Managing Performance - Tough Mudder Event - Research Paper Example

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT: TOUGH MUDDER EVENT Name Professor’s Name Course name Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Problem Definition 3 Literature Review 4 Introduction 4 Recruitment and Role Assigning 4 Managing Performance 5 Retention and Motivation 6 Training and Development 6 Conclusion 7 Data Collection and Findings 8 Recruitment 9 Retention and Motivation 10 In-depth Plan of One Solution 11 Training and Development 11 Advantages 13 Disadvantages of training and development 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 Problem Definition Tough Mudder event is one incredible event founded in 2010 that meant to test human reaction and phobia. The event is organized across three major cities in Australia that include Melbourne, Sydney and South East Queensland. The whole idea was proposed by a duel of business graduates from Harvard. The factors and situations that are used to create fear include flames, water, voltages, and extreme elevations. The focus of this year’s event is the Melbourne Tough Mudder which is new and accompanied by new hardship and fear triggers. The event is scheduled for October 2015. An adventurous terrain is in place that has deep mud about 5 feet deep, steep and high hills, numerous water reservoirs, natural and terrifying creeks and a set of other new obstacles. Melbourne series of Tough Mudder is sponsored by local powerhouses that include Bosch Blue Power Tools, Garmin Company, the Coates Hire, Under Armor and Soldier on. The event’s stakeholder comprises of all volunteers willing to take up the nervous challenge and is known as MVP. The event is a new one with new series of challenges that are breathtaking. Not only participants will feel the new environment but also the event organizers in terms of staff. New and more demanding roles develop for the event organizer to require a competent team in place. This brings on the concept of human resource management. The practice managing human resources come with costs, risks and conveniences. Effective management is must be identified to avoid any letdowns during the Tough Mudder Melbourne event. Consultancy therefore is necessary to advice on options to overcome this challenge of workforce management the Tough Mudder is to face. Literature Review Introduction The Melbourne series of the Tough Mudder event comes with new fear factors and events that require an upgrade in the staff number or staff competence. Only quality staff is needed to deliver quality in terms of event management, risk management, financial management advertising, creativity and innovation. To have such a staff, Tough mudder needs to put in place quality Human resource management strategies. This section reviews the various human resource management practices and the relevant qualities needed in the practices. The practices discussed in this section include recruitment, compensation and benefits, retention and motivation, training and development, effective communication. Recruitment and Role Assigning According to Doornenbal et al (2012), the best recruitment strategy ensures competent staff is acquired by an organization. In their document of Recruitment and Selection, the writers recommend that several steps be adopted for effective recruitment (ATG Educational, 2008). The first step is to analyze the job requirements and demands. A comprehensive internal research should justify that such competence is not within the organizations’ personnel (Boxall et al 2007). If competence can be detected within, then there is no need for new employees. A job advertisement can be made when technical deficiency is detected within the organization (Coyle-Shapiro et al, 2013). A transparent vetting panel should be selected to countercheck applicants’ quality versus the job requirements. There might be situations when a company only needs temporary staff for a contractual duty. In this case, expatriates with adequate skill and knowledge can be hired (Doornenbal et al, 2012). Team selection and assigning of roles is a unique approach in project and event management. Several methods can be adopted in assigning of roles to team members. Organizational chart can be developed to identify set out roles. According to FME (2014), staffing management plan for events must have the follow the following steps; staff hiring; duty roster for staff; duty schedule; staff training and knowledge development; and development of a health and risk management plan. Staff recruitment in workforce management has both pros and cons. With new recruits in place, new talent is brought on board (Boxall et al, 2007). An organization can be more specific on qualities demanded during hiring of new staff. New staff brings on a new challenge to keep the rest of the workforce on toes. According to Senyucel (2009), significant disadvantages like cost of hiring and induction must be encountered. A lot of time is wasted on advertising, vetting and induction of new recruits. Managing Performance Managing performance can be met through motivation, rewarding performance, promoting basing on quality, supervising and dealing with non-performers (Coyle-Shapiro et al, 2013). An organization must strive to manage performance so as to achieve the desired productivity (Senyucel, 2009). It improves performance both for individual personnel and the entire workforce. In this management, communication to relevant supervisors is streamlined and more improved (Wilson, 2005; Boxall et al, 2007). The management has to constantly empower its workforce to increase productivity (Edralin, 2004). All issues of misconduct and poor performance should be quickly addressed and without discrimination. Good human resource management should incorporate frequent training to increase the capacity of the workforce. All supervisions should be constant, specific, oriented and uphold equity among the workforce. Retention and Motivation According to Senyucel (2009) motivation of personnel is one key point to be addressed so as to yield best performance. Various theories of motivation exist that can be adopted by organizations. They include effective communication, performance appraisal, staff training and development, performance credits, recreational benefits, gifts, retention strategies can be implemented at bottom level, middle level or highest level of an organization (Coyle-Shapiro et al, 2013; Werner and DeSimone, 2011). All these categories require that employee’s needs and safety are also considered. Creating trust and honesty is crucial for retaining a good workforce. It is important to note that only competent well equipped staff can be retained and motivated (Boxall et al, 2007). According to Sandhya and Pradeep, (2011), the best way to retain a competent workforce is through motivation. Retention of a workforce has many advantages to an organization. The internal mission and vision of the organization is maintained through retention, cost of hiring and induction is avoided, the workforce develops experience with time, workers develop more cohesion and best skill is maintained within (Wilson, 2005). Training and Development Staff training not only includes new staff but also current staff of an organization (Senyucel, 2009). A new employee has to be trained on what is expected of him or her in the new job place (Wilson, 2005). The same case applies to promoted staff and shuffled staff across departments. Orientation enables the employee to learn what the new job is and the various roles to be played (Edralin, 2004). Training need analysis is important in improving existing knowledge within an organization. According to United Nations economic commission for Europe (2013), a relevant training design should be adopted to achieve the projects mission and goals. Technical and behavioral aspects should be well addressed during staff training. Staff training has plays a major role in building capacity, technical quality, creativity and innovation of a company’s workforce (Edralin, 2004). Training helps individuals within a workforce develop ways to counter their weaknesses. Employee performance is magnified and the workforce becomes more positive towards the working environment. An organization can realize consistency and efficiency after a successful training of its staff. This activity has however been criticizes by Wilson (2005). According to Wilson (2005), time is wasted during the training process and can stall ongoing projects and assignment. The employee may also have to commit financial resources towards the training activity. Conclusion The new Melbourne Course of the tough mudder event needs more competent staff to ensure the event is successful. The main focal points for event workforce management according to the reviews are remunerations reviews, benefits, recruitment, managing performance, employment contracts, induction and training. Tough Mudder event needs competent staff and these literature concepts can help give an overview on specific areas of intervention. Data Collection and Findings The main aim for event workforce management is to have a technical team in place. Tough Mudder event organizers can opt for three options to manage the event workforce. The three key points of concern are recruitment, retention and motivation training and development. This is some of the basic strategies for human resource management that can ensure competent staff for any organization. The Melbourne course of Tough Mudder is new and will definitely come up with new roles and new technical approach. New events create uncertainty if the current staff is technically equipped to handle new roles. There are steep slopes, electricity, deep mud that demand for more risk control personnel. More creativity and innovation is required by the event organizers. Effective networking and planning will be more demanding and inevitable. If the staff is technically insufficient then Tough Mudder has to higher new staff to strengthen the existing one. The same case applies if the available staff is numerically incapable to accommodate the new roles. The available staff might be well equipped technically. The event organizers have to put in place all efforts to retain this staff and continuously motivate it. Motivation and retention will ensure that Tough Mudder retain quality staff to handle the new Melbourne event. The current staff can be numerically adequate with potential for knowledge development. In this case, training and development will be required to boost the technical capacity of the staff. Training will also be needed to orient new recruits if acquired by the event organizer. These three options are preferred since they are the most favorable in terms of time saving, cost effect and convenience. They are also strategic decisions that can be implemented within a short time by Tough Mudder to get an excellent workforce Recruitment Recruitment and selection can help Tough Mudder bring in a new team for the Melbourne event. The new figures, new technical skills and new approach to the event can be realized through this measure (Werner J & DeSimone R (2011). Recruiting further gives the event organizer ability to assemble a competent team of desired characteristics. New recruits can be beneficial to the existing workforce through influence. New recruits can be a good approach to smoothly diversify the workforce for the Melbourne event. Increased flexibility in approaching the new event can be realized through new recruits. This measure can also be used to back-up an aging workforce of the Tough Mudder. Recruitment also increases the numerical capacity of the Tough Mudder workforce to ease organization of the Melbourne event. Recruitment also has some disadvantages that the event organizer has to be cautious. It is difficult to precisely and concisely establish the magnitude of contribution a new workforce will create. The Melbourne event is new and some levels of uncertainty exist. The aspect of time is also of more concern when recruiting. Time is wasted in advertising for the vacancy, vetting and selection, induction and adaptation. Tough Mudder can spend more time in vacancy analysis, planning and organizing for recruitment. This time could have been meaningful for internal development. Cost is also another important area of concern for Tough Mudder in recruiting new staff. There is an inevitable cost of advertising for the vacancy, selection and induction. A cost for the salaries and remunerations of the new staff, cost. The cost per hire of a workforce can compromise the financial position of the event organizer. Recruitment can create a perception that the event organizer is not set for the oncoming event. Volunteers can be discouraged by this perception. Tough Mudder can opt for online recruitment which has more advantages. The option is quicker and can be conducted around the clock. E-recruitment is more convenient for Tough Mudder if a large number of individuals are to be scrutinized. This method considerably reduces costs incurred for instance in advertising. The online approach has the ability to attract more potential event workforce for the Melbourne event, hence the ability to gain competence beyond geographical barriers. E-recruitment has some disadvantages that Tough Mudder should be aware. The vacancy application will only be limited to internet those who can access the internet. Many applicants even the less serious ones can present their application. There can emerge online threats like cyber crime which can blemish the image of Tough Mudder. Retention and Motivation Tough Mudder can decide to maintain the workforce in a case where it is capable of handling the new event effectively. Whenever the cost per hire can be predicted to be high, the event organizer can opt to retain and motivate the existing workforce. Motivation encourages productivity from the workforce and helps maintain a competent team for the new event. It significantly creates a positive attitude towards event organizing and Improves the quality of service by the workforce. Volunteers will be contented with such service and the turnout for the Melbourne event can increase. A more comfortable working environmental is realized though workforce motivation. Retention ensures that quality in the workforce is maintained ahead of the Melbourne Tough Mudder event. Hiring and training costs are avoided through retention. The mission and vision of the Tough Mudder is safeguarded once a competent workforce spearheads the legacy. Retention gives a company an opportunity to reshuffle its workforce to enhance development through apprenticeship. Motivation can be costly to the event organizers since money is often used. Actions such as appraisal, gift and salary increment can prove to be costly. Retention on the other hand can be a barrier to a range of new developments by the event organizers. In retention, Tough Mudder may not realize new innovation for the Melbourne event. Non-performing staff will not bring the desired input for the Melbourne event. Retaining individuals with negative influence will significantly jeopardize the organization and mission of the new event. Inherent disadvantages within an organization are propagated through continuous retention. In-depth Plan of One Solution Training and Development Recruitment, retention and motivation may not be a good choice for Tough Mudder’s workforce management. They have trait of cost inefficiency, time inconveniency and productivity uncertainty (Edralin, 2004). This makes staff training a more viable choice ahead of the Melbourne event. Staff training commences immediately after recruitment during induction (Boxall et al, 2007). This is a very important area that the Tough Mudder can concentrate on as far as workforce management is concerned. Workforce training should focus on the department requirements or role demands (ATG Educational, 2008; Senyucel, 2009). The advertising staff should be trained on how to reach more individual to attend the Melbourne event. The risk control and safety personnel should be well aware of the potential risks of the new event and the counter measures. This approach should apply to all other departments. The event organizer has to show interest to train and develop its current workforce. There should be a well conducted research on various departmental or role demands. Comprehensive and specific target training should be developed for specific groups (Wilson, 2005). The process should involve skilled trainers who must ensure frequent assessment. The Tough Mudder should the commit to continuously training its workforce. Tough Mudder should recognize that many types of training exist and should involve professionals in selection. Induction training is meant for new recruits who can be applied for Tough Mudder. According to Wilson (2005), management development must be applied to top officials to widen their managerial scope. Vocational training can also be used to develop the workforce professionally and technically. Language and communication training will be crucial for the new event especially for field operations. A good training model should respectively identify objectives, assess the training needs, identify a gap, develop objectives, identify the trainees, identify the training methods, identify the means of evaluation, implement the training process and finally evaluate the effect of the training on the workforce. Tough Mudder can identify training needs through; reviewing organizational mission, goals, future plans, available methods and technologies, trends in the socio-economic, technological and political fields. Tough Mudder training should address; communication skills and capacity, technology incorporation, customer relations, diversity awareness, ethical issues, human relations, total quality management, safety control measures and sexual harassment. Tough Mudder training must also recognize that training can be firm specific to meet the events objectives (Edralin, 2004; Boxall et al, 2007). Training can also transferable and applicable across various fields. Transferable skill training will be more preferable for Tough Mudder workforce. This makes the workforce all round and ready to handle strategic duties when called upon. It also makes the workforce more flexible. Organizational, personal and organizational barriers can exist that can slow down the training. Some individuals may lack motivation, physical impairment, cognitive impairment and availability. Resources should not be an issue to Tough Mudder and should use this to counter the personal barriers. Advantages According to Boxall et al (2007), an organization stands to benefit a lot through staff training and development. Training helps the workforce understand the legal enforcement and legislation within their jurisdiction. Implementation of modern customs and cultures can be well understood through training. Effective communication through training will ensure connection to sponsors and the volunteers of the Melbourne event (ATG Educational, 2008). Tough Mudder workforce will understand how to handle issues on drug use and human rights. It is important to uphold Human rights during the event. Understanding technological trends will enable the workforce be swift in networking to attract more participants. Training can help expand innovation and creativity among the work force which is beneficial to the event organizer (Senyucel, 2009). More ideas create more possibilities for success. Training will significantly improve Tough Mudder organizational commitment. Cognitive understanding physical capacity of the workforce is increased. This implies that overall performance is increased. Training also increases cohesion among the workforce and enhances teamwork to achieve success. The workforce can become more flexible and reliable to changing situations. These situations include socio-economic, political and cultural. Interpersonal skill is well developed. After training managerial confidence is increased and contributes to stability of the Tough Mudder. Training on human relations reduces internal conflicts hence smoothening operations. Creative and challenging environment is created which improves competence. Several costs can be reduced through training. Costs such as legal liability costs, accident costs, advertising and hiring cost can be significantly reduced. Intangible cost of time and problem solving cost will also be reduced. Less conflicts, more awareness and innovation elevates workforce morale. Training on the new Tough Mudder at Melbourne will help the workforce understand the environment and be able to predict uncertainties. A potential pool of personnel is well prepared in case of replacement or promotions. New projects can easily be incorporated since the technical capacity is high. Disadvantages of training and development Personnel training may have various disadvantages to an organization (Koster, 2004). Once well trained, key individuals within the workforce may demand for pay rise and can compromise the financial state of the event organizer. Members within the workforce may opt to resign and invest in private firms to compete Tough Mudder. Alternatively, members of the workforce may search for better paying jobs since they have a relevant skill. According to Koster (2004), financial demands attached to the training process may be relatively high. Some training may require new equipment, onsite simulations, cost of food and beverages, training allowances, certificates and other costly tools and equipments. The total time consumed by the training process can be too much. This eats up time that would have been used for planning. New skills will demand for more tools and equipments which translate to costs. Conclusion Tough Mudder is in the process of organizing a new event in Melbourne with new fear factors introduced. New technologies and expertise will be required to match up the new challenge. Steep slopes and high hills, water reservoirs, natural, scary creeks and potentially risky obstacles have been introduced. The event organizer has to develop a strategy to ensure that that a competent workforce is on ground during the event. The basic approaches of human resource management will be relevant in this case. Three options of human resource management that are viable include recruitment, retention and motivation, training and development. The best of the three options for Tough Mudder is to train the available workforce. Many advantages are attached to this option that include; increasing capacity of the workforce and the Tough Mudder efficiency. In addition to that, knowledge of the workforce is increased and new programs can be easily incorporated into the event. Risk preparedness is improved and the adoption of new technologies can easily be done. Tough Mudder reputation can be increased incase the events prove successful. Some disadvantages that include costs and time inconveniences also exist. A creative staff will help Tough Mudder succeed in terms of innovation. There is also a potential risk to lose technically equipped staff to other firms. The advantages of training are more than the disadvantages hence can be adopted by Tough Mudder ahead of the Melbourne series. Several measures can be employed cushion the disadvantages. This includes the various human resource management strategies like motivation to retain workforce. References ATG Educational (2008). Human Resource Management. Retrieved on October 18th, 2015 from Boxall P, Purcell J & WRIGHT P (2007) the oxford handbook of Human Resource. New York: Oxford University Press. Coyle-Shapiro J, Hoque K, Kessler I, Pepper A, Richardson R & Walker L (2013). Human resource management. London: University of London Doornenbal E, Stitselaar W & Jansen L (2012). Recruitment and Selection. Retrieved on October 18th, 2015 from Edralin D (2004). Training: A Strategic HRM Function. Notes on Business Education Volume & No.4. Retrieved on October 18th, 2015 from Koster M (2004). Human Resource Development: The Limitation of Systematic Training Cycle. GRIN Verlag. Sandhya K & Pradeep K.D (2011). Employee retention by motivation. Retrieved on October 18th, 2015 from Senyucel Z (2009). Managing Human Resource in the 21st . Retrieved on October 18th, 2015 from United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (2013). Human Resources Management and Training. Retrieved on October 18th, 2015 from Werner J & DeSimone R (2011). Human Resource Management. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning. Wilson J.P (2005). Human Resource Development: Learning and Training For Individuals and Organizations. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Read More