- Implementation
Implementation of the strategy to offer individualised training and to encourage career development consists of the following:
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Initially, conduct a training needs analysis of individual employees to identify their needs, this could be included as part of the formal Appraisal, which is discussed in Section 4.4, page12 of this report.
- Analyse this information and acting upon each individual employee's needs.
As a result of a training needs analysis, carry out the following:
- Implement a Career Development Programme (CPD) which applies to a whole range of learning activities within the organisation to support and develop employee’s individual skills and aspirations. This could include; informal learning events, externally-provided courses/qualifications/ and solo study. To be effective, all learning programmes be structured as part of an overall development strategy, this should link into other Human Resources policies in order to ensure that staff can see a link between their actions and the outcome.
- Included in the above should be ‘Succession Planning’, this is a plan drafted by the company with the intention of developing staff to provide a pool of job-holders as potential recruits for other roles within the organisation. As well as providing a framework for continuity succession planning also helps to identify key employees.
- A learning policy should also be introduced, as an indication that the company regards learning as important.
- Individual employees need to know that learning will be challenging and worthwhile to them, and maintain levels of stimulation
- Learning programmes be fair
Investment in training increases the usefulness of Human Resources available to an organisation. This investment should be regarded as part of the Company’s strategy to achieve overall success.
3. CONTRACUTAL AREA – THE ETHICAL CONTRACT
- 3.1 Definition of the problem
Ethics is a mixture of altruistic and self interest. In 1997 the convention of Scottish local Authorities published a code of conduct for their officials based on the seven principles of life:
Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, Leadership.
The survey revealed in this contractual area that “Staff wanted to be able to express opinions and views”, staff felt they could not express their ideas and suggestions on important issues, and when they did give their ideas, not all believed that feed back would be received. Staff also felt that “Communications needed to be improved in the branch”, many employees did not agree that communications were open and honest.
Motivation of employees can be negatively influenced by ineffective communication. In order to promote effective communication, which will lead to a positive attitude of staff, an outline of the proposed strategy is as follows.
- Outline of strategy/Expected outcomes
In order for the company to perform at its best, its main objective is to encourage employee’s to be committed to its corporate objectives and work as an effective team member. Successful employee involvement can take a number of forms with the most important one being effective communication, sharing information and consultation. To overcome employees feeling unable to express opinions and views and to improve communication, the proposed strategy should include the following key inputs:
- Team level communications with regular team briefings and the development of team leader’s communication skills
- Regular meetings of heads of departments and a flatter, more open, personnel structure with staff working more closely together
- Proper communication channels with employees, at all levels being aware of these
The likely outcome of effective communication will result in improved performance and productivity, improved quality and customer care, a more co-operative atmosphere in the workforce, reduced staff turn over, fewer disputes and lower absenteeism and added value through utilising the skills and knowledge of all employees
- Justification in Theory
Communication comes through as a major factor in the success of empowerment. In theory, those at the top of an organisation tell the rest of the company their view of the strategy, their vision for the future and the position of the company relative to its customers and competitors. This must be followed by those at the top listening to the views of the rest of the organisation. Many companies talk about shared vision which usually means that the top people have published there views but rarely taken into account those of others.
Communication also means that managers/directors listen to and act upon the views on operational issues of those in the font line, particularly ideas for performance improvement. Communication is the aspect which takes up most of the time and the one thing that often suffers when time is in short supply.
To encourage group teamworking, research carried out by Bavelas and Leavitt resulted in a series of communication networks consisting of five main types of communication networks; The Wheel, The Circle, The all-Channel and a ‘Y’ chain, these are identified as followed:
The Wheel is the most centralised network, and more efficient for simple tasks with problems being solved more quickly, fewer mistakes are made with fewer information flows. The link person is at the centre of the wheel (network) and acts as the focus for activities and information flows. This person is perceived to be the leader and experiences high levels of satisfaction. For employees outside the wheel, this is the least satisfying network.
The Circle is a more decentralised network, and overall is less efficient. Groups, departments are unorganised with low leadership skills resulting in poor performance. The circle is quicker than the wheel in solving complex problems, and is the most satisfying for all employees.
The all channel network this is also a decentralised network which involves full discussion and participation. This network works best where there is a high level of interaction among all employees to solve complex problems, although may not stand well under pressure which may disintegrate and reform into a wheel.
A ‘Y’ chain network is more centralised with information flows along a predetermined channel. This network is more appropriate for simple problem solving, requiring little interaction, with low to moderate satisfaction of employees.
Effective group communication results in all of the above networks being used.
- Implementation
To achieve long-term success the following requirements must be stated and followed:
- Communicate more relevant information – i.e. what the company is proposing to plan, and how it will affect an individuals environment and
job.
- That the principle of open, honest internal communication be supported by management with the assurance that such communication is an essential part of effective management. Create a culture where dishonesty is unacceptable.
- That employees be informed of and encouraged to share in company goals, objectives and plans. For example, in company publications, departmental meetings and through staff appraisals.
- That employees be informed and kept up to date about all on-going company activities. Remembering that nothing annoys employees more than learning from an outsider about some activity, problem or event in which his or her organisation is involved.
- That employees be informed of contentious, delicate and negative issues. These may include recruitment problems, a decline in sales, staffing cutbacks, termination of cutbacks, etc.
- That management actively support the Human Resource Management policies, in practice as well as in theory. They must also realise that this is not a matter of personal choice, it is an obligation they must adhere to daily.
- That management learns to listen, encourage and maintain the continual flow of upward communication concerning staff ideas, suggestions and problems.
- That management recognise and act upon the average employee’s desire to assist the company to achieve company goals.
- That Boards of Directors and top management recognise that Human Resource Management must be planned and organised, and that communication and participation are vital ingredients of its company’s success.
- It is important to have one person in charge of internal and external communication policy and practice. That designated person can ensure that communication polices are followed in a consistent method in all parts of the organisation, in all company publications and in all employment activities.
- Communication of results should relay honest messages about the causes of those results, and openly discussed with all employees
- Messages should be reinforced through the medium chosen to relay them
- Messages should be reinforced in other relevant communication systems and processes
- Communication should be clear and easy to understand.
4. CONTRACUTAL AREA – THE TASK STRUCTURE CONTRACT
4.1 Definition of the problem
The findings of the survey revealed that staff felt “Jobs needed to promote variety, identity and autonomy”, some jobs were perceived to be too easy or too monotonous, and staff felt that more experience of other departments would aid job satisfaction. As well as “Jobs needed to be redesigned so that employees were challenged”, employees seemed to have a high need for challenging work, and not everyone felt they had the opportunity to satisfy this need. Employees also identified the need for essential “Feedback and recognition of performance”
The above problems have resulted in staff becoming complacent and under valued in their individual roles.
4.2 Outline of strategy/Expected outcomes
The management of the supermarket should take immediate steps to verify the analysis as detailed in Section 4.1. First, the data should be re-assessed by conducting exit interviews, performance appraisals and all other aspects of staff consultation.
The proposed strategy to overcome repetitive and meaningless activities consists of concentrating on job rotation, job enlargement and in particular job enrichment and should cover the following key inputs:
- Difficult or unrewarding work be spread between workers
- Analysis and action to improve job characteristics
- Consider job rotation (to avoid boredom)
- Plan jobs to have a meaningful pattern of tasks
- Job enrichment should be introduced, this allows increased opportunities and variety
- Maximum feedback should be available to the worker so he/she knows how they are doing.
- Greater freedom and control be given over the scheduling of work
- Allow workers to undertake a full task cycle
Implementation of the above will encourage openness, trust and sharing of information, which will be structured to obtain objective and truthful information. Information systems would need to be put in place (if not done so already) to facilitate feedback to management.
Managers and supervisors may need training in adopting a management style to carry out job analysis/appraisals, in order to maintain strong leadership skills.
- Justification in Theory
Job Rotation – involves moving a person from one job or task to another, to add variety and help remove boredom. Job rotation may lead to the job-holder acquiring additional skills but not necessarily developing them.
Job Enlargement – involves increasing the scope and range of tasks of the job, it makes a job structurally bigger. However, this is not always very popular as it increases the individuals workload without necessarily allowing them to learn more skills or have variety.
Job Enrichment - involves increased responsibility and involvement of the job, allowing for opportunities for advancement and sense of achievement. It aims to give the person greater autonomy and authority of their work and provide the person with a more meaningful and challenging job.
The application of the above requires referring to:
‘Hygiene Theory’, F.Herzberg and ‘Job Characteristics Theory’, J. R. Hackman and G. R. Oldham. For the purpose of this contractual area, I will refer to Job Characteristics Theory only.
Job Characteristics Theory contends that a person’s intrinsic motivation is affected by his/her psychological state, the characteristics of the job and how he/she responds to complex and challenging tasks. This consists of five ‘core’ job dimensions which prompts three psychological states, which in turn lead to a range of beneficial personal and work outcomes. These are as Hackman and Oldham 1976 describe:
Skill Variety - ‘the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities in carrying out the work, which involve the use of different skills and talents of the person’.
Task Identity – ‘the degree to which the job requires completion of a “whole” and identifiable piece of work – that is doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome’.
Task significance – ‘the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people, whether in the immediate organisation or in the external environment’.
Autonomy – ‘the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom, independence, and discretion for the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out’.
Feedback – ‘the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by the job results in the individual obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance’.
The three psychological states that have to be present to incur high intrinsic motivation are:
- experienced meaningfulness of the work
- experienced responsibility for the outcomes of the work
- knowledge of the results of the work activities
From these five core job dimensions, Hackman and Oldman developed an equation the ‘Motivating Potential Score (MPS)’ which is a measure of the degree to which job dimensions are met, motivation is at its highest when the job has a high MPS.
If the above job dimensions are experienced positively, a person in their work will be motivated to try and perform well in the future to gain positive achievements. Job Characteristics Theory is one of the few motivation theories specific to an organisational setting, as it relies on the perceptions of the job-holder. Organisations cannot be expected to please everyone if jobs are enriched in the same way.
4.4 Implementation
Implementation of the strategy to promote variety, identity and autonomy, challenge employees and to acknowledge feedback and recognition of employee’s performance, consists of the following:
- Initially, conduct formal appraisals of individual employees to record their opinions and values in order to improve upon them if necessary.
- Analyse information from exit interviews, noting comments in relation to job dissatisfaction and acting upon it within that particular role.
As a result of appraisals and analysis of exit interviews, carry out the following with each employee:
- Job design, particularly job rotation – i.e. those posts in selling and customer enquiries be rotated. Those people affected should ideally be involved in job design from the start. Employees are likely to respond to well designed jobs if they are looking to grow and develop. However, even those who are not, are unlikely to respond negatively.
-
Job Enrichment – jobs should be interesting, significant, autonomous, and a ‘whole job’, putting the dimensions of ‘Job Characteristics Theory’ into practice.
- People should be able to get regular feedback on their performance. Feedback should be designed to be informational rather than controlling, in order to ensure that intrinsic motivation is not adversely affected.
- Supervisors/Team leaders should ‘walk the job’ more often and obtain direct feedback from employees, and should attempt to become ‘leaders’ and ‘supervisors’ less.
- CONCLUSIONS
The spoken Contractual areas requiring development, all link into each other in terms of the quoted theories being put into practice to create an employee feeling worthy and fulfilled in their individual roles.
Given the link between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction and the company’s need to develop stronger sales and profit growth, the issue of job satisfaction is vital. Job satisfaction is an emotion, a feeling, an attitude and a matter of perception. It results from appraisals of employee’s experiences at work, their dislikes and likes.
Enid Mumford sees job satisfaction as “a fit between what the organisation requires what the employee is seeking and what the employee is receiving. The degree of fit will determine the extent to which the employee is satisfied”.
Whilst this survey, acknowledged strengths in downward communication, atmosphere and customer service, it also acknowledged shortcomings with respect and support, satisfaction and how valued the staff felt.
In order to boost staff moral the suggested strategies for implementation will certainly aid this if carried out in an effective and efficient manner by supervisors/Managers. Positive participation of manager’s and employees at all levels is required. Although considered time consuming the results of employee satisfaction will have a large impact on the company. It is important for management to recognise that financial support for all employment policies are required in order to transform policy into practice.
Organisations which are committed to effective Human Resource Management and work to ensure that their employees’ skills and well being are continuously maintained and improved, increases efficiency by means of motivating staff, encouraging high employment retention rates and low rates of absenteeism and increasing moral. All these factors will dramatically increase the company’s chance of success in the ever-increasingly competitive world.
To conclude, I quote Sir Brian Wolfson, Chairman of Investors in People UK “Boredom and frustration at work is often the result of an employee’s lack of involvement with the company’s goals and a feeling that their ideas are not wanted or listened to. For the employer, staff turnover increases as employees walk out of the door for more interesting jobs. There is also an impact on levels of customer service and quality – both key areas of success in today’s competitive environment”.
- BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES
Millfields Trust (2004) Policies and Procedures Manual
Mullins, L. J. (2002) Management and Organisational Behaviour, Prentice Hall
Plymouth College of Further Education (2003) Human Resource Management
Lecture Pack
Beardwell, I & Holden , L (2001) Human Resource Management - a Contemporary Approach, Third Edition, Prentice Hall