Employee Perception of the Effectiveness of HRM and TQM - Research Proposal Example

Running heading: Employee perception of the effectiveness of HRM and TQM. Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Table of content Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………3 Background……………………………………………………………………….3 Research question…………………………………………………………………4 Hypothesis…………………………………………………………………………5 Objectives………………………………………………………………………….5 Research relevance…………………………………………………………………5 Literature review……………………………………………………………………6 Methodology……………………………………………………………………….9 References………………………………………………………………………….16 Abstract This paper seeks to identify appropriate policies and concepts to be followed in improving the quality of service in organization and companies. Strategies of management so as to increase competitiveness are also discussed. This paper also entails the challenges faced by employees in coping with strategies implemented by team leaders or managers. This proposal includes innovative policies that will seek to solve the social problem in organizations. The paper also identifies the structure of different organizations, and the sort of personnel working there who are bound to support or object the proposal. It gives a detailed explanation on how to bridge this barrier and make organizations agree with the proposal. It also designs a clear method to be used in wooing key stakeholder to support the proposal and a conclusion summarizing this proposal. Introduction Management mainly refers to the act and attitude of being in charge of responsibilities of controlling other people or activities. Management comprises of Planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling an organization with the aim of accomplishing a set of common goals. Management can also be expressed as an activity that controls and monitors workers in any organization with the target of achieving some desired goals set by the firm. With the changing time, management has also evolved. This is as a result of decentralization in the model of the organization where management has evolved resulting in some alterations, in the duty of management. Nowadays, management mainly focuses on facilitating the activities of the workers rather than controlling them as was the norm in earlier days. Proper management is best tool to ensure productivity in an organization or a company. However, a team leader’s behavior can remove some barriers that may hinder team performance. This research will be a case study that will seek to establish the level of discrepancy between the team leader’s self-perception and the team member’s perception (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2008). Background The research will be conducted at four different organizations in different counties. Therefore, the study will be based on the varied discrepancies of perceptions between the team members and team leaders on leadership. A leader should exercise humility and should occasionally take some time off to socialize with his followers in order to maintain a respectful working relationship with them. He should be able to work under pressure as showing any signs of weakness to his competitors would negatively impact the progress of the firm. A principled leader will have some interest in the happenings both inside and outside so that they can effectively analyze the competition, as well. According to Paauwe (2004), the behavior of team members, is developed by the attitude of the team leader towards the team members. Therefore, the team leader’s self-perception and their team member’s perception regarding the leader’s performance can be quite varied or discrepant. However, if team members have negative perceptions of their leader they cannot be inspired, and the higher level of discrepancy between the leaders and their team members the poor the team productivity. Research question What are the expectations of the management about their team leaders at the different organizations in the selected counties? What management strategies are implemented in order to ensure a healthy relationship between team leaders and employees? Has total quality management improve the effectiveness on employees in their performances? What is the state of affairs concerning research about perception of team leaders? What are the team leaders’ assessments of their performance, at the different organizations? Is there a significant difference between the team leaders’ assessment of their performance and the employee’s assessment of their team leader’s performance? Hypothesis There is no significant difference between the team leader’s assessment of their performance and the employee’s assessment of their team leader’s performance. Objectives The objective of this research study is to; establish the difference between the team leader’s assessment of their performance and the subordinate’s assessment of their team leader’s performance in the different organizations. Research relevance The purpose of this research is to investigate the variation between team member’s perception of their leaders’ performance and the leaders’ self-perception of their performance. Hence, the social significance of this study is that the leaders will get the clear perception their team members have of them. Since the team members will remain anonymous the responses might be genuine, this will therefore, help them change some of their behaviors to promote development and overall performance. In addition, the research will practically help in reducing the level of discrepancy between the team leaders perception of their performance and their subordinate’s perception regarding their team leader’s performance. Moreover, the finding of this research will add more knowledge to the existing research that has been done before and create room for further research on a related concept. Literature review According Van Ruysseveldt (2004), the perception of team leaders on their performance and that of the team members on the leader's performance can be quite discrepant. Different researches done came up with almost similar results. Moreover, similar studies have shown that superiors seem to inflate the scores of their own performance compared to their team member’s. The vital point to note in these cases is that team leaders whose performances self-scores disagree with those of the team members. Jackson, Schuler & Werner (2008), argue that this might be less successful in their performance than those whose scores agreed with those of their team members. However, some organizations have tried to resolve the variation in self-perceptions by team leaders by use of techniques such as 360 feedbacks whereby subordinates rate their leader. The variation between team leaders’ self-perception on their performance and their team member’s perception of their leader’s performance is worth questioning. This is because a leader’s perception on team leadership can directly affect their team’s outcomes This may include; team member’s attitudes, behavior, and ultimately performance. Team members are extremely vital in a team leader’s output; hence, he/she is essential to the leaders. Since team members, perceptions regarding their team leaders plays a crucial role in the attitudes they develop towards their jobs it is indispensable for the team leaders to understand exactly how their team members perceive them. A reputable and successful leader should also be decisive in his entire decision making process. This goes hand in hand with self confidence even in the most difficult situations. This helps to instill confidence in the subordinates even when things are tough. Consequently, any changes in leadership effectiveness directly relates to the team’s effectiveness. As a result, this can actually influence conflict between the team leaders and the team members. There are different ways for leaders to know how their team members perceive them, moreover, they have to be highly receptive and accept both positive and negative feedback that they might receive (De Cieri, 2005). This is why this research is going to be a case study for the researcher to understand the clear perception the team members have of their team leader’s performance. Edwards & Rees (2006), claims that most leaders do not take time to understand how they are perceived, why the perception and also what they can do to improve leadership skills. Total quality management (TQM) is a business philosophy that encourages quality management in every stage of production. It is believed that adding value or improving the quality of products will help in marketing, since it will improve competitiveness. TQM only requires one to the system of operation in a business and implementing better methods and ideas. For example, there should be training for employees in order to ensure that they provide quality service to customers. There should be a close relation between the workers and the management where by the workers are allowed to make a decision at all levels. This will make them feel responsible and will be committed to their duties without supervision. Although TQM may be a bit expensive, the output will indicate changes in the amount of profits gained. In hospitals improving the quality patient’s service is part of implementing TQM strategies. Companies should adapt strategies such as offering had training sessions to their workers and ensured that they gain the best skills. Empowerment of workers improves the relationship between them and the customers. One of the key factors that they are taught is the best ways of handling customers. Some customers are polite and other extremely rude. This provided the employees with knowledge and skills to handle different people. The workers in the production sector are also trained on how to produce quality products that would please the customers. The customers were provided with quality service making them comfortable in buying their goods in the company. Workers handled customers with professional skills making them feel appreciated. Over the years, new discoveries have been made due to the rise of technology. These new discoveries have been aided by the availability of better learning facilities and equipment. These were not available in the early days. As scientists continue to discover and invent new equipment, the world is adapting them and incorporating them in the societies. As a result, the world we are living in is heavily dependent on inventions and machines to carry out tasks. Moreover, as a result of the advanced technology, people are getting more intelligent hence they are able carry out more researches of their own as well as make their own new inventions (Fashoyin, Sims & Tolentino, 2006). A reputable and successful leader should also be decisive in his entire decision making process. This goes hand in hand with self confidence even in the most difficult situations. This helps to instill confidence in the subordinates even when things are tough. A leader should also exercise humility and should occasionally take some time off to socialize with his followers in order to maintain a respectful working relationship with them. He should be able to work under pressure as showing any signs of weakness to his competitors would negatively impact the progress of the firm. A good leader will have some interest in the happenings both inside and outside so that they can effectively analyze the competition, as well. Quality management system (QMS) can be defined as the organizational procedures and structures that implement quality management in businesses. In order to ensure that there is quality management within the bank, some procedures must be followed. For instance, there should be total supervision of the activities taking place so as to ensure that everything runs smoothly. The supervisor should adapt ways of satisfying most customers by constantly improving the quality management. In addition to this, person in charge of the store should develop plans for product realization. One should learn the perfect ways of impressing customers, by investing on quality services provided to them. Research methodology Research design The research will establish the discrepancy of the leaders' self-perception of their performance and the team member’s assessment of their leaders’ performance. The case study will be done at different companies in different counties. Consequently the research will be designed to attain the objectives outlined by the researcher since the objectives are based on research questions that arise from the problem statement. Population The target group will be the team leaders and team members of the selected companies where there research study will take place. This population is most appropriate for this study as it will help the researcher to examine if the level of effectiveness in workplaces and the role played by managers in enhancing this effectiveness in employees performance. Sampling techniques A sample will be taken from the target group. A sample of ten members per team will be taken randomly from the different groups. The four different groups will ensure a fairy good representation of the different groups considering they are distinctively different. Data collection instrument Questionnaires will be used both for the team members, and for team leaders. The respondents will remain anonymous so that they can be comfortable with the situation and give their true opinion; this will enhance the analysis of the different perceptions. Questionnaires are the most appropriate method for the study, because it is not time consuming as compared to interviews whereby the researcher might be forced to find someone who will be noting down the responses as he/she interviews. In addition to these, the method is exceptionally convenient because the respondent can fill the questionnaire from anywhere could even be his or her work place as compared to other methods that may require the respondent to move from where he or she is so as not to cause distractions. Moreover, with this method the researcher will find out the true perception of the different groups because they will all remain anonymous. 360 degree feedback will also be used to measure leadership performance; more than one group will be used to give information about a person in leadership about his or her performance. The feedback will use numerical form where a 1-5 scale will be used to rate performance, however this might be insufficient thus to foster the research analysis these data will supplemented by some questions. This is an appropriate tool to measure leadership performance because the people involved will remain anonymous and since they will be told only the researcher will see the raw data and the final analysis will be given to the organization’s management to help improve the employee’s effectiveness in their performances. Data analysis A one-way ANOVA test will be used to detect distinct differences in the team members and leaders perceptions in the different groups. ANOVA test is a tool used to analyze variance to find out if three or more modes are equal and since our case study is based on variation in four different organizations, this is the most appropriate method especially compared to some other methods like the T-test. With T-test, as the number of the group increases the number of T-test increases too ,the number of T-test increases geometrically with the number groups, hence performing T-test will be extremely difficult with many to test also as the number of T-test increases , the chances of getting an error increase. Since ANOVA is used when data is divided into groups based on one factor, the questions to be used will be: Is there a distinct difference between the groups? If so, which group is distinctively different from the others? Statistical tests will be provided to compare group’s means, medians, and standard deviations. ANOVA also gives a statistical test. However, in order to use this statistical tool the dependent variable should be clearly defined and in this case, it is the leader’s performance. This kind of analysis helps the researcher to use the quantitative data as a foundation; this will help give more meaning to the qualitative data hence enhance interpretation. Questions to be used in the 360-degree feedback Kindly circle the number that represents your opinion. You will remain anonymous so please give your true opinion. Note: strongly agree (1), agree (2), neither agree nor disagree (3), disagree (4), Strongly disagree (5) 1. Is your team leader`s leadership style effective? 1 2 3 4 5 2. If the leader`s leadership was different would the team`s performance be different? 1 2 3 4 5 3. Is your team leader’s performance worth crediting? 1 2 3 4 5 4. Is he or she a leader who listens to his or her team member’s problems? 1 2 3 4 5 5. If yes to (3), does the team leader do his or her best to help out with the problem? 1 2 3 4 5 Kindly explain any changes that you would want your team leader to make to promote the teams’ productivity……………………………………………………………………………..... ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Questionnaire to be used This information collected on this questionnaire will be used to establish the discrepancy/variation of team leader’s self-perception on their leadership and the team member’s perception .Kindly give your honest answer because you will remain anonymous. Answer where appropriate. 1. What is your position? (A team leader or team member.)………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. If you are a leader, a).briefly explain how you perceive your performance as a team leader……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. b).Do you think your team members are satisfied with your performance. …………………………………………………………………………………………………. c) If the team members are satisfied, what do you think are the reasons? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... d).If the team members are not satisfied what do you think are the reasons? ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3. If you are a team member a).briefly explain how you perceive your team leaders` performance…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… b).Do you think your team leaders are satisfied with their performance? …………………………………………………………………………………………………. c) If the team leaders are satisfied with their performance, what do you think are the reasons? ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... d).If the team leaders are not satisfied with their performance, what do you think are the reasons?......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4. Do you think there is a discrepancy/variation in the way the team members perceive their team leaders` performance and the way the team leaders perceive their own performance? 5. a) If your answer to (4) above is Yes, briefly state the reasons……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… b).If your answer to (4) Above is No, briefly state the reasons……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Thanks for your time References Bohlander, G & Snell, S 2009, Managing Human Resources, 15th ed. Cengage Learning, London. Briscoe, D, Schuler, R & Claus, L 2008, International Human Resource Management, 3rd ed. Taylor & Francis, Boston. De Cieri, H 2005, International HRM: an Asia-Pacific focus, Routledge, New York. Dickmann, M 2008, International Human Resource Management: A European Perspective, 2nd ed. Taylor & Francis, London. Edwards, T & Rees, C 2006, International human resource management: globalization, national systems and multinational companies, Financial Times Prentice Hall, Toronto. Fashoyin, T, Sims, E & Tolentino, A 2006, Labour-management cooperation in SMEs: forms and factors, International Labour Organization, Michigan. Jackson, S, Schuler, R & Werner, S 2008, Managing Human Resources, 10th ed. Cengage Learning, London. Mudie, P & Pirrie, 2006, A Services Marketing Management, 3rd ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, Moscow. Paauwe, J 2004, HRM and performance: achieving long-term viability, Oxford University Press, New York. Van Ruysseveldt, A 2004, International human resource management, 2nd ed. SAGE, Los Angeles. Read More