How Other Companies Can Learn from Bruce Draper - Coursework Example

A Critical Review of the way in which the management and employees have responded to the way in which Geotechnical Instruments Ltd has changed its working practices and An Evaluation of how other companies can learn from Bruce Draper According to Draper’s PA, Hannah Delaney, the new management under Bruce Draper did a complete revamp in the way things work at Geotechnical Instruments Ltd in Leamington Spa. All employees became entitled to training in anything they like, from Spanish lessons to 3D CAD training. They are also given privileges such as choosing their own working hours, time-off, even at a short notice for family and household emergencies and childcare vouchers. Also, instead of dull and plain assembly lines, the offices and factory spaces were painted yellow and blue. Those are calming shades which may help make the offices more conducive for working. Other benefits are the healthy eating program and a healthcare plan which covers everything from dentistry and marriage guidance and an IT training suite. Even their canteen is equipped with a widescreen TV, subsidized lunches and a pool table! (Katbamna 2006) If we will notice, most of the changes mentioned in the case study are employee-oriented. This may have helped the employees to take the changes more lightly. Having a new management may cause problems like high stress, misdirected energy, conflict and resistance from the current management and the workforce of a company or organization. But in the case of Geotechnical Instruments Ltd., more changes are focused on the employees. That is a major factor by which the employees are highly motivated, causing them to respond positively to the new regime and to accept the changes implemented by the said management. Moreover, Draper was awarded “Best Boss” for 2006 by Working Families, a work/life balance organization. (Katbamna 2006) That may have strengthened the trust and the respect of the management and of the employees to him. Also he has been with the company for twenty years and that means that people there know him already. That, somehow lessened the “shock of the new and unknown”, one of the possible sources of resistance to change. In an organizational culture, the leader should have a vision and steps on how to realize and uphold the practices of an organization. The charisma of the leader is his main characteristic. It is the ability to move others to trust him and become loyal to him. (School of Communication, Information and Library Studies) Paul Hersey’s and Kenneth Blanchard’s “life-cycle” theory, a situational leadership theory states that the style of the leader depends on the self-motivation of the subordinates. It says that “Relatively "immature" subordinates require autocratic leadership; subordinates intermediate in maturity do best with a more democratic approach, and very "mature" subordinates do not need any explicit leadership at all”. (factbug.org 2006) I think that democratic style is what Draper employed. Some employees, like Tim Wilson, also say that “he’s also very approachable, that his door is always open and he always makes time for them”. (Katbamna 2006) It helps that the management and the employees will have a voice, a chance to speak up about matters regarding the company. There was no suppression of divergent points-of view. Bruce Draper listens to them and also considers what the staff has to say. Wilson is the father of eight-year old James, and Niamh, 2, and he welcomed Draper’s new ideas for the company because he, too, was given a chance to choose a time that was suitable for him as a father Bruce Draper was considerate enough to allow Wilson to start early and leave at 3:30 pm. He also made his staff, particularly Hannah Delaney, feel that they have worth and importance. According to Maslow’s Theory of Human Motivation, any motivated behavior must be recognized as a medium through which needs, specifically basic ones, can be satisfied. Maslow pointed out the needs of human beings, one of which is the need for self-esteem. He said that all beings have a desire for high appraisal for themselves, for self-respect and the high regard from other people. Man wants self-esteem based upon his real achievements and capacities. (Maslow as cited by Green 2000) Draper applied some from this theory. As Rosabeth Kanter said, “The new workforce wants to feel that its work is meaningful, that it’s doing something good”. (Kanter 2002) Motivation, communication with the employees, and the uplifting of the morale and self-esteem of the employees were also established. As the new manager of the organization, Draper also became a change leader. As such, he needs to employ effective communication. He must know who he must communicate with, what to communicate and how to communicate it. An effective change leader can see and understand that any change implemented will have a consequence, an effect on the people working in the organization. (Work911.com) Bruce carried out a communication directly between him and his employees. The communication theory (information theory), particularly Warren Weaver concentrated on “what’s going on between the two of you?” (Griffin, 1997 as cited by afirstlook.com) and on the relationship between the sender and the receiver of the message. (Griffin, 1997 as cited by afirstlook.com) According to Likert, employees must be seen as people who have their own needs and desires. Their values must be given importance and their self-worth must be boosted. (Accel team 2005) An example in the case study is the case of Chandrika Nadha who has always wanted to see where his ancestors came from. She was given that chance because of the implementation of the flexible working which enabled her and her husband, Narendra on a seven-week pilgrimage. He knew how to manage a multicultural workforce. He probably identified the norms and differences of the cultures of his workers. He understood and somehow felt for the needs of his staff. (Worldroom 2006) The Path-Goal Theory of Robert House states that by offering rewards, through showing sensitivity to the needs of the staff, and through consultative decision-making, “the leader can affect the performance, satisfaction, and motivation” of his subordinates. (DrWoolard.com 2006) But change does not come that easy. At first, not everyone welcomed the changes. Of course, some were hesitant and skeptical. That was a natural reaction. There would first be change fatigue. Those who have been working there for a long time thought of change as something that would require so many procedures that they were reluctant to start them. But as soon as they saw things work well, they saw all the significance of such changes. Like in Lewin’s change theory and model, there was unfreezing first, the lessening of resistance and strengthening of change before moving from old behavior to the new ones and then finally, refreezing again as changes are made permanent. (Schein 2002-2006) There was participation, involvement, negotiation and agreement and training and development among and for the employees. He was able to work his changes well with and through people. Draper, as the new manager, took the time away from the usual production operations and focused more on training and development. Based on Maslow’s theory of motivation, people also yearn “to know and to understand”. Also, they put value to freedom to inquire and to express themselves. (Maslow as cited by Green 2000) Looking at power, politics and change, we must note that a strategic leader must have influence tactics that translate his power to actual changes and outcomes. (National Defense University) One of the tactics used by Bruce is the interpersonal influence tactic, through understanding the concerns of his employees and dealing with positive and productive relationships with subordinates. He also employed empowerment tactics by including the involvement of other’s ideas and by involving them in the implementation process. He encouraged innovativeness and confidence of the employees. Power, indeed instigates change. It is the capacity to translate goals and plans into actuality. (National Defense University) According to Gene Sharp’s Theory of Power, political power is the "the totality of means, influences, and pressures - including authority, rewards, and sanctions - available for use to achieve the objectives of the power-holder, especially the institutions of government, the State, and groups opposing either of them" (1980, p. 27). According to this theory, the obedience and the submission of the subordinates is the key to political power. Without them, a government would not exist. The consent theory of power states that the leader’s power "depend intimately upon the obedience and cooperation of the subjects" (1973, p. 12). (Martin 2005) It was a good thing that the employees were open to change but I think that their reaction was also greatly affected by the attention and importance directed to them by the new manager. It is notable too, that though they accepted, some were reluctant at first. Changes can be refreshing but it must also be considered if these changes are much-needed. It must also be analyzed first if they would be beneficial for the company. That was a good reaction from the employees, especially those who have been in the company for a long time. They considered the procedures to be the done first before allowing the changes to be implemented. Though they were open of the new ideas, some were also not hastily receptive. Those traits are essential. Other companies could also learn from Bruce Drapers’ management of change within Geotechnical Instruments Ltd. An example is this case which I had researched. In a large, local public accounting firm, one of the twelve partners helped the firm build up an ample and significant ElderCare practice. In developing that practice, they had done some advertising using the ElderCare Services logo and name and printed some brochures. (The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants 2006) But early that year, that person told the others that the CICA and AICPA was planning on changing the name of the product to PrimePlus. Her co-partners became furious. They said that they already spent a lot developing ElderCare. They have been using the ElderCare Services logo and name for advertising. They still had 500 brochures left for which presented the service as ElderCare. This one person then, ordered a new advertising kit for PrimePlus and was quite impressed. The problem now is how she is going to convince her partner to accept the change and to see the benefits that this new name can bring. (The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants 2006) Learning from Bruce Draper’ management, it would be good for this person to keep her doors open for opinions and reactions of her co-partners. That way they won’t feel like that this person is imposing something upon them. There must be negotiations and agreement between them to avoid conflicts. She must also listen to what her co-partners have to say. If they believe that the name ElderCare must be retained, then that must be respected, even in the pursuit of what she believes is something better. But of course, new ideas should also be pursued. They must be open-minded to changes. However, like what Bruce Draper has done with his employees, she must also consider the needs and values of her co-partners. The next companies’ names to be mentioned have been changed by the source from where I got it but the information is accurate. The said companies’ names were changed to protect their identities. This company, 3DOX Manufacturing Corporation (3DOX) is a durable goods manufacturer. It was acquired by a larger manufacturing corporation, the Dietz-tec Industries, which also works in a related industry. The planned strategy was for 3DOX’s product lines to balance Dietz-tec’s product lines. They wanted to strengthen distribution channels where 3DOX was well-established and strong but where Dietz-tec was weak. (Shearer 2004) But here’s the catch. Little did Dietz-tec know that 3DOX had also some functional shortcomings. Only after the acquisition process was completed that Dietz-tec became aware of that. Not only that, Dietz-tec also realized that 3DOX would require a complete change in its operations. (Shearer 2004) Dietz-tec needed to save 3DOX. Some of their initial ideas were to increase sales and market share, to improve quality, to improve delivery performance and to reduce operating costs. Their more specific objectives and goals were sales growth, spending controls, forecast accuracy, cost reductions, increase in adherence to manufacturing schedule, improvement customer service, improvement of quality and improvement of production efficiency and productivity. (Shearer 2004) In this case, the companies involved can learn from Bruce Draper’s way of confronting some of the issues such as those involving the workforce. The objectives focusing on such are adherence to manufacturing schedules, improved customer service and quality and the improved productivity. Bruce Draper made his staff feel important, focusing on employee-oriented changes. He allowed them to be trained, making them more skilled and equipped with competence. As seen in the way Draper of Geotech has implemented changes, he did give importance and motivation to his employees through the aforementioned actions. That is also what is to be done in this case. They could start the overhaul by motivating their employees first, and by inspiring them to work. After all, for the major changes to be realized, there must be full cooperation from the staff. They must be willing and ready to work well to help achieve the changes. They could also follow the example of Draper by which he provided trainings for the development of the employees and the workers of the company. Training the employees of 3DOX will make them know what is to be done and how it is to be done correctly. They will know how to function well in, and for the company. And when they realize that those new things they learned somehow makes them better people and are for the development and enhancement of the whole company, they will really strive. After establishing goals, Dietz-tec, like what Bruce Draper of Geotechnical Instruments Ltd. did, should employ participation and involvement among the employees. They should also allow those people to speak up and share ideas regarding the company. There should be communication. This will also help motivate the employees to work and accept new ideas, like what it did to the workforce of the Geotechnical Instruments, Ltd. The management of Bruce Draper also became considerate of their needs, not only of the needs of the company itself. By keeping the workers of 3DOX Manufacturing Corporation happy and contented with their job, they will become more productive. If they feel like the company takes care of them, they will also loyally care for the company. Motivation can help in improving performance. In my opinion, that was how the employees of Geotechnical Instruments Ltd. in Leamington Spa felt under the management of Draper. Dietz-tec should learn from those steps done by Bruce for Geotech. In general, we can see that one of the main points derived from the case studies discussed above, is that changes are not easy to implement. Some people would really be unconvinced and doubtful at first. That is a good trait too, if we come to think of it. Another one of the main points is that, employees play a big part in the implementation of new changes. That is why, it helps if some of the changes are for them. Like what Bruce Draper has done, he employed some changes that are to the advantage of the employees. He was considerate of their needs. The new manager, should gain the trust and respect and even the admiration of his staff and workforce. He/She must build rapport with the employees. It will then be easier for them to see the changes positively. They will become inspired and encouraged to work well. It will be easier for the manager to achieve his planned changes. That way, they will also be able to work well with each other. They should also have good communication relationships. Works Cited: Green, C. (2000) A Theory of Human Motivation - A. H. Maslow (1943). Psychological Review, 50, 370-396. Retrieved August 3, 2006, from Classics in the History of Psychology Website: http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm Griffin, E. (1997). Information Theory of Claude Shannon and Warren Weaver. 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Retrieved July 26, 2006, from a2zpsychology.com Website : http://www.a2zpsychology.com/articles/kurt_lewins_change_theory.htm Shearer,J. (2004). CASE STUDY SUMMARY – Anatomy of a Manufacturing Turnaround. Retrieved July 25,2006, from The Manufacturing Optimization Group Website: http://www.manufacturingoptimization.com/case_study_3DOX.htm Case studies. (2006). Retrieved July 26, 2006, from The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants Website :http://www.cica.ca/index.cfm/ci_id/14590/la_id/1.htm Leadership, Communication & Change (n.d.) Retrieved August 3, 2006, from Work911/Bacal & Associates Business & Management Supersite Website: http://www.work911.com/articles/comchan.htm Managing a Multicultural Workforce (2006). Retrieved August 3, 2006, from Worldroom Limited Website: http://www.worldroom.com/pages/career/mtoolbox03200305.phtml Path-Goal Theory of Leadership. (2006). 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