Methods to Monitor the Performance of Work Units - Essay Example

Management Name: University: MANAGEMENT 1. methods to monitor the performance of work units The methods are-; Looking at the overall picture- In monitoring work unit performance, one should begin by looking at the overall picture of the agency by reviewing objectives, goals and performance measures which exist in the organization. Determining each employees accomplishment that support the work unit goals- Elements that discourse a person`s performance can be recognized using a role- outcome matrix whereby a list of accomplishment for each member is enumerated. Convert probable accomplishments into performance components representing priority and type. Each employee must have a critical element, which discourse individual performance only. In this case, one should ascertain which accomplishments should be featured in the performance list, select the element to use and assign priorities or weights (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). 2. Changes and innovations and their relationships to organizational goals Changes refer to the process in which an organization or company goes through a transformation especially when major sections or strategies of that particular organization are altered, restructured or even reorganization. Accepting change is very important in an organization as it helps in attainment of goals (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). Innovations basically refer to creating or changing more effective products, ideas or process in order to achieve desirable outcomes. For organizations, this means creating dynamic products, implementing new ideas or improving the already existing services. 3. Effects of general proposed changes In cases where the change is positive then there will prospects of high production, good relationship between workers and employers and there will be motivation to work harder to achieve better results in future . On the other hand negative changes demotivates the workers thus many my consider looking for other organizations to work with. There is a possibility that production will be low. 4. Obstacles and resistance to change They include-; Ineffectual change management support from senior leaders- this is considered as the primary obstacle as its common problems. Lack of change management resourcing is a change obstacle in which organizations lack funds and resources to carry out the necessary planning and application of change management. Resistance to change; they resist change because of the lack of an understanding as to why change is important. Poor communication also plays a role in barring change. This can be caused by inconsistent messages, long gaps of time between communication, geographical separation and failure of the intended communication to address the need for the change. 5. Opinions to implement general change or improvement Options Explanation Role-Playing, practice, and simulation This helps in identifying individual goals and ensuring that teams stick to specific tasks The pilot It introduces the initial opinion to help adapt change and embrace improvement Run new process simultaneously with old Ensure that old processes still exist but in a new and innovative manner Phase in new design Organizational members should be ready to adapt change and what its effect Complete changeover Carry out different activities aimed at achieving new goals which differ from the previous. Team members on the other hand should adapt a new culture and norms. General options to implement organizational change In implementing organizational change, managers should focus on getting everyone involved. For change to occur the entire management and executive teams need to get involved through creating enthusiasm among the staff. Communicating the rationale behind the need for change is important in implementing change in an organization. Employees should know for change and its benefits to the organization (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). Another option is to implement the change in phases. Change is usually well acknowledged when it is implemented in phases. Lastly, managers should review, evaluate and report on change. Monitoring the entire change process is important in to measure its effects and valuate its success. Hidden Valley Case study Goals and capacities of Hidden valley cabins The goals are to provide quality services for all customers They are also geared towards making profits for the business SWOT analysis of Hidden Valley Cabin analysis i) Strengths -The business is a part of a green community -It’s a business of a kind due to its location -There is a hardworking team of profession staff ii) Weaknesses -It is in a remote location of cabins -There are limited opportunities for staff training and development iii) Opportunities -Offers unique personalized services to their customers that its competitors are less likely to provide iv) Threat -It is located in an interior place that not many people would have the desire to visit c) Finding and market opportunities Hidden Valley Cabins is a company that has its mission and vision set to enable them to achieve their goals. They have unique services and they are located in a place of interest to all people desiring to explore and have an adventure. The market opportunities are the unique services provided by the cabin and takes advantage of the possible market viability of making changes to current operations so that they can take advantage of market opportunities. a) Proposed marketing opportunities against the organizations goals and capabilities. The market opportunities are related to the organizational goals and capabilities as both will help Hidden Valley Cabin to achieve success. There is no need to revise the idea as the market opportunities and the organizational goals are all part of the cabin mission. i) Advantages and disadvantages of team management Advantages Team management is beneficial to an organization and to individual team management in that it brings in more thoughtful ideas because every person who works on issues or gives tasks may bring different knowledge and information to bear. Team management is also advantageous in that the speed in carrying out tasks and activities is usually high. This is caused by the ability of the teams to draw on the efforts of many contributors. There is greater effectiveness when people work as a team. When individual members coordinate their efforts, they share roles and tasks to address an issue thoroughly. ii) Disadvantages They are-; Lack of focus on individual as participants seek to get recognized for their personal contributions: team management is usually decentralized rather than hierarchical and can lead to coordination and management problems. Delays: teams meet regularly to discuss problems and their solutions, discuss projects and task objectives and this typically requires a lot of time compared to if it was done by one person. Conflict and tension are inherent in team works. These conflicts can get personal and cause enmity among members. 1. The following factors influence the development of team culture and norms; Unified vision and shared mission. Sharing the mission and vision among employees empowers key leaders and the front-line staff to give their departments and service lines toward the achievement of organizational goals. Effective communication: Communication should be clear and precise but also countenance for several responses on a continuous process Organizational development: Involvement of teams throughout all levels of the planning process establishes the organization in creating constructive and innovative ideas. 2. Assisting team to identify team goals which meet the organizations objective One should consider the following actions;- Setting clear goals for the results expected from the team. These goals should be specific, measurable, Achievable and time-bound. Outline a mechanism for strong and reliable communication among team members. Leaders tend to assume that organizational members know what they know. Communicating consistently is a crucial trait of a thriving team (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). Developing staffing procedures such as replacing, organizing, training and recruiting: One should ensure that team members identify what roles and skills are required in the organization in order to achieve success and ensure that recruited members go through a systematic training. 3. Task- timelines, priorities, quality standards and resources required to achieved team goals The task is organizing for a team building. Timelines include; Focus whereby team members should stay focused on tasks in spite of interruptions and distractions, and Time efficiency whereby team members should also make use of available time and resources Priorities are lead change in which they are clarified for all team members. Quality standards should help the team satisfy all project goals to help prevent costly mistakes Resources required are capital, human resource and equipment to facilitate an effective functioning of the organization. 4. Factors which impede the team in achieving its goals Absence of team identity: Sometimes team members may not have that mutual feeling of being accountable to on another for objectives for the team objectives. There may be lack of effort and commitment, poor collaboration or even conflict amongst team members. Poor communication: When teams members fail to address problems formally, the organization activities may be geared towards individual success rather than achieving the goals of the company. Some team members remain silence during meetings instead of giving opinions in finding solution to problems. Difficulty making decision: whereby, team members strictly observe their positions during the decision making process rather than introducing new information. Failure to solve conflicts: A team cannot solve conflicts when there are heightened tensions amongst themselves. Ineffective leadership: Teams feel demotivated when leaders fail in defining a compelling vision for the organization (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). Lack of participation: In this case team members fail to complete tasks assigned to them. The may poorly attend team meetings or even have low or no energy during the meetings. 5. Negotiating with the team in allocating responsibilities and tasks The following are ways which a leader can use to negotiate with the team in allocating resources-; i) Call on a meeting to ensure that team members agree to take on specified tasks as per their expertise. ii) Provide the team with frequent opportunity feedback to ensure that members pick the task which fits their abilities and skills iii) Assign tasks consistently amongst team members, making use of team strengths or areas where development is needed. iv) Ask team members to help in identifying individual talents and capabilities that can be of great significance in allocating tasks 6. Things to consider in encouraging team members to co-operate with, and assist each other in completing tasks Things to consider-; Ensure that there is trust and self-disclosure amongst group members. They should trust one another and be able to share their own feelings and ideas. Trust also develops when members show personal accountability for the tasks they have been assigned. As a manager, ensure that team members support each other in completing tasks. Group members should demonstrate support for each other as they attain goals. This can be achieved by showing team loyalty and helping members who are experiencing difficulties Team members should ensure that they respect one another. They should communicate their opinions in way that respects others focusing on what the can learn from the group tasks rather than who they can blame if group assignments are not completed in time (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). 7. Identifying the team`s goals and timelines The following are ways to ensure that task are well allocated and ensure goals and timelines are met-; Leaders should ensure that all team members agree on and contribute to objectives. Once team members set the objectives, then it becomes easier to choose which task to allocate to them depending on their knowledge and skills. All team members should contribute to team objectives and assess ways in which their achievements will be determined, measured, communicated and documented to ensure that goals and timelines are met. Team members should also ensure that project decisions are based on established goals and that they appreciate the importance of routine tasks to the success of project and willingly perform those tasks to achieve goals and timelines. 8. Reporting requirements and monitoring team procedures Leaders should accurately explain to the work team relevant provisions of their acts, codes of practice and regulations. Giving the reasons why it is important for all team members to have access to safety information which should be valid and reliable. Another reporting requirement is the regular provisions and clear explanation to the work team, information about effects and hazardous outcomes of risk control and assessment. 9. Monitoring individual and team performance An employer should carry out the following actions to monitor individual and team performance; Aligning individual employee`s daily activities with strategic business objectives Document individual performance to career planning decisions and support employees compensation Should establish focus for skill development and learning responsibility choices Ensure that all employees attend to their tasks and give feedback at the right time Employers should ensure that employees performance is measured or rated and the ratings summarized Regularly communicating and monitoring goal status at all levels of the organization 10. Assessing team achievements regularly Team achievement can be assessed regularly by carrying out an investigation on how team members finish the tasks assigned to them without supervision. 11. Qualitative and quantitative measures to be used in measuring and evaluating work performance Quantitative measures evaluate work performance that can only be put in numbers. For instance, employees’ salaries, company expenditure and business idea budgets. A qualitative measure on the other hand collects information that is not numerical. It could be information on how a team has succeeded in finishing a project or a research carried out to show how a team has managed to attend to its tasks (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). 0004 1. Personal traits required for effective leadership A leader should be honest. This means that he or she should do honest things to make employees feel like they know their stand all the time. Passion is also another trait required for effective leadership. Leaders must have passion for whatever they do(Robbins & Coulter, 2005). Leaders should respect their employees no matter what class, rank or station in the organization. Good communicators: leaders should communicate effectively to their subordinates in order to make the vision and mission of the organization clear and precise for goal attainment. Leaders should be confident and able to assure their employees that setbacks are normal and that the most important thing is to focus on goal attainment. 2. Personal skills and attitudes required for effective leadership They include-; Articulating a persuasive purpose and vision for businesses and teams Effective addressing of concern and questions rose by employees. He or she should be able to attend to employees needs in order to ensure that they motivated to work towards the achievement of a common goal An effective leader must be able to identify individual’s capabilities and build on them. Discovering employee strength is important as becomes aware of what that person is capable of Another personal skill and attitude for effective leadership is the ability to celebrate and acknowledge an individual success. This builds morale for all employees as they get to receive rewards for their hard work. 3. Skills and attitudes relevant to leadership styles They are-; Charismatic: leaders who possess this attitude influence their employees through the power of their personality, inspire passion and motivate others to move forward. Innovative: An innovative leader has the ability to grasp an entire situation and go beyond the usual course of action as well as see what is dysfunctional thus bringing in new actions and thoughts into play. Command and control is also a skill relevant to leadership skill and can be used in situations of real urgency. A controlling leader follows rules and expects his subordinates to do so. 4. Professional development and networking opportunities They are;- Leaders should make sure that they consider operational networking in order to build a good working relationship with the people who can assist them do their job(Robbins & Coulter, 2005). This helps in building the image of a leader in that coordination and cooperation among members is clearly seen. Leaders should also consider personal network which is usually a safe space for personal development and can provide a basis for strategic networking. Leaders tend to shift to personal networking so as to widen their professional relationship in ways that both legitimate and natural to them(Robbins & Coulter, 2005). Leaders should strategize in order to enhance their personal image. Strategic networking enables a leader to set a good relationship and sources of information that embody the power to achieve organizational and personal goals(Robbins & Coulter, 2005). 5. Types of teams and their role in assisting the organization achieve its goals. Types of teams Explanation Problem-solving teams -Finds solutions to problems that cannot be solved within organizational structure standard Self –managed teams -They decide on how a job will be done -They bear the responsibility of evaluating team members -They are also responsible for carrying out the project and recruiting members Cross-functional teams They help in communicating more broadly; easily gaining alignment and aims at building better products. Virtual teams -They solve issues which lack auditory clues. -The key factor for an effective virtual team is collaboration, excellent communication trust between members 6. Characteristics of an effective team An effective team has clear directions that aim at giving it clear and distinct goals. Establishing a clear direction also means that team results are measurable. It has knowledgeable members who have the knowledge and skills required to complete team tasks. Team members share success and failures. Members should be enthusiastic to show their gratitude, as well their censures, of others' efforts. Likewise, the organization must be ready to remunerate the team for effective accomplishment of duties and hold all members accountable for failure(Robbins & Coulter, 2005). An effective team has clear responsibilities, which enables members to understand what is expected of them. These responsibilities must be interesting and clear to the team members. It has reasonable operating systems whereby rules ate set by which teams operate. Organizational teams require a set of processes to guide meetings, planning, decision making, division of responsibilities, and growth evaluation. Sticking to the procedures helps team members become contented relying on one another. Interpersonal relationships are important for an effective teamwork. Celebrating and understanding the diversity among team members helps to make a stronger, more effective team. 7. A situations and resolve according to dispute resolution procedures. Conflict solutions include conflicts between employers and employees, conflict between employees and other employees. To resolve these conflicts, leaders should ensure that they communicate effectively and motivate workers to maintain good relationships amongst each other (Robbins & Coulter, 2005). For instance, a conflict may occur between an intern and the human resource manager concerning his workload. The intern may complain of being given a lot of work in which he is unable to complete within the given time. There might arise a disagreement between the two and the intern might end-up losing his position. This type of conflict can be said to be interpersonal and cultural. 8. How to recognize access by individual team members to required resource The organization should provide resources required by individuals and teams in carrying out their activities. Team members should los request for resources from the management so that they can budget and purchase them. 9. Emerging problems in individual or team performance Emerging problems in individual or team performance may include resistance to change in which members refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of an organization has to change. To overcome this challenge, employers should make sure that they give their employees reasons as to why change is important. Emerging problems may involve the emergency of frauds whereby organizational funds may go missing. To curb this, officials should ensure that they keep records of expenditures of the organization. Individuals and teams face ambiguity whereby navigating the path to innovation and success becomes dead if they do not plan for it. To resolve this, they should plan for the desired outcome. 10. providing constructive, precise and timely feedback to a team Providing a timely feedback requires a leader to communicate to the people in the lower rank so that they can pass the same information to the rest of the team members. He or she can also decide to call for a meeting whereby they can give feedback to all members. In giving feedback, leaders should limit their focus. A feedback session should not discuss more than two issues. More information can demoralize employees. A feedback should provide specific suggestions in order to enable team members to familiarize with what needs to be done to improve the situation(Robbins & Coulter, 2005). ER 1. Purpose of commonwealth in anti-discrimination, and equal opportunity affirmative legislation The common wealth plays an important role in ensuring that people are geared to a common heritage in language, law, education, democratic traditions and culture to ensure that all members receive equal treatment. It also advocates for better respect for promotion and protection of human rights to curb discrimination and addresses issues related to participation of governance and accountability. 2. Implication of anti-discrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action legislation for human resource management There will be equality for all workers since the human resource management will treat all workers in the same manner. Increased production since members will be motivated to work towards the achievement of a common goal. Equal pay for all workers since the human resource management will be geared to the promotion of equal opportunities for all workers. Reference Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. K. (2005). Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Read More