Managing Organisations, People and Self - Essay Example

?Managing Organisations, People and Self: Hole in the Wall Management of organizations, people, and self has been widely explored, especially in the recent times. This is attributable to the impact it has on the success of an organization. According to Keller (2013, p. 21), the present day businesses environment is highly characterized by increased changes and competition. As such, organizations must be able to adapt effectively to these forces to ensure success. However, steering an organization to success depends largely on how effectively a leader manages its people, self, and the organization. Therefore, in order for an organization to succeed, managers must provide effective leadership by creating a good working environment for its people and other stakeholders. Hole in the Wall is an organization that seems to be performing dismally. The organization’s problems are deep rooted from the testimony of the proprietor, John Barker. One of the main problem facing the organization is low motivation among employees. Another problem that the organization is facing is poor management. Yet another major problem that the company is facing relates to the lack of cooperation amongst employees. This paper will discuss the main problems facing Hole in the Wall and will present recommendations on how the problems can be solved. Employee Motivation One major problem that is hampering the progress of Hole in the Wall is low motivation among employees. From the testimony of Barker, it is evident that the employees working for the organization have low morale. This is evident from the fact that the level of employee absenteeism is quite high. Sally, the receptionist, has been absent from work for the last five days without the manager actually knowing the reason behind her absenteeism. Yet another pointer to the low morale that the employees are facing is the high turnover. The business proprietor notes that one of the fitting teams has quit. This means that the company has lost two valuable employees. There are several reasons behind the low motivation that the employees of Hole in the Wall are experiencing. One of the factors behind the low motivation may relate to low pay. The employees mostly earn on commission without a monthly salary. Yet another reason for the low motivation that the employees experience relate to the management style being applied by the company’s proprietor. Barker seems not to be concerned about the welfare of his employees. This is evident in the fact that when some of his employees come to report the problems that they are facing, he dismisses them without giving an ear to what they have to say. It is said that highly motivated employees are more productive than demoralized employees are. Abraham Maslow noted in his hierarchy of needs theory that people are motivated differently. According to Maslow, what motivates one employee may not necessarily motivate another employee (Keller 2013, p. 38). This is because the needs of individuals differ from one person to another. Therefore, in managing employees, a manager needs to understand the needs of its workers in order to motivate them accordingly. Managers can use a variety of methods to maintain a motivated staff. One of the most effective ways of motivating employees is by creating a hospitable working environment for employees (Keller 2013, p. 40). Most employees are motivated when they work in an environment where employers understand them and fulfil their needs and desires. Managers can motivate their employees by creating an environment in which employees are free to discuss their issues with the management. Employers can also motivate their staff in the workplace by offering rewards for exceptional performance. Stein (2010, p. 30) argued that a good manager is one who is able to recognize the achievement of his or her employees and reward accordingly. The reward may be in the form of salary increment, promotion, or gifts. For instance, researchers have found that employees with higher need for a salary increment are highly motivated when their remuneration packages are increased. This increases their commitment to the company resulting in increased productivity. At the same time, others are motivated by promotion to a higher cadre. Therefore, managers should consider providing rewards to employees who demonstrate hard work and achievement as a means of motivating them to increase their effort. Managers can also consider motivating their employing by praising them in public. Stein (2010, p. 32) showed that praising employees for an achievement in public makes employees feel appreciated for the hard work they are doing in the organization. As a result, they become motivated resulting in increased effort. Praising employees may be done at public forums, such as during staff meetings. Job security is also another concern for most employees in the present day. This follows the hard economic times, which have forced some companies to lay off workers as a mean of cutting cost. Such moves in an organization normally make employees insecure since they do not know when an employer can make such a move, which might render them jobless. As such, to maintain a motivated and committed workforce, managers should assure their employees of job security, regardless of the economic factors. According to Keller (2013, p. 41) that employees who are assured of their job security are more commitment to the accomplishment of organizational goals than employees who are uncertain about their job security. Work flexibility has also become an issue of concern to most employees. Stein (2010, p. 38) observed that most employees today seek employment in organizations that offer flexible working schedule. This is because flexible working schedules allow employees time to attend to family issues. Flexible working schedule may involve providing pay leaves, maternity leaves for both men and women, or introducing telecommuting work schedule. The provision of a flexible working schedule makes employees feel valued and cared for, resulting in increased commitment to work, thus increased productivity. Based on the situation of Hole in the Wall and theory, it is recommended that Barker take measures to motivate his employees. He may motivate them by giving each one of them a basic salary every month. With a basic salary, the employees will be motivated to work harder to boost their monthly earnings with their commissions. Barker should learn to reward the hard work of his employees by praising them publicly and by giving them rewards such as promotions. Organizational Structure The way employees are managed in an organization depends on the organizational culture and management style that managers adopt. At the same time, senior management is the one responsible for the determination of the organization culture and management style (Stein 2010, p. 16). Therefore, in case senior management impact is negative, this can have a negative impact on the working environment of an organization. However, if the management adopts a positive and upbeat management style, this can be beneficial to an organization since it will motivate employees to increase their effort, thereby resulting in improved performance and increased profitability. Hole in the Wall has a problem in regard to its management structure and organizational culture. From Barker’s conversation with the bank’s representative, it is evident that different members of the organization do not share vital information. Furthermore, it is clear that Barker seems to make all the important decisions that affect the organization alone. While he notes that he believes in delegation, he does not provide the necessary information or assistance that would help his employees work efficiently. This is evident when he notes that “No I don't know what the problem was ? but that's Jobson's job, to sort it out! I believe in delegation!". Furthermore, when Mrs. Stubbs seeks his indulgence in solving a matter, he has no ear to lend. He instead tells her to solve the problem somehow, whatever it is. The organization is so structured that Barker heads the organization without a formal structure. Furthermore, the culture is such that democracy is almost unheard of. The success of an organization begins with the adoption of an effective organization structure. The two most common organization structures seen in most companies that influence how people are managed include democratic and hierarchal organizational structure. In a democratic organizational structure, every individual is free to share vital information with the other. In the event that vital information has been communicated to everyone, all the members of an organization come together in making a decision regarding the action that needs to be taken concerning the information. Democratic organization has been termed as people oriented since employees are given a chance to participate in making decisions that affect the company. Stein (2010, p. 19) notes that democratic organization tends to perform better than other organization structures due to its motivational effect it has on employees. Since democratic organization incorporates employees in decision-making, this makes employees feel being part of the organization, which increases their moral and commitment to achievement of organizational goals. Democratic organization structure has certain characteristics that makes it appealing to people. Firstly, it involves delegation of duties to employees. Once the manager has delegated the duties, he or she then plays an oversight role to ensure that employees are working according to instructions and assist in difficult areas that may hamper the progress of work done by employees (Keller 2013, p. 29). In a hierarchal organizational structure, people are arranged in a tee-like structure where information flows from the top down to the subordinates and finally to the employees. In a hierarchal organization, employees do not take part in the decision making process. Instead, they act on the commands from their bosses. In this organization, management believes the individuals hate work, therefore, must be forced to do it (Stein 2010, p. 20). In addition, the management believes that since employees hate work, they must be continually monitored in order to ensure that they do as they are told. As regards motivation, employees working in a hierarchal organization are motivated through fear. Based on theory, Barker should involve his employees in decision making. He should also encourage the employees to speak up when they have a problem. Furthermore, he should listen to the views and problems of his employees. In addition, he should structure the organization such that every department has a person in charge who reports to another person in hierarchical order. This way, Barker will have fewer burdens to bear. Managing Change Hole in the Wall was established by Barker’s friend. As the business grew, it was necessary for Barker to adopt change in the way he manages the business, the technologies he uses, and the way things are done. Barker notes that he expects his workers to learn and earn the way he did. He also manages the business like it is the small entity it was before it grew to what it is currently. Instead of adopting new technologies, he complains about having no time to learn new packages and therefore continues to do many things manually. It is because he has not adapted to the new demands that his customers continue to complain about the quality of work that the company does. Although the business has grown significantly, the sales team has to perform door?to?door sales which is tedious, time consuming, and is limited to a small geographical area. The management and implementation of change is one of the most challenging tasks for most managers today. However, as earlier mentioned, the nature of current business environment is marred by many changes and stiff competition. Therefore, organizations must be able to adapt to the changes as fast as possible (Stein 2010, p. 20). However, implementing change in an organization is a challenging undertaking since most people tend to be resistant to change. This implies that, managers must be able to know how to initiate change in an organization without affecting employee morale. People resist change for a variety of reasons. Therefore, understanding this reasons may help managers overcome the problem of resistant to change, thereby resulting in organizational success. Firstly, people tend to resist change due to the fear of the unknown. Stein (2010, p. 26) observed that people tend to resist change in an organization when the management decides to introduce a change without issuing early warring to the affected individuals. For instance, when management introduces a change, which employees perceive to negative without communicating the change early enough as regards how they are likely to be affected with the change, this will result in resistance to such a change. Therefore, in order to prevent resistance to change caused by the fear of the unknown, manager should issue alerts regarding the change early enough. In addition, the management must explain to the employees the reasons for initiating the change, its benefits, as well as the impact that the change might have on the employees. Barker should adopt new ways of doing things in his organization. He should take time to learn how to use new technologies such as computer packages. He should also change how employees perform their tasks. For example he should encourage the sales team to use the net, website, radio, posters, brochures to advertise and market the business and its products. References Keller, A 2013, What is effective leadership? - Managing people in organisations. GRIN Verlag, New York, NY. Stein, G 2010, Managing people and organizations: Peter Drucker's legacy. Emerald Group Publishing, London, UK. Read More