Introduction
Organizational structure can be defined as the approach in which a business is structured with regards to management and it usually determines the overall performance and achievement of an organization. Businesses are faced with a lot of challenges in there undertakings as a result of the ever changing and uncertain business environment and Boost Juice store is not excepted from such situation. In this case study we find that the Boost Juice store was faced with several environmental forces that deserved good management skills from the concerned managers in order to succeed in accomplishing its stated goals this case shows that the in the beginning of this business the Boost Juice store had not employed very few employees who were not able to fill the organizational chart this made the owner of the firm who is Janine Allis to carry out all activities regarding her firm such maintaining cleanliness and even maintaining the databases of the organization.
We also find that though there was a lot of work she was able to manage her business which operated successfully where her husband and the few employees also contributed in the operations of the firm where they assisted in the marketing and franchising this made the firm to develop into five stores in one year after which the business continued to grow to more than 100 stores employing more than 1000 workers. The study also indicates that the company was able diversify into various departments such as the marketing department, information technology department, human resources, franchise department among other departments this actually saw the company to grow and open other stores as a result of business opportunities in different countries such as Dubai, New Zealand among others. From this study we can therefore deduce that the success of the Boost Juice store came up as a result of a good organizational structure which is usually defined as the framework on leadership in an organization which is highly dependent on the size and the operations of the organization. We find that the structure of an organization such as Boost Juice store greatly determines how work is done in that particular organization and will determine the success of the organization. (McShane and Travaglione, 2007).
Research indicates that each organization including Boost Juice store has its own type of organization structure, the type of leadership style of the organization is also another factor that determines the structure of the organization. Studies reveal that organizational structure is the manner in which an organization is organized in relation to management and that it highly determines the performance and success of an organization. It has been noted that, most organizations collapse because of poor organization structure that fail to reflect the goals and objectives of those organizations. From this study we find that for Boost Juice store to further its productivity it needs to consider the following factors while carrying out its management functions.
Encouraging organizational leadership
Research indicates that good organization structure should provide for career advancement and development. Today, a lot of employees in an organization want to advance there careers and look for organizations which can offer them such opportunities. Therefore the Boost Juice store should ensure that its management structure allow promotions based on merits and should give the organizations employees a first priority. As a result this will highly motivate the employees to develop their skills especially in leadership. The management team of the Boost Juice store should understand that career fulfilment goes together with career development. Therefore the company should provide its employees with various opportunities for advancing their education through in-house training and by promotions. For, instance the Boost Juice store should have a training program for new recruits that should run for 4-6 weeks in which it will offer support on the improvement of the working experiences of the new recruits in the organization. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter, 2000).
Professional teams created in an organization are important in developing the leadership skills for the team especially of the team leaders. Therefore a leader of a team is expected to stand out from the rest of the team members and assist his/her team to overcome issues and to advocate for a team members where injustice seems to be done.
Effective management structure of an organization such as the Boost Juice store affects teams’ performance. The firm should have several teams to be used in the organization to achieve various tasks. These teams go along way in offering the employees to explore their leadership skills, as each employee should be given an opportunity to take initiative. The Boost Juice store management should ensure that its team enjoy excellent camaraderie as the organization works as a team to try and make it business transaction successful in various regions at the same time continues to improve the quality of its products and services and giving the employees the opportunity to apply their leadership skills.
Decision making
Decision making process is very crucial to any organization such as the Boost Juice store. Often many managers and executives of organizations neglect the employees in decision making process which has led to poor performance which in turn has led to decline in profitability of most organizations. Employees will feel respected and recognized when they are involved decision making. (Robbins and Millett, 2001) Situations usually arise which call for implementation of ethical standards. In this issue there is always universalism and relativism. There are different conceptions of rights that govern universalism. Ethical decision making should be done consistently by managers in the Boost Juice Store under universalism. In relativism, the local norms are considered in making the decisions ethically.
Ethical decision making involves transparency in making the decisions. This is being transparent mostly to the people that are affected by the decision. It is good to consider the effects of making the decision. What are the harmful effects? Managers in the Boost Juice store should consider how they can avoid such effects. For decision making to be ethical, it has to be fair. This is in relation to everyone that is affected by it. Do they consider the decision made fair? So if the decision is transparent, fair and it has no harmful effect then it is quite ethical. (Lewis, 1999).
Manpower Planning and Organizational Performance
Manpower planning within an organization is very critical in that, cases of either overstaffing or understaffing is detrimental in one way or another. The economies of scale for the business together with specialization orders are lost if the organization is understaffed. On the other hand, if overstaffing is sustained, it becomes a waste and also expensive for the organization. These factors are therefore part of the planning process being carried out by human resource development officers. They ensure that the organization’s workforce is certainly enough to meet the general duty requirement. When employees are understaffed they keep on complaining and thus they are not motivated to work hence may lead to low productivity.
Workforce planning also provides a critical analysis and statistical criterion of the human resource needs for the organization. This will help the Boost Juice organization plan for any future actions that are necessary to streamline operations within the organization. Such actions may include, labour reductions, redundancy or retirement if possible. Such moves by the organizations management may lead to misunderstanding between the employer and employees because employees will feel that they are being victimized. (Viljoen and Dann, 2000).
Employee Recruitment, Training and Selection Processes in an Organization
Employees’ recruitment is a significant process in which an organization such as the Boost Juice store ensures that it obtains the right employees for specific job. Employee recruitment consists of selection, sourcing and staffing. All these are related activities that are undertaken by the organization. Management and recruitment activities assist in making sure the organization gets employees with right skills are recruited.
The managers of the Boost Juice Store should know that organization’s management and especially the Human Resource department are responsible in recruiting competent and qualified employees. The best method the Boost Juice Store can directly improve its overall productivity performance in the first place is to employ, select and train the right personnel. This entails respective managers getting to understand the aspect of personnel management in an organization. Organizations now days have engaged in what is normally referred to as job-fit practice which has enhanced production efficiency and effectiveness of employees’ responsibilities. This practice is useful to organizations which do not want to have their employees undergo extensive training but rather conduct their duties right away using their skills gained elsewhere. Another strategy is person-organization fit practice. In this case, the Boost Juice Store should seek to recruit and select persons with good morals who are able to meet the organizations’ values, culture and structure. (Miller and Dess, 1996).
Conclusion
Organization structure is the framework on leadership in an organization and is highly dependent on the size and the service being offered by the organization. The Boost Juice Store has an impressive organization structure and culture that has made the firm to reach where it is. However, it needs to improve on its divisional management structure and employee relations to maintain and even improve on its current business operations.
Reference
Haines, G (1995) Successful Strategic Planning: Building a High-Performance Business California: Crisp Publications.
Lewis et al (1999) Australian and New Zealand Strategic Management – Concepts, Context and Cases second edition Australia: Prentice Hall, pp 426-434.
McShane, S. and Travaglione, T. (2007) Organizational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim second edition North Ryde, McGraw Hill, p 454.
Miller, A and Dess, G (1996) Strategic Management 2nd International edition New York: McGraw-Hill Prentice Hall Aust Pty Ltd.
Robbins S and Millett B et al (2001) Organizational behaviour, leading and managing in Australia and New Zealand third edition Frenchs forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd.
Robbins S, Bergman, R., Stagg, I. and Coulter, M (2000) Management second edition Sydney.
Viljoen, J and Dann, S. (2000) Strategic Management – planning and implementing successful corporate strategies third edition Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd.