Managing Activities to Achieve Results - Assignment Example

MANAGING ACTIVITIES TO ACHIEVE RESULTS Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction: 4 Task 4 LO 1: Organizational structure, culture andinter-relationship between various functions of ABC Company: 4 LO.1.2: Aims, Objectives and mission of ABC Company and process map: 6 LO.1.3 Output and Quality Gateways of the process: 8 LO. 2.1 Plan for promotion of goals and objectives: 9 LO. 2.2 SMART Objectives for aligning human and other resources of ABC Company: 9 LO. 2.3. Systems for achieving the SMART objectives: 10 LO. 2.4 Activities for operational plan: 11 Task 2: 11 LO. 3.1 Systems required for monitoring and managing quality standards: 11 LO3.2 Quality culture for continuous improvement: 12 LO. 3.3 Recommendations and elements of achieving continuous improvements: 13 LO. 3.4 Wider implications of proposed changes on ABC Company: 13 LO. 4.1 Risk Assessment in context of legislation, regulations and organisational requirements: 14 LO. 4.2 Health and Safety Regulations and Legislations in ABC Company: 14 LO. 4.3 Systematic review of OHS policies of ABC Company: 15 LO. 4.4 Practical application of Health and Safety Measures: 15 Conclusion: 16 Reference List: 17 Introduction: Managing organizational activities in the contemporary business scenario are wide spread, enhanced and complicated (Miller and Cardinal, 2007). With the growth in the worldwide market, there has been a consistent increase in the number of internal and external factors influencing business activities. With growing competition, firms are trying to ensure a sustainable position for themselves in the market by utilizing the potential strength of the organization. This report also focuses on the business management activities that can be undertaken by ABC Company in order to overcome the problems faced by the company. Task 1: LO. 1.1: Organizational structure, culture and inter-relationship between various functions of ABC Company: The organizational structure of ABC Company is hierarchical which ensures that the higher managerial board of the company is in direct and constant touch with the emplo0yee base of the company. Hierarchical structure is also beneficial for reducing complicacies in the work process and develops a transparent chain of command. Figure 1: Structure of ABC Company (Source: Created by Author) Hierarchical structure of ABC Company has been portrayed in the above diagram. The organizational structure of ABC has helped the top authority of the company to monitor the performance and productivity of the lower level employees. The Board of Directors of the company is formed by the head of the five operational segments as reflected in the structural hierarchy. However, the flat structure of the firm has reduced the inter-relationships between the operational departments. Ander and Kapoor (2010) stated that the hierarchical structure reduces the operational performance and productivity of a firm. In case of ABC Company, the lower employees are not involved in active participation of the strategic decision making firm, also lack of communication creates confusion regarding the roles and responsibilities of the employees. The structure of the organization does not reflect any visible relationship between the work process and operational segments of ABC Company. However, a supportive relationship can be evaluated by analyzing the roles of the functional segments of ABC Company. The marketing department of the company is mainly responsible for gathering and analyzing data of the market, consumers and competitors. The marketing department is also responsible for assessing the trends in the market and identifies the needs and expectations of the customers. The data collected by the marketing department is then utilized by the operational processes to design and frame the work structure of the organization (Ander and Kapoor, 2010). The HRM segment of the company focuses on training and developing the internal employee base as well as the candidates being sent to their clients for recruitment. Apart from this, the HRM and financial department of the company design the work structure of a firm in accordance with the budget developed by the financial department of ABC Company. Finally the sales department is responsible for communicating with their customers and providing them their required needs. The sales team is direct revenue earning department of ABC Company. Thus, it can be observed that despite of absence of any visible relationship, all the functional departments of ABC Company are working in a supportive manner. LO.1.2: Aims, Objectives and mission of ABC Company and process map: The aims and objectives of ABC Company mainly were focused on enhancing their sales and improving the financial stability of the firm. However, the recent downfalls faced by the company have urged them to bring changes in their organizational mission. The objectives have been developed considering the role of each of the work departments so that clarity can be achieved in the work process. On the other hand, the aim or mission statement of the company has been reframed as ensuring optimal resource utilization for creating a positive growth trend and improving the revenue earnings by 10% in the succeeding 2 years. The mission statement has been further segmented into the following objectives: To integrate all the functional departments of the company for developing streamlined operational process. To create a quality focused work culture in the company by enforcing better training and development processes. To develop a shared vision among the employees and align their personal interests with the organizational mission statement. The process map of ABC Company has been developed considering their marketing functions and will focus on using the data storing and analysis process of the marketing team of ABC Company. Figure 2: Process Map for Marketing Department of ABC Company (Source: Created by Author) The process map has been developed mainly considering the data sorting and data accumulation process of the firm. The marketing data brings in new sources and leads for the sales team and amalgamates them with the existing database of the company. The data is then sorted with the help of analysis tools which provides the refined leads to the sales team. LO.1.3 Output and Quality Gateways of the process: The above given process map has been developed in order to create an accurate consumer data base for the company. With the help of appropriate and relevant data sets, the sales team of the company will be able to identify the needs of their customers and service them effectively. The process map is mainly directed towards achieving the objective of quality improvement of services. The quality gateways of the marketing process model have been reflected in the black bordered quadrants of the diagram. The ability of the company to assess the relevancy of the data being gathered by the marketing department and the ultimate result of the business are the quality gateways of the process map (Chan and Lynn, 2008). ABC Company is dealing in human resources and the scope of rectifying the errors is limited which positions them in risky platform. They have to understand the consumer requirements and provide them their exact needs based on the organizational processes. Apart from this, the sorting and storing of the refined results (red bordered quadrants) form the base of the quality gateways as they reflect the effectiveness of the sorting process and data analysis. LO. 2.1 Plan for promotion of goals and objectives: The goals and objectives of the marketing process are to ensure that the data being collected from the market is relevant and helps in improving the quality of services of ABC Company. The promotional and pricing process of the marketing department have not been considered as both these aspects are being designed by the BOD and the top authority of the company, courtesy hierarchical formation. In order to promote their departmental goals and objectives, the sections first have to certify that the entire workforce is well linked and has a concerted work culture. The employee base of the firm should be able to align themselves with their job roles and have a clear understanding of the organizational mission. One of the most innovative techniques used in the corporate sector for the promotion of organizational goals and mission among the workforce was done by Ex- Ford CEO Alan Mulally (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). Alan Mulally distributed small play cards among the work force which had the organizational mission written on one side and on another side the roles of the employees in accordance with their department (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011). This technique is cheap and effective and can be used in ABC Company. LO. 2.2 SMART Objectives for aligning human and other resources of ABC Company: The SMART objectives for alignment of human and other resources of ABC Company are given below: To create a shared vision among the employees based on their departmental roles. To enhance the communication among the employees and the managers of the firm using technological communication resources. To develop a routine for arranging employee-management meeting every month. To design a performance monitoring systems in accordance with the work structure of each of the functional departments of ABC Company. To develop benchmarks for assessing the quality of work for each of the operational segments of ABC Company. The above given objectives have developed considering the framework of SMART. The aim for each of the objectives is clear and specific such as the use of technological resources and the consideration of the work process of each department of ABC Company. Time frame and measureable variables can be evaluated with the help of the monthly employee-management meetings and the performance measurement processes. Furthermore, all the objectives are directed towards aligning the organizational resources in order to ensure optimal usage which is relevant to the cause of ABC Company. LO. 2.3. Systems for achieving the SMART objectives: As mentioned above, implementing the play card system will ensure that all the employees are aware of the organizational goals and their roles in the business process. Based on the organizational structure of ABC Company, Balanced Scorecard can be implemented as the performance measurement tool. The performance measurement process will not only monitor the quality of work but will also help in analyzing the commitment of the employees towards the organizational cause. In order to ensure technological resource utilization, monitoring systems such as CCTV cameras will be used and central speaker systems will help in faster communication for arranging the monthly meets. In order to ensure a clear understanding among the employees, the managers have to communicate in simple dialogues that are easy to appreciate and recognize (Wiese and Buckley, 2009). The quality benchmarks will be developed by Board of Directors after assessing the performance of the workforce. This will help in maintaining relevancy and also create a relevant benchmark which is achievable but challenging for the employees. Apart from this, in order to enhance the productivity of the employees a reward or motivational tool such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need can be implemented within the work culture which encompasses the expectations of lower level employees as well as top management (Li and Calantone, 2011). LO. 2.4 Activities for operational plan: The operational plan for meeting the objectives designed and implementing effective control and monitoring process will be based on the nature of work of each department. The operational plan will be related with the performance measurement tool (assuming Balanced Scorecard) in order to maintain the quality aspect while monitoring and controlling the work process of the firm. The new work process will include a daily report or mail stating the expected work procedure and roles of the employees for the day. This will be prepared by the HR department on the common database platform of the company (Ethiraj, 2007). The employees will put a tick and their reviews beside each task after completion and compulsorily send back the form to the HR department for reassignment of tasks for the next day. The tasks assigned to the employees will be developed by the HR department after consultation with the respective heads of each department. The tasks completed by the employees will be forwarded to the team leaders who can assess the quality of the work and send back the feedback to the HR department. The entire process is a cycle for continuous improvement of services and also unities the various departments of the organisation with a chain network. Task 2: LO. 3.1 Systems required for monitoring and managing quality standards: The systems for monitoring and managing quality of the services being designed at ABC Company will be related with their operational plans and the performance measurement tools being used by the company. The monitoring process of the company will be conducted mutually with the help of performance measurement tool and also with the help of technological resources such as CCTV monitoring. The performance measurement process (in this case Balanced Scorecard) will help in analysing the activities of the employees in relation to their individual and departmental objectives of the firm. Focusing on the quality aspects of the company, the Balanced Scorecard can also evaluate the performance of the employees against the set benchmarks (Dobbins and Cardy, 2009). Furthermore, the chain process of work control stated in the above segment will help the managers stay focused and informed regarding the progress of the work and the status of the strategic goals. LO3.2 Quality culture for continuous improvement: The quality aspect of ABC Company has been developed considering the above suggestions and plans for improving the work culture of the company and in relation with the SMART objectives developed. Continuous improvement mainly depends upon the continuity of an effective work culture, the scope of innovation and also initiates flexibility within the work culture according to the changes in the need of the organisation and its customers (Dobbins and Cardy, 2009). The organisational requirement in this case is quality and hence the quality benchmarks set by the BOD will be the framework for monitoring the performance of the employees. In this case, lean manufacturing can be customised for service management and implemented in the concerned business scenario. Lean will initiate the concept of Just-in-Time and JIDOKA in the business process allowing the management to control the production of the service according to the demand in the market (Bohlander and Snell, 2009). On the other hand, lean also helps in reducing the wastage in the operational process and decrease the cost of operations which will bring financial stability in ABC Company. Moreover, implementing Kanban card in the organisation will enhance communication in the work process and also helps in generating collaboration among the employees (Li and Calantone, 2011). LO. 3.3 Recommendations and elements of achieving continuous improvements: The organisational objectives mentioned in the beginning of the research were mainly focused on the alignment of the employee base and integration of the functional departments of ABC Company. Although the objectives were set in a specific manner, the financial considerations were not discussed which can hamper the planning process. The role of financial department should be analysed and included in the business process so that the firm can manage their activities on time and within the allocated budget process of the firm. The performance measurement benchmarks, technological analysis of the performance, marketing role for assessing the demand, implementation of lean manufacturing and finally the financial feasibility of the activities will be the elements for achieving continuous improvements in the work culture of the firm. LO. 3.4 Wider implications of proposed changes on ABC Company: The implications of the changes proposed in ABC Company’s work culture are expected to create positive results for the firm. Initially the changes in the work culture can create problems for the employees of the firm. The management of the business will also have to change their policies for working together with other departments and reduce their personal differences. The technological changes will result in additional efforts on the part of the managers so that they can create a follow-up chain for their employees. The wider implications of these activities however will help ABC Company in developing a shared vision among the employees of the firm and create a loyal employee base. Also, united effort will help the business in aiming higher and accomplishing critical tasks. The proposal of developing a continuous improvement structure with appropriate monitoring and control process will help the organisation to ensure a sustainable business development process of the firm. LO. 4.1 Risk Assessment in context of legislation, regulations and organisational requirements: The work process of ABC Company is related with service development and does not include any sort of hazardous equipments or materials. This has reduced the risks in managing employee safety. However, the crucial aspect from an ethical point of view in ABC Company is to provide the employees a secure work environment. As given in the case study, the organisation has already involved in job cuts for managing the expenses of the firm. Also considering the financial implications of the proposed changes in the business, the organisation will have to manage their funds initially and may result in deduction in compensation for the employees (Zanko and Dawson, 2012). Apart from these factors, the internal work structure of the business process can also be a major factor in ensuring the safety of the employees in context of hygiene and clean work environment (Burke, Cooper and Clarke, 2011). LO. 4.2 Health and Safety Regulations and Legislations in ABC Company: The health and safety regulations of ABC Company have been developed considering the legal and regulatory guidelines provided by the NHS and Organisational Health and Safety. The work place of ABC Company includes all the safety equipments needed as mentioned in the guidelines of OHS. As the company is not directly or indirectly involved in production of any kind of tangible products, the health and safety risks for the employees is limited. Thus, the management of the organisation has focused on creating a healthy atmosphere in the work stations of each department. The construction of the work place of the firm was embedded with safety guidelines considering the impact of natural disasters such as earthquake, etc. Also the business infrastructure has been developed in manner to ensure maximum protection from any kind of electrical or man-made problems that may harm the workforce of the company. LO. 4.3 Systematic review of OHS policies of ABC Company: The work place safety concerns of ABC Company is primarily focused on reducing any kind of operational hazards and also ensuring maximum protection from natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes. The safety equipments installed in the work place of ABC Company includes sprinklers, fire extinguishers, earthquake alarm and dire alarm, temperature measurement equipments, motion and smoke detectors. Apart from these, the HRM departments have ensured that all the important notices regarding work place behaviour in context of hygiene are attached in visible places. The employees also receive a quarterly health check-up for themselves and their family which is being provided by the organisation. As the business process does not pose any direct threat to the organisation and its employees, the systems and policies of ABC Company can be stated as valid and effective. LO. 4.4 Practical application of Health and Safety Measures: The health and safety systems implemented in ABC Company have been discussed in the previous segment. The practical implementation of these equipments can be measured in times of any sort of critical situations. Apart from this, analysing the work environment of the employees and gathering their feedback in relation to work place safety will also reflect the effectiveness of the health and safety policies implemented in their work place. One of the crucial aspects missing in the health and safety operations of the business is the list of essential phone numbers. Emergency phone numbers such as hospitals, police and fire departments should be visible to each and every employee working on the floor. The application of health and safety measures will also require support and commitment from the employees end to ensure development of a safe and healthy work environment. Conclusion: ABC Recruitment Company had faced a tough scenario where their financial and managerial resources had reduced because of their inability to perform in the aggressive industry of human resource consultancy. The analysis revealed that the organisational structure of the company is hierarchal which reduces the ability to ensure optimum resource utilisation. Also the managerial differences have reduced integration of the business firm. The changes recommended for ABC Company mainly focuses on creating a shared vision among the employees of the firm, utilisation of human and other resources and implementing technological growth of the business. On the other hand, the analysis of the health and safety process of firm reflected that ABC Company is concerned regarding the welfare of their employees and have abided by the regulations and legislations provided by the authorities. Reference List: Ander, R. and Kapoor, R., 2010. Value Creation in Innovation Ecosystems: How the structure of technological interdependence affects firm performance in new technology generation. Strategic management Journal, 31, pp. 306-333 Bohlander, G. and Snell, S., 2009. Managing Human resources. 3rd ed. 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