The case of DPW vividly portrays that effective operations management and performance controls are the main tools which help administration to ensure effective resource use. Traditional performance management mechanisms are based on the assumption that jobs and the organizational situation are relatively constant and stable, allowing for formalization of practices such as job definitions, job evaluations, written goals and standards, and other relatively permanent mechanisms of performance management. The case processing of welfare allows to say that the characteristics of settings dilute the effectiveness of these static mechanisms that violate the systemic nature of the work. Constant change coupled with the need to innovate and high interdependence mean that specifications and goals are quickly eroded.
The need for change was caused by new public and social conditions in the state. In order to ensure effective use of human resources and performance management, Nancy Hempstead should redesign job structure and reduce work overload for paralegals. Static job evaluation systems as the basis for compensation practices can work against the need for employees to continually update skills, perform new tasks, and be flexible in their contributions.
In rapidly changing conditions, job definitions and goals have to be frequently updated. Previously, the department had spending thousands of hours updating job descriptions that the managers said would be obsolete within two years. Employees reported spending time on tasks that were of lower priorities than emerging workflow needs because they were locked into objectives. More insidiously, they often reported working on low-priority issues because their managers’ yearly objectives and bonuses were at stake (Chase and Jacobs 2003).
In order to simplify the procedure, it would be more effective to send the assignment to the paralegal directly. One indicator of the effectiveness of this strategy is the increased number of decertification tasks that have occurred over the past few years. In point of fact, the percentage of representation tasks that were decertification elections remained almost insignificant. Once an accepted means of negotiations, pattern the work of a paralegal has recently been rejected by many union avoiders, who argue that local conditions, among other competitive constraints, precluded the standardization of terms and conditions of employment across units (Slack et al 2003).
The main changes in the case processing should take place in activation process and improvements of work. The main operations should be made in one office and by one professional to fasten the process of activation and data collection. In order to reduce number of mistakes made by a clerk, a strict system of control and checking should be introduced. The aim of these changes is to assess their effects on other labor-management activities.
While there are certain techniques, such as path analysis, that are used to attribute causality from data collected at one time, the results of such studies are difficult to interpret and are themselves open to criticism. Consequently, when attempting to attribute certain effects to joint programs, studies must be based on data (Chase and Jacobs 2003).
The main method and took to project performance targets is to introduce information technology and intranets. These technological solutions would help the Department to improve the process of activation, auditing and discharge. Management underlines that without a properly managed training process in place, there are several undesirable outcomes that may occur. First, the instruction that is done may be uneven in quality and effectiveness.
This means that the wrong skills may be taught and/or that employees are inadequately prepared for all their job duties. Second, without adequate training, employees are more easily flustered and stressed in trying to do their work. This can lead to increased errors and customer ill will. Consider the case of a bank teller who is uncertain what to do while the customer being served is watching her every move. Uncertainty leads to delays and mistakes, irking the customer and generating frustration all around. Such stressful working conditions can demotivate the employee and even create pressures on the employee to quit.
Third, errors made in doing a task mean that the work must be corrected. Corrections take time and cost money. Career management and development is a specialized application within the context of employee training. As in training, career development deals with systematic employee learning. The framework for career management and development, though, is broader: The span of an employee’s career within the organization is marked by the person’s progression and movement through different jobs (Johnston 2003).
Moreover, during a case processing process, interactions among the various departments and paralegals should be considered. Indeed, assuming that different types of programs are associated with different outcomes, the combination of a gain-sharing program with one that is gain-sharing may prove to be fruitful. Finally, labor-management programs tend to be less effective and eventually die without a commitment to participative management by top-level executives.
At minimum, this will entail substantial time and monetary investments in training opportunities to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for productive participation in these programs. But this is not a one-way relationship. When plant-level grievances or problems are resolved amicably, or outcomes are achieved through cooperation and trust, acceptance tends to filter up the industrial relations hierarchy. The specific characteristics of the program should be identified and described in detail. This is particularly important when attempting to draw conclusions about the relative effectiveness of the various programs.
Programs appear to experience an identifiable life cycle, with their effects dependent on where they are located in their individual cycles. Accordingly, an assessment of a program’s life cycle should be made. Quality issues of the case processing will delineate the degree to which the entire organization is involved in them, whether top-level management supports them, and whether a consultant was used in either their development or their implementation (Naylor 2002).
The emphasis should be on recognizing and responding to the changing interests and needs of paralegals as their tasks grow and mature within the organization. New work design, on the other hand, takes the organization’s point of view in putting together job ladders, career paths, rotation programs, and planned learning activities to improve the supply of talent among current employees. As such, performance and change management can play a vital role in supporting the business and human resources planning process.
Paralegals will learn on the job. Without a well-planned and managed training function, however, the learning that takes place can easily be incorrect, inefficient, and, in the long run, demoralizing and counterproductive. For that reason, paralegals’ training and development is an essential tool for effective human resources management. Indeed, the view is increasingly voiced that strong training (or human resources development) can provide an essential basis for achieving and sustaining competitive advantage in the marketplace.
To be done effectively, the training function should be well planned. This means applying the appropriate instructional methodologies to identified learning needs. Further, the transfer of skills learned during training back onto the job should not be assumed but rather managed and encouraged. The program should be evaluated and actions taken accordingly (Reed 2001).
The common assumption about the case processing is that the system should help a supervisor manage employee performance more effectively. The ways by which this is accomplished include specifying desired performances, monitoring performance, coaching and performance feedback, and linking rewards to performance. However, this goal may not always be achieved in practice. For this research project, you are to interview a manager or supervisor who participates in employee evaluations appraisal in order to learn of his or her experiences in using performance appraisals. Performance evaluations are not a perfect process that produce only positive outcomes.
Because new design of work structure are so critical to many of the other HR functions, finding and instituting ways to make the process work as effectively as possible is a major concern of the human resources management function (Slack et al 2003).
In sum, the main changes should take place in work design and data processing. Information technology and intranets would help the Department to improve and simplify routine operations and performance management. In particular, problems in rater accuracy and consistency, negative impacts on employee commitment and motivation, poor administrative choices for system design and operation, and faulty rating scales all work to compromise the potential value that appraisals can provide. Such practices as job analysis, aligning purpose with the case processing process, and more frequent feedback are all essential steps forward in the work of paralegals and effective operations of the Department.
References
Chase R.B., Jacobs R.F. (2003). Operations Management for Competitive Advantage with Student-CD, Hill/Irwin; 10 edn.
“Case Processing of Welfare assignment Collections”. (n.d.). The Electronic Hallway. Web.
Johnston R. (2003). Cases in Operations Management, 3rd Edition Pearson Education Limited.
Naylor J. (2002). Introduction to Operations Management, 2nd Edition Pearson Education.
Reed A. (2001). Innovation in Human Resource Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Slack N., Chambers S. Johnston R. (2003). Operations Management FT Prentice Hall.