Overview
Organizational problems, consisting of improper use of management approaches and skills, can constitute a severe threat to the smooth functioning of the company. In the scenario discussed in the case study, SNHU Pet Supply Company faced just such a problem. The leading cause for concern was a decline in employee performance and team discord. After analysis, it turned out that the reason was the wrong way the employees felt their managers were evaluating their productivity. They have to fill out a detailed timesheet every day about their work. In addition, many employees complain about the improper selection of jobs for them that do not match their competencies. There is an apparent conflict between management’s approach and employees’ expectations regarding evaluating and defining their performance.
Management Approaches
Management functions are certain types of managerial activities, which were isolated in the process of specialization of managerial labor. Their study is of great practical importance since they largely determine the efficiency of the company’s functioning. General management functions are mandatory for the successful operation of any company. These include planning, organization, motivation, and control. Planning consists of anticipating the organization’s goals, the resources needed to achieve them, and the results of operations. The organization is the enabling function of management, concerned with creating the conditions for achieving goals. Control allows identifying deviations of activities from the standards and making timely adjustments to management decisions. Finally, without the high motivation of employees, the success of the organization, no matter how perfect its organizational structure, plans, control system, is entirely impossible.
In the scenario under consideration, the emphasis is put on the functions of organization and control. The first of these is responsible for assigning employees to departments, while the second is responsible for assigning timesheets of control to be filled out on a daily basis. The management approach used in the scenario has its advantages. For example, micro-controls are used to track employee performance. This method allows one to quickly identify a problem in production because management has detailed daily information. Another advantage of such monitoring is to motivate employees to do quality work. This is accomplished by having each employee complete a self-assessment by filling out a timesheet and knowing what aspects they need to improve.
Recommendations
SNHU Pet Supply Company can adjust its management style to improve the work climate and increase efficiency. This style should consist of new management skills as well as new practices. To solve the company’s problems, I suggest changing the leadership style from authoritarian to democratic. Employees will have a voice in management practices and adjust their work environment. In this way, it will be possible to avoid employee dissatisfaction because the management style will be negotiated. Changes in leadership style offer new management skills, among them openness to new ideas and readiness for discussion. Managers must accept the views of their employees and listen to them. With the application of such skills, it will be possible to adjust the application of daily timesheets so that they do not cause discomfort to employees. For example, evaluations could be conducted once a week. In this way, the control tool will remain, but it will not make workers uncomfortable. To summarize, it is necessary to change the management style to a more democratic one to establish a more productive working relationship between management and employees.