ONLY FOR ( RESPECT WRITER)

According to Weingarden (2011) “an organization design centers on the organization’s human resource needs to achieve the organization’s specific goals” (p.2). Weingarden (2011) goes on to say that the “two objectives of organizational design are to facilitate the flow of information within and to integrate organizational behavior across different parts of the organization” (p.2). The purpose of this report is to begin the organizational design process by collecting information on the company GCAAR. Information will be collected through an organizational design consulting survey. The survey was administered to Susan Jeannotte, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at GCAAR. Any information she was not able to provide, was collected through the GCAAR website, resources and employee handbook.

Organizational Design consulting survey:

Organizational Purpose

What is the mission of this organization?

The mission for GCAAR (2019a) is to be the local voice for real estate. GCAAR promotes and protects private property rights and the right to own, use and transfer real property. GCAAR’s mission is also to advocate professional and ethical service to the public and members and to provide the resources for its members to succeed (GCAAR, 2019a).

What are the main goals?

GCAAR’s (2019a) main goal is to be the “leading real estate organization that provides outstanding value and exceptional service to their members and communities, while expecting the highest level of professionalism” (p.1).

What organizational cultural beliefs support the mission and goals?

Speaking with Susan, some culture beliefs named included; a structured and professional environment (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019). They believe in consistency and productivity as well as keeping their company culture comfortable and amiable. Analyzing this answer, I found their cultural beliefs to be like both clan and hierarchy cultures (OCAI, n.d.). In place to support their beliefs is a fairing housing and equal opportunity policy (Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS, 2016).

How does the organization measure its success?

GCAAR has a few different methods for measuring its success. On an individual level they use employee evaluations to measure employee performance. On an organizational level they use financial statements to understand how the business is doing financially. They also use membership reports to see where they stand compared to other top associations (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Organizational Passage

Describe the historical development of this organization.

Susan stated that the organization was originally formed in 1946. A small group of people came together and created an MLS (Multiple Listing service) that shared properties for sale and shared information. By the early 90s, MLS split into a separate company and the association had to come up with a new relevance to members. In 1998 the Montgomery county association merged with the Districts local chapter (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How does this organization respond to risk?

When it comes to responding to risk, GCAAR has an array of policies and procedure in place. They do an annual risk assessment conducted by an independent company. In addition to an annual audit they also conduct a worker’s comp audit (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019). Susan also mentioned a disaster recovery plan, legal counsel through Miles & Stockbridge, Positive Pay to stop check fraud, liability insurance and D&O insurance, arbitration and mediation for REALTORS and a contract with CWPS (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Describe the balance between short-term and long-term focus for this organization.

For their short-term goals they are focused on hiring an HR consultant, staff training, transitioning CEO for when the current one retires, new board training and the implementation of a new phone system (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

For their long-term goals, they would like to build a video recording studio on the premises, rent the vacant space above their Rockville office and continue to grow their membership and provide services that members are interested in (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Describe how this organization approaches its external environment. How aware is this organization of its external environment?

The organization is working on their awareness of the external environment. Currently they have a community outreach program, an affordable housing conference, the National & Maryland REALTORS conference to network with others (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019). The community outreach is called GCCAR Cares, which “serves and promotes giving and service in the community” (GCAAR, 2019b). More detailed information on this program is found on the GCAAR website.

How much emphasis does this organization put on results, both short and long term?

They currently are only putting some emphasis on long-term results. According to Susan, GCAAR hosts a leadership retreat where they discuss goals and results (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Internal Environment

How well does this organization coordinate across functions?

GCAAR is a small company so a lot of the functions overlap. They do a fairly good job communicating and collaborating across functions. They try to host staff meetings multiple times a year to discuss the different projects each function is working on (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How is information shared across functions?

Information is shared through a combination of meetings, memos, the staff bulletin board, by phone, and by email. Email is the most used form of sharing information across functions (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

What are the core processes and products provided by this organization?

The core processes provided are continuing education, networking opportunities and information on the issues impacting realtors. The core products provided are Sentrilock key boxes and products in the REALTOR store (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

What unique processes and products does the organization produce well?

GCAAR is a REALTOR based company, so they offer industry specific products and processes. Products and services compared to other associations in the industry are not unique. A unique process compared to other associations would be their customer service (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Are there processes and products that prevent this organization from optimal performance? If so, how?

Yes, Susan informed me that they still use a lot of manual processes that effect timeliness and efficiency. They lack automation and technology advancement because of its cost. An example would be the outdated phone system they want to replace (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

External Environment

Describe the clients of this organization. Are there potential future clients that are desirable for this organization? What suppliers does this organization depend on to meet its mission and goals?

The clients include; REALTORS, real estate professionals and affiliate members (home inspectors, pest control, title attorneys, mortgage lenders). GCAAR wants to gain membership, so those would be their potential future clients. Supplier wise, Sentrilock is their biggest supplier and the most depending on. In addition, Marketing Matter and Benjamin office products supply most other materials need to meet their mission and goals (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Describe the competitors of this organization. What are some industry trends?

Main competitors are other trade associates, such as, PGCAR, HCAR and FCAR. The internet is a big trend in homebuying. Home buyers are using sites like Zillow instead of realtors (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019). Advancement in technology such as zip forms being available online is another trend. Also, technology advancements are causing members to work out of their homes instead of reporting to an office (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019). Changing trends can also be found in the Capital Area REALTORS magazine that comes out 5 times a year

Is there any regulation anticipated that will affect this organization and its industry? Please explain.

The GCAAR website provides a Government Affairs page where individuals can keep up to date on regulations that are affecting the industry. The most current regulations include; a Solar Panel Bill that GCAAR has testified against, short-term rental regulations concerning Airbnb-style short-term rentals and TOPA (GCAAR, 2019c). TOPA is an exemption for single family homes, waiting for congressional approval (Greater Capital Area REALTORS, 2018).

Is there any new technology anticipated that will affect this organization and its industry? Please explain.

Yes, as I mentioned above zip forms are becoming available online. New office systems that need to be in place to replace manual processes will result in the need for new employee training. Homebuying websites and apps are also becoming available which is decreasing the need for an actual realtor. This could affect the membership count in the future.

Structural Dimensions

What activities at this organization are performed by specialists?

The Public Policy department and Government Affairs is performed by specials, more specifically, attorneys. The accounting department has employees specialized in that field. Susan is a Chief Financial Officer and head accountant. They also employ an outside auditing and CPA firm and an IT specialist for community problems and security (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How specific are procedures at this organization?

Some departments have very specific procedures. Membership has a set procedure for issuing keycards, boxes and membership forms. Accounting has a specific procedure for closing and preparing financial statements. The Education have one for CE credits, taking certain classes, and completing them by specific time (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Does this organization use detailed work processes?

GCAAR uses a mix of work processes. As I mentioned above some tasks follow specific procedures and others are more lenient. It is the same with the work process. They try to keep consistent and structured work processes. However, sometimes it’s okay for processes to fluctuate and become more flexible (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How important are items such as employee handbooks, organizational charts and job descriptions to this organization? What levels of leadership have decision-making authority at this organization?

Susan said they are, “very important” (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019). They update the employee handbook every two years. They are also hiring and external HR consultant to ensure they are getting everything right. The levels of leadership that have authority are the CEO, COO, CFO& VP of Government Affairs (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Is this organization focused on employee empowerment?

Yes. They have an open-door policy, additional available resources and have sent employees to training classes (Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS, 2016). Employees do have the ability to act independently on many projects. GCAAR offers tenure bonuses and annual bonuses. They have an employee spot-light in the GCAAR magazines (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

What is the span of control at the highest level of the organization (i.e., CEO level)?

The CEO at GCAAR has ultimate control over all the other departments. He reports to the board of directors and everyone else reports to him. The board of directions are consulted for major changes, but the CEO still has the main authority for GCAAR offices (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

What is the span of control for first-line supervisors at this organization?

First line supervisors can approve vacation time and scheduling for their people. They also can request certain supplies for their department. The span of control does not go much further than this for first-line supervisors (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

Contextual Factors

Describe any major changes that have occurred in the history of this organization. Explain the ownership structure of this organization.

The board of directors started out with all white men. Now they include many woman and minorities exist. MLS leaving and the 1998 merger were also major changes. In 2007 they switched from Supra to Sentrilock and had to convert 8,000 members. In 2013 they purchased their first owned building which eliminating the need to rent space. In 2016 they formed a partnership with the DC state association. They now have 10,000+ members and are in top 20 associations in the country (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

The association is owned by its members. They fund the association through their member dues each year. If the association happened to close the company would be liquidated and the assets would go to its members (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How many employees work at this organization?

It is a small company, consisting of only a total of 23 employees combined for both offices (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

What financial information is available for this organization?

GCAAR is a privately held company they are not publicly traded and are not a non-profit organization. Financial information is not published or available to view by the public (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How does this organization rank in comparison to its competitors?

GCAAR is in the top 20 REALTOR associations in country (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

What are the goods and services this organization provides that support its mission?

They offer all industry specific good and services. In more detail then mentioned earlier, they offer lockboxes and keycards for entry to homes being sold. They offer many different sign riders, REALTOR logo pins, hats, apparel, mugs and note books. They offer safety products and books on selling, foreclosure and so forth. All items can be viewed on the GCAAR store website (GCAAR, 2019a).

As a realtor you must belong to an association and they provide membership for Montgomery County and the District of Columbia. They offer an array of classes for CE credits and additional classes to gain knowledge on the real estate field. They provide luncheons and REALTOR fests for networking purposes. They also offer guidance and resources on any of your REALTOR needs (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How specialized is the equipment used by this organization?

Again, the equipment used in industry specific. It’s specialized for the real estate industry.

Can work only be performed sequentially? Or is simultaneous work permissible for this organization?

It all depends on the work and projects in questions. Susan stated that many projects need to be performed sequentially because you cannot complete one without completing the other first. She also said that they do allow simultaneous work depending on the project. Many times, different functions are working on multiple things at a time (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How is this organization structured geographically?

The main office is in Rockville, MD. The second, smaller office is in the District of Columbia. All their main functions, board meetings and classes are in the main office in Rockville, MD. They do have a second office in D.C. with only a few employees stationed. This office is mainly for membership services and an additional GCAAR store. However, they do occasionally host meetings and classes at the D.C. office (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

How dependent is this organization on its largest suppliers? How dependent is this organization on its largest customers?

GCAAR is very dependent on both. Their largest supplier is Sentrilock, which plays a big part in job functions. They do not have one type of customer that dominates the market but without their members and without realtors, they would cease to exist (S. Jeannotte, personal communication, January 25, 2019).

References