Assignment 7
Running head: FINAL REPORT
FINAL REPORT 14
The Final Report
Mark S. Lasky
April 21, 2017
The Problem, Management of the Problem
The business is mostly centered on the production, marketing and sale of cutlery. The production team was comprised of artisans who crafted various quality cutleries with the aid of the machinery present in the industrial sector of the business which was located in different premises from where the offices that dealt with distribution were founded. This (the distribution offices) was where I was stationed at the time of my internship. The distribution offices were burdened with the marketing, sales and financial duties of the company. Their goals were to find suitable buyers for either wholesale or even retail distribution advertise the product to the market, handle the transactions of the sale that included sending, receiving orders, and transportation of goods in question. The finance department dealt with the overall accounting of business affairs.
At the stages of production, there is not much I could document as I was not present at the site, however, shipment came in regularly, as was evident by the roster and the entries were consistent. At the offices handling distribution, however, there was a notable disconnect amongst the various departments – to be precise between the Marketing department and the Sales department. The two departments were merged 3 years prior to my arrival to form a Sales and marketing work group as is the common-place in most enterprises. This merger was effected to boost the efficiency of the two departments. It has instead bred more conflict amongst the members of the work group.
The parties involved in the underlying conflict present in the workplace are the manager and the employees who form part of Sales and the Management work group. The problems identified in this case were communication problems, interpersonal conflicts and performance issues.
For the issue with communication problems, the vertical communication chain from manager to the employees of the departments is a common mode of communication in workplaces (Austin, 2019). The application of the same mode of communication at departmental levels as between the departmental heads and the employees were however, not a welcome idea. The issue was that communication could only be passed from the top down with little to no communication taking the alternate route (from the bottom to the top) thus the employees felt as though their needs went excommunicated.
Interpersonal and performance issues were observed in the business following the merger of departments into a singular work group owing to their previous competitive mechanism (Austin, 2019). This was mostly imposed by the managerial offices that openly praised the performing departments which often led to a competition amongst the departments and hardly appreciated any synergy between the two.
Transition
Objectives of the Needs Assessment
The problem that the business is facing is due to the merger between the Sales department and the marketing department. The merger was formed with the aim of enhancing efficiency in the two departments. However, this has not been the case because the merger has brought about conflicts between members of the two departments. The problems include communication problems, performance problems and interpersonal conflicts. This has, in turn, decreased the productivity of workers in the two departments. The needs assessment is therefore aimed at improving the productivity of workers by determining the causes of the conflicts between the Sales department and the marketing department and developing strategies to address them (Björnerstedt, 2016). The focus is on employee productivity not increasing profits because reduced profits are as a result of poor employee productivity.
Data Collection
To effectively understand the conflict, questionnaires were distributed to the employees in the two departments through email. The completed questionnaires were sent back through the method and various participants from the questionnaires were invited for an interview which was conducted through Skype. The questionnaires had fifteen open-ended questions related to the conflicts between the two departments. The interviews entailed six brief open-ended questions that were designed in a way that seeks to discuss the major causes of the conflicts and how they can be addressed.
Methods of Data Analysis
Thematic analysis was incorporated to evaluate the results from the questionnaires. Statistical software such as STRATA was not used due to the diversity of the questions and a qualitative research approach was adopted. The results of the interviews were manually analyzed in order to find common words that could be put together to determine common trends from employees.
Findings
Majority of the employees who participated in the questionnaire and interviews associated the conflicts between the two departments with the management. The mode of communication in the workplace is vertical communication which means that communication is from the top to the bottom. Employees are therefore not given a chance to communicate their views on various issues because communication from the alternate route (from the bottom to the top) is not encouraged (Hovenkamp, 2017). Performance problems also enhanced the conflicts between the two departments. The inappropriate competition was created when managers openly praised the departments that performed well.
Recommendations
To address the conflict between the two departments, it is important to evaluate the needs of the business. The business needs to conduct its operations effectively in order to ensure that the customers are satisfied. This can only be achieved by maximizing the productivity of workers. It is therefore important to develop strategies to address the conflicts between the two departments which are affecting their productivity. First and foremost, the business needs to adopt diagonal communication which will enhance communication between the employees and the managers. This will improve employee productivity because the views of employees will be listened to which will make them feel worthy. Secondly, managers should provide a framework for the departments which will be used to determine their performance. This will reduce the inappropriate competition created because each department knows what it has to do to perform better than the other (Bettig, 2018). Finally, the business should consider the advantages and disadvantages of the departments working as a singular unit or as two units just as they previously did. In case, the business determines the departments will be much more efficient when working as two units, it should do away with the merger.
Transition
Organizations are faced with problems in daily operations. This problem needs to be approached in a manner which should not bring any further damage to the organization. This requires carefully designing solutions that are effective in dealing with the problem. In coming up with an effective solution, one must be able to fully understand the problem. This means to conduct thorough research on the course and scope of the problem. The business is faced with the problem of communication, performance, and interpersonal relations. This has affected the business in a great way and needs to be addressed with the most effective solution.
Communication
The communication problem arises due to the model of communication used in the organization. Workplace communication in the organization is down from top to down. This means that the flow of information is from the top to down. This approach of communication reduces that chance of juniors participating in a decision that concerns their task. In vertical communication, juniors only take orders from above without having the opportunity to give feedback or any response. In order to eliminate communication problem in this organization, there must be an environment which healthy fosters an engagement between various department members and managers (Bucăţa & Rizescu, 2017).
Solution 1
One of the strategies in dealing with the communication problem is having a biweekly meeting between members of the different department. This meeting will serve the purpose of bettering communication in the workplace. These gatherings will accommodate the utilization of both vertical and flat correspondence modules, enabling each representative to have the capacity to air their considerations with respect to business and working environment undertakings. The meetings will be conducted in the conference hall in the organizational premises. Also once a month meetings will be held in a less constrictive environment. This means that engagement will be conducted in an environment which is out of office and therefore reduces the perception of seniority of power. Again, this approach makes financial sense since the meeting will be conducted in the social hall owned by the organization. There will be no expenses for hiring conference halls in hotels. This will ensure that the organization saves money and utilize it in other ways. Having a biweekly meeting will also encourage members of the different department to interact. This will improve interpersonal relations. It has been brought up to have the meetings at the local state park where families can be off until the conclusion of the meeting where everyone can participate in a cookout. This will make the employees free with each other and communicate in a more freeway.
This means that engagement will be conducted in an environment which is out of office and therefore reduces the perception of seniority of power. Again, this approach makes financial sense since the meeting will be conducted in the social hall owned by the organization. There will be no expenses for hiring conference halls in hotels. This will ensure that the organization saves money and utilize it in other ways. Having a biweekly meeting will also encourage members of the different department to interact. This will improve interpersonal relations.
Meetings will enhance the communication flow in both directions. This approach will enable employees to communicate their problems and give management an opportunity to fully understand their concerns. Employees from different departments will be able to interact with each other and create good relationships. Having a good relationship among employees fosters teamwork and collaboration. Performance can be improved by creating a conducive environment that promotes teamwork. The biweekly meetings will increase performance since the employee can be free with each other and reduce unhealthy competition.
Solution 2
The other solution is setting up training programs for employees to be aware of ways to identify, to address and solve business environment issues. Training is very important especially when changes happen to an organization. It enables employees to be aware of the changes and ways to deal with issues that may arise as a result of the change. In the organization, merging two departments training will be very essential to eliminate unnecessary competition. Making a pool of broadly trained workers allows the organization to be prepared in filling vacant positions when a person leaves the organization or on the off chance that they receive transfers or promoted to other roles. Workers can be prepared from the other department which will increase productivity and efficiency. The training program in this organization will enhance the employee’s qualities of cooperation and be able to handle challenges from different angles.
Training will be conducted via various methods. They will be online sessions where employees will receive training materials via emails. These online training sessions will also provide the user to offer their own solutions and to have interaction with the trainer and others in the class. They will also use professional trainers. Training will be conducted at different locations outside the organization premises. This is very important to ensure that employees change the environment. Training programs will focus on creating good relationships through better communication and improving performance through teamwork and collaboration. This solution is financially viable for the organization since productivity will be improved. This means that the organization will improve its productivity and hence increases its profits.
An effective preparing program gives laborers consistent data and experience. Access to preparing materials ensures that all specialists have a solid experience and unsurprising data of endeavors and methodologies, something which is particularly basic concerning fundamental association courses of action and techniques. Ensuring that all specialists have unsurprising learning ensures that tasks are done on time and without issues. Representatives can most likely structure groups that assistance each other in doing their every day exercises. This for the most part joins administrative philosophy and ethics in the midst of execution of commitment. With this preparation, leaders of the distinctive offices can probably team up with one another to make the running of the association effective. Most specialists have a couple of inadequacies in their workplace capacities. This preparation program will empower to fortify those aptitudes that each laborer needs to enhance. These shortcomings incorporate relational aptitudes which may adversely affect efficiency (Carol, 2002).
Transition
Organizations face a lot of problems during their operation. Communication problem, performance, and interpersonal relations are among the problems that face many organizations. The proposed solution for these problems includes conducting the biweekly meeting and setting up training programs. An organization could be in a dilemma of deciding which solution to implement, therefore, assessing the possible risks of every solution and deciding which solutions could yield the best results is very important. It is also important to evaluate the possible risks to predict what could happen if the organization implement the solution. The following information will enable the leader to make the final decision for every proposed solution.
Conducting Biweekly Meeting
Conducting a biweekly meeting may sometimes be very overwhelming and confusing. Therefore, employees should need the following new skills to benefit from the meetings; willingness to share their goals with the manager and the rest of the members. By telling the manager what specifically they are working on, or what they are aspiring to work on so they can get help and get wherever they want. Another new skill that employees need is the readiness to describe their achievement in the organization. Communication of goals to the members of the meeting will enable the members to take the initiative to help the employee.
Willingness to ask for advice and input is also an important skill for an employee. It is important for employees to come to the meeting prepared with many questions that will require the manager to offer advice and take the role of mentorship. The other new skill is a readiness to discuss other issues connected to career development. Employees should be ready to discuss other issues connected to career development. After an employee has shared his/her direction and focus with the rest of the members, it is important to enrich the meeting in other ways. That is a good time for employees to ask about their strengths or weakness and where they need to improve.
The financial cost of conducting a biweekly meeting will be economical. There will be no financial costs for hiring conference rooms because they will conduct the meeting in a social room owned by the organization. This will enable the organization to save the money and spend it on other issues. If the organization will implement this solution communication barrier will decrease. This kind of meetings will encourage employees from different sections to interact. The interaction among workers will make them free with each other and enable them to communicate in a freer manner. This form of meetings will improve the flow of communication in both directions. This strategy will enable workers to communicate their challenges and give the organization a chance to completely understand their issues. This will, therefore, improve interpersonal relations and reduce communication barriers.
Conducting meetings will also improve the brand of the organization. Employees from different sections will be able to relate with each other during the meeting and create good relations. A good relationship between employees encourages collaboration and teamwork. Creating a conducive environment that promotes teamwork and collaboration foster good performance, since the employee from different sections can be free with each other and decrease unnecessary competition. Good performance will improve the brand of the organization.
Setting up Training and Development Programs
The organization faces many challenges during its operation. Sometimes, the owner of the organization or a key member of the management team retires becomes incapacitated or dies. It is important to identify and train new leaders to take over the organization in the future. Therefore, training programs such as a leadership training program are essential for coaching future leaders of the organization. Having top employees credited leadership training programs can be a great move for an organization. The purpose of these programs is to help future leaders acquire a wide set of skills and knowledge that they will help them guide the firm and gain a complete understanding of how the organization operates. Setting up training and development programs will, therefore, make succession planning easier (Schepker et al, 2018). The most important new skills that the employees need to gain from training programs include the following: be flexible, willingness to ask questions and be confident.
Setting up training and development programs will be quite expensive. The organization will require capital to pay for professional training and will also need to acquire additional equipment for carrying out online training. As a result of the training cost, there will be some changes in the finance department. The head of the department will increase the budget of the month to accommodate the cost of training.
Transition
Communication problems, interpersonal relations, and performance problems are among the major challenges that face many organizations. An organization is supposed to come up with various solutions to overcome these challenges. The proposed solutions may have certain impacts on the organization, such as financial impact, impact on reputation, impact on clients, and the impact on employees, to name a few. Therefore, it is important for management to conduct an impact analysis to identify the potential impacts that the solution will have on the organization if they were implemented.
Development and Training Programs
The management can use Four Levels of Training Evaluation (K1-4) to measure the impact of training to the employees. This approach will enable the enterprise to measure the following; the employees' reaction to the training program, the learning that has happened, behavior changes, and Return on Investment.
Development and training will increase the performance of the workers. The training program will enable management to identify the employees' shortcomings and weaknesses and provide the required skills. Training and development will enable staffs to gain new skills (Costen & Salazar, 2011). Good training means that quality performance will be achieved by the workers, thus increasing the client's satisfaction.
Training will enhance the productivity of the firm. Productivity depends on technology that the organization uses. Development and training focus on how well the workers are making use of the technologies within the organization. The workers will be trained in current technologies. Training on new technology will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, thus increasing productivity.
Training programs will increase employees' satisfaction. Training should be relevant to the employees and should be educative. Proper training programs will ensure that employees are allowed to attend to a number of seminars and conferences. These events will be beneficial to their progress in the organization (Asfaw et al, 2015). Additionally, training will enable them to learn the real aspect of their jobs, thus increasing their job satisfaction.
Development and training programs may, however, be a waste of important resources. The firm will need to spend, a lot of time, a huge sum of money, and hire professional trainers to conduct the training. The firm will have to pay the professional trainers which will be additional expenditure to the organization.
Training may sometimes stress the staff. An organization may train employees for more hours to keep them updated with the new technology and trends in their specific jobs. This kind of pressure can make them stressed (Hanaysha & Tahir, 2016). The productivity level of employees may go down when they are stressed.
Employees can lose interest in the training program. Some training is conducted for long hours; some are too much of theory than practical. Workers will lose interest when the activity is conducted for long hours, and continue with the same theory.
Employees can leave for new jobs when they are trained well and up to date with the new knowledge and skills. With training, they are ready and prepared to jump to other enterprises that offer better salary and perks.
Conducting Biweekly Meetings
Biweekly meetings are a very essential part of working in a professional environment. The biweekly meeting will enable information sharing. The interaction between staff will make them free with each other and allow them to communicate and connect in a freer manner. This type of meeting will enhance the flow of communication and interactions in both directions.
Biweekly meetings encourage teamwork. Meetings will enhance the interaction between workers and create healthy relations. Good relations enhance teamwork, collaboration and provide an environment where employees can set the objectives and goals of the team and brainstorm stapes to achieve them. The creation of a favorable environment that encourages collaboration and teamwork will enhance good performance. Good performance will add value to the organization and increase clients' expectations.
Biweekly meetings can, however, be a drain on the productivity of the firm. When workers spend a lot of time in biweekly meetings, they may reduce the level of productivity. The reduction in productivity will affect the output of the firm.
An organization may lack a leader to conduct the meeting. Lack of a leader may lead to the deviation from the main agenda of the meeting which makes the meeting run much longer than expected. Additionally, no worker will understand the rules of the meeting without a clear leader to run the process.
Transition
After further review the staff chose to stay firm and pursue the original solutions to obtain maximum results. There are various major steps that should be included in the implementation plan. The first step is evaluation and communication of the strategic plan which involves aligning the strategies with the initiatives and is achieved by ensuring the strategies developed promote the mission and objectives of the organization. Again, the budget should be aligned with the annual goals and objectives at this stage. Financial assessments are very important to understand budgetary issues and identify the impact of the issues on the achievement of goals. In case, the budget is not enough, the organization can seek funding from stakeholders or other organizations (Nagy, 2018). Employees have a significant role to play in implementation thus it is important to communicate to them goals and objectives at this step. In addition, it is important that they understand the strategies to be used to achieve the set objectives.
The second step is coming up with an implementation structure. This will act as a guide for implementation strategies. In this step, it is important to develop a coordination mechanism between various departments in the organization with an aim of fostering the delegation of responsibility. In addition, the procedures to be incorporated in implementation should be developed here. It is also important to identify the major managerial tasks that are required for the implementation and determine the personnel to perform them. In this case, both the personnel from the organization and outside can be included (Calder, 2017). Again, the operational tasks that will be performed need to be laid out and the qualifications of those who will perform them identified.
The third step is the development of implementation support policies and programs. This involves coming up with a system to track and monitor performance. This is aimed at analyzing the progress of implementation strategies and their achievement rate. In addition, developing a performance management system is also important to facilitate employee engagement. The fourth stage is budgeting and allocation and involves allocating resources to various departments according to their budgetary requirements (Weidner, 2016). The final step is discharging tasks and activities and involves putting strategies in action.
References
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