Doug Dever Working in DEF Inc - Essay Example

? Case Study Analysis COM/315 November 13, Case Study Analysis Doug Dever was hired by DEF, INC. as the new Human Resources Director. As a part of his duties as director of the Human Resources Department, Doug decided to conduct a monthly orientation for new employees. Unfortunately, during the first month of the newly initiated orientation, only 10% of new employees participated in the orientation. Doug is understandably concerned about the poor turn out and is determined to find a solution to improve attendance. In order to find a solution, Doug needs to identify what might be contributing to the poor attendance rate and then establish a responsive plan for resolving the problems. Doug will be required to conduct a diagnosis of the newly initiated orientation program and the prevailing work environment so that he can identify the problems contributing to the poor employee participation. A diagnosis will help Doug determine whether or not his program or the work environment or both are causing problems relative to participation in new employee orientation program (Jackson et al, 2011). It is only after Doug has conducted a diagnosis of the program and the employee work environment can he effectively construct an action plan (Jackson et al, 2011). Doug must be careful however, to check the results and look for additional information which can identify other “aspects of the problem” (Kubr & Prokopenko, 1989, p. 67). Doug will have to take into account a large spectrum of variables. As von Hippel (1994) informs, in order to solve a problem, information is needed and problem solving “capabilities” must be utilized (p.429). In this regard Doug will be required to process the results of his diagnosis and reevaluate six specific facts of a workable strategy: stated goals; diagnosis of the environment; strategizing; evaluation of the strategy; implementing his strategy; and control of the strategy (Schendel & Hofer, 1979). In strategizing, it will be entirely necessary for Doug to take account of the people that he seeks to set goals and strategies for: new employees. In anticipating and setting strategies for new employees and the work environment, it will be necessary for Doug to take into account pre-employment expectations, experiences following employment and any gaps that might influence new employees’ morale (Sutton & Griffin, 2004). For instance, high expectations prior to entering the workplace may not have been fulfilled and thus employee motivation and morale might be low. Doug’s strategy may have to be reorganized around reaching out to employees as a means of motivating employees rather than merely orientation strategies. In other words, a diagnosis of the program and the employee’s environmental conditions might inform Doug that his program does not correspond with the experiences of the new employees. Thus an action plan will have to take these factors into consideration. Doug must take all reasonable steps to ensure that he is responsive to the lack of participation by new employees. If the problem turns out to be a mere scheduling problem he might want to reschedule his program so that it accommodates the schedules of a majority, if not all of his new employees. Scheduling may only be one of the problems that require Doug’s attention. It might also be a problem with the gap between pre-employment expectations and post-employment experiences. A review of the literature informs that there are a number of solutions that Doug may consider and these solutions relate to long-term solutions that are built into the working environment. First and foremost, the idea is to create a culture that transfers motivation and learning throughout the organization by virtue of a socialization and invocation process. This can be accomplished by virtue of building competency within the organization “among employees and local supervisors” (Forman & Jorgensen, 2001, p. 71). It is also necessary to encourage employee involvement in the planning and execution process relative to tasks and projects. More importantly, the work environment should be stabilized so that it reflects “routines and structures” (Forman &Jorgensen, 2001, p. 71). Strategizing and planning will involve employees and thus feedback from time to time to assess scheduling problems, employee expectations and experiences will inform Doug of the changes he may have to make to his program from time to time. Doug may also want to conduct a survey to assess whether or not scheduling and other environmental conditions are getting in the way of new employee’s ability to participate in his orientation program. Therefore while Doug seeks ways to reformulate the current orientation program for new employees, he must look at long-term solutions that motivates employees and socializes them into the work environment with expectations and experiences that are realistic and at the same time offer hope for a bright future with the organization. Motivated employees are far more likely to foster a culture that impacts new employees and motivated new employees will be more likely to attend the new employee orientation program particularly if supervisors are amenable to working with Doug with rescheduling to accommodate the employee’s schedule. There are number of long terms solutions that can be employed to stabilize the work environment and thus close the gap between employees’ pre-employment expectations and post-employment experiences. In creating a stable work environment that motivates employees and improves morale and thus encourages employee participation in the work place, long-term goals can be accomplished by the implementation of a rewards system that is built around both monetary and non-monetary rewards. Monetary rewards may include bonuses, days off with pay, promotions with pay increase, or stock transfers, depending on the individual employee’s performance and participation (Wilson, 2003). Non-monetary rewards typically fall into recognition strategies that call special attention to the employee’s performance and participation (Wilson, 2003). For example, a certificate for a new employee of the month can go a long way to motivating a new employee and encouraging visibility and participation within the organization. Doug was of the opinion that getting new employees to participate in the orientation program was an important problem requiring his urgent attention. Doug is determined to diagnose the problem and to move forward with a plan of action for resolving the problem. In this regard, Doug is determined to identify the specific scheduling difficulties, the difficulties implicit in the work environment and the manner in which his orientation program can be designed to correspond with these problems. In other words, Doug is determined to harvest information and to look for cause and effect solutions. Specifically, Doug is determined to align new employee expectations with their current experiences in a way that ensures that employees are integrated into a work environment that motivates employee performance and participation. The solution to Doug’s orientation program is not immediate. It must look into the future. Doug is therefore prepared to create a learning and socialization culture that rewards employee performance and participation. By taking this approach, the employment environment is stabilized and regardless of the employees’ pre-employment expectations, their post employee experiences will be scripted in a positive way. Employees may form new post-employment expectations. Specifically, employees will be motivated by the fact that should they perform and participate at a high level in the work place, they will be rewarded and recognized for such. With this stable work environment, Doug can expect more new employees to participate in his orientation program. Works Cited Forman, M. and Jorgensen, M. (2001). “The Social Shaping of the Participation of Employees in Environmental Work Within Enterprises – Experiences from a Danish Context”. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management. Vol. 13(1): 71-90. Jackson, S. E.; Schuler, R. S. and Werner, S. (2011). Managing Human Resources. Mason, OH: South-Western. Kubr, M. and Prokopenko, J. (1989). Diagnosing Management Training and Development Needs: Concepts and Techniques. Geneva, Switzerland: International Labour Organization. Schendel, D. and Hofer C. (1979). Strategic Management: A New View Business Policy and Planning. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company. Sutton, G. and Griffin, M. A. (December 2004). “Integrating Expectation, Experiences, and Psychological Contract Violations: A Longitudinal Study of New Professionals”. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 77(4): 493-514. Von Kippel, E. (April 1994). “Sticky Information and the Locus of Problem Solving; Implications for Innovation.” Management Science. Vol. 40(4): 429-439. Wilson, T. B. (2003). Innovative Reward Systems for the Changing Workplace. New York, NY: MacGraw-Hill. Read More