Management and Administration - Essay Example

Management and Administration Name Institution Tutor Date Introduction The paper looks at the various schools of thought in relation to management of organization and businesses both at global and national levels. It further collaborates and looks at the implication of the various schools of thought in relation to the work life balance .The models are viewed in depth and in relation to various background information and the principles behind the various economic approaches and they relationships to work base life. Different arguments in relation to management and work base life are analyzed and the various applications and approaches to and against the ideas are analyzed with an eventual conceptualization and conclusion. The second part of the document analyses work life balance and business sustainability as a whole. It looks at all the possible parts of management and economic advantages of WLB .There are several issues that are affected by the program in a business some are positive with minimal negative results in relation to this approach. This approach to a great extent leads to satisfaction of employees encouraging efficiency and employee loyalty hence encouraging sustainability. Part 1 The ability of people to have control over when ,how and where they work is referred to as work life balance. Work life balance is attained when individual’s right to fulfilled life outside and within paid work is attained and respected as a norm, in relation to mutual benefits to the individual, business and society as a whole. Wide recognition believe that employees who achieve the balance work more efficiently ,have more commitment to the employers and have low instances of falling sick (Melitz, 2003). To retain highly skilled personnel within the sectors of work there is a need to provide and maintain a supportive environment for men and women to enable them balance careers and personal lives. In case there is no balance in the lives of employees then a high possibility of a change of career or employer looms in the entire process. In practice work, life balance means a choice between the time and work location. Movement towards flexible working is not only a practical change but forms a significant cultural shift. This incorporates trusting of the staff and measuring achievement rather than measuring the processes (Athena, 2008). Models of work life balance Concerns of policy makers are that firms are developing measures that are not sufficient to ensure work life balance of employees because the cost of this is too high in relation to competition in the global business environment. Contrary management literature have a belief that firms need to adopt practices having positive work life balance creating positive impacts on firms especially in competitive market environments with speedy value experience. Well-managed firms have better employees’ management plus higher staff and more skilled work force in their employees’ database. Gains from work life balance on productive is never robust when there is an inclusion of control on management .there is a finding that firms with good work life balance do not have high productivity compared to the firms without work life balance. Work life balance models are based on two polar positions and a hybrid type. The first type is referred to as the Chirac model and the second type the win -win model (Fraser, 1994). The Chirac theory It argues that the US has achieved certain economic success in the recent years relative to the larger European continent comprising of France, Germany and Italy. Allegations are because of unleashing of market forces toughening competition in the product markets through trade liberalization, privatisation and removing of subsidies to the national champions. For the case of the British economy, it originated during the reigns of Thatcher and continued in the reigns of Blair. Competition in the economy has lead to development of Anglo Saxon management practices that has aided increase in productivity but has negative expense on the quality of life of the workers both at the workstation and at home (Stewart, 1990). Poor work life balance originate from long working hours and plus low level of flexibility. In summary, forces of globalization intensifying competition need resistance since better production must not come at the expense of quality of life and the well-being of social cohesion and state of people (Lee & Miller, 1999). Win-win theory This theory is much optimistic in relation to the Chirac theory. It explains that the improvement of employees work life balance bolster their morale enabling firms to retain and attract better employees. In case an employee has children, he will not be willing to offer its services to a company that does not have good work life balance (Manski, 2004). This eventually leads to loss of valuable talent to the company and low production ability in the long end. There are many reasons why companies may fail to employ these strategies and in most cases, they are because of poor management of companies. In certain cases, firms know the importance of work life balance but they fail to apply them because of the costs involved in the implementation as a whole. For example, a firm with a low-level WLB program may not find it necessary to move up the ladder due to the related costs incurred in the process of implementation. Having a functional and friendly work life balance is important and fundamental for the employees hence the government and management need to apply it to ensure that they are in a position to achieve maximum benefits and productivity of the work force in a manner that is sustainable and friendly to the organization as a whole (Conrald & Mangel, 2000). Hybrid theory This theory steers along the middle of the course. Competition is a stimulant for better management and productivity. Good managers introduce WLB, this has no direct effect on productivity .Generally firms introduce WLB based on relative costs and benefits, and dependent on the goods they produce and the types of workers they intend to hire. The level of competition has no direct impact on WLB approach of an organization. Compatibility of work life balance and school of management has both a sour and sweet relationship. To an extent good management is seen as a fundamental attribute and quality necessary to establish an effective WLB .Good WLB is viewed as an important aspect of good management (Nick, Tobias, & John, 2006). Measuring and quantifying work life balance requires coding concepts into facts acceptable across different industries and manufacturing firms and organizations. This is a complex factor as defining and making work life balance benchmarks and management strategies are not easy tasks. To achieve work life balance a combination of factors need development in the work place and need to efficient address the state of workers in a friendly and integrative way. Work place employment surveys need regular analysis to understand the perceptions and state of employment conditions of organizations and administrations. The management evaluation tools must be developed in a conclusive and integrative means ensuring that the organizations are following highly recommended management practices in the field. Part 2 Management measures can get subdivision into four components; monitoring, operations, targets and peoples management which comprises of provision of incentives. When work life balance is entered into the regression columns, it is correlated to all the individual components of management. In a simultaneous involvement of all the management components people management score dominates the results since work life balance is a measure of people and their lifestyles. Work life balance is a flexible arrangement regarding healthy work relation and issues affecting the work program of employees. Sustainable work is not just analytical but also a normative principle. Sustainable business and work has the following three principles; the right of everyone to lead a decent life, social justice and the principle of incorporation of all stakeholders in a project or a business environment. Sustainability in management is important for the survival of a business and the profit production of the whole process. Work life balance has a major part to play and control on the sustainability of a business in that it influences major management decisions and issues facing the management in relation to the well-being of labour force. The WLB has a major part to play in the sustainability of a business in that it will have a direct influence on the work force, efficiency, revenue, productivity and competitiveness of a business enterprise. Effective WLB leads to satisfaction of employees and their efficiency hence high and more efficient production. The morale of the employees gains boosting and the business production is elevated hence increased sustainability of an organization. Family relations and reduction of conflicts will lead to reduction in absenteeism and the man-power become more efficient hence production levels are boosted to ensure that the process is smooth and operational leading to a sustainable business venture. Generally, work life balance has positive additions to the business hence leading to sustainability and competitive advantage to the enterprise as a unit. Management has a role and duty to develop programs and policies that can be implemented in a comprehensive and friendly way in the organization without compromising the business model hence ensuring sustainability. Negative impacts of WLB to organizations and its impact on sustainability is that it can be expensive to initiate and maintain in an organization. Compromise may arise in cases where the program is not well developed and initiated .this may lead to expensive ventures and general loss to organizations hence compromising the sustainability of a business model. Work life balance provide a number of policies offering a change in the management of businesses in the event of changing family demographics .It is a catalyst for businesses to gain competitive advantage in the changing work environments. The advantages of work life balance in the business are numerous and have direct impacts on the sustainability measures of organizations. Work life balance has numerous contributions to the sustainability of businesses and competitive state of businesses. The major advantages it has for the business is that it allows access to education and training schedules of employees hence the application of their skills more effectively. With sufficient and well-structured WLB, there is an increase in the application pool of advertised jobs and improved production at the organizational level of jobs. With the provision of greater job satisfaction, job security and job potential organizations develop greater profitability and sustainability is enhanced. There is a general reduction in absenteeism by a decrease in family work conflict and satisfaction of family responsibilities. Effective work life balance has a positive perception and view to the general public and their viewership of the entire organizational operations and well being .Processing the work balance programs and positions on paper are not enough for implementation. The use of work life balance is very fundamental to sustainability of a business. The capitals implemented in the program of WLB are important to the economy of a business and lead to increase of competition of the organizational. Well-initiated programs lead to enhanced competitive advantage of an organization hence sustainability and positive addition to an enterprise. When the program is poorly implemented with no effective contingency plans it may lead to business losses and unsustainable business models. Conclusion The principle of WLB is a fundamental attribute of an organization since it directly affects the well fare of employees. Employees are the major components of a business since they determine productivity and operations of an organization. Different schools have different perspectives to the competitive advantage of this program to a business. The most effective school of though and management strategy is the approach that considers a win-win approach as the most lucrative and comprehensive management method to implement WLB .It is also a fundamental principle that encourages business sustainability since it supports the competitive advantage of an organization and the general view of a business. When the business is factoring in the interests and need of the employees using this program then the employees work efficiently and remain loyal increasing productivity and quality. This leads to massive profits and sustainability of the enterprise. Bibliography Athena, S. (2008). Best Practice-Work Life Balance. Journal for Charter of Women In science , 2-4. Conrald, A., & Mangel, R. (2000). The Impact of Work Life Balance on Firms Productivity. Strategic Management Journal , 1225-1237. Fraser, N. (1994). After the family wage. London: Macmillan Press. Lee, J., & Miller, D. (1999). People Matter:Commitment to Employees,Strategy and Performance in Korean Firms. Strategic Management Journal , 579-593. Manski, C. (2004). Measuring Expectations. Econometrica , 1329-1376. Melitz, M. (2003). The Impacts of Trade on Intra Industry Rellocation and Aggregate productivity. Econometrica , 1695-1725. Nick, B., Tobias, K., & John, R. (2006). Work-Life balance :the links with management practices and productivity. New york: Routeledge. Stewart, M. (1990). Union wage differentials ,Product market influences and rent differnces. Economic Journal , 1122-1137. Read More