Managing Activities to Achieve Result-Management - Research Proposal Example

 Managing Activities to Achieve Result-Management Introduction This project aims at studying an organisation structure and finding out suitable strategies to improve on the quality of work processes in the organisation. It also recommends certain plan implementation that can achieve faster and better results. Structure of an Organisation An organisational structure is concerned with determining responsibilities and assigning authorities to different individuals and establishing relationships among them to achieve desired objectives. It is said that an organisation acts as a means towards achieving a firm’s goals. Basic Models of Organisation Structure There are four basic models of organisation structure. They are: Functional Product/Market/Service Project and Matrix Functional Organisation In functional organisations the specialist is placed on top to perform supervisory functions. Under this system all similar activities are grouped under a specific functional department. This department is managed by the person who has expertise in that field. There are separate departments based on their functional activities like production, marketing, procurement, finance etc. Product/Market/Service Organisation This type of structure is present in organisations which are larger in terms of strength and turnover. Decision making in such firms depends on the product, market and service. The entire responsibility depends on the product/market/service head. Each one in the organisation reports to this head. “The product head” takes all decisions relating to purchase, sales, manufacturing and finance. Project Organisation This is a special type of product organisation, where services like purchase, finance, etc “are organised at the functional level”. The resources are allocated to the various project managers who are given requisite authority of the project. Matrix Organisation This type of organisation is created by combining the project and functional organisation. It is built on the basis of a specific project. The project authority is rested on the project manager who is to complete the project within a particular time, cost and maintain certain quality standards. (Kumar, n.d., p.87-94) Culture of an Organisation The concept of organisation culture has gained acceptance over the last 25 years. According to Morgan, organisation culture refers to the “human side of organisation life”. It is the system of creating similar and shared meaning in organisations. It can be described as a pattern of shared basic assumptions and beliefs that people learned as they solved problems, internal and external, and those which have been effectively passed on to new members as the right way to think and evaluate those problems. (Organisational Change, n.d.) Aims, Missions and Objectives of an Organisation “The mission statement” plays a crucial role in the strategic planning of an organisation. The first step that an organisation takes is to create a mission for the company. A mission statement comprises of the reason for an organisations’ existence. Corporate missions serve as operational, financial and ethical guides of a company. They are not mere slogans or mottoes. They define the goals, aims, behaviour and strategies of a company. Effect of aims, missions and objectives on the structure and culture of an organisation Missions and objectives are designed in a way that they speak of exactly what the organisation is going to achieve. They help in the proper allocation of resources of the company. They allow their employees and customers to know what they stand for and what they are heading towards. This helps an individual to decide whether he can commit to those objectives. Mission statements, aims and objectives of a firm have a number of valuable benefits. These include focus, direction, meaning, policy and challenge. Direction gives an idea of what the organisation wants to do. Focus tells about the firm’s area of competitive advantages and the ways it can achieve them. Challenge is to set goals and help the employees achieve that goal. Every employee is made to follow the same guidelines and this helps create a binding force within the organisation and strengthen its culture. (Cardani, n.d. Corporate Mission Statement: A strategic Management Issue). Methodology to map processes to the Organisation’s Objectives and Functions Value Mapping One way mapping processes to the organisation’s objectives and functions is performance measurement and management. Both performance management and performance measurement need to meet the needs of stakeholders. In case they are not being able to meet the stakeholders need, their entire energy and efforts are wasted. These measures of performance should be derived directly from strategise. It is to be noted that the stakeholder’s needs and the organisations need are not one sided for the measurement to be successful. (Jack, n.d. p.6) Development of Plan to meet Goals and Objectives Firstly the plan needs to be put into action. This needs to ensure that people are able to understand and are supportive about the plan. Then a method is to be used for monitoring and implementation of the plan when everyone has agreed to the plan. Make suitable adjustments to the plan to ensure that it meets the overall aims and objectives of the organisation. Identify areas which can be improved and communication of the required changes to the employees and other stakeholders. To improve, the firm should be open to advice on the “importance of communicating” plans to people and to ensure that they understand the plans. Making assessments to manage and handle risks. Developing and adjusting the plans. Developing future plans. Identification of ways to improve future plans. (My Personal Development Plan, 2 April, 2007, p.2). Implementation of Plans which translate strategic targets into practical, efficient and effective actions. This requires balancing the new strategies with the previous ones which have been tested. Making sure that the developed strategies are consistent with the people’s area of responsibilities. Developing and assignment of objectives to people along with the required resources. Monitor and control the plans in order that they achieve the required objectives. Evaluation of the plan implementation and make suitable recommendations for improvement. Ways to improve in this area Applying principals and methods of short and “medium term planning”. Developing and assigning objectives “that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based)”. Analysis of risk management and developing plans to meet emergencies. Effective use of resources to achieve objectives. Monitoring and controlling operational plans to achieve their objectives. (My Personal Development Plan, 2 April, 2007, p.3). Developing the Culture of Business Encouraging behaviour in the organisation that are consistent with the business’s strategy and vision. Making sure that individual actions and behaviours reinforce the values and assumptions in the firm. Communicate the values to the people of the organisation and motivate them to practice the same. Constantly monitoring and adjusting these values and assumptions and their applications. Developing a Strategic Business Plan Establishing a clear and achievable vision which seta the goal as to where the business is heading towards. Prioritise the strategic objectives according to the objectives of the business. Make suitable solutions and adjustments to meet risks. Delegating responsibilities and allocating resources are one of the most crucial parts of a business plan. Identifying measures to monitor and evaluate the plan. (My Personal Development Plan, 2 April, 2007, p.4). Managing work activities to prevent ineffective and inefficient deviations from the operational plan through effective monitoring and control This can be achieved through Setting short term goals and objectives and working towards achievement of these goals Planning and coordinating different activities within the organisation. Proper designing and implementation of jobs. Evaluation of the activities and taking suitable correctives measures to avoid resource and effort wastages. Resources, tools and systems required to support the business process There should be the existence of a proper concept of the business. There can a huge gap between the concept and reality. This can create problems during strategy implementation. It is suggested that adequate knowledge be gathered before applying the business process. There should also be a “consistent business focus”. If the organisation has focused approach the employees are also led in the proper direction. An inconsistent business focus can be misguiding on the part of stakeholders, i.e., both the employees and the customers. There should be proper existence of market for the product and service that the organisation offers. An organisation flourishes only when there is demand for the product that is being produced. Existence of proper financial resources is the most important requirement for a business to flourish. A good amount of financial resource only helps in the implementation of strategies in suitable directions as and when required. Most importantly an organisation cannot run without human capital. Human resources are the most important assets of an organisation. An organisation must hire people keeping in mind the skills that are required. The right set of skills and qualifications are the prerequisites of an organisation. Motivating people in the right direction can bring good results. An organisation must look for people who have proper ethical values along with skills. Having the right mindsets to anticipate changes is also required in any organisation. An organisation requirement with changing circumstances. It should have the flexibility to handle these changes keeping an alternate set of strategies in hand. Priorities keep changing. The key to success lies with the ability to adjust with the priorities. (My Own Business, n.d.) Implement Appropriate Systems to achieve appropriate goals and objectives of the plan in the most effective and efficient way, on time and to budget and to meet organisations standards of quality The process of implementation of strategy refers to the conversion of strategic plans into desired results and actions. In a broader sense it refers to the efforts which go to build a profitable and effective organisation. The two principal activities in strategy implementation is planning, i.e. programs and budgets, and build an organisational design. Each of them has certain implications for the other but they have been discussed individually. Programs and budgeting refers to the allocation of budgets to the required resources. It is important to allocate the right amount of financial resources to the right kind of activities for the system to function flawlessly. Organizational design refers to the organisational structure which facilitates the working of the organisation towards the desired objectives and aims of the firm. (McMillan, n.d. p. ) Definition of Quality Audit System Quality audits are meant to evaluate and investigate efficiencies and effectiveness of agencies and their programs. Audits make unbiased analysis of the working of the organisation and also give suitable recommendations that are used by stakeholders and customers of the firm to make decisions. This helps to improve the existing system and ensure the production of quality products. Firms should develop quality management system to which provides opportunity to reassess and improve the system which in turn proves useful to the customers and stakeholders. (An Audit Quality Control System: Essential Elements, August 1993, p.3) Implementing a quality audit system/practice to manage and monitor quality to standards specified by the organisation and process operated The quality audit system should be implemented by the top management. The policies, principles and procedures by which the quality standards are to be achieved and evaluated should be laid down and followed. Firstly the principle expectations and goals are to be set. The system should define the principles which would achieve consistency of work. System guidance is made available to inform people of the expectation at every phase of the assignment. This should also allow room for creativity and initiative. These policies should be readily available to the staff at every level of the firm. (An Audit Quality Control System: Essential Elements, August 1993, p.9) Phases of a Quality Audit System Planning and designing of the audit system. Performing tests of control and transaction Performing “analytical procedures and tests of details of balances” Completing the auditing process and issuing an auditing report. (Audit Responsibilities and Objectives, n.d. p.1) Embedding Quality Culture in an Organisation Firstly, there should be effective communication as people in organisations typically spend 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation. Effective communication is a prerequisite to organisational success. There should be the existence of changing mindset. People should be flexible to changes. If an organisation produces the best product in the market it must try to produce even better instead of stagnating. Creativity should be encouraged within an organisation. Only creativity helps to bring about rapid progress. Management Commitment is also essential. A well organised and committed management helps to strengthen and maintain quality standards in any organisation. Risk assessment as required by Regulation, Legislation and Organisational requirements Risk assessment is an examination of the conditions that could cause harm to the people in an organisation. Firms should adopt a risk assessment strategy as it helps employers to identify the areas of significant risk at the work place and also avoid waste of efforts. The process involves Identifying hazards. Finding out who has the risk to be harmed and how Evaluating whether the existing precautions are enough or more has to be done. Recording the findings and implementing them Reviewing assessment and updating if required. Health and Safety Regulation and legislation applicable to work situations and review of Organisation health policy It is general duty of an employer to ensure a healthy and safe working environment. Regulations are provided in workplace to protect the health of workmen and give them a safe environment to work. Regulations include proper maintenance of the workplace. The workplace should be ventilated properly. Temperatures should be regulated especially for indoor works. Maintaining the humidity and sources of heat should be regulated to provide workers with a comfortable working environment. There should be sufficient lightning in the organisation. Every workplace should be kept clean and free of waste materials. Rooms should be spacious which allows people to move freely. Workers should be protected of dangerous and hazardous equipments. Traffic routes and floors should be enough strong to hold the loads placed on them. (Workplace, health, safety and welfare, n.d. p.1) Monitoring Systems and Work Activities, Identifying Problems and Opportunities for Improvement A cause and effect diagram is a tool that helps to identify, sort and display possible causes and characteristics of a specific problem. It illustrates the relationship between a given outcome and all the factors that influence that outcome. This system can be used as a measure to identify and solve problems. SWOT Analysis is measuring the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organisation. It is the scanning of the internal and external environment which is an important part of the strategic planning process. It provides information that is helpful in matching the firm’s resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. Organisations can also use affinity diagrams as tool to measure organisation performance. In this large amount of ideas, opinions and issues are gathered in order to address specific issues. Recommending Improvements in alignment with organisation Objectives and Goals Organisations can implement the following steps Promote creative thinking. This would help to bring in new ideas of changes and improvements in the organisation. It is seen that organisations which do not bring about changes become stagnant and those which are open to new strategies and policies grow much faster Encourage group activities. Firm are increasingly promoting team work and team spirit. This helps faster implementation of strategies. Implication of changes in the organisation The above mentioned changes can help to handle crisis effectively. It would also improve the level of innovation and help it to remain competitive in the market. It would enhance knowledge to better link resources to customer needs. Improve the quality of outputs at all levels. Lastly, improve the pace of change in the organisation. Conclusion Thus we see that an organisation should apply more than one strategy and see which is the most appropriate for it. Instead of following one single policy it should keep alternative strategies in hand in times of contingencies. It should also keep evaluating results constantly. Only then can it maintain competitiveness in the market and improve on quality standards. References Business Gateway, (2 April, 2007) ‘My Personal Development Plan’ Available at (Accessed: July 2, 2010) Cardani, L. (n.d.) ‘Corporate Mission Statement: A strategic Management Issue’. Available at < http://www.stfrancis.edu/content/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/btopics/works/mission.htm> (Accessed: July 2, 2010) GAO, (August 1993) ‘An Audit Quality Control System: Essential Elements’ Available at < http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/p0416.pdf > (Accessed: July 2, 2010) Health and Safety Executive, (n.d.) ‘Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare’ Available at (Accessed: July 2, 2010) IPFW, (n.d.) ‘audit responsibilities and Objectives’ Available at (Accessed: July 2, 2010) Jack, A. (n.d.) ‘Value Mapping-A Second Generation Performance Measurement and Performance Management Solution’ Available at (Accessed: July 2, 2010) McMillan, E. 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