Planning and Time Management in ABC, Inc - Essay Example

Planning and Time Management in ABC, Inc Introduction Planning and Time management are the key points that Carl Robbins missed out in preparation for the new hire orientation. The first key point deals with selecting missions and objectives and the actions to achieve them. It also requires decision-making; that is, choosing from one alternative among future courses of action. Aside from this, planning also provides a rational approach to achieving pre selected objectives. This bridges the gap from were we are now to where we want to be. Time management refers to techniques designed to enable people to get more activities done in less time with better results. Robbins can analyze present use of time, prioritizing activities, using time management systems and techniques. Background Carl Robins has been a campus recruiter for ABC, Inc. for six months. Given this short span of time, he successfully recruited several new hires in his first recruitment effort. Carl Robbins hired 15 new trainees to work for Monica Carrolls, the Operations Supervisor. He scheduled a new hire orientation to take place June 15, hoping to have all new hires working by July. On May 15, Monica contacted Carl about the training schedule, orientation, manuals, policy booklets, physicals, drug tests, and a host of other issues, which Carl would coordinate for the new hires. Carl assured Monica that everything would be arranged in time. After Memorial Day, Carl was at his office and pulled out his new trainee file to finalize the paperwork needed for the orientation on June 15. While going through the files, Carl became concerned. Some of the new trainees did not have applications completed or their transcripts on file, and none of them had been sent to the clinic for the mandatory drug screen. He then searched the orientation manuals and found only three copies with several pages missing from each. Aside from this, the training room to be used for the orientation was reserved for the entire month of June by the technology services. Management is the process of planning, organising, leading and controlling all phases of business operation in order to achieve the objectives of that organisation. Effective management invariably results in business success, while ineffective management often results in business failure. Using the POLC Model of Management, the key components namely planning, organizing, leading and controlling involves the use of different skills. (Burns, 1978) Carl Robbins was assigned to arrange and prepare the orientation for the new hires. In the context of the case, Robbins is the manager for the task. Planning is an intellectually demanding process, because it requires deliberate courses of action where decisions are based on purpose, knowledge and considerable degree of estimates. Planning minimizes costs. Its emphasis is on efficient and effective operations and consistency of procedures and methods. (Burns, 1978) Organizing includes the skills of self- managing and team work thus time is considered as an essential factor. The word organization refers to the structure or a network of relationships among individuals interacting with one another. Organizing as a tool is an end in itself but a means of achieving the objectives of the organization. Organizing is basically grouping of activities and defining the roles of the participants with appropriate authority and proper coordination in the organizational structure. (Morgenstern, 1998) Leading needs the use of people skills, complex problem solving, and ethical and high personal standards. Leadership is the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals. It does not mean only willingness to work but also willingness to work with zeal and confidence. Managerial leadership is the process of directing and influencing task-related activities of group members. Leadership involves the most vital resources of the organization- the people. Power distribution between leaders and group members is unequal. Leadership involves the use of different forms of power to influence the behavior of followers. And lastly, leadership is about values. Controlling makes use of skills involving setting of performance standards and measurements of performance as well as flexibility and adaptability to change. Controlling is the managerial function of measuring and correcting performance in order to make sure that organizational objectives and plans that were deliberately devised to be attained are being accomplished. (Morgenstern, 1998) Controlling, as a management tool, is the function of every manager from president to supervisor. While the range of control varies among managers, those at all levels have the responsibility for the effective implementation of plans. Key Problems The first problem in the case is the lack of goal-setting. Robbins could have set his objectives and goals initially since once everything is done, he has his standards wherein he can measure his accomplishments with to see if he has done everything effectively and efficiently. He should have list down his general goals and then narrowed it down to the specific goals making sure that he did things and accomplished tasks one careful step at a time. The goals that he set will also serve as is checklist to see if he has completed everything. The second problem is with the planning and scheduling of activities by Carl Robbins. Developing time management skills is an effective way of reducing personal stress; increase personal productivity; and experience peace of mind. It is possible to gain control over one’s activity in life by controlling time. Time management refers to techniques designed to enable people to get more activities done in less time with better results. Time is one of Robbins’ most valuable resources. It can be used as a competitive weapon that has become part of many time quality management systems. Time management analyzes present use of time, prioritizing activities, using time management system and techniques. When he was assigned the task, he could have set-up a time table for all the tasks that he needs to be done in a chronological manner, listing the tasks according to priority. The names and contact numbers of the people he should contact regarding the specific tasks such as the person in charge for the room reservations, the data regarding the new hires, the and also the necessary equipment for the training like overhead projectors and laptops. Third, Carl Robbins was not able to get the commitment of the new hires with regard to the submission of their complete requirements on time. Robbins should have provided the new hires with a list of requirements so the new employees can keep track on which document they already have and which test they have accomplished. The list may also contain the clinic where the physical and mandatory drug test will be performed. He could have placed a schedule date and time for the mandatory drug test to remind the employees when they will need to undergo the test. Aside from this, he could place his contact number in case the new hires have any questions or problems regarding their requirements and he could also add the number of copies for each document they needed to submit. Last, he could have written a disclosure on the list stating that if the new hire was unable to complete the necessary requirements on the designated deadline will result to the delay of starting date of employment and that incomplete requirements will not be accepted. This way, the new hires will realize the urgency and importance of being able to comply with the company’s rules and regulations. Alternatives Carl Robbins can request Monica Carrolls to change the scheduled date for new hire orientation due to the issues and incidents such as reservation of the venue and incomplete requirements of the new hires. This alternative is very easy to do however the consequences may backfire of Robbins’ performance record in the company. He initially took full responsibility of the tasks assigned by Monica and he even assured her that everything will be set into place. Monica would be disappointed if this action would be done by Carl. Robbins can contact the new hires and inform them about the lacking requirements and the exact date for the submission of documents as well as the consequences of late submission. He can contact them by phone, fax, email or by regular mail. Carl can choose to call them and send them an email since this will be less costly and faster compared to the other means of communication. With the training room reservation, he can request schedule swaps with the technology services. He can contact the head of the technology department to discuss if there is any way they can use the training room. Another possible option is to check if there are any other available rooms in the Company building that can be used as a substitute for a training room with adequate seating capacity, good lighting and with projectors available for presentations. Robbins will also need to check if the substitute room is already reserved and if there are any other equipments that he needs to complete the facilities of the room to resemble the original training room. Proposed Solutions Given the situations, I would strongly suggest for Carl Robbins to inform Monica Carrolls the status of his assigned tasks and the progress. Aside from this, he can inform Monica the possible alternatives that he has to be able to resolve the issues and problems. She deserves to know. This way, he will be able to get the opinions and suggestions of Monica and take these into consideration. It is highly probable that he will get negative feedback from Monica due to his failure to fully plan the event and to anticipate future problems. It was stated in the case that Carl has been on this job for only six months and he was able to hire 15 people to work for Monica. That can be considered Robbins recent achievement which Monica could also consider that Robbins is still quite new with the company. This will be a great learning experience for Carl Robbins. Since Monica is an operations manager, it is possible that she has the capability to request schedule swaps with the technology services or to request for a new room at a short notice. She possibly knows the head of the technology department and she may be able to speak with the head to request if they can use the training room instead. With the lacking requirements from the new hires, Carl can directly contact them for updates. He will need to list all the lacking requirements of each new hire before contacting them. He should also provide them information about the deadline of submission and his contact number where the new hires can reach him if they have any questions. Recommendations Robbins should directly talk to Monica regarding the status of his task. With this, he must be ready with a list of possible ways of solving the problem. Through organizing, Robbins can start to the identification and classification of required activities, the grouping of activities necessary to attain objectives, the assignment of each grouping to a manager without the authority necessary to direct and supervise it, and the provision for coordination horizontally and vertically in the organizational structure. This way, Monica will be able to provide direct feedback regarding Robbin’s alternatives and they will be able to come up with a solution. References Morgenstern, Julie (1998). Organizing from the Inside Out . Owl Books Burns, Julius (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper Torchbooks Read More