Biolegia PLC and Sleepeasy Chain of Hotels - Teamwork, Organization Structure, Design, and Culture - Case Study Example

A comparison between Biolegia PLC and Sleepeasy chain of hotels in terms of teamwork, organization structure and design, and culture: A case study Name; Name of Professor: Date of submission: Introduction All organizations have ways in which they organize task allocation, coordinate and supervise them with an aim of ensuring that the goals and aims set out are achieved. This is referred to as organization structure (Schein, 2010). Each and every organization can be structured in its own way depending on how it aims to achieve its set out objectives (Alvenson, 2002). The purpose of the organizational structure is to ensure a standard of operation upon which the organization can rely on as its employees execute their duties (Keyton, 2002). The structure also dictates who is able to participate in what kind of decision making activity thus affecting the organization. This paper aims at looking at two different organizations and their structures. The paper will compare the structures of the two organizations in terms of their approach to team work, their structure and design and lastly the cultures in the organization. Objectives 1. To compare approaches to teamwork by structures of two different organizations 2. To compare organizational structures and designs of two different organizations 3. To compare cultures in two different organizations Comparison of approaches to teamwork and team working Looking at the two case studies above, it can be revealed that there is a big difference in the way Biogenia Plc and Sleepeasy chain of hotels approaches the issue of teamwork among its employees. In the case of Biogenia, teamwork is encouraged among its employees right away from the time they are recruited into the company to the time they are released into the field to go and represent its interests in various countries. Biogenia employees people of different nationalities to work for them in a particular station as seen by 20 people of different nationalities working for the company and also the team that was sent to develop a pesticide in South Africa. On the other hand, Sleepeasy chain of hotels has been found not have encouraged the spirit of diversity, and in any given hotel, people of the same ethnic group are found to be working there in large numbers. Biogenia employs people who have expertise knowledge in different fields such as Biology, chemistry and Information technology then distribute them to work in different departments within the company. The benefits of this include the fact that employees are able to cope with each other on a personal basis, and hence their experience is brought together for the good of the organization (Frost, 1991). There are also other activities within the organization that serve to ensure that the spirit of teamwork is maintained e.g. going to a gym that has been subsidized by the company and sparing time to have fun when on company like the one in South Africa. The productivity of the company is also enhanced by people who are qualified to do a job that entails different tasks; the firm has been able to bring together different professionals to work for it hence creating a team that is powerful in execution of its duties. Sleepeasy has not keenly embraced the issue of diversity in its recruitment procedures thereby coming up with a team that works towards a common goal has been difficult. The hotel employs people of the same ethnic group in every country that it operates in and hence streamlining employees with the organization’s goals has been a bit difficult. The company also lacks activities that can encourage a spirit of teamwork among its employees and has gone as far as not being able to recognize trade unions. The operation pattern within the organization encourages a spirit of individualism because each employee is treated as an individual, hence employees do not work as a team in achieving companies goals objectives. The company does not organize meetings of employees on a regular basis like Biogenia to monitor the progress that has been made by each employee. A period of four month is long if success of an organization has to be assessed and teamwork is not encouraged with such long periods of times. Unlike Biogenia, the Sleepeasy chain of hotels has not been keen on the welfares of its employees and hence encouraging teamwork becomes difficult. Comparison of the organizational structure and design The way work is organized and supervised within the two organizations in case studies above is quite distinct. Whereas Biogenia can be seen as having a system whose structure is quite efficient and professional in carrying out tasks, Sleepeasy chain of hotels has a structure and design that can be termed as not being efficient in meeting international standards. The difference between the two organizations is brought about by how they recruit new employees, as well as how the employees are inducted into the allocated duties and the manner in which the organization carries out its activities. Biogenia Plc is divided into four main functional areas research and development, Manufacturing, sales and marketing and support team that is concerned with financial services, human resource and legal affairs. These functional areas are coordinated to ensure that they all work towards a common goal set out by the organization. The pattern in which employees are recruited in is presided over by a support team that ensures that only professionals are recruited to join the company. A lot of emphasis is put on academic qualifications as well as the ability to deliver by the employee to the organization by the structure. The structure is designed to ensure that the brightest are recruited globally, and hence diversity is emphasized within the organization. Employment is on a rotational basis, and one employee can move from one division to another one among the four without paying special attention to his expertise or academic background. The minimum qualification for employment in the company is a bachelor’s degree, and the company ensures that it captures those with the highest academic qualification up to the PhD level. The company allows people with different knowledge to work in different capacities within the four divisions of the organization. Jacqueline Baryomunsi for example, is a graduate of biology but works in the marketing of the company with an aim of encouraging diversity. Since the company operates in almost 80 countries, it has special people in each of its branch who are responsible of ensuring that the activities of the company are run properly. People of different nationalities are sent to various branches with an aim of developing various products for the company while at the same time encouraging diversity and teamwork. The structure and design of Sleepeasy on the other hand, does not encourage a spirit of professionalism within its operations. The chain of hotels operates in different countries and lacks a proper division within it to ensure specialization. The hotel does not employ subcontractors to provide services for them but rather decide to employ people directly. As compared to Biogenia, the manner in which employees of the hotel are recruited is poor because, no professionalism is considered and friends always seek jobs for their friends whenever there is an opportunity within the hotel. It lacks a managerial structure that can effectively supervise duties carried out by employees in the organization like Biogenia. The manager who is in charge of all activities that are taking place within the organization has a lot of work to do which reduces his or her productivity thereby affecting the whole chain of hotels. The hotel also lacks an employment policy thus students are also employed on a seasonal basis. The structure and design of the hotel management is hence not effective and needs to be revised. Comparison of cultures In comparing cultures within the two organizations in given case studies above, there are two angles that we can look at. The first one involves the culture that is postulated by employees of both Biogenia and Sleepeasy chain of hotels. In the second perspective, the management culture of the two companies can be compared to see where the differences come about and how this affects the whole organization. Comparing employees in Biogenia and Sleepeasy, it can be noted that the two differ a lot in their cultures and the picture that they present of the organization that they work for. Biogenia has developed a culture of recruiting people who are skilled to work in all of its branches around the world. Sleepeasy on the side does not base on any professional qualifications when recruiting people who work for it in its chain all over the world. Employees are just recruited with no basis and friends have developed a culture of finding jobs for their accolades whenever they arise in the company. In terms of operation, Biogenia has a well developed pattern through which it carries out its activities all over the world. Employees are disciplined and committed to their work and neither do they fault more often in their duties. The company provides scholarships to its employees who want to further their studies and also offers them enough time to attend those classes. This encourages a culture of self development within the organization and ensures that its employees are updated with relevant skills in the market (Martin, 2002). Sleepeasy lacks a proper plan for its employees, and are trained on a casual basis with very few opportunities to further their studies provided for professionals. As a result of this, many employees remain unskilled once they have been employed; hence improving the level of service delivery in the organization becomes difficult. In terms of attending to corporate social responsibility, the two companies display a different culture from each other. Biogenia is a company that has fully understood the society in which it is operating in and is able to finance projects that are of benefit to society. The company is on the forefront in funding projects to maintain parks that have biological themes in them also ensuring that projects of such kind are maintained in schools. Sleepeasy has not participated in any corporate social responsibility because the structure and design that it has does no offer and opportunity for that. Conclusion In summary, the two organizations presented in the case studies above are totally different in the way they go about their operations. In terms of creating an environment that encourages a spirit of teamwork, Biogenia has a well devised mechanism that ensures that this is achieved in its employees while Sleepeasy chain of hotels lacks proper grounds upon which teamwork can be cultivated in its employees. The structures and designs of the two organizations also differ a lot with Biogenia having a well organized structure that is meant to ensure that its operations flow smoothly while Sleepeasy has only one manager at each of its chain who is deemed with the duty of overseeing all the operations of the company. In terms of culture of its employees, Biogenia has ensured that both the management and employees operate within a certain code of conduct while Sleepeasy lacks a proper mechanism of ensuring that its employees are monitored on a regular basis. Bibliography Schein, E. (2010), Organization culture and leadership, Toronto: GLF Publishers. Alvenson, M. (2002), Understanding organization culture, Edmonton: Hart Publishers Keyton, F. (2010), Organizational culture: A key to understanding change, Princetown: Maryhill Print Frost, P. (1991), Reframing Organizational culture, London: Pool printers Martin, J. (2002), Organizational culture: Mapping the terrain, Oxford: OUP Read More