Discussion Thread: Internal Design Elements Replies

Chapter 7: Mass customization of products has become a common approach in manufacturing organizations. Explain the ways in which mass customization can be applied to service firms as well.

Mass customization is the rapid, low-cost production of goods and services that fulfill increasingly unique customer desires. It brings us the variety of products traditionally provided by the process focus, with low costs associated with standardized high-volume production (Daft, 2021). Mass customization can be applied to service firms to provide better customer service and reduce operating costs.  It allows firms to produce a larger line of products with a shortened response time, ultimately leading to an increased number of satisfied customers (Pallant et al., 2020). Regarding service firms, mass customization can be key in reducing inefficient responses to customer requests, being cost-effective, driving quality standards, and eliminating piecemeal production. These types of issues will impact the level of service that customers receive at the firm.

 

Chapter 7: A top executive claimed that superior management is a craft technology because the work contains intangibles (such as handling personnel, interpreting the environment, and coping with unusual situations that have to be learned through experience). If this is true, is it appropriate to teach management in a business school? Does teaching management from a textbook assume that the manager's job is analyzable and, therefore, that formal training rather than experience is most important?.

It is appropriate to teach management in a business school.  The work of a manager is intangible, the way they handle it depends on numerous factors such as belief, culture, and education. A mix of formal training and experience works best. Experience gives the management better efficiency to manage risk, challenges, and various situations which are unpredictable and often sudden. Textbook teaching can be used to provide a foundation for business students. The experience will come from building on this base. Overall, it is appropriate to teach management in a business school, even employees can benefit from understanding the methodology of management. Cheung & Kwong (2016) states “ historical cases can be an effective tool to acquire management skills, with its main advantage being its ability to induce critical thinking which allows strategic decisions to be made in a variety of contexts. Of course, there is the question of relevancy of using past behavior to guide the future”(p. 2).

Chapter 8: Do you believe that technology will eventually enable high-level managers to do their job with little face-to-face communication?

As communications avenues continue to develop and grow, the option for nonface-to-face communication grows. I have worked for a Fortune 500  organization for over twenty years with seventeen of those years having little face-to-face with coworkers and managers. My current manager is located in the United Kingdom and half of my co-workers are in India. Twice a week my team has a team meeting via Blue Jeans conference. My manager asks everyone to be on video for those meetings because so much of the communication is still nonverbal.  As business communication becomes more cloud and internet base this trend will continue. Technology has allowed managers to conduct meetings from across the world with more flexibility (Van Zoonen & Sivunen, 2021).  There is value in communicating with employees on a personal level even if it is via a video call as face-to-face communication allows managers to better analyze their coworkers. High-level managers are adapting to the newer models of communication and developing positive interactions with the team. These interactions can be nearly as impactful as face-to-face interactions when done remotely. However in conclusion face-to-face communication does foster higher-quality interactions than online communication. A healthy balance between both types of interaction would be better.

 

 

Chapter 9: Look through several recent issues of a business magazine (Fortune, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, etc.) and find examples of 2 companies that are using approaches to busting bureaucracy. Explain the techniques that these companies are applying.

Two examples of companies busting bureaucracy are Kaiser Permanente and Google.  Google has done this by focusing on the concept of engaging employees. This is done by a formula that measures are employees active and productive in their respective duties and company culture.  Through employee engagement, Google is keen on ensuring that employees are involved in all performance processes to ensure maximum productivity (Chandni & Rahman, 2020). Kaiser Permanente busts bureaucracy by providing employees opportunities to grow their skill set and keeps them engaged. With the move to a higher level of remote work caused by the Covid 19 pandemic, employee feedback and involvement were centralized to keep them motivated.  The CEO of Kaiser Permanente referenced his job is to maintain an environment that attracts and keeps people who fit the business model. Freedom of speech should apply in the work environment as it does in the personal environment (Michelman, P. 2017). Busting bureaucracy at Kaiser also meant dealing with low customer and stakeholder satisfaction. Kaiser aimed at eliminating bureaucracy and the reengagement of employees Focus shifted to the experience for all users, removing red tape, roadblocks, and whatever makes doing business hard. Building synergy across the business replaced the bureaucracy hierarchies.

 

 

Chapter 9: Do you believe that a no growth philosophy of management should be taught in business schools?

No growth philosophy of management focuses on the concept that the success of an organization does not essentially lay in the growth of the business but on its overall contribution towards the development of society and protection of the earth's natural resources. This should be taught in business schools as it can apply to a host of business types such as a non-profit focused on supporting a community that has constant density. In addition, the current working landscape has seen a shift towards the moral responsibilities of a business. Business students should be taught the importance of cultures, ethics, values, and social responsibilities of a business. Fellnhofer (2017) states “understanding the antecedents of innovation processes makes it easier for sustainable-oriented companies to consider all the important entrepreneurial factors necessary for promoting opportunity-based behavior, which inspires innovation creation and implementation p. (3). Some businesses have a model to concentrate on sustainability versus growth. Another factor is to remember growth does not equal profit. The primary mission of a business should be long-term profitability for stability.

 

 

How can/should a biblical worldview be applied?

Everyone has a lens through which they look at the world, even in business culture. However, the way we look at the world makes all the difference in the world. The word of God must determine how and the way we view the world, as well as how we relate to each other in business. Salvation is obtained solely by individual faith in Christ’s work on the Cross and cannot be earned through works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Like the Apostle Paul, we must be confident in our faith so we can take our biblical worldview and engage a society that is also very sincere in what it believes. Stewardship is based on knowing God created the world and its abundant resources were placed under our management by God. Everything should be used for the benefit of God  (Psalm 24:1). As well as developing benefits for others such as employees, customers, business partners, and shareholders. A biblical worldview can always be applied as God is the creator of everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Chandni, S., & Rahman, Z. (2020). Customer engagement and employee engagement: Systematic review and Future Directions. The Service Industries Journal, 40(13-14), 932–959. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2020.1733534

Cheung, C. W., & Kwong, C. (2016). Constructing a historical case for the teaching of Business and Management subjects. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 8(3), 355–377. https://doi.org/10.1108/jeee-03-2015-0025

Daft, R. L., (2019). Organization Theory & Design (13th Ed.) Cengage: Boston, MA

Fellnhofer, K. (2017). Drivers of innovation success in sustainable businesses. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167, 1534–1545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.197

 King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Michelman, P. (2017). The Question Every Executive Should Ask. MIT Sloan Management Review, 58(4), 67-72. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fquestion-every-executive-should-ask%2Fdocview%2F1916720827%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085

Pallant, J. L., Sands, S., & Karpen, I. O. (2020). The 4cs of mass customization in service industries: A customer lens. Journal of Services Marketing, 34(4), 499–511. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-04-2019-0176