The Advantage of Pragmatism - Essay Example

Introduction “Work is something we do not somewhere we go.” This is Centrica’s main aim in the market arena wherein they want to cater and show to the world that their workforce (human laborers) are competitive in their own and unique style. As we can notice in these days, that there are lots of studies made to improve working habit that will eventually lead to a company’s progress. What we will be dealing on this paper is the pragmatic changes done by the Centrica Company that introduced new form of business strategies that have been successful in the recent years. We will be tackling their diversion of ways and methods on handling their resources (business equipments and people) from the traditional way to the current occurrence. Hence we will be looking at the difference between the two (Traditional vs. new) and what are the aspects that could lead to Centrica’s success by evaluating the theories, modes and study made on business effectiveness and efficacy. Thus, in this paper, we shall be considering the moves made by Centrica and assess how effective are this in business. Also, we shall be having comparison regarding the traditional modes or “cultures” on works/business and the contemporary approaches. Moreover, we shall see the theories’ relevancy on Centrica’s progress and how creative thinking in adapting new set of ideas as well as proper utilization of resources and advance technology can greatly contribute to progress. One kind of resource that will be emphasized would be Human resources and that how could this be an asset or a hindrance, on the other side, to company’s goals. We shall be dealing on factors like stress control, support and performance as a key of business improvement and success. Human Resource Human resource is one of the most essential element of a business or company in the long run including today, whilst the expansion and enhancement of technology. This could be hardly eradicated in business, although they are already experiencing recession, still a company needs a human workforce for it to work (regardless of its size). One main reason for this is because human have the capability to think unlike of machines. We have interesting mental capabilities that only us could analyze and implement solutions and answer to predicaments and that machineries are just by-product of our creative thinking being a secondary source of our solution. We shall be heavily deal on this matter because “the effective deployment of human resources offers one of the most powerful bases for competitive advantage” Guest et al (2003). This implies that the role of human is just a unique way in gaining one’s advantage with proper management and prudent employment. One of Centrica’s work executions is the autonomy of its employees wherein it maximizes the discretion of the employees to handle matters in its own way. Because one thing that hinders the business to prosper would be the hindrance of a person’s decisions on ways to resolve issues and to implement solutions thus, it could lead to stress. Stressors are demands made by the internal or external environment that upset balance, thus affecting physical and psychological well-being and requiring action to restore balance (Lazarus & Cohen, 1977). Job demands could also lead to psychological stress in our environment like work-loads, time pressure, noisy environment, pace of work, conflicting ideas, etc. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, stress was considered to be a transactional phenomenon dependant on the meaning of the stimulus to the perceiver (Lazarus, 1966; Antonovsky, 1979). It is coined as “appraisals” wherein Primary appraisal is a person’s judgment about the significance of an event as stressful, positive, controllable, challenging or irrelevant. Facing a stressor, the second appraisal follows, which is an assessment of people’s coping resources and options (Cohen, 1984). When it maximize the employee’s discretion, Centrica is also enabling its worker to be creative and competitive in their decisions and also help to eliminate stress in work which is known to one of the factors of one’s failure. It believes that one of the ways, unlike to traditional views, to be progress is that the company must entrust more the wellness and goodness of its project outcome to the person in-charge. “Organisations will have to loosen up so that they feel less like organisations to their employees… People want to work in organisations that feel more human and offer greater flexibility and autonomy… that respect and reflect their values, they want to define their work rather than have work define their identity. . . An approach to organising work that aims to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness in achieving job outcomes through a combination of flexibility, autonomy and collaboration, in parallel with optimising tools and working environments for employees.” (Guest et al, 2003, p. 19). This would support the cognitive theory wherein when looking at task, we assess it in requisites of how well it meets our needs to feel competent and in control. If we think we will be able to complete the task, we will be intrinsically motivated to complete the task, requiring no further external motivation. This means that one thing that hinders one to be productive is if he loses its discretion over matter or the so-called “decisions latitude”. Decision latitude refers to the person’s or employee’s discretion on their work or job and how they will implement their decisions on this using their skill discretion and decision authority. Somehow, what people want on their job is to be unique in ways of solving the predicaments that affects their position. “The focus of the project was how to best combine these initiatives to build a way of working that best suited and balanced the needs of the business with the individual’s role and preferred working style . . . Individuals now have the autonomy to choose their work location to best achieve work outcomes, within the overall parameters agreed with their line manager (pp. 21-22). . One that makes Centrica’s unique is that it also considers work outcomes rather than work hours consumed. This is very contradicting to our traditional way or known ways because the focus and consider more on the produced outcome and not the time they have spent in the company. This is more effective in a way that what the employees would be considering is not only the time that they have to be at the office instead of the work they are intended t o be doing. In this way, everybody is given the chance to progress as well in result to their effectiveness in finishing work assignments. Furthermore, Centrica employs rewards in a more efficient and effective manner because it gives a fair chance in giving such based on the hard work and creative style done to finish their jobs assigned. Also, they are being motivated by these ones because it will trigger to them to strive harder not to simply enter their work at time but to finish more outputs earlier than the expected time because cognitive evaluation theory explain that when people see the reward as mostly for control they will be motivated by gaining the reward but not by enacting the requested behavior. Moreover this could lead now to oneness of the team in dealing matter which is effective fighting now the so-called learning disabilities mentioned by Senge which could be a cause to failure congestion – creating pro-action rather than simply reaction to problems creating their unique solution on the present business problems with the support of technology. It also make the organization work as one by making everyone participate regardless of the place their unto. Also, the other factor which makes them more effective is the aid of technology to enforce effectiveness of their project by means of mutual understanding through proper communication even if they were far from each other. They utilize gadgets properly and never mandates anymore their employees to enter their office on-time and on-place. They use advance technology that we have now to bind them together wherever they are making them more progressive than the other. “Project ‘Martini’ (later renamed Work:Wise) was established to identify and implement new working practices to take advantage of new and upgraded working facilities, which included state-of-the-art office facilities and investment in IT. The business case for flexible working was built on the idea of significant commercial property savings and promoting Centrica as an employer of choice.” (p. 20). Through this idea of Centrica, they do not only implement a good business strategy but also of good means in earning money. They produce a company that are distributed yet still connected they have “the project delivered tools and support to enable employees to work effectively and efficiently wherever they happen to be. Flexible working policies were promulgated across the business to drive aligned behaviour; these included policies to support greater flexibility with regard to working hours and location. The focus of the project was how best to combine these initiatives to build a way of working that best suited and balanced the needs of the business with the individual’s role and preferred working style” (p 21). Because of this new strategies and tactics made by Centrica Corporation, they have gained more in both financial and human-relation aspect. They have earned 10 million Pounds per annum which is known to be a savings equivalent to 13 trips to the moon. This just imply that although employees do not enter the office and do not work on time means that the business will going to fail and it will lead to its downfall. There are lots of ways more in which we could consider to make business prosper it just need a hard work, a resourceful attitude and courage to step into new generation of an effective business strategy in a more contemporary approach using modern technologies. Conclusion In every situation in our lives, we must be pragmatic to changes by avoiding being stagnant to the traditions and ways that were established. We must find ways and means to be creative by our own selves. If things changes and so must solutions be, thus, we must not be contented of the things that were solved by the first people regarding the issues that occurs rather, we too must continuously find answer to deal on the present in issues in a more effective and faster manner. Because of these, we are now in a wide scope of critical thinking which is good because it tends to shape our world to a competent and creative society - able to offer an effective solution thru competent analysis and creative thinking. We must also be attentive enough and never be afraid to start a change as long as we know that we are correct and what we do will be right for us and for others as well. We must have the courage to be critical in whatever we do and break the culture of simply “going-with-the-flow.” We must always bear in mind that change could start anytime and anywhere! References Antonovsky, A. (1979). Health, Stress, and Coping. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass. Burr, R. and Cordery, J.V. (2001) Self-management efficacy as a mediator of the relation between job design and employee motivation. Human Performance. Vol 14, No 1. pp27–44. Cathon, Douglas E. (2000). The Learning Organization: Adapted from The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge. ‘Hospital Material Management Quarterly. Aspen Publisher Inc., Chicago, pp. 4-10. Cohen, F. (1984). “Coping” In J.D. Matarazzo, S.M. Weiss, J.A. Herd, N.E. Miller & S.M. Weiss (eds.), Behavioral Health: A Handbook of Health Enhancement and Disease Prevention. 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