Management Theory, Communication, and Organization Structure - Assignment Example

Management Theory, Communication, and Organization Structure TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TASK 1. ..................................................................... 3 a) ..................................................................... 3 b) ..................................................................... 5 c) ...................................................................... 5 2. ...................................................................... 5 a) ..................................................................... 5 b) .................................................................... 7 3. ................................................................... 8 4. ..................................................................... 9 5. ................................................................... 11 CONCLUSION .................................................................... 12 Reference List .................................................................... 13 INTRODUCTION In the last decade, the construction industry has emerged as an efficiency oriented and value driven industry. This stands to be more then true, when one considers the developments in a post-recession scenario, when the construction industry is under pressure to go lean, so as to be more competitive. In that context, the management theory has a lot to contribute to the construction sector. The same stands to be true as regards the inputs furnished by the information and communication revolution. It is only while operating in an actual and real life scenario that a scholar could come to terms with the validity of these facts. TASK 1. a) The given information is based on the concerned scholars four day work experience with A.C. Lloyd Group of Companies. During this time, the concerned scholar tried to have an overview of the functioning of varied departments in the organizations, by serving as an associate to the concerned Line Managers. During the time spent at the above mentioned company, it was realized that the organization well understood the relevance of effective communication in assuring the success of any project. This does not mean that the company did not have its share of communication problems. A.C. Lloyd is a multifaceted and versatile construction company. The managers here use a wide range of communication channels, approaches and media, which rely for optimization on a mix of written, visual and oral skills. Very really it was found that the managers favoured a communication approach that was predominantly dependent on a single communication skill, be it written, visual or oral. The managers were fund to resort to an optimal mix of written, oral and visual skills in the following aspects of business: Pre-design stage Design Stage Detailed drawings stage Tender Stage Pre-qualification stage Bid stage Bid evaluation stage Contract signing Work supervision Project completion b) The organization resorted to the usage of information and communication technology in varied aspects of its construction business. Internet and intranet were prolifically used in the company to aid communication amongst important internal and external stakeholders in all the aspects of construction and project management and supervision. During pre-design stage, design stage and detailed drawing stage the architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and managers extensively used 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) Models to plan and convey details and information, to chalk estimates and for project planning. The information and communication technology was also extensively used in the logistics and supply chain management aspect of business, so as to allow for a lean approach towards project management. This allowed for an efficient exploitation of construction materials, machines and equipment and well coordinated the overall construction process. c) As far as the organization under consideration is considered, if one approaches the communication aspect in a singular perspective, their existed various areas where existed barriers to communication, be it physical, psychological or intellectual. However, in a generalist context, when one sees the larger picture, all these barriers existed owing to the fragmented nature of construction industry. The stakeholders active at varied levels, were affiliated to disparate vantage points, had dissimilar skills and education and job description and expectations that caused these barriers. The organization desperately needed a platform for assessing information, which allowed each individual to understand and grasp information and goals, in a customized format. 2) a) Construction industry is very different and unique from other businesses in the sense that construction companies and personnel have often to come to terms with challenging factors and situations like distant project locations, disparate site realities and conditions and the requisite processes. When one takes into consideration the attached risk factors and dissimilar project life cycles, the managers employed in the construction sector are required to take decisions in an uncertain and altering environment. In a contemporary scenario, construction companies simply cannot do without exploiting integrated software solutions to enhance their efficiency and profitability. In that context, the thrust of integrated software solutions in the construction industry has been to minimize mismanagement and lack of coordination owing to fragmented information. In small projects, where the data tracking needs are limited to PERT charts and Gantt, even simple PM software tools could help a lot (Kuehn 2006). Larger projects and multi-project environment need complex software tools like BIM oriented initiatives and 3D CAD, which allow for multi-dimensional design and drafting, including dimensions like cost and time and a seamless vertical and horizontal sharing of information (Kuehn 2006). Besides integrated software solutions like Primavera, SureTrak and Microsoft Project do help in creating and managing an efficient and pragmatic project schedule (Harris 2006). b) As already said, owing to the very fragmented nature of construction industry, the construction companies are desperately in need of unified digital platforms, which not only allow for a seamless and customized sharing of information, but allow the users to solicit and interpret data, as per one’s requirements, abilities, and status and job description. So far, their do not exist such holistic digital or ICT platforms. Yet one can mention some favourable developments in that direction. The communication and planning related problems being faced by A.C. Lloyd could be alleviated by resorting to Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM is a new approach towards designing and constructing buildings and managing construction projects, in which the varied stakeholders in a construction project can use the magnitude of access allocated to them to approach a digital representation of the overall construction project and thus resort to the interpolation and exchange of information, as per one’s requirements and abilities (Smith & Tardif 2009). 3. Management theory has played a predominant role in shaping the contemporary construction industry. The history of construction projects is as old as the history of construction of Pyramids and The Great Wall of China. However, in those times, not much specialized management was required, as such projects were primarily executed through an autocratic management policy, where the key decisions resided in the custody of a few specialists and the execution was achieved through the exploitation of slave labour. However, considering the complexity of modern projects, dependent on the coordination and cooperation of multiple and large organizations, dependent on division of labour and specialization, and requiring complex logistics, planning and distribution management, management has a role to play in all the aspects of the business, be it forecasting, communicating, planning, organizing, coordinating, motivation or control (Pettinger 2006). It is the continual and appropriate developments in the management theory that have facilitated the modern construction companies and personnel with the theoretical tools, which help them in the allocation of resources and personnel, personnel management, planning and coordination in a way that makes way for the achievement of agreed upon and desired goals. Management which started with the simple vision of making others do the desired things as stated by Follet, evolved in scope and perspective by the time of Pearce and Robinson to vouch for a striving for the optimization of human, material and financial resources towards the objective of the achievement of organizational goals (Pettinger 2006). This stands to be truer for the contemporary construction industry marred by the collapse of the housing bubble and recession. The customers today demand value for their money, which has pushed the construction companies towards leaner construction methods and approaches relying on the optimal usage of the available resources. In that context, the scientific approach of Frederick Taylor though not in consonance with the contemporary personnel management related realities, did allow for the standardization, automation and regimentation of construction process that are repetitive and regular (Pettinger 2006). In that sense, the humane approach of the management theory enunciated by McCabe made way for the realistic and psychologically valid management of the highly skilled and empowered construction personnel of today (Pettinger 2006). The management styles proposed by Linkert and the leadership behaviours stated by Tannenbaum and Schmidt are almost as valid in the modern construction industries as in the organizations of the yore (Pettinger 2006). The construction business today is a complex and multifaceted sector that cannot subscribe to any single Golden Rule. Hence, management theory is required to facilitate solutions for varied situations and challenges, by propounding theoretical inputs, the exploitation of which in the appropriate permutations and combination, help the entrepreneurs survive in the highly competitive environment of today. 4. General Manager Design and Planning Procurement HR Project Execution A. C. Lloyd Organization Chart The organizational chart of the company under consideration is very conventional in which the Human Resource Department is a power centre in itself that reports directly to the General Manager. Hence, despite the fragmented nature of the construction industry the specialists in the Human Resource Department at Lloyd are grouped under one department. The General Managers to whom they report has a direct authority over the other business functions, in which she is responsible for informing and initiating the plans and policies enunciated by the Human Resource Department. In this type of organizational structure, the chain of command is very simple, that involves the contact between the General Manager and the Line Managers. However this distances the HR managers from the other departments, limiting their span of control, while they endow the General Manager with an unwieldy span of control. Such a centralized approach towards Human Resource Management is not in consonance with the complexity and multifariousness of the projects being undertaken by the company. This centralized chain of command though simple and straightforward, does hamper the job of both the Human Resources Managers and the Line Managers in the varied departments. A possible way out for the company is to do away with a centralized Human Resources Department. The Human Resource Personnel should be removed from the line of command of the General Manager, which will make her span of control more realistic and manageable. The Personnel specialists should be transferred to different units in the company, where they should be assigned the task of working as strategic partners to Line Managers. This will relieve the Line Managers of personnel related responsibilities, and bolster the span of control of Personnel specialists. Besides, the Personnel Managers posted in varied departments can directly aid the Line Managers in taking important strategic decisions, without approaching them via the circuitous route passing through the GM’s office. This will make the Human Resource Management as an integrated aspect of all the other departments. The onus of serving as a strategic partner with the Line Managers will make the Human Resource Managers acquire the requisite technical and soft skills, allowing for a better management of the construction and administrative personnel and the specialists employed by the company. 5. As far as the forecasting and planning aspect of business is concerned, the company is refurbishing its capabilities by resorting to ICT aided modelling and planning tools. Once these tools are completely placed in the organizational structure, they are bound to streamline communication amidst varied internal and external stakeholders also. They will allow the personnel, suppliers and customers to access and interpret information as per their requirements and abilities. One other aspect of the business is that the workforce in the company is increasingly getting multicultural and gender balanced. However, the managers employed in varied departments and the personnel specialists seem to lack the requisite cultural sensitivity, group communication techniques and soft skills that could help them amicably manage a multiethnic and gender balanced work force. Though this is not creating much problem at present, it could emerge as a serious barrier to communication within the company in the times to come. One other basic problem with the construction company under consideration is that its personnel department is not designed to suit the fragmented nature of the big projects being undertaken by the company and the multi-project environment in which the employees have to work. The solution as discussed already is to integrate the personnel specialists as strategic partners with the Line Managers in the varied departments. This will have a salubrious impact on the ability of both the Line Managers and the Personnel Managers, so far as the task of organizing and motivating their workforce is concerned. The usage of online communication within the company is playing a pivotal role in the assuring efficient control, communication and supervision within the organization. However, the coordination of personnel, materials and equipment is a big problem as there is still not in place a unified information platform, which allows qualified access to the concerned personnel and allows them to interpret data and take decisions as per their job description, skills and discretion. CONCLUSION The time spent at the Lloyd was an eye opener in the sense that it furnished many insights into applied management and IT. The conventional management and IT solutions need to be customized as per the needs and requirements of the construction sector, but owing to the fragmented nature of this task. Yet the seemingly disjointed nature of this industry is not something that is utterly unwieldy, given the current developments in the management theory and ICT. Reference List Harris, Paul E 2006, Planning and Scheduling using Primavera 5.0 for Engineering and Construction, Eastwood Harris Pty Ltd, New York. Kuehn, Ursula 2006, Integrated Cost and Schedule Control in Project Management, Management Concepts, London. Pettinger, Richard 2006, Introduction to Management, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Smith, Dana & Tardif, Michael 2009, Building Information Modelling, Wiley, New York. Read More