Global Strategies for Managing a Diverse Workforce - Assignment Example

 Global Strategies for Managing a Diverse Workforce Executive Summary The problems facing Hudson can be attributed to the fact that there is very little direct supervision of the workers and the organisation operates in a family like business setup where there are no formal structures of management as well as communication. Another problem is that the workers are not motivated to do their work the reason why they do not put any effort in carrying out their daily duties expected of them. The solutions may be generated from making a distinction between a formal business and an informal family enterprise and this should include clearly outlining the goals of the organisation and role expectations of each employee. This can be done through establishing well defined communication channels and the lines of authority. Motivating the workers is another option that can solve the problems bedevilling Hudson. In most cases, motivated workers would have a sense of belonging to the organisation hence they would put maximum effort in their work fully knowing that they would get a reward out of their effort. In this particular case, it is highly recommended that managers should lead by example. Indeed, they are the ones who set the pace and tone of how the organisation ought to operate and any mistake would be costly to them. It has also been noted that the top management should take a leading role in implementing the necessary changes in the management structure of Hudson since they are supposed to give direction in the operations of the company. 1.0 Problem identification and analysis 1.1 Motivation One major problem facing Hudson is the apparent lack of motivation among workers. 1.1.1 Need for reviewing wages The workers complained about the low pay but said that they tried to compensate by taking frequent breaks, working overtime, and "taking small items home at night". 1.1.2 Management should consider the welfare of employees Instead of offering some incentives that would motivate the workers to be productive, the management does not seem to be aware of the repercussions of not rewarding the workers accordingly. 1.1.3 Employees must be persuaded and inspired Motivation is the enthusiasm employees have for their jobs and factors which influence how hard they may try to do the job (Michael 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. In this case, there is no such motivation which may be problematic in controlling the employees. 1.2 Leadership 1.2.1 Formal structures should be put in place The problems facing Hudson outlined in this case mainly emanated from the fact that a family like set up environment exists in the organisation where there are no clearly defined formal procedures in management of the day to day operations of the company. 1.2.2 Define organisational goals It can be noted that there is very little direct supervision of the workers from the front office and no pressure is put on them to meet production standards. 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. 1.2.3 Precision in decision making 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 and making decisions and they should be able to analyse situations and find solutions to the problems that may exist. However, it seems that there were no such structures at Hudson where everything seemed relaxed. 1.3 Resistance to change 1.3.1 Lack of effective communication When Mr Hudson announced the cost reduction programmes which were so sudden and the purpose not clearly explained to the employees, the efforts were met with resistance from the workers who were used to their relaxed traditional working environment. The aim was to cut costs on production and waste while at the same time increasing production but this did not go down well with the workers who did everything to protest against the move. 1.3.2 Management is incapable The efforts of management to increase efficiency and reduce production costs had definitely caused resentment among the workers. As noted from the resistance by the workers, instead of bringing the expected results that were positive, waste and costs had increased since the new programs had been instituted and it had further been reported that Hudson was now farther behind on shipments than ever before. The initiative brought a negative development to the company and this could have contributed to loss making and it can be attributed to poor planning and lack of organisation. 1.4 Lack of proper orientation 1.4.1 Need for change Another problem is that the workers were so accustomed to their working environment to the extent that any development with regards to changes in working conditions required concerted efforts in reorientation of the entire workforce not to just impose the changes on them without proper explanations. 1.4.2 Workers should know the changes The cost reduction programme ought to have been implemented as a gradual process following different steps. It would also be difficult to attempt to bring in changes that may be seen as potentially suppressive especially by people who are used to work in a free and relaxed environment where there are no strings attached with regards to the ways they conduct themselves. 2. 0 Statement of Key Problems 2.1 Motivation 2.1.1 The workers are not motivated the reason why they put minimum effort in their work. 2.1.2 No incentives to inspire the employees to be productive. 2.2 Leadership 2.2.1 Lack of control of the subordinates 2.2.2 Authority undermined, resistance to change 2.2.3 Supervisors lack effective management skills 2.2.4 Lines of authority not clearly defined 3.0 Generation and Evaluation of a range of alternative solutions 31. Motivation Workers ought to be motivated to perform their job in most cases. The most notable motivator to the employee is financial reward. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are various basic order levels of needs which include physiological, safety, sociological, esteem as well as self actualisation. The lower level needs can be satisfied with financial resources in most cases hence the need to give remunerations which are motivational. Someone who is motivated has high chances of being productive since he or she would have a sense of belonging to the organisation which would motivate him or her to put maximum effort at work knowing that they would get a reward. An individual who is motivated as well would feel that he is regarded as useful to the organisation hence productive. A disgruntled worker can never be productive since there would be no incentive for working hard. 3.2 Leadership Indeed, there is need for any organisation to distinguish between business and a family enterprise. Once the workers know the difference between the two, they would be in a position to know what is expected of them in an organisational set up. The organisational goals should be clearly spelled out and each individual’s role should be clearly defined as well. The people entitled with authority should lead by example where a distinction would be made between business time and play time. The main advantage of laying out role expectations is that each person would fully know what he is supposed to do and they would cooperate as way of attempting to achieve the organisational goal. In a setup where the line of authority is clearly defined, there would be less chances of conflict or deliberate attempts to undermine the people with authority since every one would be expected to follow the guidelines of the rules and regulations of the organisation. A relaxed environment with no supervision is dangerous in that no one would be able to institute control or authority over other workers. On the other hand, there is need for leadership to clearly define the line of authority as well as proper communication channels where there is possibility for feedback from both ends. In an organisation where there are clearly defined channels of communication, it would be easier to communicate any important information about any changes that may be effected within a short period of time. The main advantage is that communication forms the back bone of successful operations of any given organisation. Without proper communication, there would be high chances of conflict and misunderstanding hence efforts should be made to ensure that all the workers are well informed about the developments that would be taking place in an organisation. 4.0 Recommendations 4.1 Motivation It is recommended that the management should constantly review the needs of the employees. For the workers to be fully productive, they ought to be motivated such that they would develop a positive sense of belonging to the organisation rather than just treated as workers who have no needs. The success of an organisation is usually dependant on the production by the workers. In the above case study, workers at Hudson seem to be disgruntled about their remuneration the reason why they spend most of the time loitering or just sitting without doing any work. Somebody who is motivated would feel to be part of the organisation hence he would put more effort in his performance as a way of cooperating with other co workers towards the attainment of the organisational goals. Most importantly, the management should be in a position to constantly review the grievances of the workers so as to be able to take necessary action should the need arise. 4.2 Leadership It is highly recommended that managers should lead by example. Indeed, they are the ones who set the pace and tone of how the organisation ought to operate and any mistake would be costly to them. A business environment should be distinguished from a friendly environment where people go out to refresh and relax with no strings attached. It would be very difficult for the managers to control their workers while at the same time exposing them to unlimited freedoms where they can do whatever they want to do without any restriction. In some cases it would not be intentional for the employees to undermine the authority of management staff but they would be just operating in a normal way they would have learned from their superiors. Therefore, it would be recommended for management to set the tone for operations where there would be mutual understanding based on respect of authority within an organisation. Accordingly, behaviour of the manager greatly influences leadership styles (Carrell, R. et al 1995). 4.3 Need for formal organisational structures It is also recommended that Hudson should attempt to put structures in place that clearly define the communication channels. It seems at the moment there is no clearly defined channel of communication of official information. Communication is very important in an organisation and there should be a two way communication channel where there is feedback from both ends. Without feedback, it would be difficult for both the management and other employees to understand each other. In some cases, lack of information would tend to complicate otherwise simple situations which would just require the dissemination of correct information. It should also be recommended that there should be a clearly defined line of authority in passing official information especially from top to bottom. There should also be structures that allow the bottom to top communication to take place in a professional manner unlike an informal set up without formal procedures. 5.0 Implementation 5.1 Motivation Appendix 1 Motivation What Who How When Cost Motivation through effective communication and financial incentives Supervisors and line management Draw lines of communication It should be a gradual process reviewed over time Depends on the productivity of the organisation. Cannot be a fixed amount 5.2 Leadership Appendix 2 Leadership What Who How When Cost Revamp management structure Should be done by top management Should put lines of authority Should take at least quarter of a year An estimated cost of about a quarter of the organisation’s budget References Bratton et al, (2007), Work and Organisational Behaviour, Prentice Hall, SA Brewster, C. et al (2003), Contemporary Issues in Human Resources Management: gaining a competitive advantage, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, SA Carrell, R. et al (1995), Human Resources Management: Global Strategies for managing a diverse workforce, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, USA. Kleynhans R. et al (2007), Management: fresh perspectives, Pearson Education, SA Michael Armstrong (1999), Human Resources Management Practice, 7th Edition, Kogan Page Limited, USA. Read More