The Waste Disposal Business in Wales - Case Study Example

Learning Organisation Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Executive Summary There are several positive attributes of a learning organisation. To this end, it is advisable that an organisation aspires to integrate such attributes in its systems. This report reflects the positive aspects linked to incorporation of a learning organisation in the business, specifically the waste disposal business in Wales. Incorporation of a learning organisation in the business systems is a complicated and lengthy process if any level of success is to be achieved. The process entails planning of the project considering the myriad resources involved, monitoring and reviewing progress of the process, carrying out a post audit review and so on. To facilitate an efficient process it is necessary that the use of a Gantt chart be applied in executing the project. Introduction The challenge of having to deal with cumulative amounts of waste produced and coming up with a socially and environmentally acceptable means of waste disposal has increasingly become a pressing public policy concern. The development of devolved administrations in Wales and regional institutions England has facilitated the creation of a responsibility patchwork and approaches to waste management that have probably further complicated a policy area already complicated. The challenges relating to waste disposal do not end with the issue of policy complications; there are other areas as well. Prior to collecting wastes and transporting them to the waste disposal site, it is a requirement that a business that deals in waste disposal possess all or some of the various waste specific operating licenses. If a business that deals in waste disposal treats, keeps, or disposes waste on its site it must possess a permit or a Waste Management License or register to the Environmental Regulator for an immunity from holding the Waste Management License (Dhir et al, 2003, p. 96). If the business deals in waste disposal transports, or organises for the disposal or recycling of waste on behalf of another firm or individuals, it is required to register as a waste agent with the Environment Agency in Wales. The duty of care pertains to all businesses in the waste disposal industry. Duty of care requires that a business charged with the duty of waste disposal must store, handle, dispose, or recycle waste within the legal framework and in a safe manner. In addition, the storage, handling, recycling or disposal of waste must be done by only licensed businesses or individuals. Transfers of waste between businesses must be recorded through a waste transfer note which must be maintained by both businesses for a minimum period of two years. Transfer of hazardous waste between businesses must be recorded through a consignment note which must be kept by both businesses for a minimum period of two years (Dhir et al, 2003, p. 96). Aim All these bureaucracies and formalities have negative effects on the business of waste disposal. The challenges posed by myriad formalities and bureaucracies in putting up and operating the waste disposal business are evident given that not only are they costly but they also culminate in inefficiencies in terms of operations. This brings forth issue of incorporating learning organisations in the waste disposal business in Wales. The aim of this paper is to highlight the benefits of a learning organisation in the business of waste disposal and the procedure involved in coming up with one. Learning Organisation A learning organisation refers to an organisation that aids the learning of its members and transforms itself continuously. Learning organisations develop due to pressures that organisations face, like in the aforementioned challenges facing the waste disposal business above. In effect, a learning organisation helps the organisation to deal with pressures and remain competent in a competitive and vibrant business environment. A learning environment is constituted of five key features: personal mastery, systems thinking, shared vision, team learning, and mental models (Blockley & Godfrey, 2000, p. 64). Systems Thinking The learning organisation concept developed from a mass of work referred to as systems thinking. This is an ideological framework that enables people to look at businesses as bounded objects (Blockley & Godfrey, 2000, p 64). Learning organisations apply this way of thinking when evaluating their company and information systems that gauge the organisation’s performance as a whole, including its various components. According to systems thinking, for an organisation to be a learning organisation, all the features must be apparent at once. Personal Mastery An individual’s commitment to the learning process is referred to as personal mastery. There is a competitive edge of an organisation whose labour force can learn fast compared to other organisations. Individual learning is achieved through development and training of staff, however, an individual who is hostile to learning cannot be forced to learn. Research reveals that most learning in the work place is supplementary, rather than an attribute of formal training. A learning organisation has been defined as an accumulation of individual learning, but mechanisms of individual learning have to be present for individual learning to be shifted into organisational learning (Blockley & Godfrey, 2000, p. 64). Mental Models Individuals’ held assumptions are referred to as mental models. These models have to be challenged for an organisation to be deemed a learning organisation. Individuals tend to assume theories, which are what they plan to follow, and theories in use that in reality they do. In a similar way, organisations have memories which conserve particular values, norms, and behaviours. In developing a learning environment, it is imperative that confrontational attitudes be replaced with an open culture that enhances trust and inquiry (Jackson, 2000, p. 270). To achieve this end, the organisation requires mechanisms for evaluating and locating organisational action theories. Shared Vision Developing a shared vision is a significant factor in encouraging the staff to learn as it creates a single identity that gives energy and focus for learning. Visions that are most successful build on the employees’ individual visions at every level of the organisation. The development of a shared vision can therefore be hampered by traditional structures where the organisation’s vision is imposed from the top. Thus learning organisations tend to have decentralised, flat organisational structures (Jackson, 2000, p. 270). Team Learning Team learning is constituted by a sum of individual learning. An advantage attributed to a shared or team learning is that the organisation’s staff grows rapidly, and its capacity to address problems is improved through access to better knowledge and expertise. Learning organisations are made up of structures that aid team learning with features like openness and boundary crossing. Individuals are required by team learning to engage in discussion and dialogue, therefore they have to develop shared meaning, open communication, and shared understanding (Blockley & Godfrey, 2000, p. 64). Typically, learning organisations possess excellent knowledge management structures that facilitate acquisition, creation, distribution, and execution of this knowledge. Barriers to Efficient Transition to a Learning Organisation There are several reasons as to why an organisation is likely to experience challenges in incorporating or transforming into a learning organisation, the first one being time scarcity. Management and employees may prioritise other issues at the expense of trying to change their organisation’s culture. Consequently, the team may fail to commit the time to be taken in structuring and implementing change. Another challenge is with regards to irrelevance; that is, the change to be implemented may not address the organisation’s needs. More time should be spent in ascertaining the organisation’s actual issues as well as the regular ones. Another area with regards to transformation challenges is on training and assistance (Gibson et al, 2005, p.38-40). For an organisation to structure and implement change, it requires knowledge on the necessary steps and the key challenges that it should address. The organisation should ascertain what its problems are prior to going into the transformation phase. Project Planning To enable a smooth transition and change implementation process, it is imperative that a team be selected that will oversee the whole process. Subsequently, the team should come up with an appropriate and relevant procedural structure that would facilitate the transition and implementation process. The preliminary stage of a project must be carefully spent trying to determine a base plan that gives a clear direction of how the project scope will be finished within the pre-determined time and budget using the resources available. The project management team must draw up separate detailed plans addressing time, cost, quality, resources contingency, and communication (Harris, 2006, p. 258; Norton, 2008, p. 248-249). The time plan will highlight all the activities involved in the planning and implementation of the learning organisation for the waste disposal plants in Wales and the duration each is supposed to take. This entails the completion dates of every stage of the project’s life line and the estimated date of completing the entire project. The cost plan applies an hourly rate for every activity in the time plan, including the purchase costs from the resource plan, and contingency costs to create the project’s budget (Harris, 2006, p. 258; Norton, 2008, p. 248-249). This will be done in time phases in order to attain a forecast of cash flow. The quality plan entails identifying clients, the main outcomes that each client expects, acceptance criteria determined by the clients, a test plan outlining how each plan will be assessed, and accountability for each test. This may comprise of security and safety planning. It will also encompass an audit plan for the process of project management. Contingency plan entails risk assessment and determines what extra activities and time need to be added to the plan to ensure a dependable budget and completion date. The communication plan highlights the main people in the project, message required, a strategic communication technique, and the individuals responsible (Norton, 2008, p. 248-249). Project Management Plan Outline The following plan depicts the basic approach to creating a learning organisation for the waste disposal plants: Section Title Contents Overview The project’s objective is to develop a learning organisation to address the waste disposal challenges affecting the waste disposal business in Wales. The project is to be undertaken by a team derived from each of the waste disposal plants in Wales. Project Name Development of a Learning Organisation for the waste disposal businesses in the Wales. Project responsibility and players To be determined by the team members once the project authorisation document Project scope The project’s duration of completion with all user training is 9 weeks. Methodology The project team will apply project management methods in tandem with the United Kingdom acceptable standards. Technical Plan These are the technical features to this project and they entail specifications, requirements, support functions, and any relevant document relating to the learning organisation being developed. Communication plan The main personnel involved in the project are the representatives of each of the waste disposal plants and their major concern is developing the learning organisation, highlighting the benefits and communicating the same to their respective seniors. Evaluating and managing risks The team involved in managing the project will evaluate inherent risks in the project and ascertain ways of addressing the same. Managing Change Any change to be addressed in the project might be initiated by the team leader and be reviewed by the rest of the team Post Audit Review This will be carried out at the project’s completion and it is aimed at assessing the extent to which time, quality and cost constraints that have been achieved against the predetermined target. The table above shows a detailed plan to the project. However, to ensure that the project will be completed within a predetermined time within budgetary constraints using available resources, it is necessary that a Gantt chart be incorporated to facilitate an efficient process. An essential ideology behind project management and Critical Path Analysis is that some project activities depend on the completion of other activities first. Activities that are deemed to be dependent on each other ought to be completed sequentially with each activity being completed before initiating the next activity (Lock, 2007, p. 187). Gantt chart The following is the Gantt chart of the transition and implementation process of the project on Learning Organisation. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION IMMEDIATE PREDECESSOR DURATION (WEEKS) A PLANNING (time, cost, quality, resources contingency, and communication and so on). 3 B MONITORING PROGRESS AND REVIEW (Concerned with actual performance against planned performance) A 1 C EVALUATION (assessing the implications and impact of deviations from the project’s key activities) B 2 D CONTROL ACTIVITIES A, B, C 1 E POST AUDIT REVIEW D 2 Total Project duration 9 weeks Recommendations and Conclusion To stem the pressures that come along with the business of waste disposal, it is imperative that necessary measures be put in place. Incorporation of a learning organisation to address the challenges in the waste disposal business is not only worthwhile but also relevant. The learning organisation is one of several approaches to change. It emphasizes on employee value as well as structures and mechanisms which enable employees to progressively contribute to their own work area and that of the organisation. It is against this background that a business facing challenges in its line of operations should integrate a learning organisation to mitigate these challengers. Incidentally, a learning organisation will amplify efficiency, cut costs, and subsequently boost the business’ profits. Any real effort towards this direction by an organisation is most likely to be beneficial. Reference List Blockely, D. & Godfrey, P. 2000, Doing it Differently: Systems for Rethinking Construction, Thomas Telford, Heron Quay, London. Dhir, R., Newlands, M. & Dyer, D. 2003, Sustainable Waste Management, Thomas Telford, Heron Quay, London. Gibson, D. Heitor, M. & Yunez, A. 2005, Learning and Knowledge for the Network Society, Purdue University Press. Harris, D. 2006, CIMA Learning System 2007 Integrated Management, Butterworth-Heinemann. Oxford, UK. Jackson, M. 2000, Systems Approaches to Management, Springer Publishers, New York. Lock, D. 2007, Project Management, Gower Publishing Limited, Hampshire, England. Norton, A. 2008, CIMA Official Learning System Integrated Management, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Read More