The last issue facing InterClean is the decision to staff the sales department appropriately. "Forecasting, goal setting, strategic planning, program implementation and evaluation" (Dougherty, Dreher, 2001) are good ways to determine an employee’s value to the company. One way to determine if the employees are a good fit for the strategic vision is to start a development program. In the Army we have a mentor program for new Soldiers who are assigned to the unit. They are assigned a sponsor and are led through their first six months of duty with someone to answer all their questions and keep them in line. By following this same concept, InterClean can implement monthly counseling sessions with their employees for the first year of this new strategic vision. During the first couple sessions, strengths and weaknesses can be addressed and then assessed with each month’s session. If the employee does not seem to be moving in the right direction and achieving their goals, then they are not a good fit for the company.
Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas
The stakeholders involved in this scenario have some of the same, but different interests and concerns concerning moving InterClean forward in the industry. The senior management team is concerned with the future of the company and increasing the profitability and dominance in the industry. The changes in the company bring on certain dilemmas that the senior management team needs to address. In order for their goals to be a reality, their change in sales strategy is a necessary step to move forward.
The human resources department needs to be more honest with the employees and share the information they have on the new training program and what it will mean for their success in the company. Change brings resistance and by not being open with the employees about the changes, the HR department is lowering the morale of the sales representatives. They fear that they will lose their jobs with the staffing and skills audit going on at the senior management level.
The employees are reliant on the company to be as honest with them as possible. The performance of management to direct a profitable company gives the employees job security. The employees need to accept the necessary training needed to make the company profitable, but they need to know that their managers are giving them the best possible tools available to make the managers vision a reality. Without the tools, the sales representatives have no way to meet their new sales goals.
The clients of InterClean are the main reason for this change. The sales representatives “need to develop customized packages of cleaning solutions and systems -- not just a patchwork of tools and services -- which include products and processes that meet our clients‘ needs” (University of Phoenix, 2006). The clients may also need to receive extra training as well so they know exactly what their sales representatives are doing for them and that they are competent in the services that they are providing for them.
Problem Statement
InterClean has a unique situation in which they can revamp their sales team into a full service solution company for their customers. To do this, the senior management team has to come together and develop objectives and goals for the sales representatives to meet as well as give them the tools to do this through a training and development program. By combining all of these efforts, the company will boost morale among the employees and increase revenue for the company.
End-State Vision
InterClean’s senior management team’s focus is on providing a full service cleaning and sanitation package for their customers. By doing this, they will become a leader in their field, improve employee morale, and train the customers on what their sales representatives will be doing for them.
Alternative Solutions
One alternative solution is for InterClean to do nothing. They can continue business as usual and continue to be in the running, but not the leader in their field. In addition, they have already taken the first step by acquiring EnviroTech, so by doing nothing now, they will be wasting a huge asset.
Another alternative for InterClean is to build a functional team between all departments in the company. This will improve the motivation of the employees and enable them to work together as a team and lean on each other for help rather than always competing with each other. A cross functional teams enhances the company and can be effective by increasing product development and turnaround time on customer requests as well as improve the company’s ability to solve problems.
When training and development is considered, one solution would be to train from within the company. The Army uses a “train the trainer” technique in which they send Soldiers to a school to learn a certain task that the company needs, and then they return to train the rest of the Soldiers. This is an option that InterClean can consider to keep costs down for the program. The employees will be familiar with the trainer and they can keep the company vision on track.
An alternate solution to the train the trainer program is to hire an outside trainer who has expertise in this field. By doing this, the company will be able to get started now, rather than wait for a qualified instructor from within their own company. This way they can show the trainer exactly what they want and he can adjust his training schedule and syllabus accordingly. It is important that the senior management team find someone with experience in their new vision and what they are trying to do. This is where benchmarking comes into play. They can research companies in their field and find a trainer that has been used before.
Analysis of Alternative Solutions
The best alternative is to hire a trainer from outside the company who is a subject matter expert in this field. He will have an objective look on the matter and will not play favorites when concerning whether the employee was originally an InterClean employee or came over from EnviroTech. Both companies had individually success as sales teams, so it will help by having an objective view on the situation.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation Techniques
To mitigate the risk of hiring a contractor, his contract needs to be written so that it specifically outlines his objectives and the company’s vision. By doing this, InterClean is protecting them from any training that does not match the direction the company is moving in and then they will be able to terminate him if he moves down that road.
Optimal Solution
The optimal solution for InterClean is to hire an outside contractor to train the employees on their new goals and standards for the strategic vision. With the acquisition of EnviroTech, the senior management team is in a precarious position in that there were two separate sales approaches involved with the merging of the two companies. By allowing them to train each other, they leave open the opportunity for favoritism among employees and it is possible that integration among the company will be difficult. There are subject matter experts that could train all sales representatives on the new techniques that the senior management team wants to put into effect without the trainer showing any favoritism to one or the other employee groups.
Implementation Plan
The first thing that the senior management team needs to do is find their trainer. They need to reach out to some of their competitors to see if they have ever taken part in this bold of a response to training. If not, then they are not only pioneering this front, but they are also opening the company up to fresh new ideas in the industry. Once the trainer is hired, then they need to get to work fast. There is a lot of information that needs to be drilled into the sales representatives before they can approach their clients with an answer to every question they may have. This will build confidence within the employees and allow them a chance to shine when they start briefing their customers. Once the plan is in place, the employees need to be monitored on their progress. This new idea for their sales approach may not be a good fit for everyone, so goals must be set and met to keep the employee employed.
This solution will definitely cause tension among the employees. There are a few ways for the management team to set up a conflict management program to make sure that any complaints do not go unnoticed. Developing a 1800 number, website, and quarterly town halls will be the best avenue for the management team to travel. By allowing the employees a way to relax knowing that their managers care about them, this will build employee morale as well as build trust and confidence between the two teams.
Evaluation of Results
Perhaps the biggest measure of InterClean is increased revenue. The whole idea for a sales industry is to make money. To make money, the sales representatives need to sell their product. The customer needs to be satisfied in order for them to come back to the company. All of these things add up to revenue. It is also important for the company to expand globally. In the type of industry they are in, global customers will put them as the front runners in the cleaning and sanitation industry. Maintaining employee morale is also an important aspect for evaluation. To accomplish this evaluation, it is necessary to look at the performance reviews, examine the percentage of employees that have taken advantage of training opportunities and recognition.
Conclusion
The senior management team at InterClean has the opportunity to become a leader in the cleaning and sanitation industry. They have taken great strides at making this dream a reality by first, changing to meet the changing times and offering their customers the best possible service. Their second accomplishment was acquiring one of their competitors, EnviroTech, and implementing their sales solutions into their staffing and training plans. By developing a training and mentorship program for the employees, they are building trust, confidence and morale between the two groups who will now be working so close together. By implementing these changes in a reasonable time with reasonable objectives, InterClean will be number one in the industry before long.
References
Answers Corporation. (2010). Answers.com. Retrieved from .
Dreher, & Dougherty. (2001). Human Resource Strategy. : The McGraw-Hill Companies.
Energy Drinks (2007). EnergySip.com. Retrieved from .
Health News Digest. (2007). HealthNewsDigest.com. Retrieved from .
University of Phoenix. (2010). InterClean, Inc [Computer Software]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Simulation, MMPBL/530 Human Capital Development website.
Table 1
Issue and Opportunity Identification
Table 2
Stakeholder Perspectives
Table 3
Analysis of Alternative Solutions
Table 4
Risk Assessment and Mitigation Techniques
Table 5
Optimal Solution Implementation Plan
Table 6
Evaluation of Results
