The Capital Veterinarian Clinic is one of the top medical facilities for the different kinds of the animals in California. It is strongly customer-centered by working 24/7 and having required screening and surgical equipment while focusing on offering internships. Apart from that, the organization has a well-developed structure and the profit-sharing program that has a positive impact on the increase in the salaries. Nonetheless, it was revealed that that the Capital Veterinarian Clinic has some issues related to discrimination, lack of managerial practice, wrongful values, and prejudice. To resolve these problems, I was hired to assist the leadership team and improve the quality of interactions between different levels of subordination.
Consequently, in the context of this paper, it is critical to conduct the analysis of the current situation, define the main ethics, values, and formal codes, and depict the principle concerns associated with these matters. At the same time, it is vital to assess diversity and inclusion in the Capital Veterinarian Clinic and introduce a sophisticated plan to encourage the development of various leadership skills by identifying specific evaluations and strategies to introduce assessments and provide feedback. Based on the analyses depicted above, it will be vital to introduce various recommendations to enhance the organizational effectiveness and define the main steps to take to implement these concepts into practice.
Analysis of the Current Situation
In the first place, to assess the present situation in the company, it is vital to evaluate different internal and external factors that have a critical impact on the overall working atmosphere within the clinic. In this instance, the Burke-Litwin model of organizational performance and change will be the most suitable approach, as it will assist in defining cause-and-effect relationships between critical elements of the organization (Janicijevic, 2010). Considering external factors is highly important, as they define the most common trends and values of the organization (Beer & Spector, 1993).
In the first place, intensified rivalry and changes in the consumer preferences are the main concepts that require the company to employ a customer-centered approach while expanding its services and activities regularly. Alternatively, new practices in management and HR that support inclusion and diversity also encouraged the company to pay vehement attention to the issues of discrimination and modify its concepts of the corporate culture (Babalola & Marques, 2013).
Alternatively, one cannot underestimate the significance of the mission statement and strategy, as these concepts define the common goals of the company and its corporate culture (Bissel & Keim, 2008). In this instance, it can be formulated as the Capital Veterinarian Clinic aims at delivering exceptional services to its customers while making it highly available 24/7 while prioritizing superior experience and excellence. These concepts helped the company to build its brand image while not complying with them damages its reputation.
In turn, one cannot underrate the importance of leadership and managerial practices since they are critical soft components in communicating vision and mission to the different levels of subordination (Janicijevic, 2010; Schmidt, 2012). In this instance, the clinic has certain gaps to fulfill, as Chung does not have a strong charisma and lacks knowledge in managerial practices, Silverstein serves a bad example by taking advantage of the current position by using medical supplies for private purposes, and Meyers employs tough practices and develops discriminative tensions.
As a consequence, a combination of these factors has an adverse impact on motivation and commitment of the employees, as it creates a perception that their rights and freedoms are not respected. In this case, originally, the organizational culture is supposed to support the principles of inclusion and diversity. These values are highly reflected in the demographics of the clinic with 20% Asians, 20% Hispanics, and 5% African Americans. Nonetheless, the tensions developed in the company do not create favorable and equal working conditions for all races and cultural minorities due to the need to diminish Christmas tradition. This matter develops negative working climate while putting the actions of different workers under vehement control and pressure.
Simultaneously, it is vital to assess the internal working mechanisms of the company, as they will help describe organizational structure and decision-making concepts (Bissel & Keim, 2008). In this instance, it could be said that of the management is sufficiently organized while maintaining the working processes and flow of information. At the same time, the existent management system encourages the employees to participate in the decision-making and cultivate change. Nonetheless, the lack of Chung’s expertise in leadership and supervision may damage the overall company’s image and question the effectiveness of the decision-making and problem-solving.
As for the compliance of the tasks with the individual skills, it could be said that the majority of the employees such as technicians and doctors are located at the right job positions. This matter assists in maintaining their individual and organizational performance of the clinic at the sufficient levels. Nonetheless, some technicians required additional training concerning the need to respect the representatives of other races and religions to avoid incidents with the clients in future. Simultaneously, Chung has to improve her managerial and leadership practices while taking responsibilities of her actions, as, otherwise, it will lead to the ineffective decision-making and have an adverse effect on the reputation of the company.
Organizational Values, Ethics, and Formal Codes
It remains apparent that the previous section assisted in identifying the overall outline of the workflow processes and depict the matters that are required to be modified. To continue the process of assessment, it is critical to determine the principle concepts of ethics, values, and formal codes that the Capital Veterinarian Clinic uses to maintain its organizational performance at the sufficient level. In this case, these matters are vehemently important to consider since they create certain perceptions of the commonly accepted behavioral patterns and establish a set of guidelines that one has to follow to comply with organizational justice and ethics (Saba, Fatima, Ahmad, & Atif, 2015). A combination of these components defines the actions of an individual while making his/her actions ethical or unethical (Saba et al., 2015).
As for the Capital Veterinarian Clinic, it could be said that its initial organizational values and ethics support the diversity and inclusion. In this instance, it could be stated that the managers of the firm tried to reflect it by respecting religious beliefs of the representative of different countries and organized a neutral celebration instead of traditional Christmas. Alternatively, the formal structure of the organization and its rotation system implies that senior veterinarians have a chance to be involved in the decision-making, and this practice assists in discovering situations from the dissimilar angles and propose alternative solutions. Simultaneously, the company pays vehement attention to the financial prosperity of the organization and its employees by using the principles of the profit-sharing program. In this instance, it could be discovered as one of the principle instruments to motivate the employees to deliver high-quality services to its customers.
Lastly, to comply with the company’s mission statement, one cannot underestimate the need to focus on the exceptional quality of the delivered services. To ensure the excellence, some managers tend to employ tough leadership practices while being very demanding and strict to the particular workers such as technicians. Overall, it could be said that these values can be discovered as positive as they support the concepts of diversity, inclusion, prosperity, and the excellence. In this instance, they imply that the employees have to pay vehement attention to the preferences and actions of the customers while aiming at financial prosperity. Alternatively, they are expected to treat the representatives of different minorities with respect. Nonetheless, these values can be easily misinterpreted by the management and increase the tension in the company.
Concerns about Values, Ethics, and Recommendations
Despite having positive intentions of values and formal codes, as it was mentioned earlier, they can be easily misinterpreted by the managers and lead to the increase in tensions among different levels of subordination. This duality may be a cause of the wrongful actions of the management while questioning not only the effectiveness of decision-making but also the compliance of the organizational culture with the common ethical principles. Simultaneously, another major concern regarding the identified values is the fact that the behavior of the leaders and their styles do not reflect the aspects depicted above. Not being able to communicate the mission statement and promote ethics is the primary reason for the development of clash of interests and conflicts in the company (Brown & Mitchell, 2010).
For example, Chung is not able to face criticism and motivate the employees while Meyers applies harsh leadership style and seems to promote discrimination in her behavior. In turn, Silverstein does not respect the efforts of other veterinarians and technicians by using medical supplies of the clinic for individual purposes while the managers created a conflict by diminishing Christmas celebration. These actions of the managers create disturbance and modify the attitude of the employees, and it is reflected in the form of the aggressive disputes in front of the clients.
In general, the main recommendations to resolve these issues include paying substantial attention to the training of the managers, enhancing financial control, proposing new performance appraisal systems to motivate employees, increasing participation of the employees in the decision-making process, and changing leadership and managerial practices to transformational leadership style. Another solution is employing the concepts of ethical leadership and ensure that the managers are perceived as positive role models (Brown & Mitchell, 2010). This approach will help establish trusting relationship with the employees and minimize the frequency of conflicts concerning racial bias and discrimination. Alternatively, to decrease cultural tensions and support cultural diversity, the organization has to continue celebrating Christmas and encourage the representatives of other cultures to share their traditions and holidays.
Speaking of the individual recommendations, Chung has to pass additional training and employ the concept of the ethical leadership. Meanwhile, she should also consider changing her attitude towards criticism and continuously monitor any ethical violations. In turn, Al-Murjan has to work on developing new financial control systems to control any changes in storage of medical supplies. Lastly, Meyers should reconsider her leadership tactics and aim towards transactional leadership, as, otherwise, the employees will experience discomfort for operating under her supervision.
Analysis of Diversity and Inclusion in the Organization
As it was mentioned earlier, inclusion and diversity are highly important values that are gaining their significance in HRM (Babalola & Marques, 2013). Nowadays, a blended corporate culture that comprises out of the representatives of diverse social groups is becoming a necessity in the era of globalization (Chuang, 2013). Consequently, assessing these concepts will assist in seeing whether the company complies with the current trends of HR and determining whether the representatives of different cultures can coexist successfully.
The set of organizational values and dogmas clearly indicates that the intercultural leadership could be considered as one of the priorities in the company. As it was mentioned earlier, the organization consists out of the representatives out of cultural groups including 20% Asians, 20% Hispanics, and 5% African Americans. At first glance, it could be concluded that the company supports the ideas of inclusion and diversity, as different cultural groups are able to work as a team and perform difficult tasks. Nonetheless, the decision of the management not to celebrate Christmas elevated the tensions between Christians and representatives of other religions. Simultaneously, the inability to diminish this aspect from the beginning created intercultural conflict that was cultivated by the harsh leadership of Meyers.
In this instance, the changes that have to be made are related to selecting a particular leadership style. In this instance, employing the concepts of global and ethical tactics will assist in developing the atmosphere of trust where all employees are treated equally (Chuang, 2013; Brown & Mitchell, 2010). Simultaneously, the organization should underline the significance of diversity while showing respect to different cultures and their traditions. It could be achieved by organizing various events that will encourage information sharing and cultivate mutual trust. A combination of these changes will help enhance the atmosphere in the clinic and encourage information sharing.
As for the specific actions to be taken to underline the significance of inclusion and diversity, one of them is related to the special training that has to be offered to Chung. In this instance, strengthening her image in front of the colleagues will assist in introducing new ideas for the mission statement while finding the most suitable approaches to communicating it. Another major concern is Meyers’ leadership style. Consequently, having a conversation with her and supplying her with the relevant tactics will help prevent the rapid escalation of conflicts and minimize the number of incidents of racial discrimination. Lastly, to decrease the tensions, the company has to consider returning Christmas tradition and organizing different cultural events every week or month. This matter will encourage information sharing and assist in educating workers about cultural differences.
Introducing Assessment Plan to Develop Leadership Skills
Specific Assessments
To minimize the occurrence of the issues indicated above, it is evident that various assessments and tests have to be used to depict the skills and capabilities to be developed. This stage has to be considered as the first step and the most important part of the assessment plan to develop leadership skills. One of the ways to access one’s compliance with the commonly accepted behavior of the leader is observing actions and conducting interviews (Beer & Spector, 1993). In this case, being an independent assistant will help review the behavior of the employees and managers from an unbiased perspective and identify the skills that require improvement.
As a consequence of the observations, it will be possible to identify the contagion groups that create tensions, isolate this group members, and offer an individual analysis to each member (Bissel & Keim, 2008). Using this method will assist in seeing the main factors that can be discovered as the critical drivers for the particular actions and malpractice among the employees. In this instance, the issue of ethical discrimination can be fully discovered and resolved with the help of this evaluation, as the actions and their outcomes of the each group member will be clearly explained.
Alternatively, it is vital to take advantage of the multisource feedback. In this instance, this approach can be represented in the form of a questionnaire that will allow the employees to evaluate the actions of the leaders (Church & Rotolo, 2013). This assessment method is highly beneficial, as it helps evaluate employee satisfaction while identifying the traits of the managers that have to be improved. These evaluations can take place quarterly, and the employees can feel free to share their opinions and propose suggestions on a regular basis.
At the same time, various leadership assessment tests can be actively employed to evaluate the ability of the leaders to comply with main concepts of the leadership. In this case, these standardized tests will also help reveal the skills that require improvement. In the context of the Capital Veterinarian Clinic, personality and cognitive ability tests and evaluations with the help of various case studies can be used to assess the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of the management team (Church & Rotolo, 2013). Overall, these aspects have to be used as a combination, as evaluating the skills of the leaders from different angles will help develop sufficient training programs that will enhance the atmosphere in the company and underline the importance of ethics.
Approaches to Introduce Assessments
Despite having well-defined evaluations that can be implemented it is critical to use relevant strategies to introduce the selected assessments. As it was mentioned earlier, in the first place, it is critical to increase the awareness of the employees and management of the issues (Beer & Spector, 1993). It will offer a clear rationale and explain the reasons for conducting these assessments. After organizing the meetings concerning the need to introduce assessments, it is vital to describe the types of the evaluations that will take place and determine the action plan. These approaches will assist in preparing the workers, reducing stress levels regarding these issues, and cultivating trusting atmosphere in the company.
In turn, the involvement of the third party may be considered as a necessity for observations and interviewing (Bissel & Keim, 2008). Consequently, introducing this specialist in advance will help employees adapt and be prepared to receive the well-structured feedback. Apart from developing the schedules of tests, it is vital to conduct these assessments during the working hours. Overall, it could be said that considering these matters will have a positive impact on the quality of interactions with the employees and help them prepare for the tests while understanding their necessity for the enhancement of the organizational leadership.
Ways to Provide Feedback and Results
Another critical part of the assessment plan to develop the leadership skills and managerial practices is to introduce different methods that can be used to provide feedback and deliver results to encourage personal growth and development. In this case, it could be said the third party specialist, who will organize tests and evaluations, can take advantage of interviews and individual sessions, as one of the most relevant approaches to deliver feedback (Beer & Spector, 1993; Giving constructive feedback, 2016). In this instance, using this strategy not only identifies the areas and skills that require improvement but also can motivate the employees and increase their commitment. This approach can encourage the workers and managers to use these practices for personal growth and development.
In turn, to monitor the improvement, various KPIs such as the number of accidents at work can be used. In this instance, complying with the organizational standards will underline the fact that the skills of the employees are improving. At the same time, conducting the assessments and monitoring the satisfaction of the employees regularly will assist in seeing positive or negative dynamics (Church & Rotolo, 2013). Based on the revealed results and feedback, it will be possible to design individual development plans and introduce training programs that will assist in enhancing the required skills (Okoye & Ezejiofor, 2013). Using this strategy will help comply with the organizational goals and objectives while clearly depicting the ways to develop skills. In this case, it could be said that a mixture of these factors has a direct impact on the efficiency and productivity of the organization while resolving the ethical conflicts and underlying the ideas of diversity and inclusion at the same time.
Recommendations for Leaders to Improve Organizational Effectiveness
Based on the sufficient analysis conducted above, it could be said that the improvements have to cover different spheres of operation of the Capital Veterinarian Clinic to enhance its financial prosperity and quality of the services and cultivate a friendly atmosphere in the company. In the first place, it is essential to increase the employees’ awareness of the problems (Beer & Spector, 1993). In this instance, this action will contribute to the development of the employee-driven environment where veterinarians are respected as decision-makers. This approach will assist in spreading the idea of change and implementing it from the inside. This information can be distributed by organizing meetings while encouraging the employees to propose relevant solutions.
Despite the fact that the workers are the main assets of the company, one cannot underestimate the importance of the managerial team. In this case, the concepts of ethical leadership have to be considered, as it helps cultivate trusting relationships with the employees and emphasize the significance of ethics in the organization (Brown & Mitchell, 2010). At the same time, to support diversity and inclusion, the characteristics of the global leadership have to be taken into account since they assist in working in the blended cultural environment and avoiding intercultural conflicts (Chuang, 2013). Meanwhile, the concepts of the transformational change will help find touchpoints with the workforce and encourage change (McKlesky, 2014). In this case, these approaches have to be implemented as a combination, as when used simultaneously they offer a required set of characteristics to resolve the identified issues.
To encourage improvement and development of the leadership styles mentioned above, various assessment techniques including employees’ feedback, third party observations, and tests can be used to understand what skills require development (Beer & Spector, 1993; Bissel & Keim, 2008). This method will help identify the capabilities that need enhancement to comply with the characteristics of an ethical, transformational, and global leader. Based on the analysis of these assessments, additional training can be provided to the managers of the company. It will not only assist in the development of the required skills but also create favorable conditions for continuous learning (Beer & Spector, 1993). The subsequent improvement will be monitored by the ability of the leaders to meet certain KPIs and comply with the organizational standards.
As for monitoring and control, this matter has to be enhanced, as they have a positive impact on planning and budgeting activities within the organization. Simultaneously, the continuous diagnosis will encourage learning while understanding the primary reasons for failure (Beer & Spector, 1993). In this case, the matters mentioned above can be achieved by setting benchmarks to enhance the overall performance and motivation (Beer & Spector, 1993). To summarize, it could be said that applying these concepts at the same time will have a beneficial impact on enhancing the productivity and efficiency of the organization while ensuring the compliance of the actions of the leaders and employees with the company’s vision and mission.
Steps to Take to Implement the Recommendations
To assure the effective implementation of the recommendations identified above, it is vital to introduce the steps to be taken. In this instance, the main phases can be defined as following:
- Increase the awareness of employees of the existent problems and measure their satisfaction by gathering information about the actions of the leaders with the help of the questionnaires;
- Identify and discuss the main problems with the managerial team and propose the subsequent actions that can be taken to resolve them (In this case, they are related to the lack of compliance of the leaders’ actions with the mission and vision of the Capital Veterinarian Clinic, ethical issues and racial bias, gaps in the knowledge of leadership styles, and ineffectiveness of monitoring and control systems);
- Resolve ethical tensions by organizing various cultural events and events once a week to encourage cultural exchange and restoring the Christmas tradition;
- Introduce new ERP systems and install financial software to control and monitor any changes in budgeting and inflows and outflows of cash and its equivalents;
- Develop a new approach to monitor the changes in storage of the medical supplies to avoid the insufficient usage of resources of the Capital Veterinarian Clinic;
- Redesign the mission statement and develop new organizational standards and KPIs to support the concepts of transformational, global, and ethical leadership;
- Implement the assessment plan to enhance leadership skills and comply with the new objectives of the company (introducing the assessments and increasing the awareness of the employees and managers, developing plan and schedule, organizing assessments by monitoring behavior, using case studies and cognitive and personal tests, acquiring the feedback from the employees, analyzing the results, and delivering it with the help of individual sessions and interviews);
- Design the individual development plans and organize training programs based on the feedback (For example, Meyers’ training program has to pay vehement attention to the ethical and global leadership while Chung has to focus on the development of the skills of the transformational leader);
- Introduce a new framework of monitoring and control by observing the changes in behavior and KPIs quarterly.
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