type of organisational structure does not promote learning in an organisation since interaction would be minimised by the barriers that may exist between the levels of the model. Indeed, in a decentralized organisation, action can be taken more quickly to solve problems and more people would provide input to decision making and the employees are likely to feel less alienated from those who make decisions that affect their daily operations at work. The Burke –Litwin causal model can also be used to analyse the structure of the above mentioned organisation. This model posits that there are different linkages that hypothesize how performance is affected by internal and external factors. This model provides a framework to assess organisational and environmental dimensions that are key to successful change an shows how these dimensions should be linked causally to achieve change in performance (http://www.reflectlearn.org/discover/a-causal-model-of-organizational-performance-change-burkes-litwin-model ). Basically, this model is concerned with analysing a cause and effect of the relationship between mainly 12 dimensions which include the following: external environment, mission and strategy, leadership, organisational culture, structure, management practices, systems, work unit climate, tasks and skills, needs, motivation and individual and organisational performance. These dimensions need to be effectively monitored during the process of implementing change since these have causal effects particularly on the performance of the organisation. Managing Change (Training and Development) Change in an organisation is inevitable and is often necessitated by various internal and external factors and this initiative often affects the operations of the company in many ways. In order to successfully manage change, there is need to offer continual training to the employees so that they would understand what is expected of them. The coaching method is very ideal for this situation where the employee would quickly understand the dictates of the organisation through the efforts of the first line manager who works hand in hand with them. Mentoring on the other hand is critical in that the first line managers are more often experienced enough to take a leading role in guiding the development of less-experienced workers in a bid to increase their competencies, achievement and understanding of different organisational policies. Where there is a cordial relationship among the workers, there would be very high chances of successfully achieving the goals of the organisation. In the given scenario, it can be seen that there is misunderstanding because the first line mangers in particular are confused about the role expectations they should play in their operations with regards to the departments they run. Teams A team is a group of people that has been formed to work together in common, cooperative action towards the achievement of an outcome for the benefit of the group. The goal of the team should be synergy, in other words, the sum of the individual efforts in the tam is greater than the sum of the individual inputs (Robbins 2001: 258). The team based organisation may organise itself around functional areas or around departments as core working units. Whilst there are different types of teams that may exist in different organisations, the most ideal for this organisation in question is a functional team by virtue of the smaller size of the organisation. This is ideal because members working in a particular department can work together as a single unity while still responding to the supervisor. Tuckman-Jensen model (1977) suggests mainly five stages involved in team development and these are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Effective delegation Delegation of authority is the process by which managers assign to subordinates the right to make decisions and act in certain situations. The manager also gives the subordinate decision making power to carry out the task effectively. Indeed, it must be noted that delegation does not relieve the manager of his responsibility and accountability. It is also very important to realise that delegation of authority is necessary for the efficient functioning of any organisation because there is no single manager who can personally accomplish or completely supervise all of what happens in an organisation like what John Jones is attempting to do. By virtue of ruling with an iron fist, John Jones is limiting the first line managers as well as the employees’ development. Motivation of employees Employee performance can be increased by motivating the workers. Basically, motivation is the enthusiasm employees have for their jobs and factors which influence how hard they may try to do the job (Armstrong 1999). The employee must be persuaded and inspired to do the job since he would know that he would get some form of reward for the effort put. Essentially, each organisation is tasked with meeting the organisational goals set and there ought to be proper management to ensure that the organisation achieves its goals. The first line managers ought to create flexible working conditions which can motivate the workers to put optimum performance in their day-to-day operations as away of improving the effectiveness of the organisation’s performance. The managers should also be better positioned to develop their employees as well as put measures in place that would ensure staff retention. The managers should also be accommodative to different cultural values of different people from different cultural backgrounds as a way of minimising conflict among the employees. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is perhaps the most appealing theory for HR professionals. Thus, according to Maslow, when a need occurs, motivational tension develops and is directed towards satisfaction of that need, (cited in Carrell 1995). The hierarchy comprises of five levels of needs namely physiological, security, social, self esteem and self actualisation needs. These needs build from grassroots levels up to the point where some skilled workers feel that they should be rewarded on the basis of their importance, coupled with their performance to the company. As far as company growth is concerned, there is need for the workers to feel that they are part of it through engaging them to participate directly especially in decisions that affect its operations. In this case, the first line managers and other employees are detached from the organisation since John Jones is ruling with an iron feast where he makes all the decisions. On the other hand, Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory of motivation identifies factors which cause dissatisfaction as hygiene and those which cause satisfaction as motivators. However, he argues that while poor working conditions result in dissatisfaction, ideal working conditions do not necessarily lead to motivation or satisfaction (Carrell et al 1995). Pay increases alone may not be adequate to motivate the employees. Motivators in this case reflect the content of the job, and they reflect that there is no individual who can give the other person satisfaction that is related with accomplishing a challenging job but it is self derived. They are concerned with a sense of responsibility, achievement and recognition. In the given scenario, it can be noted that the employees particularly the first line managers are not motivated as a result of the fact that they are not given the autonomy to execute their duties as well as make decisions. Summary of the key findings A critical analysis of the given scenario shows that A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd is facing various problems related to performance. Since the restructure of the organisation three years back, there have been some changes to its operations and structure especially in the Sales Office, Transport and Distribution as well as the Bought Ledger Department which John had ruled with an iron fist thereby overriding the functions of the first line managers. John Jones’ management style has been primarily focused on internal matters at the expense of the customers and this has resulted in dissatisfaction among them as they are failing to get the expected services. By overriding the functions of the first line mangers who are supposed to do the departmental tasks, John Jones has created a situation where there is confusion and misunderstanding in the running of different departments he has been ruling with an iron fist. Recommendations Need to clearly outline the structure of the organisation Organisational structure as already noted is a system of formal working relationships that allow the managers to allocate work, coordinate tasks, delegate authority and responsibility in order to achieve organisational goals effectively (Jackson et al 2001). Concerted effort should be put in order to have a flat organisational structure or the one that is decentralised. This clearly defines the role expectation of all the workers in an organisation where the lines of authority and responsibility are clearly defined. In an organisation, each employee must know the person to whom he will report so as to minimise the chances of having conflicts in the organisation. It would also be easier to coordinate the efforts of the subordinates if there is a clearly defined organisational structure. Reorientation of the workers Reorientation of the workers is very important in this case since it would clearly outline the role expectations these employees would be expected to play at A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd so as to minimise the chances of misunderstanding. This can be achieved through the provision of continuous training to the employees as a way of equipping them with the basic knowledge that is relevant to their day to day operations. In this regard, training is mainly in the form of coaching and mentoring which are very important in motivating the employees to have a positive feeling towards their work. Mentoring is a process where experienced workers support the inexperienced workers to develop a deep understanding of their work so as to keep pace with the changes that may take place (Jackson and Schuler 2000). Coaching is a planned one on one instruction method where a coach working with only one learner at a time sets a good example of what is to be done (Kleynhans 2006). Effective communication Communication is very important in ensuring the success of the organisation (Kritzinger, Bowler and Goliath 2003). Thus, effective communication entails that there is mutual understanding between the employees and their management as far as communication of organisational policy is concerned. Effective communication can play a major role in minimizing the problems encountered as the ones mentioned above. Basically, all organisations are concerned with achieving set organisational goals and their structure play a very important role in ensuring that there is smooth flow of information. It is recommended that there ought to be well defined channels of communication at A.J. Robinsons and Sons Ltd and these should be open to make communication more effective. There should be feedback from both ends to ensure that there is mutual understanding within members in an organisation. Where there is an open channel of communication, there are likely chances of communicating effectively since the parties involved would be agreeing on one thing which is aimed at attaining the goals of the organisation. In this case, there is misunderstanding because communication is one dimensional, which is from John Jones to the lower level employees including the first line managers. Conclusion A critical analysis of the given three case scenarios show that there is poor performance of particularly three departments which are being ruled with an iron fist by John Jones, the Administrative Manager. He deliberately overrides the functions of the first line managers who should be doing the tasks he has overtaken. It has been recommended that there is need to clearly outline the structure of the organisation for it to be effective. The is also need for reorientation of the employees as well as putting measures that promote effective communication in the organisation in order to improve its performance which is internally based at the expense of the customers. Bibliography Buhler P. (2001). Teach yourself management skills in 24 hours. USA. ALPHA Carrell, R. et al (1995). Human Resources Management: Global Strategies for managing a diverse workforce. 5th Edition. NY. Prentice Hall. Hackett P. (1996). Success in Managing people. London. John Murray. Jackson, S.E. & Schuler R. (2000). Managing Human Resources: A Partnership Perspective. NY. South Western College Publishing. 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