People, Organizations, and Management - Essay Example

PEOPLE, ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT. Number Effective organizational structure and structure is essential for the smooth flow ofoperations in an organization or office. In this sense managers must be able to team up the workers to perform the activities in an efficient manner. Organizational design entails the elements of modifying an organization’s structure to achieve its objectives while organizational structure deals with the linking of divisions and departs in an organization. Initially option’s organization structure was the functional structure before the new CEO came. The design was termed bureaucratic. The organization structure depicted narrowed perspectives due to the separateness of the different divisions. Horizontally it was separated in to divisions the two main ones being electronics and sales. Managers must have had difficulties and used a lot of time to relate to sales for instance which is an exclusively different division from product development. Consequently the reactions of the company in response to consumer demands were made more challenging. The organization structure was professional bureaucratic. In addition internal cooperation and effective communication may have been an issue. Oticon’s basic organizational design and structure differs from hotel easy due to its larger size and hence structural concepts likely to be more formal, decisions more central, experience more specialized and operations more complex. Initially, the organization vertically had a tall hierarchy with six levels of management. Easier communication and Decisions made are impeded since these processes become very slow in a company with many layers of hierarchy. The authority is mostly centralized and there was a lot of formalization. This structure does not expose the managers to other fields apart from their own. The managers have not the opportunity to observe how the all the departments interact and collectively perform. Previously option’s executives did not understand the interrelationships and the interdependence between the departments and hence ultimately what results is that the executives are only equipped with experiences in handling top management responsibilities hence the company’s goals and market needs do not mingle as they should. However the structure’s advantages are that it had well defined channels of authority and the structure minimized duplication of personnel and equipment than the one he later adopted. Functional structure makes it easier to monitor. The new C.E.O attempted to change this initial structure to what the chief executive termed as the spaghetti structure. In this structure the operations were made to be project based other than division based. There were no divisions or departments. There were appointed project leaders appointed by the management team. These leaders were to compete in order to attract resources and deliver results. Employees could join two project groups at a time. As a result the company had very many projects at a time. The employees thus had to be multi-skilled and thus develop skills in say marketing even though the worker was an engineer. The project leaders made the decisions. However this structure led to management chaos as groups formed, dissolved and later reformed. There were no job titles and hence responsibilities were not clearly stipulated. The new structure however presented the company’s needs and enhanced the mixture of tangible and intangible elements which utilized human resource and knowledge to the fullest and simultaneously increased efficiency. This design differs from the sleep-easy hotel as there is a lot of specialization as all employees is educated to perform their specific roles. There is a lot of complexity due to the hierarchy while in the hotel easy; operations are more informal and easier. The structure incurred several unprecedented costs. Coordinating the groups was major issue due to their large numbers. Employee time allocation was not clear and there was demotivation when a project’s ideas had been disapproved. This structure also resulted in task confusion and it was difficult to monitor and evaluate employees. In the sleep easy hotel, the organization design and structure is wholly different from oticon’s. The structure is quite simple where there is direct supervision from the managers. The managers in this hotel used differentiation of tasks where work was divided to ensure all aspects of the duties were accomplished. All staff was given tasks and a timeline to accomplish all the tasks. There was also a bit of formality in the structure in recruiting receptionists and managers. Recruiting the housekeepers was however informal as it was mostly by word of mouth. The housekeepers are also expected to be trained but they are not. Managers were responsible in making the decisions and hence a degree of decentralization was practiced. The employees that had specialized roles were the receptionists that were highly educated and the managers. The housekeepers could be asked to clean or to do any other task the management requires. There was consistent standardization in the hotel as routine activities were done the same way in all branches every day. Oticon had high levels of hierarchy but in the sleep easy hotel many layers were nonexistent as they all reported to the manager who then reported to the top officials. Standardization is clearly emphasized in the operations. Organizational culture entails the commonality in the behaviors of employees in an organization existent for some time that sets them apart from other employees in other companies. It is defined as “the way things are done here”. They are the norms, beliefs, rituals, traditions and the values upheld in the corporation organizational cultures can bolster or hinder the realization of the objectives of the organization. The organizational culture in both companies’ is also different. In oticon the organization got a cultural shift with the coming of the new director. The norms were changed for instance authority was decentralized and the working responsibilities modified. The company had a power culture in that it was hierarchical and a role culture where the duties were well stipulated. Contrarily, afterwards a task culture was formed which entailed having employees working in projects which is more effective as the workers can express their ideas and channel utilize all their skills. This enhanced a high performing culture. The new ceo saw the value in employees individually and the difference that new process can make. The organization retained its physical location in Copenhagen. There was a conference room where the group discussions and small meetings were held; the employees also used emails and mobile communication when not in the office a new culture that came in with the new organizational structure. Face to face contact communication culture was retained as well as the personal trolleys each worker was given to put their personal effects. The new structure was received warmly as it reflected the organizations culture. The culture in sleep easy hotel varies greatly from oticon’s largely because the working criteria and concepts are different. It is a group norm for the housekeepers in the hotel to all work in four rooms per hour and a total of 32 in an 8 hour shift. It is also tradition the manager receives a 20% of his salary in the annual bonus. The housekeepers are expected to be diligent in their work and to uphold strict measures of working relations with the customers. The hotel’s values uphold efficiency and the best service presented. Evaluations are conducted on the basis of customer’s feedback in the meetings they attend with the managers every four months. It is a norm for disciplinary action to be given to any worker that has not delivered up to the hotel’s standard. The hotel has given the best experience to interns and students on attachments and hence the management stipulates that this culture maintains.to increase efficiency however, the company should adopt a training culture in the housekeeping employees. The hotel should invest in improving their skills and not relying on their informal working procedures to prevail if they expect them to maintain a standard experience for all customers. The hotel can also make it a recurring act to promote the hardworking employees and also give bonuses to other workers apart from the manager. The wages paid should be fair to enhance a motivated work force. Organizational culture as an element gives employees a sense of identity. It reflects the importance of people in an organization. Organizational culture impacts the working climate of the employees it determines the environment in which they operate thus a culture that is not condescending and harsh should be adopted to bar professional stress. New cultures integrated should be worked on to produce better lasting results than the previous ones. Consideration should be given to the motivation of employees because this is reflected in the employee’s performance since a happy worker is an effective worker. The daily operations should reflect the norms, traditions and values of the organization. For the oticon’s company the matrix structure would be better for it as it still hold up with being decentralized but it brings with it better cooperation and apt problem solving, increased efficiency, better performance accountability and better strategic management. Poor organizational design and structure results in management chaos, lack of coordination, stress, conflict, unnecessary losses and demotivation among employees and which eventually leads to goals not to be realized. However managers should show employees how to work in these new structures so as to avoid confusion and maintain effectiveness. The hotel’s simple structure is effective although the management should ensure that there are actual supervisors to monitor the employees as they work. Formality should also exist in recruiting the other employees such as the housekeepers to ensure that only credible workers are recruited. Housekeepers are just recruited with word of mouth with most of the employees bringing in their relatives to work when opportunities arise. These criteria should be looked in to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in operation is maintained. Recruitment of the housekeepers should also be diverse in that the ethnicity should not be sidelined to one group. The duties of the receptionist are specialized and these employees must have a high educational background as they deal with the customers upfront. They should therefore be very good at what they do as they are the face of the hotel In essence the organizational structure, design and organizational culture dictate the relationship between the different roles in the company and hence a clear interrelationship and interdependence should exist. Managers should take care not to adopt an ambiguous structure and design that lacks accountability. Hence good and effective organizational structure and design is essential. The success of an organization is closely correlated with the organizational structure and design it adopts. In addition an organization is its workers and hence the culture should provide a comfortable working environment to induce envisioned outcomes. 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