Consultant view of business - Essay Example

Consultant View of Business With all factors considered in the case of Emma’s business, I will explore two issues: choice between training employees or working with the leadership team; and, the offer by HIW to buy her business.(Issue #3)If I am to advise Emma, I would certainly suggest for her to work with the leadership team instead of dealing with all employees. This early, she needs to establish such kind of organizational culture, especially if her business is poised to expand further. The reason for this is simple: working with employees and overseeing their training could prove to be time-consuming and would spread Emma too thin.

While there are advantages to directly working with employees in their training, say, to achieve better customer service, the practicality and long-term benefits of working with the leadership team could certainly outweigh them.It is helpful to remember that training and development is aimed at improving employees’ skills and abilities. According to Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, training should be a continuing process. (p. 264) The constant employee training could be delegated and localized to their immediate managers because: 1) it is part of their responsibilities; 2) the manager would understand his staff better than Emma who must consider and understand the employees of all her stores; and, 3) managers should take increased responsibility if Emma wants them to be more committed to the company.

Dealing with the managers is like involving them in the decision or policy-making process, which could address several factors including the managers’ resentment and frustration of being left out; the opportunity to become a stake holder in the organization, which allows for the cultivation of deeper commitment and loyalty to the organization; and so forth.All in all, Emma had to work hard in order to facilitate and motivate the managers’ commitment and their change and adoption of her vision.

She must constantly create and sustain conditions for success of the change she wants or the vision that she wants her people to imbibe.The Buyout Issue (Question #4)I will definitely advise against the buyout by HIW company. Clearly, Emma likes what she does and she left her previous work in order to setup the business. Emma’s problem is that her company is growing fast and she must work hard to keep pace with it. Here, it is clear that the answer is definitely not HIW – selling her company to it and returning to work for it again.

There are many options available to her besides this prospect. She could, for instance, improve and add on her human resources so that the organizational process would run efficiently and smoothly or that the company could achieve an organizational culture that would satisfy her vision. She has already thought about franchising, as well or she could explore in integrating information technology or adopting the e-commerce model to her company. These alternative are also very sound ideas. The most important here – in the buyout issue – is whether the company is earning money or if its finances are sliding.

It is obvious that Emma’s company is prospering very rapidly. What she needs right now is to establish an organizational culture and emphasize on employee discipline and training. She can do this by hiring competent people to run the show.ReferencePride, W., Hughes, R. and Kapoor, J. (2010). Business. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.