Performance Management System

             Performance management system is a continuous process where managers and workers join efforts to ensure a company’s success by planning, observing and reviewing a worker’s goals and objectives. This helps to track the performance of an employee, department and the overall organization thus improving their effectiveness. Rewarding the staffs’ exceptional performance increases their motivation to work better. PMS also helps to empower managers and hold them accountable for managing their staffs. This paper studies the presentation of performance management system by the Human resource manager for Non-governmental organization’s Finance Assistant including the organizational strategy, system, implementation factors and the factors to consider for employees development.

Organizational strategies.

 The main goal of performance management is to help organizations goals achievement. These goals help to develop the company’s vision and mission. If effectively utilized, the performance goals join hands with the organization purpose thus promoting success. The purpose of the Non-governmental organization is to promote a specific cause including awareness, knowledge and acceptance by activist events. The NGO’s mission is to facilitate development of a community that is effective enough to influence the United Nation’s activities worldwide (Bourne, 2000). The organization’s vision is to provide support all communities globally which are committed to United Nations decision-making process focused on making the world a better place with economic stability and social justice.

System

Performance management system includes three steps:

NB/The below terms of reference will assist in explanation of the three phase of performance management (Finance Assistant (cashier) in an NGO setting

                        Terms of reference

1. Posting accounting transactions (accounts payable) in SAP accounting system.
2. Review of travel claims and imprest accounts and verify authenticity of the supporting documents provided.
3. Timely dispatch of monthly accounts for the organization to Headquarters.
4. Maintain petty cash of USD for the Office, and Make sure proper authorization is maintained, documentation completed and correct project work break down structure. Carry out regular cash count and make sure authorized cash for USD
5. Create down payment request to vendors in the SAP system and ensure the request is supported by the relevant documentations and properly followed up for clearance.
6. Regularly review vendor accounts and items for ageing records and ensure outstanding amounts are cleared as per the financial Management rules and regulations.
7. Perform the organization’s bank reconciliations.

Initial Stage

        This is a stage that involves both the employee and the supervisor, it helps in development of a working plan that contains the objectives to be achieved, results expected from employee and the measures used for assessment of performance.

        An employee must identify three or four areas of key performance (objectives) within a year that will act as a measure to his or her performance which is either evaluated as satisfactory or un- satisfactory, this is determined by the employee’s terms of reference or the job description (Amaratunga & Baldry, 2002).

All set objectives must be SMART meaning; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. The work plan is always approved by the supervisor

1. Ensure timely payment and review of vendor accounts by timely confirmation of vendor’s bank details and posting accurate transactions to the SAP system upon a day of receipt of the accounts payable documents.

Indicators /measures

• Early identification of errors
• Reduce payments back loads.
• Reduce complaints from the vendors on late payments.
• To provide evidence in respect of existence, ownership, and accuracy (Bank confirmation)

2. To ensure timely dispatch of monthly accounts for the organization to Headquarters by the first week of the month.

Indicators /measures

• Assist in meeting the timelines for accounts closure in the head quarter.
• Early identification of errors

3. Ensure proper Review of travel claims and imprest accounts within a month upon receipts of the travel documents and verify authenticity of the supporting documents provided.

Indicators /measures

• Reduce posting errors& errors related to payments
• Enhance efficiency and effectiveness hence reducing audit queries.
• Timely payment of travel expense claims and charge to projects

4. Ensure a well maintained petty cash of USD for organization, make sure proper authorization is maintained, documentation completed and correct project work break down structure is charged when making posting to accounting system.

Indicators

• Adequate financing in the cash office.
• Identify errors and correct them before month end closure.
• To ensure completeness and existence i.e. that there is no unrecorded cash

Middle-point review

        This stage entails monitoring of employee for the PMS to be effective. Monitoring does not mean watching every step of the employee by the manager but the results achieved, the employee’s behavior, and the factors affecting their working environment. During this stage, the HR and employee set meetings to: First, Evaluate the factors affecting the employee’s performance. This helps to improve the working conditions of workers (Bourne, et al, 2000). Second, share the feedback on the goal achievement progress. The manager should include the positive feedback to motivate the employee. Positive feedback involves letting the employee know their achievements in relation to the evaluation objectives. The manager’s feedback should also be honest in order to give the employee a room for improvement before their mistakes escalate.  Third, to evaluate the changes that may have occurred in the organization’s objectives and need to be added to the work plan. Finally, to helps the Human Resource manager to determine the extra support that he or she needs to offer to the employee.

End of cycle evaluation

        At this stage, the manager reviews the performance of the employee throughout the year. Self-evaluation is important for performance appraisal thus the managers gives the assessment form to the Finance Officer. This is to help the officer to evaluate his or her overall performance before meeting with the manager for the appraisal meeting. The manager should review their assessment form thoroughly before assessing the employee. During the meeting, both the manager and employee will:

• Summarize the work accomplished during the previous year before the assessment period relative to those of the assessment year. Including the major achievements, the outcomes and challenges faced for the attainment of each objective.
• Identify the problems faced throughout the performance year and evaluate areas for improvement.
• Identify and evaluate the barriers to achievement of objectives of the Finance Assistant.

        After evaluation, the overall performance of the Finance Officer was perfect. The organization should consider giving the cashier a salary increment and a medical cover for motivation.

        The manager need to consider some implementation factors. Implementation is the execution or practice of new ideas or plans for doing something. The HR implements the organization’s goals and objectives to the Finance Officer and ensures that the goals are achieved. There are several factors to consider during the implementation process: One factor is communication plan. The most effective plan would be all-team announcement Email (Franco et al, 2007). This is where all employees are called to a meeting one week before the launch and made to understand the program.  The manager should use this time to get the employee to buy the idea.

        In case the employee disagrees with the supervisor’s evaluation results he or she has the right to appeal. First, he or she should write to the officer of the HR ten work days from the date the manager signs the document. Secondly, a member of the HR department will conduct investigation on the supervisor and the employee and a resolution will be put forward. However, if an agreement is not reached during the investigation and the agreement signed by the parties involved, the assessment will be final and the appeal should be stopped (Evans, 2002). The assessment documents should be handed over to the HR department and should remain private. In case the employee wants to withdraw the appeal, he or she should write to the HR who will inform the other parties.

        The manager should consider some employee’s development factors. First, the managers should encourage the Finance Assistant to take his or her mistakes as a part of learning process. This encourages the employee to thrive on and learn from their mistakes (Bourne et al, 2003). Secondly, the manager should support the employee’s learning with resources. This can be achieved by budgeting for the resources annually. Finally, the manager should provide adequate time for the employee to get the necessary training for a successful employee program.

Learning Outcomes

        Some factors need to be considered when setting up pay plans. First, the organization should consider those employees who will participate. This is according to the employee’s eligibility. Secondly, organizations should determine the role of equity during a reward framework by gathering the employees and supervisors’ perspectives.

         An employer may use several application methods to reward employees. First, bonuses is a good a way to reward employees for a good job done. This mostly applies to sales persons to motivate them to generate more profit for the company. Organizations should be careful to ensure that they reward exceptional achievements rather than achievements in the basic functions. Second application method is through profit sharing, this is where the company takes a certain percentage of its profit and disburses it amongst employees. This shows the company’s appreciation of employee’s efforts towards the achievement of profit goals (Evans, 2002). Unless well managed, profit sharing may not give enough motivation to employees as the reward is meant for anyone anyway. Another effective reward method is promotion. Employees who are exceptional and loyal to the company should be promoted to appreciate their efforts. However, the manager should be fair when implementing this method as the other employees may feel discriminated. Stock options is another effective way to reward employees. It allows employees to buy the company shares at a fixed amount for a certain period of time. Stock options rewards employees for sticking around and it serves as a long-term motivation. This method can be risky especially if the fixed price of the company’s shares is higher than that of the outside market. The shares become worthless to the employee.

        There are several team evaluation principles in PMS. First, performance standards is important during assessment. This entails the amount of effort an employee puts towards achievement of a certain goal. Second principle is unbiased evaluation. Biased evaluation is where a supervisor relies on the recent actions of the employee instead of evaluating performance for the last one year. Limited feedback is where the employee waits for a whole assessment year to give feedback to the employee instead of reminding him or her of the mistakes done for rectification. Supervisors should avoid biased evaluation in order to promote employee’s success (Amaratunga & Baldry, 2002). Thirdly, performance evaluation needs the manager and the employee to set goals which are attainable within the assessment period. These goals must follow the SMART technique to be effective to the organization. Also, communication is important during the assessment period. This helps the employer to get feedback from the employee in order to assess his or her progress and be conversant with the employee’s grievances. Finally, employees who perform well should be rewarded. This boosts their morale thus performing better in their duties.

        Performance management is necessary for any organization as it keep employees on their toes knowing that they are being monitored thus promoting success in an organization. Therefore, managers should be consistent in evaluating the employees’ feedback in order to help them improve before the final assessment review. Also, rewarding employees after a successful performance period encourages them to be more productive in a company.

References

Amaratunga, D., &Baldry, D. (2002). Moving from Performance Measurement to Performance

        Management. New York: John Wiley.

Bourne, M., Neely, A., Mills, J., & Platts, K. (2003). Implementing Performance Measurement

        System. United Kingdom: Cranfield University Press                                               

Evans, J., & Lindsay, W. (2002). The Management and Control of Quality. Cincinnati: South

        Western.

Franco-Santos, M., Kennerly, M., Micheli, P. (2007). Towards a Definition of a Business

        Performance Measurement System. United States.

Understanding and improving a virtual team

A virtual team refers to a group of individuals who normally work interdependently with a common goal across time, and who are distributed geographically but under the same organization.  The interdependence of the activities is enabled by electronic communication mainly instant messaging, web conferencing and e-mail.  The basic characteristic of a virtual team is that its members are not always able to meet and thus rely on various interactive technologies out of necessity (Serrat, 2017).

Pros and cons of virtue teams

Advantages

In an environment that is more competitive, virtual teams are increasingly becoming an important response to the needed low-cost, high time-to-market ratio and better and quick solutions to challenging organization issues. The organization is able to pool different expertise and talents through elimination of barriers created by limited time and space.  Hence, the major advantage of having a virtual team is that it allows for more flexibility and obtaining talents in the organization for diverse functions, from different locations without restrictions related to geographical distances (Serrat, 2017).  When the organization is able to have such a pool of knowledge and expertise, it can leverage the team as a significant aspect of competitive advantage.   This is more important if an organization is expanding globally, where it can find suitable people to work in specific geographical locations. In such a case, an organization can seek the services of external consultants without having to incur traveling, accommodation and downtime expenses in distant locations (Guo et.al 2009).  Moreover, a firm can expand its potential labor market and thus, making it possible to employ and retain best employees irrespective of their physical location.   The team created can be dynamic which allows for high quality work deliverables specially workers can be placed into many, concurrent teams (Guo et.al 2009).

 The flexibility allowed by a virtual team means that individuals can work with no geographical barriers when problems arise.  The cost of operations is reduced since the time and expenses incurred in traveling are greatly reduced. Since the team members can comfortably work at home, a virtual team enables them to have a work life balance so that they can attend to their personal matters such as family activities.  This is more applicable to workers with disabilities who would not need to commute on daily basis to a working location (Serrat, 2017).

Disadvantages of a virtual team

A major drawback of having a virtual team is that the team members may be working in different time zones which can make communication difficult due to short contact time window. This can lead to delays in completion of tasks that require collaboration and working under the same work schedule. Moreover, the confusion in working time and related delays may result to personal conflicts and even frustrations among the members of the team.  There is also the possibility of communication misinterpretations and failures which presents a big risk for the team. The members of the team may come from varying cultural backgrounds with different languages which may hamper effective communication. The communication process may lack important aspects like body expression and verbal cues and the intended perception of a message will not be achieved (Cascio, 2000). This may lead to inefficiencies in terms of task assignment and work deliverables. Some people may get offended when they misinterpret the messages even when the sender of the messages wanted a different meaning than what the receiver understood.  The lack of verbal cues and misinterpretation can trigger conflicts and this may be more difficult since perception can relies heavily on such cues, which cannot be offered by virtual communication (Cascio, 2000).   

Another major drawback of virtual team is lack of personal interaction due feelings among members that they are isolated. A certain degree of social interaction with fellow workers and supervisors is necessary for nearly all jobs.  Where such interaction is absent, the team members may feel isolated in terms of essential communications and even contact with the fellow members of even decision makers. This does not augur well for their work.  Where communication is inefficient and personal interaction is impossible, it is difficult to develop trust in the virtual team (Cascio, 2000). Trust is a major ingredient in achieving the set goals of the organization since a person undertakes his or her tasks with a belief that others in the team will fulfill their respective obligations.  Hence, lack of trust makes the various measures adopted for ensuring successful working relations and arrangements are valueless. In addition, while virtual may lead to cost reduction, such cost efficiencies may at times be lost. In a normal working environment, costly equipments are concentrated in one place so that most of the workers can access them. Virtual team may require that such equipments be distributed in various locations or that every worker to have his or her own (Iverson & Drake, 2014). This can be quite costly and at the same time beat the purpose of the virtual team.  All the aforementioned aspects can lead to lack of morale for employees especially those who work best while close to other people. The virtual teams may not be effective for tasks that require constant supervisions and physical presence of managers for best results to be obtained.

Companies utilizing virtual teams

The virtual teams have been seen as savvy strategy for business over the recent past especially among the large multinational companies that have had many workers working remotely. Other firms in the domestic market have embraced the idea of virtual team as a strategy that will help in achieving their objectives. Some of the firms that utilize virtual teams include IBM, Yahoo, Best Buy, Aetna, and General electric, SAP, Con Edison of New York, Community Hope and NJ Inc. The most outstanding firms in relation to virtual teams are SAP, General Electric and IBM and seem to have succeeded in adopting this strategy.  For SAP, it has over 30,000 workers in 60 countries and collaboration for the virtual team has been important to its success (Lepsinger , 2015).  The firm has been able to strategically location itself in various Research and Development centers in countries like Israel, China and United States.  The establishment of the team involved training programs and a community that blended online learning, coaching sessions, briefings and even conference calls.  IBM has over 200,000 employees in different countries and a major problem that led to creation of virtual team was the management of time zones due to the sheer size (Lepsinger , 2015). The decisions to allow employees work in their respective residential areas and following their schedule was seen as the major strategy.  Software for virtual meeting to enable increased collaboration made it possible to manage the work.

 General Electric with over 90,000 people adopted a virtual classroom where employees were able to collaborate and thus obtain common goals through quizzes and e-learning (Lepsinger , 2015).  The other firms did not gain such success due to lack of good collaboration and effective virtual communication. Virtual team collaboration was enabled by effective communication by use of softwares that allowed for virtual learning, training, teleconferencing while interaction in a firm like General Electric was enhanced by virtual classrooms and quizzes. These made it possible to manage accountability, build trust and even form strong bonds among members (Lepsinger , 2015). Miscommunication was also another problem addressed by the introduction of such approaches.

Addressing the emerging challenges

Boosting the morale of virtual teams is a challenge for human resource managers, but this can be solved by addressing some issues affect employees like career development and enhancing their identity in the organization.  The virtual employees should be made to feel that they are valued like others and their contribution to the organization is understood and recognized.  Improving a sense of belonging among the virtual team can help in improving the employees’ morale especially when they are retained on the basis of their contribution (Iverson & Drake, 2014). In order to eliminate miscommunication, an organization should adopt effective electronic communication and other technologies that will enable collaboration among the virtual team members. This will allow members from varying functional areas and geographical locations have a standard of communication and collaboration that they can related to (Iverson & Drake, 2014). Many failures in virtual communication emanates from an illusion that the passage of intended information has been communicated.  Moreover, building trust is a major aspect that helps in solving challenges related to virtual teams.  Building of trust in virtual environment depends on the ability to accomplish tasks and deliver them as required and on time so as to achieve an interpersonal relationship.  The organization should seek virtual team members who will guarantee that they will truthfully discharge their obligations competently while observing integrity (Iverson & Drake, 2014).

Recommendations

Under the right management, virtual teams can perform better than the traditional teams but this requires addressing one major concern; a person not knowing what others are doing about in regard to a task or project (Ferrazzi, 2012).  The focus of management should be to manage and even make the most of potential benefits and at the same time reducing the disadvantages. This requires putting processes in place, less but effective communication and focusing any conflict towards the tasks at hand. The right processes should be such that the work control is done where coordination of task assigning, decision making and remedies for poor commitment among team members. Effective communication should only be used when needed and this requires avoiding the assumption that a lot of communication means everybody understands (Ferrazzi, 2012). The firm should ensure there is predictable and quality communication. For instance, rules could specify how quickly a person should respond to request or actions. The conflict arising from virtual teams may not necessary be bad since it can make people find better solutions. Otherwise, conflicts at times may escalate and even become destructive since in such a team there is no empathy. The organization should implement some social-bonding activities like having virtual coffee and exchanging professional information. Such activities can lead to more efficiency and even better results for the company (Ferrazzi, 2012).

References

Iverson, S. V., & Drake, J. (2014). The handbook of high‐performance virtual teams: A toolkit for collaborating across boundaries. Edited by Jill Nemiro, Michael Beyerlein, Lori Bradley, & Susan Beyerlein. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 26(2), 63-66.

Guo, Z., D'ambra, J., Turner, T., & Zhang, H. (2009). Improving the effectiveness of virtual teams: A comparison of video-conferencing and face-to-face communication in China. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 52(1), 1-16.

Lepsinger , R., (2015).3 Companies with High-Performing Virtual Teams. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-companies-high-performing-virtual-teams-rick-lepsinger

Ferrazzi, K. (2012). Virtual teams can outperform traditional teams. Harvard Business Review, 20.

Serrat, O. (2017). Managing virtual teams. In Knowledge Solutions (pp. 619-625). Springer, Singapore.

Cascio, W. F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. The Academy of Management Executive, 14(3), 81-90.

Leadership

Leading and managing change

Change management and leadership have been displayed in various ways in Client and mostly in regard to introduction and adoption of innovation in the organization.  The creation of urgency in the company has helped in inculcate the sense of urgency especially around the need for continuous innovation (Gupta, 2011).  Urgency has been created though the adoption of the idea that innovation as very essential, especially in bridging the various functional groups in the organization.  This concept has constantly been renewed through continued iterations and time so that the company has become synonymous with innovation. Another element of change leadership is the formation of a team through which the innovation process would be introduced, maintained and sustained.  Change leadership requires the formation of a powerful coalition, which includes bringing together a team of individuals from different fields and expertise and then continued building of a momentum around change requirement (Gupta, 2011). Client’s sought an innovation task force that comprised of various innovators, the employees and the 200 leaders in the company.

In addition, Client went to a great deal to eliminate any obstacles that would prevent the process of continuous innovation from succeeding.  This is seen in the thorough analysis of the past failures associated with every successes and innovations and bench marking company’s best practices and highlighting the lessons learnt.  The communication on the need for change is an important aspect that has been addressed by the client and this has been intertwined with the overall vision that is to drive innovation. This includes the focus on satisfying the customer needs.  Communication needs to be continuously and powerfully embedded within all the activities of an organization so as to achieve a common goal (Gupta, 2011). Through ensuring the presence of common understanding and language between various teams, Elon Musk has been able to achieve change leadership. One area in which change leadership is not clearly displayed is lack of clear communication on what is expected on every person in the team driving innovation.  Change management should involve a clear explanation on what is expected of the cross-functional teams and the rewards that results from their achievements.

Problem management and decision making, and Consensus Building and Negotiation

The 1986 Challenger accident comprises of various ways in which the problem management and decision making skills were not displayed.  The lack of effective problem management in this case can be related to the limitation of group-thinking which tends to discourage independent thinking. In this case, even after there were clear concerns related to launching of the Space Craft under 53 degrees and the possibility of the O-ring malfunctioning, the managers went ahead to give their approval.  In group-thinking, members are swayed to automatically assume that the decision made unanimously is the right course and thus cannot raise their objections due fear of causing dissent among the members (Janis, 2008).  The decision making was not made based on rational thinking but shielded Jesses Moore from taking firm decision based on the concerns raised by engineers. In addition, while reaching a consensus, there was a disregard of the various alternative solutions that would have prevented the accident and at the same time, protect NASA from being viewed by the public as inept (Janis, 2008). The communication process during the decision making process in this project failed to uphold the need for clear communication especially on the concerns raised by the engineers concerning the risks of the launch.

Consensus building and negotiation

 Building consensus during the negotiation process requires each side to ultimately choose between accepting the deal offered or the best no-deal option available. Building consensus should be done after understanding that the negotiation process is an emotional process before it becomes an economic process.  It involves understanding the perspectives of the other party which can be accomplished by overcoming the tendency to be self-centered (Sebenius,  2001). At the very least, the negotiation skills should be founded on understanding the underlying problem from the view of the other party. Dismissing the concerns of the other parry as their problem as a display of being inept at the negotiation table.  Moreover, when price is allowed to overshadow other interests, it is possible to spoil a potential deal. The negotiation process is as important as dealing making and its related content.  Sustainable results in the negotiation process will be achieved if all the parties view it as personal, respectful and founded on fairness (Sebenius, 2001).  

Even where the negotiations are purely price deals, the negotiator should not focus on their richer interests so that he or she puts those of the other party at stake. The negotiation skills can also rightly be displayed by looking past the common ground to discover difference from which value can be created. The differences can show the elements of negotiation that are most valued by each party and break any deadlocked deals (Sebenius, 2001).  Best negotiators adopt a wider technique that identifies the interest of the other party and then finding a solution for the right problem.  This involves understanding and then shaping the choice of the other party and meeting their interests by allowing others to choose what they need. In some instances it is important to prolonging a stale-mate or even walking away and seeking a deal from another buyer instead of engaging in fruitless negotiations (Sebenius, 2001).  However, all these will be possible if one has a clear view or understanding of a wring vision and then correcting it so as to have a successful negotiation.

Application

Change management and leadership are important aspects for successful implementation of change in an organization. Leading change in my organization would require having clear vision of the change needed while creation of urgency means that the need is understood throughout the organization. Having a coalition of team members to drive the change will ensure that the all aspects of change are allocated to specific individuals. Problem management and decision making in an organization requires that at times, I move away from group thinking and rely on independent thinking. This is because group thinking may prevent the members of the organization from making the right decisions or from evaluating the different alternatives to a problem while trying to conform to the group. Decision making requires that a manager make the right decisions even if they will antagonize the other members of the group. Negotiation skills are important in making deals in an organization. When trying to make deals with other parties, I would focus on their interests and let them make decisions on the basis of their choices but through which the organization interests will be catered for.

References 

Janis, I. L. (2008). Groupthink. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 36(1), 36.

Sebenius, J. K. (2001). Six habits of merely effective negotiators. Harvard Business Review, 79(4), 87-97.

Gupta, P. (2011). Leading innovation change-The Kotter way. International Journal of Innovation Science, 3(3), 141-150.

Leading innovation and change : Best practice case study

Groupthink of Irving Janis

Leadership and management

Introduction

Leadership involves aligning workers with the vision and mission of the organization. This means that instilling motivation, team work, effective communication, and inspiration to all (Stephen, 2011). Conversely, management basically refers to various processes which enable any organization to function effectively. The idea behind management entails budgeting, clarifying work to be done, evaluating performances, planning, as well as problem solving.

This then implies that the role of leadership does not entail budgeting, controlling people, and so on. A leader has little influence when it comes to the assigning of duties as well as evaluating it. The role of the leader mainly entails allowing people to design their duties. Whereas, the essence of management is to ensure that all the resources are wisely allocated other than trying to implement control on people. This is what enables the management authority to accomplish any task each person has been assigned to (Terrell & Hughes, 2010).

Similarly, command entails informing and reminding people about the vision of their organization so as to enable them realize their goals. This is achieved through formulating concrete thoughts through that vision as well as communication it to them. For an institution to be successful, it has to survive as well as reward its workers, both extrinsically and intrinsically. Therefore, the main emphasis of command is on reward and success of all stakeholders (Fielder, 2011).

From the perspective of the trait theory of leadership, it is, therefore, clear that the role of a leader involves identifying certain personality traits which assists in distinguishing non-leaders from good leaders.  Typically, leadership relies on the certain traits of a leader to assist modifying his or her behavior. Acknowledging the type of traits that make a leader to be successful basically assist in indentifying prospective leaders.

Conversely, as much as leadership, management, and command are essential in the modern security environment, the idea behind this will entail analyzing its applicability, strengths and, weaknesses. Great organizations constantly maintain efficient leadership management. Consequently, it is important to ensure that leadership has been explicitly grounded in the traits of each person. This is essential because it is the one which enables the management authority to develop their workers, realize their goals, and maintain team work, and so on (Stephen, 2011).

Bradford’s implies that the leadership models being utilized nowadays acts as a guide for influencing the behavior of leaders in any situation or environment. The first model is the managerial grid whose main focus is on the concern of a leader to a particular task and people in predicting perceived outcomes. The next one is the 4 framework approaches that utilize various concepts for the purpose of guiding the behavior of leaders in certain situations.   The third one is the situational leadership which is used for the purpose of guiding a leader in selecting suitable coaching tactics needed for developing employees in a specific environment.

Lastly, since each person is unique and leadership, management, and command are important human domains, the purpose of this essay is to highlight the manner in which the three can be implemented in achieving interpersonal, conceptual, efficiency, effectiveness, sharing of ideas, and so on in the modern internal security organization

Subtopics to be covered

Leadership – Employee motivation, inspiration, and development, innovation, team work, importance of effective communication and problem-solving

Management – organizing, budgeting, and planning

Command _ Significance of providing effective team-work structure as well as the importance of instilling success and rewarding employees

References

Fielder, Dave. 2011. Defining command, leadership, and management success factors within stability operations. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.

Stephen, Bungay. 2011. The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions, and Results. Nicholas Brealey Publishing

Terrell, J. B., & Hughes, M. (2010). A Coach's Guide to Emotional Intelligence: Strategies for Developing Successful Leaders. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Services Encounter Journal Report

Executive Summary

            This report offers an in-depth analysis of the present and prospective issues faced by the servicing companies in the United Kingdom. The primary method that was applied was the thorough analysis of personal service experience across different servicing companies ranging from restaurant, banks, automobile, and transport and so on. The concepts of customer’s satisfaction need, quality and loyalty are also highlighted. The report sought to analyse service encounter from a personalized perspective through the application of 3 extra Ps of service, Zone of Tolerance and service quality, satisfaction vs. loyalty. The study has proposed some viable recommendations that companies can apply to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty and adhere to quality value. From the data collected from ten different journals, it was concluded that the satisfactory services are those that subscribe to quality and meets the needs of the customer. The study, therefore, offers strategies for maximization of service success in a comprehensive range of industries.

Introduction

The perception held by a customer regarding service is mainly reliant on the service experience. The receptiveness and assertion that is offered by the services providers is the main contributor to quality and satisfying services. Service encounter refers to one by one interaction between the workers and the employees. The importance of quality services has been asserted by the increasing focus to build on quality customer relationships across companies in different industries. However, it cannot be denied that some companies still offer very dissatisfying services that fail not only to meet the expectations of the customers but also the assertions and goals of the company. Over the past five consecutive weeks through which thorough analysis of the quality of services received was done, I realized that the personal communication with the services providers was influential in enhancing my understanding of what service quality, satisfaction, perception and customer loyalty means. Resulting from the acquired experience my knowledge of specific brands and commitment to particular services has been affected either positively or undesirable. Through the experience, I realized that the companies and the employees that offered dissatisfying services were mainly driven by profit rather than the need to create value for their customers through quality servicing.

Methods and Procedures

Primary data played a vital role in writing this report. In that throughout five weeks, I acquired for different services. The services were not exceptional as they are the ones that were enquired for on a daily basis. After the received services the data would then be recorded to determine whether the service was satisfactory or not. The criteria that were utilized in the classification involved establishing whether my expectations and needs for the services were met. Also, the delivery of the services was also considered. In other words, the manner in which the employees handled my needs and their responsiveness. Personal I expect that the service providers should find not only the raised inquiries but also my feelings. From the investigation and analysis, I realized that some companies provided terrible services with minimal or zero satisfaction by not prioritizing the customer’s need. On the other hand, there were those that exceeded my expectation through the premium services that they offered. The acquired data was summarized on a weekly basis and then synthesized through the use of coding to identify the fundamental concepts regarding satisfaction, service quality, and consumer’s loyalty. It is through this systematic analysis that conclusions for the study were drawn that offering quality services not only help in building loyalty but is also useful in enhancing the brand’s image and building a positive perception from the customers. Performance of any given organization is determined by the model that it relies on its consumers (Gera et al., 2017). Customers represent one of the most vital aspects of conducting successful businesses.

Findings and Techniques

Quality servicing to the consumers results in the increase of customer’s loyalty by creating a sense of satisfaction. In the contemporariness of the society today, it is somewhat evident that consumers are driven more quality of both the products and the service offered more than the set prices (Kiran & Diljit, 2017). It is evident that affordability plays a role but if poor services are provided the customers automatically acquire a negative perception regarding the company and the brand which leads to poor performance. Customer relation represents one of the essential tools that is being utilized by the modern businesses to retain the existing customers while attracting new ones. The significance of desirable service encounter cannot be argued as it results in loyalty and also creates a positive brand image (Kiran & Diljit, 2017). However, if the employees demonstrate somewhat unethical behaviors towards the employees, this, therefore, means that customer’s loyalty will reduce to the highest level without a doubt. A practical service experience leads to situating the company competitively in the market. It means that the servicing companies must understand the ever-changing needs of the consumers concerning quality so that the aspect of loyalty can be maximized.

From my assessment, there are several notable causes of the performance issues that I encountered in service. To begin with, some employees are not adequately trained or the lack the necessary skills that are needed to handle customers. Consumers are delicate, and they deserve to be treated as such. When the employees lack the skills required, they opt to act based on their personal feelings rather than adhering to professionalism (Zhuang & Babin, 2015). It is not that the consumers are right at all the time, but the employees must convey any information in accordance. The notion reminds me of the negative and dissatisfactory encounter that I had with East Coast Dynamics. I called the company to reserve some tickets for my friends and I, for a party that they were holding. We were assured of a reservation and constant communication to inform us of the proceeding and where we were to get the tickets from. However, it was on the eve of the party that they sent an email stating that the reservation had not gone through for some reasons that were never given. We later learned from our friend that it was a known trend that the tickets would be sold to the highest bidder (Kiran & Diljit, 2017). The experience was a bad one. It demonstrated the lack of skills among the employees as they should have informed us earlier and also provided justifiable reasons for the disappointment.

On the other hand, some companies lack a traditional culture that emphasizes customer satisfaction and quality measures. I got a somewhat appealing experience after visiting Tesco retailing supermarket some weeks back. I usually shop at the supermarket based on the services that I have acquired over the years. On that fateful day, I had forgotten my credit card, but the sales manager was so accommodating that on top of understanding my situation he asked for my details and agreed for the payments to be made later without any hesitation. All that was needed is communication to ensure that I made the amount. The quality services that are offered by the company is the rationale behind its success. The company has dominated the retailing market in the UK and globally because it has created a positive brand image. For the company quality, affordability and customer experience are its central values that it tries to guard over the years. Rather than focusing on competition the company has earned a competitive edge by ensuring that it tops in the provision of quality services. It is somewhat transparent that when a company has a steady culture that asserts on such needs, then it becomes slightly more natural for it to succeed in the market (Zhuang & Babin, 2015). The loyalty of the customers is also enhanced since from my personal experience I cannot miss acquiring the services from the company for any reason.

Figure 1: The association between Quality, Satisfaction and Loyalty

It is also worth noting that most of the companies that offer the most indigent services are those that are focused on profit maximization rather than value creation. In that due to the increased competition in the servicing industry, it is somewhat evident that the involved companies have opted to guard their revenue generation by enhancing the means to acquire profit. The companies, therefore, fail to recognize and acknowledge the needs of their consumers in general. The weak services, therefore, work to ensure that the companies are strategically located by an associate with the most mediocre performance regarding brand image and perception. In other words, this means that even though the companies have succeeded in the generation of maximum revenue, they have eventually failed to secure their future (Kiran & Diljit, 2017). For sustainability in the market to be achieved the companies must commit to the provision of satisfying services to the customers.

Desirable service encounter is an important sign of success for any servicing company. In that such feelings leads to increased loyalty from the consumers and attracts a wide range of new customers. Companies are highly influenced by the competitive environment to become customer focused. The retailing sector has acquired stability and success based on positive customer interactions (Kotler, Kartajaya, & Setiawan, 2010). It has pressured the services providers to comprehend fully the significance of optimistic service encounter as the most effective customer retaining instrument. The stiff competition in the industry had additionally attracted more concentration on the encounters of the customers as it leads to quality services which in turn leads to the highest satisfaction and the ability to retain the existing customers while attracting new ones. This is best proven by the experience that I acquired from Henry’s Esso after I took the car there for some repairs. The service provide was very warm in addition to the fact that they kept the promise of asserting quality. The service that I acquired was exceptional given that the company is very oriented on delivering the most pleasing services. The other thing that played part in developing the positive perception was the fact that communication was not only constant but effective. The employer explained everything including all the issues that the car had and also gave some tips that would be essential in maintaining the car in the best condition (Zhuang & Babin, 2015). The encounter clearly shows that the company is not oriented on the increasing of profit but to offer the best services. In addition, based on the accommodating behaviours of the employee it is evident that company has a strong culture that is focused on fulfilling the needs of the customers.

Service encounter can best be described as the moment in which the customers interact openly with the service providers and the offered services (Kotler, Kartajaya, & Setiawan, 2010). On the other hand, service encounter is the reality of the provided services. It means that the employees either feel that the facilities are inadequate or that they are satisfactory based on their anticipations. The level of the offered services determines both satisfaction and quality. Service encounters is also a form of social interaction that results in customers making a judgment of the variety of the provided services. The decision is mainly based on personal interactions among the consumers with the services. In other words, the service experience is a crucial determinant of the consumer’s response to a given function (Zhuang & Babin, 2015). It is unarguable that one or countable services experience results in dissatisfaction or approval. The organizations that understand the needs of the customers and the importance of acquiring differentiated and quality experiences provide the most satisfactory services that seek to guard their customers and their market.

Service quality can be linked to some aspects which are either touchable or feeling based. In that service experience is something that can only be felt based on whether the expectations have been met. If the customer’s perception is undesirable, this, therefore, means that the services failed to satisfy their needs. In the servicing sector, it is without a doubt that customer satisfaction is the primary determinant of the company’s performance (Demirci-Orel & Kara, 2015). By offering services that are full of quality value, this will automatically create satisfaction on the involved employees and lead to loyalty. Loyalty means that the customers are always prepared and willing to acquire the services from the company over and over without hesitation. This is not driven by cost but the feeling that the services create. Despite the fact that service quality and loyalty share a personal relationship, they are vital in determining the options that the consumers are bound to take. In that, the consumers will ultimately choose to end or continuing the relationship. If the customer wants to remain, it implies that the service created a form of value which is the thing that leads to retention as well as long-run profit maximization. The quality of the services is the impression that has been generated by the consumers (Demirci-Orel & Kara, 2015). Quality services are additionally enhanced by the responses of the workers towards the consumer. In that, if the worker appears to be arrogant, this means that the service is not a satisfactory one.

Based on the illustration, the services that I acquired after ordering food online from McDonald's was poor. The service was dissatisfying because even though I have been buying from the company, I realized that the employee fails to adhere to the value of faster delivery and quality. The food was delivered hours after I had made the order and even in that instance the quality was below my expectations (Kotler, Kartajaya, & Setiawan, 2010). Despite the fact that it was late my needs and preferences were ignored, and the food was unusually cold. I raised the feeling, but the employee did not seem to care and only made the assertion that they do not take any foods return. The quality aspect of the delivery was therefore ignored. The employee appeared to be lacking the necessary skills that were required to deal with customers as the response was an arrogant one given that my preferences had not be met. Also, the encounter best illustrates that the company only asserts on the generation of more monetary value rather than ensuring that the needs of the customers are met. The experience created unappealing impression regarding the brand which makes it hard for me to inquire about the services in the future. In other words with poor services, the ability to retain customers or attract a new segment is hard.

Extraordinary quality services is a preventative tool for the companies to thoroughly beat the current competition by increasing satisfaction (Kotler, Kartajaya, & Setiawan, 2010). Consumer satisfaction is directly related to the conduct of the employee and the impression generated. To create a positive brand, the quality of services should be at the top. But this does not necessarily imply that the cost has to be premium for such services to be provided but in general consumers deserves to acquire better treatment to share their perceptions (Demirci-Orel & Kara, 2015). In other words, high excellence services can be utilized as a significant tool for manipulating the thinking of the employees. It is widely recognized that companies can attain the highest customer satisfaction in instances that the needed skills are instilled in the employees about handing the consumers.  Therefore it is apparent that there is an authentic relationship amid quality, satisfaction and consumers loyalty. The finding shows that the satisfaction acquired from services is reliant on the current perspectives in the company and among employees regarding servicing quality.

Customer satisfaction represents an essential aspect of marketing whose consideration is vital to the success of the company. In the competitive economic world, today in the UK and globally the satisfaction of the customers is essential (Kotler, Kartajaya, & Setiawan, 2010). The perception of those being served plays a vital role in happiness. In most cases, achievement is measured by the market and the general ability to retain the customers. In this, there is a need to correct the problem for the companies that offer poor services that fail to achieve customer satisfaction. In that from such encounters only pushes the consumers a way to search for better services which means that the financial performance of the company is affected. Also, its reputation is destroyed since the consumers begin to develop a negative perception regarding the brand. In this context, it is highly beneficial to correct the situation. By offering quality services, the companies will ultimately benefit from loyalty due to enhanced satisfaction (Demirci-Orel & Kara, 2015). Through this, a positive brand can be build which means that the ability for the company to maximize its earning will be improved. The other benefit is that the company will strategically and competitively position itself in the market overall its competitors which is an essential aspect of conducting business. However, if the problem is not corrected the companies will not only be suffering from low productivity but also reduced earning and the loss of loyalty and cut earning. The company will not be able to secure its future competitive position since sustainability will not be possible. The market will also reduce giving room for the competitors to outdo the companies.

Zone of Tolerance can best be attributed to the sorts of perceptions that the customers acquire. In that, there is a level that is expected and the one that is accepted (Saxena, 2009). Thus if the services go below the range, this means that the customers will not be satisfied and the service is linked to poor quality. In some instances, the customers have an extensive tolerance range, and even though they are subjected to poor services, it is likely that they come back for the services. However, the aspect is not one to be celebrated since the tolerance will wear out at some point. For such customers, their concern regarding satisfaction of experience is low which can automatically lead to happiness even with the absence of quality (Saxena, 2009). For the most prolonged period, I tried to be patient with the poor services that I would acquire at Burger King, but my last visit destroyed all the tolerance that I ever had in general. It means that even though I was loyal the bond was broken by poor services. Therefore, to correct the performance, there is a need to adopt the most effective measure that enhances quality and focuses on the satisfaction of the consumers.

Maintaining positive customer relations is the only alternative that can help in solving the problem. The employees must understand the needs of the consumers and the ways of handling them. The companies should, therefore, invest in offering training to their workers on customer’s relations and how to evolve to a customer-centric organization. The changing costs moderate since the employees need a practice that is not so detailed to ensure that they acquire the necessary capabilities and knowledge (Demirci-Orel & Kara, 2015). The incurred cost is less when equated to the losses that the companies will get if the issue is not resolved. For these decisions to be made the managers should understand the company’s strengths and weaknesses about the provision of essential services in general. In that, the source of dissatisfaction should be established so that effective measures can be implemented to handle the situation. Acquiring direct information from the customers can be a useful tool in managing the issue. Also changing the company’s culture has proved to be effective in different industries. A company’s culture not only shapes the employee's behaviours but also acts as a guide during operations. Through this, the employees will seek to prioritize the assertions of the company mainly by focusing on the needs of the customers this will not only lead to increased satisfaction but also service quality.

3 P’s are part of the contemporary marketing process. People represent an excessively essential section of any given corporation (Wirtz, 2017). The company must own the right set of individuals so that it can grow eventually. In other words, the presence of excellent services persons is needed to support the goals of the company and its general anticipations such as maintaining the highest rate of satisfaction and fulfilling the needs of every operation. Having staffs that have the necessary knowledge is essential to growing the company in general. The process, on the other hand, refers to the strategic procedures and rules that have already been implemented regarding the firm’s products and services (Wirtz, 2017). In other words, having the necessary processes is fundamental to the marketing success. The Public needs to be informed of not only what the company provides but also the level of quality. On the other hand, physical evidence is the general branding of the products and services. It can be understood as the manner in which the services are provided. The appearance of the items is essential in generating satisfaction (Wirtz, 2017). In that, if a company has a real physical brand them, the customers get attracted to the goods due to the need to try them. Physical packaging should fully satisfy the desires and anticipations of the market. This means for instance for the food companies such as McDonald's they can improve their servicing to ensure that purchase is encouraged. Minimal adjustments on packaging are vital in enhancing the appearance of products which in turn improves the general impression of the goods. Employees are the primary determinant of the physical evidence appearance based on the manner in which they present themselves to the customers.

Service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty are directly linked. In other words, it is not possible to acquire loyalty in the instances that the offered services are not satisfactory to the needs of the consumers. There is the need to satisfy the customers via providing premium services for retention to be achieved. Based on the provision, it is evident that the loyalty of the customers is mainly dependent on the achieved satisfaction (Demirci-Orel & Kara, 2015). For instance based on the quality of services that were provided by Henry’s Esso I will retain my loyalty to the company because I need such reliable services. The service did not only meet my anticipations, but the employee appeared to be well trained to deal with the customers. Through the service, I was able to receive a somewhat appealing feeling.

Conclusion

In summing up, the above analysis was developed following a detailed examination of the quality, satisfaction and customer loyalty model. Given that quality is an essential force that influences the satisfaction of the consumers, in general, it is necessary for the companies involved in the servicing industry to pay attention to its provision. The comfort of the employees is not only outstanding because it leads to business stability but mainly because it enhances the competitive positioning of the company. From the experience that I got from the five weeks assessment, it is clear that some companies offer terrible service experience to their consumers mainly because they are focused on the generation of more revenue rather than the production of value for the consumers. In the modern business setting, quality has emerged to be an essential aspect of the business. In other words, consumers are more interested in the form of services that they acquire rather than the cost of the brand. To create the positive brand in the market, that is full of competition, the needs of all the customers must be accounted for directly.

Recommendations

Given that some of the companies in the servicing sector still provide services that are particularly poor. The companies should adopt more customer-centric approaches that seek to not only create superior satisfaction but also offer quality services. The primary objective is to ensure that the existing customers are retained entirely while trying to attract new ones. The sustainability of business is mainly dependent on the ability to meet the needs of the customers. Also, the employees should be enrolled in training to gain the necessary skills that seek to meet the needs of the customers. The employee’s behaviours will be shaped to enhance the experiences of the employees. Also, the companies should adjust their respective cultures to fit these needs of the employees and the consumers. The culture characters the staffs to providing services that are consumer-cantered. In turn, the perception of the consumers will be changed, satisfaction increased and retention enhanced.

ReferencesTop of FormBottom of Form

Demirci-Orel, F., & Kara, A. (2015). Assessing the Role of Service Quality of Retail Self-Checkouts on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: Empirical Evidence from an Emerging Market. In Marketing Dynamism & Sustainability: Things Change, Things Stay the Same… (pp. 226-226). Springer, Cham.

Gera, R., Mittal, S., Batra, D. K., & Prasad, B. (2017). Evaluating the Effects of Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Service Value on Behavioral Intentions with Life Insurance Customers in India. International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology (IJSSMET), 8(3), 1-20.

Kiran, K., & Diljit, S. (2017). Antecedents of customer loyalty: Does service quality suffice?. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 16(2), 95-113.

Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2010). Marketing 3: From Products to Customers to the Human Spirit.Wiley.Top of Form

Saxena, R. (2009). Marketing management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.

Wirtz, J. (2017). Winning in service markets: Success through people, technology and strategy. Bottom of Form

Zhuang, W., & Babin, B. J. (2015). The Influence of E-Service-Quality on Customer Value Perception and Satisfaction: The Case of Third-Party Web Sites. In Marketing Dynamism & Sustainability: Things Change, Things Stay the Same… (pp. 114-117). Springer, Cham.

Leadership and management

Introduction

Management basically refers to various processes which enable any organization to function effectively. The idea behind management entails budgeting, clarifying work to be done, evaluating performances, planning, as well as problem solving. This is to imply that it ensures that all the resources are wisely allocated other than trying to implement control on people. This is what enables the management authority to accomplish any task each person has been assigned to. On the other hand, leadership involves aligning workers with the vision and mission of the organization. This means that instilling motivation, team work, effective communication, and inspiration to all (Stephen, 2011).

Similarly, command entails informing and reminding people about the vision of their organization so as to enable them realize their goals. This is achieved through formulating concrete thoughts through that vision as well as communication it to them. For an institution to be successful, it has to survive as well as reward its workers, both extrinsically and intrinsically. Therefore, the main emphasis of command is on reward and success of all stakeholders (Fielder, 2011).

Conversely, as much as leadership, management, and command are essential in the modern security environment, the idea behind this will entail analyzing its applicability, strengths and, weaknesses. Great organizations constantly maintain efficient leadership management. Consequently, it is important to ensure that leadership has been explicitly grounded in the traits of each person. This is essential because it is the one which enables the management authority to develop their workers, realize their goals, and maintain team work, and so on (Stephen, 2011). Lastly, since each person is unique and leadership, management, and command are important human domains, the purpose of this essay is to highlight the manner in which the three can be implemented in achieving interpersonal, conceptual, efficiency, effectiveness, sharing of ideas, and so on in the modern internal security organization.

Subtopics to be covered

Leadership – Employee motivation, inspiration, and development, innovation, team work, importance of effective communication and problem-solving

Management – organizing, budgeting, and planning

Command _ Significance of providing effective team-work structure as well as the importance of instilling success and rewarding employees

References

Fielder, Dave. 2011. Defining command, leadership, and management success factors within stability operations. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.

Stephen, Bungay. 2011. The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions, and Results. Nicholas Brealey Publishing

 Job Analysis for Logistic Manager

Job analysis entails researching on the specific job duties and requirements of a certain job and the relevance of these duties for a given job. Jobs analysis is necessary as it ensures effective training of employees, performance evaluation and compensation of a job well done. A logistic manager is in charge of ensuring products are supplied to the right location and at the right time. It is therefore necessary to do a job analysis before creating and advertising the position of logistic manager during the expansion. This paper will discuss the roles of job analysis and the process used to develop the new position, role of job analysis in developing a job description and the different job analysis techniques.

            Creating a new job position is a process and the employer has to take a few things into consideration. First, it is important to determine which needs are not been met in the company. This needs can only be known through consulting the other employees in order to know if they have workload and if they support the idea of a new position being introduced due to the extra work. Secondly, duties should be grouped into one or more job descriptions. This includes the title of the position, level of education of the applicant, the department, name of the employee’s supervisors and the salary range. Thirdly, salary of the new employee should be put into consideration. One has to analyze the company’s budget in order to know if the company will meet the salary range of the new employee and if not, the position can be postponed until the company is financially stable. Fourthly, prepare written reasons to justify the new position. They may include the challenges that the company is facing due to insufficient number of employees and the losses this has on the organization. Finally, the job description and written reasons should be submitted to the supervisor who will give the outcome of the request.

Job analysis plays an important when developing a job description and subsequent job posting. Analysis helps in providing job title, determining the salary range and knowing the objectives of the new position. Job analysis also helps to know the right training which should be given to the employee. Applicants also get to know the required education level for a particular job.

            Observation method is the most suitable job analysis technique to be used for the logistic manager position. This method involves observing the worker keenly, all his completed and pending work, the technique used by the worker to complete his or her work and their ability to handle challenges or work under pressure. Observation technique is suitable as the worker cannot fake or change how he or she behaves and perform their duties as they are not aware they are being observed. The job analyst gets first hand information on of how the worker relates with other workers and how complex their work is. Another suitable method is the interview method. The job analyst interacts with employees through asking them questions, this allows them to come up with their own methods of working, challenges faced at work and their jobs fears and insecurities. Through interview, an employer get to learn about an employee’s perspectives towards his or her job and duties in it.

            Using more than one technique helps the supervisors to get full information from workers. For example, using observation method may give the outside information in a certain job but combining it with interview method helps to get the workers perceptive towards their job and the challenges they face.

            After writing a job description and doing job analysis, the organization must ensure that the person being hired for that position is well qualified. Analysis also helps to provide the right training needed for that position and to provide the tools required for the job. Job description also gives clear information about grade and the salary range and this gives the employee knowledge of what to expect from the company thus reducing industrial action. Goals and objectives of the organization keeps the employee focused as he or she knows what the company expects from them.

            While selecting a logistic manager, some criteria have to be used. First, the person should portray leadership qualities. He or she should come up with effective strategies to make the supply chain a success. Second, he or she should have enough experience on the field and a record of achievements. Experience reduces the amount of time used in training the employee. The manager should also be good at negotiating with third party service providers. Thirdly, the manager should be have good communication and listening skills. He or she ought to build a good relationship with different functional expertise in his team and convince them on the benefits of potential improvements on the logistic process. Fourthly, look out for someone who got guts. The logistics manager’s position is not for the weak and require courageous people due to its high level of vulnerability.

            Job analysis is essential in any organization as it improves a company’s performance because through analysis, problems are identified and solved. It is therefore important for organizations to appoint qualified and well trained job analysts who are conversant with the company’s vision and duties of workers.

Leadership Aha Moment

Throughout the course and the weekly leadership assessments, I can confidently affirm the fact that I have acquired a few concepts regarding leadership. The economic world today is characterized by intense competition and effective leadership competence is vital for both professional and individual development (Northouse, 2017). Leadership represents one of the essential act of organizational management which is useful in the maximization of performance and goals achievements (Northouse, 2017). Leadership means different things to different people globally. To me, leadership is the ability to inspire and influence others to willingly and passionately work for the achievement of common goals. Partially it can be said that leadership as an art can be learned and developed. Leadership is not just driven by knowledge and competence but also having a strong personality that seeks to create change and positivity. The assessment offered substantial understanding and detailed explanations in regard to leadership and the application of distinct approaches to differing situation. The examination of both the needed skills and leading theories was essential in enhancing my understanding and critical analysis abilities.

My leadership Aha moment is attributed to the fact that I am a task oriented and a democratic leader with great interpersonal skills. This is an Aha moment for me because, it is unarguable that leadership is about being able to influence others, treat them fairly and relate to them well. I cannot lead effectively without the ability to inspire the followers. Being a task-oriented person does not only imply that I am focused but also indicates the highest ability to focus on the achievement of goals without fail. A leader is the one that acts as an example to other people in general (Northouse, 2017). By being task-oriented then the followers can be inspired to commit and passionately work for better performance. Effective leadership is not measured by power but on the output and influence (Northouse, 2017). On the other hand, this aspect is even made better by high scores in being a democratic leader.

Being a democratic leader is surprising and a good thing since such aspects are rare in the contemporary society. Democratic leadership is widely known as participative management, where every member is engaged in decision making which in turn encourages growth and willingness (Northouse, 2017). This strategy is also crucial in not only inspiring the followers but also motivating them by creating a sense of accommodation and allowing them to be appreciated. A democratic leader takes an active role in operations by not only giving instructions but guiding and being part of every day’s operations. This to me is an Aha moment also because democratic leadership is not easy as much has to be abandoned for success to be achieved. This is categorized as one of the most vital characteristics of effective leaders in the modern society that not only leads to better performance but also increased efficiency.

From the assessment as a leader, my weaknesses lie in authoritarian leadership, administrative and personal skills. Personally, I am a good communicator and I relate quite well to others but be authoritative is not one of my strengths. I believe in my abilities but the confidence to instill such strengths and influence on others is low because I am not authoritative. I believe that being a participative leader hinders my ability to express authority on the ground that I tend to perceive authority as a bad thing that mainly discourages others from participating and being active. However, from the course, it is rather evident that authority is not only needed in command but also ensuring that tasks and operations are managed as needed. Authority is required to communicate and enforce strategies that are aimed at creating a healthy surrounding that upholds organizational goals. On the other hand, my strengths are being an effective communicator, strong interpersonal skills, focused and self-driven. Working as a leader is all about person since the task is not an easy one but with inner motivation and self-believe then everything is bound to run as needed in general (Northouse, 2017). These strengths are essential in relating with others and ensuring that operations run as needed. However, in order to mitigate the weaknesses, I believe that the course learning can be useful. The information from the textbook can be used in enhancing my strengths and improving all the leadership weaknesses identified. To begin with, the situational theory can be essential, which means that different skills and approaches are needed for distinct scenarios. This is other words means that the information about leadership traits can be useful in noting the needed skills and working on them (Northouse, 2017).

In summing up, it is evident from the textbook that effective leadership is about understanding the needs of everyone and inspiring them to be better in general. That can be achieved without struggle by using my strengths to improving the weaknesses. This is by focusing on the practical basis of the concepts. Since leadership is something that can be learned I will mainly focus on practicing it which will lead to skills development and stability.

Reference

Peter G. Northouse. (2017). Introduction to Leadership Concepts and Practice. (4^th Ed.). Sage Publication.

Management at Ford Motor Company

After the inception of Ford Motor Company in 1903 and the introduction of the first models including Model T, Henry Ford realized that the structure of the firm would not provide the mass production required to meet market demand.  In order to achieve the desired production level, Ford sought a change in management style and brought in Winsor Taylor so that he would introduce possible solutions for the same (The Saylor Foundation, 2018).  Taylor introduced the participative leadership, which included observing the workers and determining the production method that would be time-saving and efficient.  This was based on Taylor’s theory of management whose with the notion that productivity of individual employee would be improved if the tasks that they are assigned properly suits their strengths and personal capabilities. This change led to increased speed in production process but to meet the required level of production, Ford continued improving on the process in various areas (The Saylor Foundation, 2018).  

Secondly, as the firm expanded into international market through acquisition, it faced many challenges due to increased competition and reducing market share. In 2006, the CEO of the firm, Bill Ford and the great-grandson of the company’s founder, handed over the leadership of the firm to Alan Mulally. The performance of the firm was declining and meeting the market challenges was difficult (Caldicott, 2014). This required systematic and essential changes so as to improve the situation in terms of business practices.  Mulally introduced a management style closely related to visionary leadership, where many efforts were invested in formulation of a clear vision for the brand and getting all the stakeholders to share the vision. This also involved increased employee engagement though effective communication, which can be illustrated by Mulally’s decision to move his office to where engineers in the firm were based so as to have a hands-on approach in management (Caldicott, 2014). The changes were able to improve the performance of the firm since it provided a great turnaround.  While other firms were being bailed out by the government, Ford under Mulally’s leadership was able to obtain the needed funds to put the company back on track (Caldicott, 2014).  Since then, the firm has been able to regain credibility among investors since its performance in the market has been improving.

Under the guidance of Allan Mulally, the senior management in Ford Motors was able to steer the organization into a more credible investment in relation to investors’ interests.  The management was able to guide the firm throughout the cultural shifts programs and this influenced how various teams in the company were structured, the fostering of collaboration and the flourishing of innovation (Mullar, 2012). Employees normally look to managers to understand the effects of coming changes on their work. The most recent change in the firm was a change in the leadership around the globe, in line with a redesigning of the firm’s operations to achieve long-term success (Myers, Hulks & Wiggins, 2012).  The role of the leadership was to prepare the firm for these changes, where the senior leaders leaving the organization had significant contribution.  These leaders were able to help employee anticipate the coming change and any risk that would arise from it. Leaders must ensure that there are little disruptions in the performance of employees during introduction of change and the challenge of uncertainty.  In addition, leaders must prepare employees to embrace though diversity, different ways of acting and innovating (Myers, Hulks & Wiggins, 2012). The introduction of new leadership in Ford was bound to bring cultural change as the new leaders sought to change the reception of the firm’s product in the market especially in oversee markets where losses were being experienced.  Change preparation requires collaboration and a culture in which ideas will be shared in a favorable environment. This is because human resources are the driver force that brings everybody closer towards the desired results (Myers, Hulks & Wiggins, 2012).

Ford Motor Company use of vendors as a strategy can be traced to the Aligned Business Framework agreements that it entered with various suppliers. The aim of these agreements was to have strong collaboration and sustainable business model that would drive profitability and development of technology for the two parties (Ford Motor Company, 2017). Creation and maintenance of such a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with different vendors assist the firm to minimize costs, enhance quality and make sufficient progress toward the set sustainability goals. Strategic vendor relationship is important for a firm that wants to maintain its hold on the market, since vendors normally have relationships with customers that are more intimate (He et al. 2014).  A strategic partnership with vendors will ensue that the values of a firm are portrayed at the various levels of relationships in the market. The use of the company’s spokes person, who engages in public relationships efforts, is a strategic way for the firm to uphold its values in the market and hence, improve its public image.

An innovative idea that can positively impact the employees and customer of Ford Motors Company is to align the employees to a strategy that is customer-focused. This would require employee engagement at the various levels of operations in the organization, since employees who are actively engaged become loyal towards a firm (Taylor, 2011). They will always be able to go the extra mile in making sure that a company’s success is assured.  When people in an organization have fell they belong to the workplace, they like to be associated with it and also provide improved customer services.  Employee engagement will have a positive correlation with satisfaction of customer needs and the overall better productivity of the firm. The employees will interact with customers and generate emotions and hence, positive customer relationship (Taylor, 2011).  The customer relationship through interaction will define the brand.

Ford Motor Company has been able to embrace the various changes that have occurred in the internal and external environment. Willingness and flexibility in embracing change has enabled the firm to adapt to an increasingly competitive environment with constantly changing customer needs (Myers, Hulks & Wiggins, 2012). The introduction of new leaders and culture whenever the firm is undergoing challenges has been driving acceptance of changes, and this makes the firm ready for uncertainties in future.  The building of partnership with vendors in the global market will enable the firm the firm to note the change in customer needs, competitive environment and the best actions that can ensure market strategies change accordingly. As the company continues its focus on innovation, it will manage to meet the needs of the customers as they change, and adopt competitive strategies (Myers, Hulks & Wiggins, 2012). Failure to innovate will make the firm to lose its competitive edge and hence, its market-share in the global market.

Reference

Taylor, B. (2011). Customer Driven Change: What Your Customers Know, Your Employees Think, You Managers Overlook. Cork: Book. 157

Myers, P., Hulks, S., & Wiggins, L. (2012). Organizational change: Perspectives on theory and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 77-79

He, Y., Lai, K. K., Sun, H., & Chen, Y. (2014). The impact of supplier integration on customer integration and new product performance: the mediating role of manufacturing flexibility under trust theory. International Journal of Production Economics, 147, 260-270.

Franklin Institute, (n.d). Case Files: Henry Ford. Retrieved from: https://www.fi.edu/case-files/henry-ford

The Saylor Foundation, (2018). Scientific Management Theory and the Ford Motor Company. Retrieved from: https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Saylor.orgs-Scientific-Management-Theory-and-the-Ford-Motor-Company.pdf

Project Objectives, Deliverables, Milestones, Technical Requirements and Limits and Exclusions

An organizational culture can best be described as the standards, principles, traditions as well as values that employees own (Northouse, 2010). As the company’s project manager would focus on ensuring that every employee is fully motivated to participate in daily operations. In that, motivation is the primary determinant of the success of every project. This can best be achieved by creating better and close relations with the workers to get an understanding of their needs. I would strive to challenge communication barriers within the organization. In that, communication is a vital element in building an organizational culture (Khanka, 2006). With effective communication, the complexity and confusion that is generated by projects will be eliminated. In addition, communication helps uniformity as every staff is fully informed of their roles and how each activity is to be performed.

On the other hand, I would work to ensure that all my projects are completed by dividing operations to all the staffs based on their skills and communication. In that, with that, the contributions of every individual will be seen and this will lead to the rewarding of those that work extra beyond the set limits as a way of motivating them and encouraging others to strive (Northouse, 2010). In such a setting the most effective leadership approach would be participative leadership. This is because the workers need to be motivated and this leadership increases employee’s motivation as they are involved in decision making which creates a sense of value. This will thus lead to high performance. The success of this effort will be measured based on the performance of all the employees since the outcome of every project best illustrates the effectiveness of the applied efforts (Northouse, 2010). This method is easy and effective also as it saves time and also highlights what has been accomplished.

References

Khanka, S. S. 2006. Organisational behaviour: Text and cases. New Delhi: S Chand.

Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Retirement

Majority of the people are always in conflict and scared when the topic of retirement is introduced. However, it is important to note that those who started planning for their retirement earlier enough, they are always confident and always look forward to their retirement. I am strongly convinced that having a fixed retirement age is the best thing that employees should be happy about. Personally am happy that there is a fixed retirement age of 65 years after which one is expected to retire from work and maybe engage in other things in life. With the knowledge of the year of retirement, one is capable of making a prior planning considering all the time limits that he or she has. As for me, I knew I had 40 years of saving up for my retirement since I was employed at an age of 25 years. This made it easier for me to plan as I knew perfectly well of the kind of lifestyle I wanted when I retired.  Failing to plan is just a plan to fail and this is why I must plan on everything that concerns my retirement starting from my pre-planning, life after retirement and family prospects.

 I knew a day would come and I would be required to go to retirement and thus I had to preplan on how I wanted my retirement to look like. While at a young age when I joined my profession I began planning my retirement through managing my money well as I strongly believed that this would be my only leverage to having enough income when the time came for my retirement. I plan to save up money in tax-deferred investing the maximum amount of money that the law allows. I also plan on investing heavily in stocks as part of my financial security mission. I plan on spending more time analyzing my pension plans early enough so as to ensure that I make critical retirement decisions. Discipline, in this case, is the major value that will see me through my plans as it will drive me into learning more about investments options hence allowing me to be sophisticated and well equipped with the know-how on the choices and implications of the same. Saving a small amount of money for a length of time will add more money to the financial plans that I have put in place after retirement. Social security is just insufficient and unrealistic, hence in order for me to afford a comfortable living and future, I must have an additional income (Sullivan, 2012).

 After retirement, I desire to maintain my current lifestyle where I would need to struggle much to get what I want. I want to rest and look after my grandchildren and even be able to support them in any way possible giving them all of my attention and time. This will be a golden opportunity for me to do the things that I loved but did not have enough time to do them for instance, having sufficient family time. I also plan on taking some time for regular physical activities as this will help me to remain in shape and to have numerous health benefits. Part of my time I will give to the society where I plan on volunteering at a foster home where I will do everything that concerns foster grandparenting. This will give me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment ultimately enhancing my well being (In Prete et al, 2011). Once I retire I plan on settling into the family home where I will be able to host all of my family members and grandchildren. I will spend more time with them and will offer them my time to listen to their fears and help them solve their problems; this will enable us to build a healthy relationship. I will also play with my grandchildren and will also assist them in doing their assignments. I will also travel to their places to just check up on them and to also enjoy the beautiful sceneries across the regions. At times I plan on going for vacations with my grandchildren as this will bring closure. The family is everything to me and that is why I will take time to be with them.

To sum it up, retirement planning is a continuous process that takes many years of commitment so as to attain the final reward. This is why I will continue to pursue this line of a plan as I know that the end results will be good enough to sustain me throughout my retirement journey. There is more to life than just working and this is the sole reason why I will embrace life to the fullest after I retire. Retirement is not a bad idea after all and hence people should look at it with a positive outlook. Exploring all possible ways to make you happy, satisfied and active all day is the right way to approach retirement.

References

In Prete, R. A., In Whitehead, L. R. E., In Brinley, D. E., & In Neuenschwander, D. B. (2011). Embracing the future: Preparing for life after retirement. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book.

Sullivan, K. R. (2012). Managing Income in Retirement: Planning With Purpose. Author of Solutions.

Reflection

Being effective does not necessitate the provision of rewards or special knowledge and training. Effectiveness is an aspect that can be learned. Effectiveness is best acquired by practicing effectiveness as a habit (Drucker, 2004). Effective executives differ highly in reference to their strengths, personalities, and principles but the thing that they hold in common is the fact that they ensure that all the right things have been accomplished. Harry Truman, for example, is considered to be among the most effective executives in the American history because he clearly understood all that was to be accomplished and made all decisions based on appropriate considerations. His effective executive behavior occurred during his term as the American president in 1945 during the Second World War era (Drucker, 2004). As soon as he established the executive priority such as foreign affairs he organized his working days to fit within the schedule of handling foreign issues.

As a result of Harry Truman, he was the most effective president in regard to handling foreign affairs issues in America (Drucker, 2004). His practices resulted in desirable economic and political impact for the nation as he created a favorable surrounding for foreign relations and increased investments. This did not only trigger economic development but also people began to recognize the fact that his personality and focus on realizing governorship priorities were different. Truman was only objected at fulfilling his duties given that he understood that the priorities of the government lied on enhancing the socio-economic and political grounds for the betterment of the nation which led to the rise of a more founded society. His practices improved the livelihood of the society in general because he understood what was best for the country and developed effective actions plans while taking responsibility for his decisions (Drucker, 2004).

Reference

Peter F. Drucker. (2004). What Makes an Effective Executive. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2004/06/what-makes-an-effective-executive