Management Activities to Achieve Results: Portakabins Focus on Quality - Assignment Example

?Introduction It is the basic desire for organisations to optimise their activities in order to achieve the best possible results. This is especiallytrue for businesses where expedient management has to be practiced if at all rival businesses are to be out-paced. This calls for proper management of all the organisation’s subsystems including employees, departments and processes among others which ultimately results in priming the entire organisation to achieve results (McNamara 2011; FAO 2010). One area that most businesses-both small and big- focus on is quality, achieved through conforming to the required standards as set by law and suiting their activities to what is needed in the market. Portakabin is one such company that has made conscious and well executed efforts in the management of their activities to achieve results. Portakabin is a private company involved in the hire and sale of temporary and permanent accommodation; it is a market leader, possessing 17% of the UK market. Portakabin has adopted a quality system that focuses on ISO9000, and has undertaken several steps to ensure that their quality system is fruitful. Adoption of Total Quality Management and good organisational control has ensured that a culture of quality has developed in Portakabin and identification and solution of problems alongside improvements on products. Portakabin’s Quality Systems According to National Association of Home builders (2005, p. 2), the industry of modular systems as of today is centred on efficiency and quality. Quality assurance is an integral component of every step in the factory thus ensuring that the finest building and quality materials are used and at the same time the same standards for on-site buildings are maintained. It is thus obvious that Portakabin has to maintain high quality standards in order to stay ahead of the pack. Through developing modern designs, use of high quality materials, customising to specific client needs, rapid construction, modern working environment and portraying the client’s image, Portakabin’s Ultima specifications ensure that the appropriate use that defines quality is achieved. Portakabin’s quality system is based on two elements; first, an internal outlook which focuses on market research to determine what is needed and desirable to the customers. Here, the company not only offers the building but also extra services including accessories such as high quality furnishings and climate control, hence a one-stop-shop. The second aspect of Portakabin’s quality system is external, which involves conforming to national building requirements and standards, and of particular note, Portakabin conforms to ISO 9001: Quality Management Systems. This certification is internationally recognised, and aimed at virtually all products made anywhere in the world. Its adoption indicates that an organisation is committed to quality, its customers and efficiency, proves that a quality management system exists in an organisation and enhances a company’s image and gives it a competitive edge over customers (ISOQAR 2011; National Quality Assurance 2010, pp. 1-2). ISO 9001 registration ensures that Portakabin’s activities are managed at the highest quality standards possible; hence its products meet modern standards and requirements thus enhancing consumer confidence. Portakabin’s quality systems manager electronically circulates a one page quality manual to both staff and customers. Portakabin ensures product quality through checking both its products and services, keeping pace with demands and new developments, meeting international standards through ISO 9001 certification and complying with Kyoto Protocol on carbon emissions, and zero tolerance to quality compromise. Total Quality System at Portakabin Wiley (2010, p. 138) defines Total Quality Management as an integrated organisational effort that is designed to bring about improvement of quality at every level. Riley (2011) reckons that Total Quality Management is a way of managing people and business activities in a way that ensures customer satisfaction at every stage; it is more than just mere product quality- it is a type of business philosophy. At Portakabin, standardisation and customisation of all the interlinked processes that make up the production activity is done through a quality system that is implemented by Corporate Quality Team. Communication is facilitated through proper charts and illustrations that ensure everybody understands just what they are required to do. The quality system in place at Portakabin involves the teams knowing their job requirements, remedial action where necessary, implementation, recording, reviewing and finally restarting the process at all levels in a hierarchical multilevel quality process. Level 1 is a clear definition of approach and responsibilities through a quality manual; Level 2 defines job descriptions and makes references of documents and records, and involves process charts; Level 3 describes actual operations, standards and criteria through work instructions; finally, Level 4 is a demonstration of the system’s operation through quality records. A ‘zero tolerance’ policy is implemented to detect and correct defects immediately as they occur, and this is done through a ‘commando team’ integrated in the quality team. The resultant effect of Portakabin’s quality system is a conscious commitment by the staff to quality instilled through continuous monitoring, evaluation and development in every step and department; hence a culture of quality is established in the organisation. Organisational Control According to Kuratko et al. (2007, pp. 60-65) organisational control is a process utilised by organisations to influence its subunits and staff towards a direction that leads to achievement of its objectives, ultimately leading to improved performances. Etzioni (1961, p. 650) defines it as the means used by an organisation to elicit the performances it requires from staff and evaluate whether performance is in line with its objectives. Organisational control is important as it helps a company achieve efficiency and effectiveness by controlling costs and productivity, quality is also improved as a result of response time and precision, opportunities are identified and taken and finally uncertainty becomes manageable (Ghoshal & Moran 1996, pp. 14-45). Portakabin can best optimise organisational control through adoption of a company policy that encompasses measurement, analysis and development of performance. The measurement part involves comparing employee, subunit and strategies/policies performances to the prescriptions set by the organisation. Analysis entails continuously evaluating the strategy as it is being implemented, which finally leads to improvements and developments where it is found flawed, ineffective, counteractive or even just to keep up with new ideas. All these can be summed up as strategic and operational control. Portakabin has kept abreast with the new developments in technology and shifting customer demands that continually show up in the modular buildings sector through constantly reviewing and improving its products and services and carrying out expedient market research. Implications of New Developments to Portakabin Modular construction is an industry that experiences many novel developments especially technology-wise. For a company of Portakabin’s status in terms of market leadership, the impact of new technologies can either serve to dislodge them from their position or consolidate it further. In case they are left behind in adoption of new technology or fail to integrate these properly into their systems, their competitiveness may reduce and as a result their market share may be diminished. On the other hand, proper adoption of such developments may make them more efficient in terms of operations, saving time, improving quality and customer relations, and as a result gaining a competitive edge as they are already the market leaders. For this to be achieved, Portakabin will need to ensure that new technologies are keenly studied and their staff appraised on them through training where possible. This should be accompanied by updating their consumers on the fact that they have adopted such technologies so as to not only improve their operations but also create an impression on the market. Conclusion Management of operations within an organisation is the key to achieving desired results, and Portakabin has identified quality as an area that can be targeted for management in order to gain a competitive edge over rivals. Through a quality system based on ISO 9001 and adoption of Total Quality Management, Portakabin has achieved its goals of creating a reputation of commitment to quality. Their organisation control can however be improved through adoption of a system that will encompass measurement, and improvement, while successful integration of new technologies in the field of modular buildings will enhance and consolidate their position as a market leader. References Etzioni, A 2007, Organisational control structure. Columbia University, viewed 4 September 2011, . FAO, 2010, ‘Results based management,’ viewed 4 September 2011, . Ghoshal, S & Moran, P 1996, ‘Bad for practice: A critique of the transaction cost theory.’ Academy of Management Review. 21(1). ISOQAR, 2011. ‘ISO 9001 - Quality Management Standard.’ Quality standards from approachable auditors, viewed 4 September 2011, . Kuratko, DF, Ireland, RD & Hornsby, JS 2001, ‘Improving firm performance through entrepreneurial actions: Acordia’s corporate entrepreneurship strategy.’ Academy of Management Executive, 15(4). McNamara, C 2011, ‘Performance management: overall goal and basic steps.’ Free Management Library, viewed 4 September 2011, . National Association of Home builders, 2005. Modular homes. Washington DC, viewed 4 September 2011, . National Quality Assurance, 2010. Quality management systems: ISO 9001:2008. Warwick House, UK. Riley, J 2011, Total quality management –TQM, viewed 4 September 2011, . Wiley, J 2010, Total quality management, viewed 4 September 2011, . Read More