Organisation and Behaviour - Bellingham Bakery - Essay Example

?Case Study on Bellingham Bakery Contents Question 3 Question 2 5 Question 3 6 Training Schedule 7 Question 4 10 Reference 12 Question Generally,absenteeism in most of the organizations is caused by three main conditions- 1. Condition existing in the company- This condition includes occupational sickness, fatigue & industrial accidents. Moreover, wrong selection of employees, faulty placements& improper training facilities might also cause the employees to opt for frequent absenteeism. The other possible causes that exist within the management include inadequate communication between superior & subordinate, breakdown of machineries, repetitive works, lack of growth opportunities, frequent overtimes, lack of teamwork, lack of employee motivation programs and poor working conditions. 2. Condition existing outside the company- This factor mainly includes the environment & surrounding conditions that cause problem to the employees which includes housing problem, poor transport facilities, lack of recreational facilities, hazardous climatic conditions, & wrongly designed labor markets. 3. Personal problems of the employees- These issues are related to the personal life of the employees which includes sickness, accident, family issues, & ceremonies. If we analyze closely, we will find that the problems currently faced by the Bellingham Bakery started developing soon after the acquisition of Waterfields Company. Staff turnover increased at a greater rate especially in the Waterfields outlet. The management was seriously concerned when they found that some trainees left the company even before completion of their training period. After getting an idea on the probable causes of employee turnover & absenteeism, we can conclude that the employees at Bellingham Bakery were majorly affected by the acquisition step. The Waterfields outlets included mostly traditional machineries. These machineries were replaced & modern mass production equipments were introduced. Attention was specified on the extensive training & development of the staff on the procedures for using these machineries. Also most of the Waterfields managers left the firm after the acquisition & those positions were filled up by the Bellingham staff. These details help us to narrow down the possible causes for the rising problems of the organization. Firstly, the acquisition effected in a cultural & organizational change & therefore a difference between the 15 Waterfields outlets & the other Bellingham branches started taking shape. Secondly, the mass production system as a whole is a monotonous process which requires employees to perform same task repetitively. Thirdly, the new machines introduced proved to be a barrier to the efficiency of the staff who previously used to be the employee of the Waterfields. Fourthly, training procedures might prove to be a failure if the need for training & the employee’s capacity to learn it is not assessed carefully. Fifthly, only in-house training might prove to be inadequate for the employees to learn about the distribution process. Sixthly, lack of incentive or reward program for good performance & a performance appraisal structure is missing in the firm. Seventhly, the ‘Family Feel’ which prevailed in the structure of Waterfields disappeared from the structure of Bellingham. Finally, longer training period might act as a tool for preventing the employees to achieve a higher designation in spite of having the required efficiency. As per the absenteeism & employee turnover causes discussed above, it follows that the conditions that exist within the company can be solved with various strategies implemented within the management structure. However the external conditions & personal factors are not within the organization’s control. The best thing that can be done is to provide an efficient Employee Assistance Program to know about the grievances of the employees that are causing disturbance in their life hence compelling them to leave their job or take frequent leaves. Question 2 Most of the organizations follow either one or a mixture of the following Leadership Styles- a) 1. Transformational Style- in this style the leader guides and transforms the staff. The leader makes continuous efforts to address the grievances of the employees and motivate them for improved performance. Here open communication between the staff and the leader is always encouraged and the leader follows participative style of management. The staff gets highly influenced by the leader in Transformational Leadership Style. 2. Transactional Style- Here the main focus of the leader is on management’s objectives. In this style the leader constantly motivate his followers by offering rewards for completed tasks. These leaders are mostly work oriented; they usually follow a particular structure and practice directive style of management. In this style of management, innovativeness and creativity are ignored and people are often motivated by the use of extrinsic motivational factors like incentive and holiday trip. 3. Laissez-faire Style- This is also termed as Passive Leadership which exercises least control on the staff. The managers avoid the responsibility of setting objectives and making important decisions. It allows the scope for macro management and self management. Here the interaction between the leader and his followers happen on a rare basis. It is assumed that at Bellingham either the transactional or the laissez faire style was dominant. Both of these are extreme style which either restricts the employees or provides them with extensive freedom, which are equally harmful for the management. The best style to follow is the hybrid form of both the transformational & transactional style. Most of the managers chooses the good element from all the styles and lead their organizations with the help of a mixed style of leadership. This style motivates the employees from both the intrinsic and extrinsic viewpoint. When the transformational leadership attitude and the transactional leadership related rewards will be used, a positive & motivated attitude among the employees will be noticeable at Bellingham. b) Also the introduction of incentive plan in the salary structure of the employees, presenting with awards like “employee of the year” & providing recognition through mementos, certificates etc. could also prove to be effective in motivating the employees to be committed towards their job. The other motivation strategies might include- Staff Motivation Scheme- the Staff Motivation Scheme aims at promoting staff awareness about the various departments’ activities, boost their commitment towards accomplishing those activities and to encourage the staff towards constant perfection of service in pursuance of the spirit of serving the organization. Staff Suggestions Scheme- Its objective is to motivate the staff to provide suggestions for the improvement of the efficiency of the management.( csb.gov.hk, n.d, p 12) Question 3 In order to develop a Training & Development program, we need to understand the training needs first. The various resources of the company as stated below would help us to determine the training needs- Company objectives- This refers to the firm’s objectives which should guide the formation of the training framework. The training should be designed in such a way that it should deliver both the personal & organizational goal without putting less importance on any of these elements. Job descriptions- This include the declared job criteria which works as the base for the training needed. Human resource management areas- Reviewing the various HR domains so that any issue concerned with the HRM must not obstruct the efficiency of the training to be delivered. Legal obligations- The training program must include all necessary training equipments to meet government and legal obligations. Along with these needs, it should also be determined that which employees require training, during which time, for what duration etc. based on these needs we should devise the training schedule which will continue for 5 days a week. Training Schedule Monday Time Location Topic Training Method Expected result 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Production department The making of bread, the operation of the oven, the procedure for baking, the decoration of the cakes, the recipe of the cookies. Workshop Method- In this method the practical work is done by the trainees with the guidance of the trainer & the co-trainers. This process requires the involvement of more than one trainer. Planning & implementation of company policies related to quality control, procurement, maintenance of machineries & production processes. Tuesday Time Location Topic Training Method Expected result 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Sales department, distribution points, advertising agencies, wholesaler points. Who are the competitors, what are their strengths & weakness, what are our strengths & weakness, who are our suppliers, how the process of distribution takes place, who are the target customers, what promotional tools are used by the company. Fieldwork Method- This method is carried out outside the four walls of the organization. Here the trainees are given the chance to learn by personal visit to the different locations. Providing a monthly sales & production report to the General manager. Developing plans regarding the various distribution points. Wednesday Time Location Topic Training Method Expected result 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Finance department What are the costs of production, who supplies the raw materials at cheapest rates, What should be price of the products, what should be budget for the next year, how to control expenses in the current year. The Panel Discussion Method- This method involves the participation of a small group of people who discusses a particular issue & asks for the solutions from the other members present. This form of training encourages teamwork & exchange of thoughts. Reporting to the general manager about the cost-cutting techniques. Taking care of the liabilities & maintaining provision for uncertainties. Thursday Time Location Topic Training Method Expected result 8:30 – 4:30 PM Engineering department Learning about the quality control techniques, about the complex equipments, about the possible risks & solutions to those risks. Method demonstration- This method describes how to perform a certain act. This method is generally used in case of new technology when the people who will be using it, are given training on its operations. Control over the quality check, efficiently handling matters of accidents & machinery breakdown. Friday Time Location Topic Training Method Expected result 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM HR department Learning the procedure of recruitment, selection, placement & training. What causes employee grievance & what motivates them. How to develop the career of the staff. What training methods can be implemented? Role play & Case study- In the method of role play, the employees are given the role of some other staff on a temporary basis so that it enables the employees to learn about the work of each other & the difficulties associated which each work. Case study method improves the thinking capacity of an individual & brings out unique solutions to an issue. To assist the managers in conducting interviews. Preparing training schedules. Looking after the grievances that are causing lack of motivation among the employees. The effectiveness of the training methods can be evaluated after handling the actual responsibilities to the trainees within a few days of the completion of the training program. The expected results should be met or else it can be concluded that the training was not successful. Question 4 A performance appraisal system can be designed to evaluate the performance of the employees, branches & the organization as a whole. The process is exhibited below- The steps include- 1. Job Analysis- This involves finding out what was expected out of the employees & organization. 2. Developing Standards & evaluation methods- It includes setting standards for comparison. 3. Informal Performance Appraisal- This refers to providing continuous feedbacks to the employees and organizations regarding their performance. 4. Conducting the formal appraisal- This is done once or twice a year in the presence of the superiors. Strategic tools like SWOT analysis or BCG matrix can also help the organization to realize its position in the industry. Reference csb.gov.hk, n.d. Guide on Staff Motivation. Retrieved from http://www.csb.gov.hk [Accessed 1st July 2013] Read More