Wednesday 5 May 2010

Reference

Books

David Buchana &Andrzej Huczynski- Organisation Behaviour An introductory text fifth edition (2008)

HONEY, P. (2006) Line managers need all the help they can get, especially when they don’t realise it. Organisations & People. Vol 13, No 4, November. pp2-8.

Maslow, A. (1954) Motivation and personality, New York: Harper & Row

McClelland D. (1977) Human Behaviour at Work, New Delhi: Tata McGrawHill

Mullins, L. (1996) Management and organization. 4th ed. London: Pitman

Mullins, L. (1985) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Essex: Harlow

Porter, L., Lawler E. & Hackman JR. (1975) Behaviour in Organisations, McGraw Hill: New York
Vroom, V. (1966). Organizational choice: A study of pre- and post-decision process. In Organizational behaviour and human performance. 9th ed. New Delhi: Prentice- Hall of India




Online

BNET.COM (2009) BNET business dictionary [online] URL http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/Line+Manager.html [accessed on: 14th March 2009]

BUDINESSDICTIONARY.COM (2009) Recruitment definition [online] URL http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/recruitment.html

Chapman, A. (1995) David mcclelland [online]. Businessballs.com.
http://www.businessballs.com/davidmcclelland.htm [23.11.2008]
1995-2008) Locke's goal setting theory: understanding smart goal setting [online]. Mind tools ltd. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm

Relations contributions.
http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/hrels_03_mcgregor.html

• http://www.accel-team.com/human_relations/hrels_03_mcgregor.html

• www.netmba.com

• www.valuebasedmanagement.net/

Tuesday 4 May 2010

employee involvement & communication

Employee participation:
Employee participation is the process whereby employees are involved in decision making processes, rather than simply acting on orders. Employee participation is part of a process of empowerment in the workplace.

Employee involvement:
BusinessDictionary.com (2010) defined employee involvement as a regular participation of employees in deciding how their work is done, making suggestions for improvement, goal setting, planning, and monitoring of their performance.
Involvement is about management who have the desire to encourage employees to be committed to the organisational values and aims and objectives which are in place. Employee involvement includes a different range of category which individuals may undertake whilst working such as:
• Sharing information
• Consultation
• Financial participation
• Quality improvements
• Individuals
• Community

How can organisations involve employees in decision - making?
By working more closely with people, sometimes own knowledge is not idle to solve some solution therefore employee’s knowledge, talent, skills and cleverness can make complex situation, straightforward.

There should be no limitations on others, but rather they should be seen as true reservoirs of awareness and intelligence.

Always ask for every workers opinion before making any final judgement to any problem because it leads to success.


Many organisations are now using social networking sites as a means of involving their staff, both for existing staff and potential recruits. Go online and find examples of how this works. What sort of information is provided? Which social networks are being used?

Social networking is used to involve staff in all discussion because the internet itself is like give and take therefore using this tool to engage employee. As a manager or team leader, if most your workers are using a blackberry messenger. You can easily pin them the suggestion and wait on their reply in order to make the right decision. Communication is an important aspect of employee engagement. Good two-way communication can help to build the psychological contract, in which employees feel valued by their employer, and the employer values.

Reward

Every organisation rewards their employees differently, this could be due to the industry the company is operating in or perhaps the standard of the business. My business rewards employee’s five different reasons.
These are:
• Receiving loyalty badge – length of stay with organisation (being employed 1 – 2 years)

• Employing of the month certificate – recognising the individual who worked very hard during a month

• Token e.g. vouchers for retail store

• Pay rise – given only to selected employees for their brilliant work.

• Promotion opportunities - It makes employees find ways to improve their performance and productivity

In this organisation each individual has the potential to receive a reward once the meet the condition. Every individual is treated the same so that there are no jealousy, envy or hatred at work.

Fairness is ensured by supervisors reporting back to the manager informing him of who worked well, updating records containing information about hard working staff so that all are given an opportunity to receive a reward.


Arguments For and Against .

For:
• That is he’s position therefore regardless of what happens he should get his bonus.
• He must be depending on the bonus to pay or purchase a product or service.
• Staff not working hard enough is not their problem.

Against:
• Sometimes chief executives have not worked as hard as they are supposing to.
• Less hours spent at work
• They should only get a bonus if there is a profit made
• All profit should be re invested into the organisation not pocketed.



Identify 3 financial and 3 non-financial ways of rewarding a teacher at a primary school. Which of these ideas would motivate you the most?

Favourite teacher should be voted for by students and a present chosen by students.

Rewarding a teacher for being 100% punctual and having 100% attendance at the end of each academic year as this shows 100% commitment to his/her job through certificate.

Student from teacher’s class who receive praise for their achievement from others such as teachers, headmistress or headmaster shows the teacher motivation and wisdom towards her student. Therefore there should be face-to-face appreciation to the teacher for his/her great effort.

Gift vouchers such as 20% off any book shop.

Every Christmas the teacher should receive a bottle of wine to show their appreciation for the teacher.

The head should give the teacher tickets for one of the adventures in the UK.

I think the one which will motivate me the most is financial because I like action with money than just word of mouth. I believe to show someone that you appreciate what they have done for you; financial power must be involved as this will make the person remember you every time he/she comes across what you gave him/her.

Training and Development

The aim of an induction programme is to make sure those new graduates are given all the help and guidance they need for them to do their job to the required standard as soon as possible. Each individual will receive an induction programme
The Induction plan and design:
• First day
A brief summary about each other, all new employees should receive a formal offer letter together with an employment contract. Where to be, at what time do you need to be there and how to get there. I brief description about the company.
You will be given a tour of around the workplace, pointing out toilets and restaurant facilities, office etc.
• Second day
The nature of the job, its role and key responsibilities, a real insight into the structure and culture of the organisation, behaviours, standards expected, future plans and intentions.
Employment terms and conditions, e.g. hours of work, holidays, sick pay policy, salary, benefits, etc.
• Third day
The goals and objectives of your immediate team and how they in turn contribute to the objectives of the organisation, introduced to members of staff and departments, visits to other offices and locations.
Some objectives that will give you clear directions and focus. You may also start compiling ideas for a personal development plan.
Different type of training begins. E.g. report writing, team leading, handling pressure, dealing with finances etc.
• Fourth day
A test would be carried out; graduates will have an hour to complete this test. They will have to provide information on what they have learnt so far, why they believe they will be able to carry out a managerial roll and what does it take to be a successful manager.
For the rest of the day, they will be given the opportunity to be mystery shoppers. Working in groups of two’s they will have to visit 3 different shops and they have to give presentation on negative and positive service the witnessed being offered to customers.
• Last day
Feedback will be given to individual.
What you need to send to HR,
Bank details etc should be completed by the new employee prior to starting by printing off and sending it to HR. Alternatively you all need to make sure that you have access to these forms on Day One of your employment. The information listed below will be sent to your emails:
• Where and when to report.
• Who will meet you?
A map, transport and car parking instructions, what else to bring, e.g. equipment, special clothing etc
Improvements that could be made to improve the induction process and also if there is any further support you need at this stage.

Managing Performance

I was given the title employee of the month which recognises the employee who worked really hard, always arrive at work time and provide excellent customer services regardless of the work environment an example of this is being self motivated to work under pressure and still be able meet companies expectations. The reason why I found this effective was because for the month my name was posted on the wall and everybody recognises my achievement, it made me feel valued as an employee and my hard work has paid off. As a reward I received a voucher.

Read the article from The Times on mentoring. What skills do you think are required to be an effective mentor?

You have to be dependent, have a leadership skill, determined to work with all types of people, be an outgoing person, accept it when you are wrong and the fact you can be criticised, contain a skill of a team leader and be able to work in team. Also it’s a key to be able to transfer new skills and knowledge, creating better networking opportunities as well as helping them improve their product and in some cases even going into business with their mentor.

Identify someone from your college/university, school, work, social life who has been a mentor to you. How have they affected your life?

As a Christian, you are supposed to live a religious life, let it reflect on your life and follow the rules of the bible but I wasn’t doing that not that I didn’t know what to do as Christian but actually showing it. In terms of reading and quoting scriptures I was good enough but presenting me as a Christian was a speck of a problem. One church member had a leadership skill to hearten me to become a better Christian. This help me realise that, there is time for everything in terms of knowing how to dress appropriate for church. Other than that he was willing to support me financially and was determined to maintain me on course.

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Explain the difference between equality and diversity:

Equality is about “creating a fairer society” where everybody has the same opportunities to fulfil their potential (DH, 2004). Legislation exists to protect and support individuals or groups of people who have experienced discrimination, and to avoid discrimination against individuals in the near future. It is illegal to discriminate against, because there are acts which limits this from happening, not much discrimination takes place, different types of legislations which covers these aspect of discrimination are as followed:
• Sex discrimination Act 1975
• Race relations Act 1976
• Disability discrimination Act 2005
• Employment equality regulations 2003
• Equality Act 2006
• Human rights Act 1998

Diversity is about individual differences, everybody is different in a variety of aspects and this practice is about recognizing and respecting these differences, so as to create a productive environment and to allow all employees to realise their full potential.

Review the article below and state 3 arguments for and against her view

For:
• Same career and training opportunities as men because a woman cannot educate her entire life with a top university and stoop low because she is a woman.
• Woman should have equal rights because I think that most people have class and value regardless of their differences.
• If a woman workers the same amount of time then everything at the workplace should be equal without any discrimination.
• Demonstrate to all employees that they can rely upon the Company's support in cases of discrimination or harassment at work.

Against:
• Not all woman can manage a man’s job role at a work place
• Some women come across as lazy and unreliable to work at certain hours due to the fact that they may have to attend to children.
• Most women will not stoop low to help the organisation became successful; they also like things their way which does not help the company.

Suggest two ideas as to how organisations can attempt to change these attitudes:

Young people are fit and ready for challenges depending on the job role.
Older people are looked at as more mature with more experience.
Young person can come across as not reliable whereas an elder person can be referred to as the opposite. Most elderly person will be available for full-time jobs where as employing a young person on part-time role.

Organisation can change these attitudes by only employing full-time, reliable workers. They can also educate the young person to gain experience before he/she starts on full-time basics. Most of all having trust in young people to perform to their ability depending on the job.

British Airways believes in fairly treated and with respect whereas they should carry the qualities we require. They recruit people with capability such as good behaviour, individual skills, also loads of enduring and knowledge that can be determinants of the job. This person must have consistency and accuracy.

Asda treats their employees unfairly, even though they offer them training until they feel you are able to work according to their requirement. Pay rise to available to all staff members. Asda however do not treat staff at supply equally to permanent staff this is discrimination because they working the same hours and in the same sector of employment but permanent contract.

Write a conclusion about this topic and include it in your blog:

In conclusion, although discrimination in the work place is against the law, according to equality act 2005, some organisations do not abide by this law and work according to their business regulations. This can be seen as unfair and unjust for fellow employees and could cause disruption at the workplace due to inequality in pay or perhaps favouritism of particular staff members.

Although companies such as British airways and Asda are known simply because of their brand name and provide services for all types’ people, equality within the workplace is a problem which should not be expected in such companies. Overall, Equal opportunities are a major factor which needs to be considered in all circumstances to ensure that peace and happiness will be present at all times within an environment.

Selection

Find examples of three different selection methods used in an organisation with which you are familiar and identify when they are used and why, along with the pros and cons of each.

There are different types of selection methods used in order for companies to choose the best candidates for a job position. There are face-to-face interviews whereby the manager or someone in the recruitment department speaks with the potential employee. There are telephone interviews, whereby the person is interviewed over the phone and then there are also group interviews, this helps assess how well the person can work in a group.

Below is a listing the Pro’s and Con’s of each selection type.

Face-to-face interview -

Advantages:
Allows the candidate to express them selves fully and show the interviewer what they have to offer the company, by presenting the skills and qualifications they have acquired as well as describing their passion for that position.

Disadvantages:
Interviewees could be really nervous and may not like the fact that they are before a powerful person in the company. This could affect confidence level and in most cases loss of words. This method usually is broken down into steps and candidates normally have to come back for another interview.

Telephone interview –

Advantages:
Gives candidates the opportunity to express how they speak as well as being able to articulate there words over the phone. This method often involves reading a short piece of literature. This allows potential employees to show how well they read and speak in a professional manner. It is less nerve racking, cheap and a easy way for companies to select.

Disadvantages:
Since the interviewer can not actually see the person whom is on the phone, they don’t know if their personal appearance matches what they looking for. They may not have the practical skills required for the job and may not be sufficient in providing the quality of service to the company standard. Although it could be considered as cost effective, if there are no people who meet the standard of job position, then in fact it would have been a waste of money.

Group interview -

Advantages:
It gives the candidate the opportunity to express there team work and leadership, people skills. It also can help timid people come out of their shell and get involved in activities. This also is effective because the interviewer can analyse which people could manage and lead groups of people (potential team leaders) in the future

Disadvantages:
There will be loud and more dominant people in the group, who may over shadow the quieter ones. This will not be an advantage for the quieter ones as they may not be given the chance to participate. Less focus is made on individuals and they may have key skills beneficial to the company, which could be over looked. The size of the group is also a factor. When they are too large this does not help select strong candidates.

Describe an interview that you have taken part in. It may have been for a job, but could also have been within your school or university. Was the interview effective? If so, why. If not, why not.

An interview I was apart of was divided into two sections. First I participated in a telephone interview, where I had to express why I would be suitable for the job. I also had to read a piece of literature so that my reading was assessed. The second part of the interview was face to face, where I was asked questions about the work place and the job role. I was them given the opportunity to express the qualifications, skills and previous experience I had.

I think this was effective because I was given the chance to express myself over the phone as well as face to face. My speaking voice is very professional and so is my outward appearance. Therefore, both of the selection methods which were used were beneficial and very affective.

Interview a member of your family, or a friend not at university, to ask them whether they feel personality tests used within a selection procedure are advantageous. Describe and explain their views.

I asked this question to a family member and they felt that personality tests are not helpful because they don’t always relate to the individual whom the questions are directed to. the answers which are provided are not always true since the personality question does not relate to the person whom is taking part. Therefore, answers will be misleading or false. This in turn will affect the data which is being collected and the results will not correspond to what was expected.








In your own organisation or one with which you are familiar what recommendations would you make to improve selection processes?

Conclusion/ Recommendation

Selection process is very important and should be used in a correct manner so that companies can choose candidates fairly according to what the job role requires. Improvements such as allowing candidates to fully express them selves in group interviews is vital because there could be potential managers, supervisors and team leaders among that group. Therefore they need to show what skills they have to attract to eye of the interviewer. Group interviews should also be smaller in number so that partakers are given the chance to show what they have to offer the company. Since they are some times really large, there are too many people being observed, which is not helpful to the company.