Leardership Final Exam - Essay Example

The computer assembly division I supervised is facing a variety of problems that are hurting the employee morale and productivity of the company. The firm has to take immediate action to find alternative solutions to the problem. In the past the assembly team composed of five members performed well and was able to meet the daily production quota of 80 computers per day with a 95% inspection approval rate. The interpersonal problems the division faces have adversely impacted the productivity of the work unit.

During the last few weeks the assembly division has only been producing 62 computers per day and 15% of those computers have not passed the quality assurance inspection. It is imperative to resolve the situation as soon as possible because the longevity of the firm depends on it. There are internal frictions and conflict among the members of the team. The assembly unit workers are not cooperating with each other. There is a lack of communication among the employees. Communication problems hurt the cohesiveness of a team.

It is important for the employees of a firm to communicate well with each other. Teamwork in the computer assembly unit has become non-existent. The employees are not focusing on the mission of the company. Another problem the team faces is tardiness and a lack of respect for the opinions of the other team members. The situation at the computer assembly division has escalated to the point that the team has become dysfunctional. The productivity of the division has decreased by 29% and the rejection rate has tripled during the last month.

Despite the severity of the problems the division faces there are solutions that can be implemented to resolve the business dilemma. The owners of the company have to provide the managerial staff with the resources needed to implement the plan to resolve the situation. The interpersonal conflict among the employees is one of the reasons for the problems. In order to resolve the problem the members of the assembly division have to stop fighting with each other. A way to deal with this issue in a fast manner is by hiring a mediator to intervene with the group.

Once a consulting firm is identified the mediator will start his task. The mediator will meet with the group one hour per day for the next two weeks. He will talk with the members to find the root of the problem. The mediator will give learning lessons in the following three topics: teamwork, leadership, and communication. The members of the team have to have confidence in each other and they must once again demonstrate mutual respect among themselves. At the end of the two weeks the mediator will give the managerial staff a report along with a list of recommendations in regards to the implementation of a training and development program.

One of the problems the firm faces that is hurting the efficiency of the workers is the lack of experience among some of the members of the team. The company is going to utilize online training to provide training and development to its employees. A financial reward will be given to each employee upon completion of an online training. A problem that the division faces is a lack of motivation for their work. The firm has to change the total compensation plan of the workers of the division in order to provide incentive to its workers.

To show that the company cares about its workers and that the firm is willing to share the wealth with its employees the firm should implement a stock option plan. By giving partial ownership of the company to the employees through the stock option plan the workers will immediate care more about the company because doing so is in the best financial interest. The motivation of the employees should increase immediately after the implementation of the stock option plan. The second element of the new compensation plan is a production bonus.

The employee will receive a small bonus at the end of the week if the employees are able to meet their daily quota. An additional bonus will be given if they surpassed production quotas by 20%. The third element of the new compensation plan is an increase in the fringe benefits of the employees including extended vacation time, maternity and paternity, and educational incentives. The action plan discussed in this report should help the computer assembly division become once again productive. The owners of the company will benefit from the implementation of the action plan due to the fact that the company will become more productive which should raise the value of the common stocks of the company.

The employees of the division are going to be mentored by a professional mediator for a period of two weeks. This professional will make an assessment to help alleviate the situation. The use of extrinsic financial rewards can be used to motivate the staff. The employees are going to be given training and development sessions to improve their knowledge base, skills, and capabilities. A new compensation plan for the employees is a tool that will help improve the relations between the company and its employees in the long term.

The end state goal of the company is to ensure that the computer assembly division achieves synergy. Synergy is achieved when the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.