Wal-Mart. Workplace report - Essay Example

?Workplace report Wal-Mart The multinational retail company Wal-Mart was formed in 1962 under the visionary leadership of Sam Walton. The company opened its first store in Arkansas and worked mainly to help address the needs of the customers and local communities. The company encouraged through its business policies the consumers to save money and also lead an enhanced lifestyle. In the current era, Wal-Mart has enhanced its customer servicing initiatives through the incorporation of applications via mediums like websites and mobile phones. These activities contributed to the development of concepts related to online shopping. The company operates internationally through its branches spread over 27 countries under different retail formats. Strategic leadership, innovation and commitment to the stakeholders are some of the right keywords that can be effectively related to Wal-Mart operating in the international retail paradigm (“Our Store”). The organisational structure of the company available in the Appendix shows that it has a hybrid form and operates based on the creation of specialised units that take care of corresponding and related operations based on a global scale. In each department, specific heads are deputed that take care of the legal, merchandising, sourcing, and electronic and web commerce and also financial and corporate affairs of Wal-Mart. Pertaining to the regions, effective decentralisation is practiced by creating heads and deputy heads for international regions relating to Asia and European countries (“Walmart”). Analysis of the Management of Wal-Mart The analysis of the management of Wal-Mart will be done based on the different management models related to decision-making and team building activities. Decision-Making Models The Rational Model The Rational Model related to decision-making functions rests on four main steps identified as follows. Firstly, the implementation of the model starts from identifying a potential problem; secondly, the model endeavours to generate effective solutions to the problem identified; thirdly and fourthly, the model probes to select a solution from the list of generated ones and tends to evaluate its feasibility in meeting desired ends respectively. Thus, the Rational Model is based on a series of logical steps that aim at finding an optimal solution to the problem identified. The Rational Model is also based on some assumptions according to which the manager takes decisions in a well informed environment (Kreitner and Knicki 337). Simon’s Normative Model The Normative Model, as rendered by Herbert Simon, stands in contrast with the Rational Model and tends to operate in an environment of uncertainty. This model, being non-rational in nature, tends to follow assumptions according to which the manager is does not work in an informative work environment. Further, Simon’s Normative Model also reflects that decision-making activities of managers are largely bounded by a set of constraints generated from the personal and work atmosphere levels of the individual. These constraints, generated from the personal and work atmospheres of the individuals, create hindrances for the manager in retrieving the right amount of information for optimal decision-making functions. The manager, owing to the inability to identify and evaluate different alternative solutions to the problem, happens to take resort to the satisficing approach that appears to be good enough in the light of the problem identified. Through the process of satisficing, the solutions that are satisfactory enough are gained, in contrast to being optimal in addressing the problem (Kreitner and Knicki 340). The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a decision-making process where decisions are gained from involvement of people in groups rather than acting in an individual manner to come up with solutions. In this process, firstly, a group is convened in an organisational set up so that the problem is aptly discussed between the people in the group constructed. The people in the group are encouraged to list a set of ideas on paper individually and so generate responses to the problem identified. After the probable solutions are listed by the employees, they are called to state the best idea from their individual lists. The best ideas are copied on a board for discussion. While discussing the ideas listed on the board, agreements, disagreements, clarifications and criticisms are drawn to arrive at a potential solution. Thus, this technique encourages brainstorming on the part of the people in different groups to generate new ideas. Hereby, active participation of members involved in the group constructed is encouraged to arrive at an agreement based on majority. Thus, this decision-making technique, in contrast to the previous models related to rational and normative decision-making, works in groups or a network of teams (Kreitner and Knicki 358-359). The Delphi Technique The Delphi Technique model for generating business decisions, as well as the Nominal Group Technique, works based on a set of people split into groups. However, unlike the Nominal Group technique, this model, introduced by the Rand Corporation, involves group communication among people involved in focus groups with a manager running the process, who renders questionnaires in electronic or physical form. In this technique, the target population group to whom questionnaires are mailed are required to fill up the forms and send it back to the manager. The manager, in turn, reviews the responses rendered and generates effective feedback to the groups. Target group members are thereby required to evaluate the feedback and render changes in responses (Kreitner and Knicki 359). The Computer-Aided Decision-Making Computer-Aided Decision-Making serves the new generation of decision-making activities that tend to encompass a target group of people based in different global locations. With the development of Internet technology, the decision-making activities in organisations have undergone significant transformation. Herein, the managers gain the opportunity of retrieving large scale information from the external market through the use of the Internet for effective decision-making. Computer-aided decision-making functions based on two modes: chauffeur-driven and group-driven. For the first mode, the responses are gained from the participants by asking them to answer set questions, and the computer aids in tabulating the responses received from the participants. For making the second mode workable, the organisational setup is required to be based on a closed-network system in which the individual participants are encouraged to type ideas, feedbacks or comments on their screens, which are then projected on a larger screen. This process thus helps in brainstorming different responses to the issues and so contributing to the development of a potential discussion which necessary to arrive at needed solutions (Kreitner and Knicki 359). Decision-Making Activities at Wal-Mart The decision-making activities at Wal-Mart work through gaining potential information from the market through the integration of effective information systems, thereby assisting the managers in optimising the information gained to render potential solutions to the problem identified. Thus, the process of decision-making functions at Wal-Mart focuses on integration of the Rational Model and potential information systems to help the management seek the right solution from a range of different alternatives (Geunes, Akcali, Pardalos, Romeijen, and Shen 328). However, Wal-Mart’s decision-making activities operate in a centralised fashion rather than involvement of target groups from which different responses can be received and feedback generated. Groups and Teams Tuckman’s Theory of Group Development Tuckman’s theory of group development is generally a five stage model. The five stages are as follows. The first stage is known as forming, where the people in teams or groups perform different roles. Through the distribution of roles, power or authority is aptly adhered to different members. After forming, the individuals at the second stage tend to appreciate or to rebel against polices or decisions rendered by the people performing the authoritative roles. This stage is known as storming. The third stage, known as norming, follows the storming stage so that the people through brainstorming and effective group discussions endeavour to generate new ideas. Through such efforts, people tend to attain some sort of cohesiveness in their team building functions. The fourth stage is referred to as performing, where the individual group members through active cooperation and communication both on an intra and inter group level can achieve desired performance levels. Finally, the fifth stage called adjourning, where the leader is required to generate potential feedbacks to the members involved in groups and teams to improve their future performance. Similarly, awards and performance recognition activities are also carried out at this stage (Kreitner and Knicki 280-281). Role Conflict The concept of role conflict has its origin owing to the difference in levels of perceptions and expectations between the people involved in the different roles with their subordinates and superiors. This perception changes the amount of emerging ethical conflicts that in turn tend to jeopardize the operations and decision-making functions of the individuals pertaining to the different roles in the concern (Kreitner and Knicki 285). Role Ambiguity The role assigned to an individual in a concern happens to become ambiguous in nature when such individual fails to understand the objectives or responsibilities required to be accomplished or met. This case occurs when the superior authority to the individual does not rightly communicate or transmit necessary information to the person, thereby keeping the person in dark from the role expectants (Kreitner and Knicki 285-286). Norms Norms can be effectively understood as set of guidelines or codes of conduct set by a group of two or more people in an organisation based on which the performances and attitudes of other people or groups in the concern are evaluated. These norms thus tend to encompass and govern workplace behaviour as a whole related to different groups in the concern (Kreitner and Knicki 287). Groupthink The concept of groupthink relates to a situation where a major number of people in a group tend to influence the actions and decision-making functions of others. These people thus tend to dominate over others, thereby drawing loyalty and agreement in a seemingly coercive manner restricting independency. Significant cohesion tends to unanimously bind the members to also defend wrong decisions taken by the team (Kreitner and Knicki 297-298). Team Building Team building efforts gain predominance when people with the same level of competencies and skills are assimilated in a group to accomplish a set of defined tasks and assignments. People acting in groups act in a complimentary fashion to render combined efforts. Thus, the parameters like leadership, accountability and problem-solving skills take a broader and encompassed sense than in the case of individual decision-making (Kreitner and Knicki 307, 327). Types of Teams Different types of work teams like advice, production, project and action teams are created in an organisation to help achieve a set of assigned tasks or purposes for which they are created. Advice teams are composed of such persons that have low technical knowhow and also require less amount of coordination. These people only help in retrieving potential information from the larger market. Production teams are composed of people having technical knowledge related to day-to-day functioning, and one production team is also required to work in an integrated fashion with other production teams pertaining to related or other departments. Again, for the conducting of different projects, groups of persons with high technical expertise needed for the project in question are constructed. These project teams can be divided between different departments for accomplishment of organisational goals. The last work team, referred to as action team, is supposed to have a considerable amount of skills, competencies and knowhow coupled with required amount of coordination, both intra and inter group, to render enhanced results (Kreitner and Knicki 309). Failure of Teams Teams sometimes fail to accomplish stated objectives for different factors both related to the management and also in terms of relationship amongst each other. The management tends to place unrealistic expectations on the team members, making them weak in terms of staffing standards, strategies designed and inadequate training, thus making them fail to reach goals. In addition to inept management practices, the work of people in teams gets affected, owing to internal conflicts, lack of potency to learn and complacency at times, thereby contributing to failures (Kreitner and Knicki 314). Building Trust Trust can be effectively built in by the managers through the process of effective communication, enhancing accessibility, recognising and rewarding employees for their performance in an unbiased way. Again, the managers need to effectively revise and modify their competency related to decision-making and team-building functions (Kreitner and Knicki 319, 324). Group and Team Building in Wal-Mart The operational team in Wal-Mart is adequately divided between several functional groups pertaining to sourcing and merchandising, visual merchandising, sales staffs, cashiers, project management and human resources teams that continually operate based on adequate skills and competencies to achieve organisational goals. These different operational teams in the organisation function in an interrelated fashion to achieve the objectives of the concern (Bergdahl). The production and operating teams function under the supervision of a store manager in its different stores. Likewise, project teams, under the supervision of the head office, work in effective establishment of new outlets (Soderquist 41). The management of Wal-Mart works on enhancing the trust with the people involved at different levels by encouraging them to express their views on the company’s blogs and forums. Similarly, high performers are also recognised through such modes, thereby motivating them to excel in their operations (Kurtz 114). Conclusion Wal-Mart needs to carry out decision-making activities on a decentralised platform through the integration of different teams and groups. Decentralisation of decision-making ventures would help in enhancing the parameter of transparency and cooperativeness in the concern. Similarly, concerning the team building functions, the company management must work on enhancing the expertise of the people by encouraging them to brainstorm and render new ideas that would contribute in organisational development. Appendix Figure 1. Walmart. Organizational chart. Works Cited “Our Story”. Wal-Mart. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. “Walmart”. The OfficialBoard.com. September 5, 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Bergdahl, Michael. The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Print. Geunes, Joseph, Elif Akcali, Panos M. Pardalos, H. Edwin Romeijn, and Zuo-Jun Shen, eds. Applications of Supply Chain Management and E-Commerce Research. United States: Springer, 2004. Print. Kreitner, Robert, and Angelo Knicki. Organisational Behaviour, 9th ed. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, New York , 2010. Print. Kurtz, David L. Contemporary Marketing 2011. United States: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Soderquist, Don. The Wal-Mart Way: The Inside Story Of the Success of the World's Largest Company. United States: Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005. Print. Read More