Human Resource

Phases

Tasks/Activities

Deliverables

Entry and Contracting

Determining how and when the change project will be started.

Establishing those who will be involved in the process and the actions they will undertake during the project.

Having an exact timeline for entire project.

Having all the names plus the responsibility various members of the HR department will play in the project.

Sensing and discovery

Collecting information on all the departments of the organization to establish areas with redundancies. This will be achieved through surveys and interviews with various employees.

Having all the relevant data needed.

Building a relationship with all the employees to know the change is not targeting anyone but intended to benefit the organization.

Diagnosis and Feedback

Analyzing the data collected from the employees

Reporting the feedback to the management of the organization

Establishing all areas with redundancies within the organization.

Planning and intervention action

Meeting with members taking part in the project  to discuss how to effectively and legally handle the redundancies  identified to help the organization save costs

Eliminate redundancies by legally terminating the contracts of employees found to be redundant within the organization.

Evaluation and Closure

Reviewing the success of the project by looking at the amount of money the company has saved through eliminating redundancies.

Motivating employees left behind to improve the productivity of the organization 

Reduced cost of operation and increased profits.

Highly motivated employees

Phase/Stage

Stakeholder Skills needed

Entry  and Contracting

Success in this phase relies heavily on the communication skills of stakeholders. They need to discuss those to include in the project and talk to them to accept their roles

Sensing and discovery

Success in this phases also need communication skills of the stakeholders since data will be collected through oral interviews.

Diagnosis and Feedback

In this stage, the shareholders need both communication and analytical skills. Analytical skills will be used in analyzing the data collected. Communication skills will come in handy in giving the feedback obtained from the analysis.

Planning and intervention action

Success in this phase also hinges highly on communication skills since the stakeholders have to meet and discuss plans and intervention actions to take

Evaluation and Closure

Shareholders need analytical skills to evaluate the success of the project after its implementation.

Aspects of organizational design

Work Process

Performance

Workforce

Recommendations

Process 

The organization’s design promotes a cumbersome work process that is full of redundancies

The performance of the organization from the processes in terms of quality of products is high but the company also incurs a high cost of production.

The process gives employees a lot of free time since most processes are broken down into unnecessary small sections

The organization should consider replacing its processes through investing in better machines to help reduce redundancies and reduce its high cost of operations.

Question Five

Organizational design has a direct relationship with the people management methods and the development strategies adopted by an organization. The organizational design selected determines the organizational structure, the organizational process and the culture of the organization. The organizational structure which stems from its design plays a vital role in the way the organization manages its employees and formulates its strategies. For instance, a lean organizational structure makes it easy to manage employees due to short chain of command (Thompson, Buch & Glasø, 2019). Additionally, it makes it easy to get employees input during the process of strategy formulation. Similarly, organizational design also determines the processes of the organization. For instance, the design determines the number of approvals needed before a process is executed. This can therefore serve to motivate or demoralize employees. Organizational designs that promote bureaucracy and red tape in organizational processes significantly affect performance and demoralize employees. Such designs also reduce the speed of developing and implementing organizational strategies. Organizational design also determines the culture of the organization which is a vital element in the management of employees and development of strategies. Designs that promote open communication make it easy to manage the employees and get their participation in strategy development.  

Thompson, G., Buch, R., & Glasø, L. (2019). Servant leadership, span of control, and outcomes in a municipality context. Journal of General Management, 44(2), 87-95.

Question six

In conclusion, the organization’s functional design is in perfect harmony with its cultural values. The organization has a culture that promotes free communication among all members of the organization regardless of their position in the company. This is important for the company since it is from such communications that it can get ideas to gain competitive advantage. The design also promotes a culture of teamwork and open communication among the employees of the organization. This does not only create harmony within the workplace but also significantly improves the performance of the organization since the employees are free to consult each other. Moreover, this culture also benefits the organization’s internal environment result in employees who depend on each other to meet the goals of the company. However, the design adopted by the organization has resulted in redundancies that have significantly led to increased cost of operations. Such redundancies need to be eliminated to make the company profitable and efficient.

Question seven

This segment of the exercise has enabled me to gain insightful information on the importance of organization design as a concept under organizational theory.  This knowledge will be used to do the following; first, always ensure the organization design in all organization I work for has been perfectly though out because of the importance of this concept in the over performance of the organization. Aspects of the organizational design selected such as the span of control, chain of command and division of labour plays a vital role in determining an organization’s level of performance.  It is therefore imperative that as a manager, I pay close attention to the organization’s design in order to improve its performance. Secondly, it will help ensure that I constantly align the strategies of the business to the organizational design used by the organization. Strategies of the business need to be in perfect harmony with the organizational design to increase their chances of positively improving the performance of the business.  The segment has also enabled me to appreciate the role organizational design plays in people management. The leadership structure adapted in an organization depends on its organizational design. Large organizations have a wide span of control making the managers stay out of touch with their subordinates. On the other hand, smaller organizations have a short span of control making the managers to have a personal relationship with the employees. I wild therefore apply this knowledge to effectively manage employees under my command.

5IVPA

Part A                                                                                                                              

Question One

Most of the best performing companies around the world do so because of the high performance working (HPW). According to Jiang and Liu (2015), HPW is a combination of human resource management practices and tools that aim at getting the best of performances and productivity out of employees. HPW directly influences the performance of employees in an organization, which in turn improves their productivity. Today, the success achieved in a highly competitive and dynamic environment depends a lot on the creativity, adaptability and speed. The management of employees derives these elements out of them, making HPW one of the most important aspects of performance improvement within an organization.

Jiang, J. Y., & Liu, C. W. (2015). High performance work systems and organizational effectiveness: The mediating role of social capital. Human Resource Management Review, 25(1), 126-137. 

Question Two

            There are various components of HPW. The first one is employees’ decision-making process. Employees should be able to participate in decision-making process. When employees are given the chance to make decisions about their immediate environment, they will feel comfortable and motivated in a favorable environment. Employees will feel more empowered and committed when they are satisfied with the job that they do. This helps create a positive environment within the workforce setup, making it possible to achieve HPW. Therefore, inclusion of employees in decision-making process within an organization helps motivate the employees. It also helps them feel part of the organization.

The second component of HPW is employee training. Employee training is the best tool that sharpens the focus of employees and helps them achieve what is expected of them ("The Four Components of a High Performance Working System", 2019). However, the success of the training process depends on the willingness and attitude of the individual employees. Training readies the employees for a greater responsibility within an organization. Additionally, employee training helps provide valuable skills and techniques required to perform their duties better, which further enhances their understanding of the roles they play within such environments. Therefore, employees training is a very important tool used to achieve HPW.

The third component of HPW is incentives. Every organization has its own way of giving incentives. It would not be easy for employees to perform their tasks without incentives. Companies of different sizes use different methods to give incentives. Small companies offer profit sharing, stock and equity plans to their loyal employees in order to keep them motivated. However, bigger companies offer incentives in a different way compared to smaller ones. They offer pay rises, bonuses for meeting performance targets and promotion in some cases in order to award their loyal employees. Incentives enhance employees’ performance and keep them motivated for their responsibility.

The fourth component of HPW is technology. In today’s world, technology plays a very important role in the success of every organization. Technology has replaced and continues to replace the work done by human beings. Literally, technology makes the work done by human beings easier. It means that technology has to provide the right resources required by an employee in order to carry out his or her responsibility. Technology also facilitates communication between various departments. It eases information sharing between stakeholders in an organization. Therefore, technology makes it easy for the employees to discharge their duties since there is easy communication, innovation and adaptability. 

The Four Components of a High Performance Working System. (2019). Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://www.chriswirz.com/management/4-components-of-high-performance-working-systems

Question Three

            Several barriers hinder the achievement of HPW in organizations. One of the barriers is related to beliefs. Different people who end up at a workplace have different cultural beliefs. These beliefs influences the way these people would like to be led. It also drives their attitude and changes their behaviors. Therefore, the management of an organization must identify and align such beliefs with those of the organization for the purposes of achieving HPW. The second barrier is related to thinking. Several employees are on autopilot, which means that they only think of what they have been taught about their roles. It implies that people have been conditioned to perform their jobs in a certain way and they may not be willing to change. Therefore, such a barrier should be removed by proactive thinking, which may help the employees view their roles differently.

            The third one is barrier of ethics. Lack of a unified ethics within an organization creates various loopholes for negligence and incompetence ("Common Barriers to the Successful Functioning of High-Performing Teams", 2019). HPW is usually achieved with strong ethical code of conduct aboard of an organization. The fourth one is barrier of people development. The business world is more complex and changing faster than many people realize. People are expected to perform better at everything they do, however, without proper training, which enhances people’s development; HPW might elude organizations for years. The fifth one is barrier of goal achievement. Many people do not know how to achieve goals within an organization. Achievement of goals within organization is usually the most important target of every organization no matter the size. However, it is a huge challenge because most people do not know how to consistently plan for and achieve personal, professional and organization goals. This hinders the achievement of HPW.

            The sixth one is measurement barrier. Everything that can be measured can also be managed. Measurement requires articulation about what should be measured. Therefore, managers and employees should be able to judge what they should measure in today’s business world in order to improve their performance. Leadership barrier is the other one. Leadership is a very important element of every successful organization. According to Ferrell (2016), proper organizational leadership offers direction and vision to every organization. Proper and effective leadership helps create an efficient working environment, which enhances high performance. However, without proper leadership, achievement of HPW may remain a dream. The other barrier is related to communication. Lack of open communication within an organization might hinder the productivity of an organization.

Common Barriers to the Successful Functioning of High-Performing Teams. (2019). Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://www.managementstudyguide.com/common-barriers-to-the-successful-functioning-of-high-performing-teams.htm

Ferrell, O. C. (2016). A framework for understanding organizational ethics. In Business ethics: New challenges for business schools and corporate leaders (pp. 15-29). Routledge.

Question Four

            Well-being of the employee is integral to achievement of high performance working. Employees’ well-being results from the availability of a conducive environment. Various factors link HPW with employees’ well-being. The first one is decision-making process. Employees feel part of an organization when their opinion is sought during decision-making. This improves their well-being status, which improves the HPW. Additionally, making decisions with employees in mind also improves their relationship with the management, which motivates them. The second factor is incentives. Employees become more enthusiastic about their jobs when they are offered incentives. Employees usually put in more effort and improve performance since they know their improved performance will be rewarded. Employees well being is dependent on performance rewards, which in turn improve the HPW. The other factor is job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is many things in one. Employees achieve job satisfaction through training, which is provided by the authorities. Training helps workers identify their strengths and weaknesses. This helps improve their well-being status within an organization, which consequently enhances HPW because they know how to work to their strengths and manage their weaknesses. Open communication is also very important in achieving employees’ well-being. This is because when leaders communicate openly about the areas they would like to see the employees improve; it becomes clear that there is no hidden agenda. This elevates the employees’ moral, thus improving HPW.

Question Five

            Competition is experienced in every industry across the globe today. In most cases, competitions make or break companies. Gaining competitive advantage requires innovation, critical thinking, speed and adaptability ("ResearchGate | Find and share research", 2019). These elements are directly linked to employees, which mean that the workers should be able to drive the competitiveness of their organizations. Organizations should be able to set stage for internal competition since such competition enhances productivity and HPW. Competition within an organization ensures that employees compete against themselves, which is a good thing for the company since it enhances its HPW. Different companies have different methods of motivation. Most of the companies use performance-based methods of compensation and incentive giving. This motivates employees to perform at their best, which improves their HPW.  An organization’s market share is bound to increase when it improves the quality of services it provides to its customers. This is because of the increased number of customers seeking the organization’s services. When market share improves, the company gains competitive advantage over the other organizations in the market. This is purely because of performance levels reached by the employees within an organization because of internal competition. Therefore, there is a link between competitive advantage and HPW. This is because internal and external competitive advantage depends on HPW.

ResearchGate | Find and share research. (2019). Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://www.researchgate.net/

Question Six

            Sustainable organizational performance entails long term planning and development. Since organizations depend on employees to make it, most of the successful organizations use various methods to improve their long-term performance. One of the ways is discretion in the decision making process. Employees should be able to make decisions that affect the way they work. This gives them a sense of control since they have a say on how things should be done. It also gives them leaning opportunity, which should not be missed because such would ready them for their roles. Empowering employees in this way improves their morale and energizes them to improve their performance, which in turn enhances HPW.  The other factor that would improve the performance is information sharing. Employees are motivated to share what they have when it is beneficial to the organization only if there is open communication within the organization (Sisson, 2017). Information sharing opens several doors, some for employees, others for managers. This is because whenever an employee wants to learn about a new technology or innovation, the management who will organize training about such new technology will communicate the same. Inversely, when a manager wants to inquire about something from the employees, it will be easy for him or her to get such only if there exists a proper information sharing system within the organization.

Sisson, D. C. (2017). Inauthentic communication, organization-public relationships, and trust: A content analysis of online astroturfing news coverage. Public Relations Review, 43(4), 788-795.

Question seven

            I have gained valuable experience from this assignment, which I will like to apply into working practices. First, I will ensure that all the barriers that hinder employees from achieving HPW are taken care of. For example, I would be prudent to enhance communication between me and the management in order to ensure performance level is improved. Open communication is all  employees need to recognize the role they play within an organization. Therefore, I believe that with open communication and information sharing, my work will be made easier, something that will enhance my HPW.  Additionally, I will be open-minded and ready to learn, a trait that will help me a great deal during company trainings and workshops. I also intend to use every opportunity given to me to gain competitive advantage over other employees knowing that such will motivate the other employees to improve their performance. Furthermore, I know that HPW helps achieve sustainable organization performance. I therefore, intend to apply the knowledge to help my company maintain its performance levels, which will enhance long term HPW.

5IVPB

Part A

Question One

There are various performance activities done within the organization by line managers. One of them is goal setting. Goal setting sets the organization in the right path in terms of getting the right results. Setting targets for the employees aligns them and their beliefs with the expectations of the organization (Aithal & Kumar, 2016). The second performance activity is monitoring the work of the employees. This is a crucial task as it ensures the managers guarantees consistency in the performance of the employees.  This can be achieved through performance appraisals to determine the trend in the performance of the employees. Various methods of measuring performance such as the use of key performance indicators (KPI’s) and service level agreements (SLA’s) can be leveraged to accomplish this crucial performance management task.  Also,  the managers can develop tools to measure variances  in the tasks and processes handled by the employees, this is a crucial performance task as it ensures there is consistency not only in the  performance  of the employees but also in their use of the processes  put in place by the organization. Therefore, performance management activities such as monitoring, and developing tools to manage the tasks done by the employees are vital aspects of performance management.

Aithal, P. S., & Kumar, P. M. (2016). CCE Approach through ABCD Analysis of ‘Theory A’on Organizational Performance. International Journal of Current Research and Modern Education (IJCRME) ISSN (Online), 2455-5428.

Question Two

            Line managers have a wide range of responsibilities to perform in order to ensure that the required performance levels within an organization are reached. One of the roles they play in the performance review process is keeping of periodic records. The importance of such records cannot be underrated because they contain the expectations of the employees. They also contain well stipulated what is expected of the employees and the tasks they should perform within a given period, usually one year. Such records remain a very important part of the review process since they stipulate the successes and failures of the employees, as well as areas upon which they should improve.  The other role of line managers is the constant communication between them and their employees about the achievable goals set by the organizations and the progress made. The line managers also carry out evaluation of overall team and individual performance and communicate performance reviews to the relevant teams and individuals. Line managers are the ones who directly deal with the employees. They therefore, should improve their relationship with the employees, since they are in most cases the link between the employees and management. When such improvements are made, employees will feel part of the organization, which will help boost their morale and improve their performance and commitment. 

Question Three

            The line managers have various performance measures of performance at their disposal that they use to evaluate the performance of the employees. Fist they can use key performance indicators (KPIs).  This measurement method measures initially agreed upon objectives on main areas of the work the employee is doing.  Before the start of each period, the employee manager can give the employee expected targets he/she is expected to meet at the end of each trading period. When the period lapses, the actual performance of the employee is compared against the  KPI’s set at the initial period to determine the employees performance based on the number of targets that have been met.

Secondly, the manager can also rely on the use of service level agreements (SLA’s).  According to Macdonald, Kleinaltenkamp and Wilson (2016), these agreements are entered into between the employees and the managers when they are signing their contracts. They stipulate the performance the employees are expected to deliver. Therefore, at the end of the trading period, the performance of the employee is evaluated against the terms of the SLA’s to determine their level of performance.  Additionally, the managers can also rely on the use of balance score card. This contains the targets the employee is supposed to meet. The actual performance of the employee is then compared the targets they set to determine their level of performance.

Macdonald, E. K., Kleinaltenkamp, M., & Wilson, H. N. (2016). How business customers judge solutions: Solution quality and value in use. Journal of Marketing, 80(3), 96-120.

Question Four

            The line managers at my organization feel that the performance management process promotes and raises performance levels largely. This is because the training that the employees undergo after recruitment is of massive help to them in their new roles. Fu, et al., (2017) argue that employees training is an important tool since it prepares and enlighten the employees about what is expected of them from the management. Since the line managers at the organization have always carried out employee training at every opportunity, their efforts are usually rewarded when the employees produced improved performance, something that motivates the managers’ belief that performance management process raises performance levels and development capability. Secondly, the managers also believe to some extent that performance management process rewards performance. This is because employee motivation is normally driven by the ability of the organization to communicate openly, share information, involve them in decision-making process and most importantly reward performance through incentives and promotions. The managers believe that whenever an employee works hard and such hard work is recognized and rewarded, other employees are motivated to work hard and dethrone the holder of the current recognition. This creates a healthy competitive environment, which increases the performance levels of the employees.

Fu, N., Flood, P. C., Bosak, J., Rousseau, D. M., Morris, T., & O'Regan, P. (2017). High‐Performance work systems in professional service firms: Examining the practices‐resources‐uses‐performance linkage. Human Resource Management, 56(2), 329-352. 

Question Five

            The managers, depending on the goals and vision of the organization, create the workplace culture. Several factors come into play when creating a workplace culture. However, the managers feel that so many things that would help create a high-performance culture within the organization have not been done. They therefore, feel to a lesser extent that the high-performance culture has been achieved within the organization. This is because first, they feel there is less trust in the system. High-performance culture is a system where every person from the top brass management to the lowly ranked and newly recruited employee knows what is expected of them from the organization and work hard at all times to achieve the set goals ("What is a High Performance Culture? And How Do I Create One? - CultureIQ", 2019). Therefore, the line managers feel they do not fully trust in the system as it is. Secondly, the line managers feel there is less enthusiasm and commitment to the high-performance culture that is in place currently. Therefore, going by the extent of their belief it is clear that there is lack of proper high-performance culture within the organization. This is because the enthusiasm and commitment levels witnessed within the organization are not up to standards.

What is a High Performance Culture? And How Do I Create One? - CultureIQ. (2019). Retrieved 26 July 2019, from https://cultureiq.com/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-have-a-high-performance-culture/.

Question Six

            The corporate world has evolved and reached a point where every individual aspiring to be part of a company has to look for the values that resonates with his or her before accepting job offer. This means that every company must create a culture symbolic of its values and ethics. Working in a cultured environment adds some enthusiasm about the job and responsibility. The line managers have ideas about how to help create a high-performance culture within the organization. The first method is to embrace a change mindset. According to As Leung and Sy (2018), everything that happens starts from the mind and it all depends on the mindset. The managers have an idea that is based on change and are willing to create an environment where every employee will be ready to be pushed out of their comfort zone. This is because the culture of the company will be defined by the employees’ actions and behaviors.

The second idea is to invest in employees and give them opportunity to make their own decisions. Most of the performing organizations employ their workers and empower them to make decisions regarding their responsibilities, and since such actions show trust and belief in the employee, they feel part of the system. This would help create a high-performance culture within the organization. Additionally, the managers have an idea of holding everyone accountable for their actions in a bid to help them make sound mind decisions. This not only creates a high-performance culture, but also increases chances of developing and grooming young leaders.

Leung, A., & Sy, T. (2018). Solving the Problem with Leadership Training: Aligning Contemporary Behavior-based Training with Mindset Conditioning. In What’s Wrong With Leadership? (pp. 241-259). Routledge.

Question Seven

            The organization has some strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths lies in the employees training. The line managers, who interact directly with the employees tries their best to train the employees, both newly recruited and those existing. Such trainings have massive impacts on the employees because the managers use such occasions to impart the knowledge they have about the organization on the employees. The other strength of the organization is the ability of the managers to share information with the employees. The employees are free to share their mind and decisions with the managers, who also share information about the company with employees. The other strength is the positive behavior shown by the employees even though they do not strongly believe in the current system. Positive behavior is an encouraging sign that people within a relatively weaker system might embrace change when an opportunity presents itself. One of the weaknesses is lack of change mindset that is witnessed within the organization. It is not clear whether employees within the organization would be willing to change what they believe in now.  According to Tidd and Bessant (2018), this has been the downfall of several organizations because it is difficult to initiate a change since it is all in the mind. However, if the employees are unwilling to change their mindset, cultural change may remain a dream for the organization. Thus, it is a weakness of the organization. The other weakness is lack of employee empowerment to make their decisions. This serious weakness requires immediate intervention.

Tidd, J., & Bessant, J. R. (2018). Managing innovation: integrating technological, market and organizational change. John Wiley & Sons.

Question Eight

            The performance management process fit accurately with the HPW and sustainable organizational performance. First, sustainable organizational performance and HPW cannot be achieved without proper training, open communication and performance reward. Training helps enlighten the employees about what is expected of them by the management. This also helps align the strategies of the organization with the beliefs of the employees. Training also sharpens the knowledge of the employees about their roles, which in turn helps in division and delegation of labor within the organization. Secondly, open communication gives the employees room for sharing information about their roles and difficulties with their managers, which helps them when stuck. This improves performances hence HPW.  The other factor that links accurately the performance management with the HPW is rewarding of performance accordingly. Rewarding performance motivates employees who improve the quality of services they provide, which in turn sustains organizational performance.

Question Nine

            The first recommendation I would like to make is that the management and the employees should be able to focus on what matters the most. For most companies, the services provided to the customers matter a lot, which means that all the programs they put in place are customer oriented. One of those is giving room for growth and development. Allowing room for growth means that everyone including the employees is given the freedom of making decisions that would directly affect the role they play. The other recommendation is transparency. Every organization should have the highest level of transparency where all the communications are made openly. Additionally, should there be any necessary information about for instance promotion; it should be made openly with all the reasons explained. The other recommendation is to empower the employees to have a sense of responsibility. This would help develop new leaders and given them a sense of responsibility for their actions.

Question Ten

            One of the lessons I have learnt from the assignment is that employee decision making is very crucial for the development of their professional roles. I therefore, intend to carry this lesson along into my workplace because I believe it will help empower me and what I believe is best for my career. Additionally, I am aware that empowering employees to make their own decision regarding their responsibilities helps achieve accountability and responsibility. This is because I expect my organization to give their employees the obligation of taking responsibility for their choices. The other lesson I have learnt is that everything is in the mind. Having the right mindset is the best tool that gets one ready for change. For this reason, I will be flexible enough to embrace change. This is because change is inevitable and it could occur at any time and I intend to be ready when it happens.  This would give easy time to the managers who may be trying to create a high performance culture within the workplace to effect the changes. Lastly, I have leant that information sharing and open communication are very crucial to having a violent and collusion free environment. Therefore, I plan to be open with everyone within the organization regarding every situation. Culture 

The culture aids work processes since employees are able to consult each other and even their superiors comfortably

The culture increases the performance of the organization since it eliminates chances of error as employees are free to consult. The culture has completely eliminated chances of unfair competition arising among employees thus reducing chances of conflicts that often emanate from such forms of competition.

The design promotes a culture of free communication at the workplace among the employees. Free communication is vital for the success of the organization since it enables employees to raise any new ideas they have relating to improving the performance of the company

The company should retain its current organizational culture.  The culture has created a good working relationship among the employees and will therefore prove instrumental in future successes of the organization.