Introduction
In the case scenario, the general manager sought a consultant’s guidance regarding underperformance and the poor relationship between the top manager and the junior managers. Sam has commissioned the consultant to diagnose the cause of the problem at the firm and provide recommendations that he can use to resolve the psychological issues affecting business performance. Furthermore, Sam has commissioned the consultant to review the work performance and the organizational culture, including the recruitment and selection criteria, to determine the cause of the poor performance. The consultant can achieve at least four objectives, which is evident in the case scenario.
Diagnosing the Underlying Psychological Issues
The first step in diagnosing the problem affecting employee engagement is collecting data through feedback, surveys, and employee interviews. The feedback can help the consultant identify the direct issue causing employee disengagement and underperformance. The interview and focus groups can help the consultant understand employees’ perceptions of the company’s work environment, leadership, and communication issues.
Developing Recommendations
The analysis will allow the consultant to make realistic and practical recommendations for resolving the identified psychological concerns. To take the company to the next level, the consultant can recommend changes to policies and procedures, new training and development programs, new leadership strategies, and new communication techniques.
Improving Employee Engagement
Sam and the executive team can benefit from the consultant’s advice and assistance as they implement the suggested improvements. The consultant can provide coaching, mentorship, and formal training to help the team leaders improve the skills required to keep the company moving.
Addressing Team Dynamics
The consultant can address issues of cooperation and collaboration and help develop programs that foster the team cohesion and collaboration required to resolve conflicts. Team dynamics involves engaging people, collaborating, and interacting to address issues and challenges. Setting an objective in this area will reveal areas of concern and help the consultant meet the manager’s expectations.
In addressing the outlined objectives, the consultant will seek to achieve several goals beneficial to the company. The initiatives will improve the organization’s overall performance, enhance employee engagement and satisfaction, and address specific challenges and opportunities facing the firm from internal and external environments. Achieving these objectives can help the company remain competitive, attract and retain top talent, and fulfill its vision and mission. The following are some of the aims the consultant will seek to fulfill with the objectives.
The consultant will utilize the identified objectives to assist Sam and the junior managers. The two can start by analyzing the top management style and the junior sales managers’ sales strategy. The strategy will create room for identifying and understanding the underlying psychological issues that could undermine organizational success.
Objectives are also used as a roadmap of what must be accomplished when handling the company’s issues. The consultant could look at each goal as a benchmark for success and evaluation of the progress. For instance, if the issue of disengagement is the one holding the company back, the management team can work with the consultant to face psychological issues that could bar junior sales managers from performing. Sam and the consultant can also narrow to the crucial team required to propel the firm to new heights, including other stakeholders within the company.
Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory
In the early 20th century, Winslow Taylor revolutionized the manufacturing and production processes by coining one of the management theories that remain relevant to date. The theory of Scientific Management transformed manufacturing and industrial operations and served as the basis for contemporary management philosophy. The theorist believed that efficiency could be attained by examining and dissecting work processes into smaller, more manageable steps.
According to Hill and Van Burren (2018), Taylor proposed the need for standardizing, improving, and training staff to carry out tasks as effectively as possible to increase production. Taylor was also interested in improving employee working conditions while reducing waste, increasing output, and maximizing profitability. This section discusses key aspects of Sam’s case scenario and how Taylor could have addressed the areas of concern.
Application of the Theory to the Case Scenario
The case study scenario reveals some key issues that can be addressed from Taylor’s point of view. According to the case study, junior managers complain of struggling with job demands, specifically the issue of the firm’s target-driven culture. From an occupational psychology point of view, the target-driven culture is one of the elements that affect the situation.
Reharjo et al. (2018) discussed the importance of setting organizational culture to improve work performance. Still, they cautioned that mismanagement of goals and targets can demotivate workers, trigger stress and burnout, and reduce job satisfaction. Sam should re-evaluate the organization’s target-setting procedures to ensure they are attainable, realistic, and in line with the abilities and resources of the new workforce.
Sam’s management style may also factor in the problems facing junior managers and the company. Although the case study does not detail his particular leadership style, research has shown that certain leadership behaviors, such as micromanagement, a lack of feedback, and a lack of support, can decrease job satisfaction and performance (Winton et al., 2022). Micromanagement is a management approach where a manager closely supervises employees’ work, frequently to the point of meticulously scrutinizing and overseeing every aspect of their performance (Reharjo et al., 2018).
Sam could micromanage by conducting regular check-ins, making every decision, and refusing to delegate duties. The limitation of micromanagement is that it exerts more pressure on junior managers, making them feel incapable, and can trigger conflicts between Sam and the subordinate staff. The eventual outcome is low productivity, reduced morale, and job dissatisfaction.
Dividing Work Between Management and Labor
Taylor proposed some of the strategies that can be applied to resolve the issues that Sam is facing with his team at the firm. The separation of planning from execution was one of the core tenets of Taylor’s theory. The top management team would make plans in conventional production, and employees would carry them out. Taylor challenged this notion by suggesting that managers should be in charge of organizing the task, and employees should be in charge of carrying it out.
The separation of labor made it possible to employ time and resources more effectively. However, during the division of labor, top managers are responsible for aligning workers with individual strengths and abilities for maximum output (Azeem et al., 2020). In adhering to the division of labor, Taylor proposed six steps that could be important for Sam and the junior staff.
Task analysis is the first step that top managers are encouraged to adopt. During task analysis, Sam can identify the specific needs of each department, the abilities and qualities of junior managers, and the required resources for effective production. According to Taylor, the next step involves dissecting each job into its constituent parts and determining the time and movement needed for each task. Sam should choose employees based on physical and mental capabilities and train them to complete particular tasks effectively.
Sam should also establish standardized work practices and procedures for each job through standardization (Birnbaum & Somers, 2022). Sam should also reward employees who meet or surpass production targets to encourage them to work more diligently and effectively. The reward system can only be effective through an appropriate monitoring system implemented with the help of junior managers to avoid resistance. Taylor was convinced that following the outlined procedures could complete work as effectively as possible, regardless of the complexities associated with every task.
However, Taylor’s work division strategy has faced criticism from scholars who believe that the approach can result in dehumanizing and toxic workplace relationships. One criticism is discussed by Paais and Pattiruhu (2020), who argue that monitoring employees overlooks employees’ capacity for creativity and problem-solving. Managers can navigate this limitation by involving employees in setting targets, setting realizable goals, and providing immediate and objective feedback to employees to avoid triggering toxic relationships with subordinates.
Time and Motion Analysis
The second approach from Taylorism entails using time and motion study as a critical component of effective management and work design. According to Merkle (2022), Taylor emphasized the need for the top manager to measure each movement while watching workers complete jobs to find methods to improve every move. During the time study and measurement period, Taylor proposed that managers break down tasks into smaller tasks and use timing devices such as a stopwatch to measure and analyze the time taken to accomplish the assigned tasks. One could then compute the total time to standardize the performance efficiency. The theorist suggested that the data could be used to create standard operating procedures, which would then be applied to instruct employees on how to carry out the tasks effectively.
Similar to the previous component of work division, the time and motion component has been criticized for its efficiency. According to Merkle (2022), Taylorism emphasizes efficiency and mechanisms of work performance while ignoring the human aspect of job performance. Managers can fall into the trap of exploiting workers and micromanaging job performance when there is a significant emphasis on efficiency. In the case of Sam, there is a looming danger of the top manager failing to recognize the creativity and capabilities of the workers. This disengagement can escalate the existing conflict and destroy the organization instead of healing the current wounds.
Other limitations of Taylor’s time and motion study model include worker resistance, inflexibility, and having a narrowed scope that excludes minor departmental or institutional issues affecting one sector from the broad context affecting work performance. For instance, some junior managers may feel that the workplace is too demanding and may resist Sam’s management style. Concerning organizational flexibility, the model may be challenging to adapt to change in the future when Sam decides to introduce new management strategies to increase.
Goals as a Source of Motivation
Existing evidence from research and literature emphasizes the need for setting and achieving goals as a factor of employee motivation. In Taylor’s scientific management, setting and attaining goals is crucial to employee engagement. The strategy focuses on the significance of segmenting work processes into smaller, more manageable pieces and streamlining each phase to maximize efficiency. Setting and attaining goals becomes a crucial tool in this situation for enhancing employee motivation and productivity.
Goals are often established by management and communicated to the staff for implementation. The goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound (SMART), and aligned with the organization’s aims. Sam should also give the staff the tools and instruction they need to accomplish the goals. Instead of receiving a flat pay rate, employees should be encouraged and rewarded for achieving their goals.
Reward systems have been shown to motivate workers effectively, as Wolff (2019) discussed. Motivation and reward systems enable people to work harder and become more productive, fostering a sense of rivalry among workers. The benefits should be connected to accomplishing specified objectives and can take many forms, such as bonuses, promotions, or recognition.
The value of feedback in attaining objectives is another point of emphasis in scientific management. Sam should give regular performance reviews to the staff, emphasize positive traits and areas for development, and facilitate an environment that thrives on teamwork. The team can then improve their work procedures to more effectively accomplish the goals by identifying their strengths and limitations.
The scientific management approach defines and completes objectives as a critical instrument for employee engagement. Employees can attain maximum efficiency and productivity by breaking down work processes into smaller, more manageable sections and improving each step, raising job satisfaction and improving organizational performance. Sam and the top management team should be willing to provide consistent feedback and maintain open communication with involved employees for better outcomes.
Employee Training
Employee training is one of the determinant factors for success in today’s competitive business environment. Ma et al. (2018) defined employee training as an organizational program that targets the improvement of skills and behaviors of workers in the organization to improve their performance. Empirical evidence indicates that trained workers feel a sense of organizational belonging, are more productive, and are often motivated to work to improve job performance and satisfaction (Zaki et al., 2019).
The advantage of employee training is that it is often long-term, considering the future of employees rather than immediate problems encountered in their current roles. Training is crucial for Sam’s company, especially when considering junior managers’ challenges. Consider, for instance, when junior managers are trained in their current roles and responsibilities at the company. The program will ensure junior managers understand their roles and responsibilities in the company while also aligning them with the firm’s culture.
Additionally, training is a form of organizational empowerment. Empowered employees are confident about roles and responsibilities and are willing to take on more challenging roles that could trigger creativity and benefit the company (Dachner et al., 2021). Empowered workers are also more productive and will hardly leave the organization or struggle in their current position, as seen at Sam’s company.
Training is an essential component of Taylor’s scientific management theory, and it can directly apply to the case scenario at Sam’s company. Trained employees can learn and apply scientific processes and procedures that have been tested and proved to be effective. Taylor believed that trained employees are more productive, reduce waste and errors, and are more effective than untrained workers (Lee & Raschke, 2018). Some of the key principles of training in scientific management include standardization of procedures and specialization in specific roles and responsibilities. According to Paais and Pattiruhu (2020), the standardization of procedures in job performance ensures that employees meet the required standards and can respond to daily challenges encountered in job performance.
In introducing and maintaining scientific procedures, Sam and the top management team should consider systematic approaches when applying scientific management. A systematic approach entails identifying areas where employees struggle, breaking down complex tasks into simple, manageable procedures, and equipping workers with the necessary resources to complete assigned tasks. Training can be ineffective if employees are not accorded the necessary support to complete assigned tasks. Ma et al. (2018) explained that managers are responsible for supporting workers with the required tools and resources to ensure that workers can exercise the skills acquired from training programs.
There is also a need to recognize that different workers have different strengths and limitations. Employees should be positioned in areas where they fit and where they perform rather than being forced to work outside the area of specialization. The application of training programs can be a beneficial tool for Sam and subordinate managers at the company, who have already indicated that they are struggling in their positions and are not performing as per the required job standards. It is Sam’s responsibility to tap into the advantages of scientific management to propel the company to the next level.
Recommendations
Based on the analysis of the case scenario and Taylor’s scientific management theory, this section provides some recommendations that Sam can make to improve work performance at the company. The first approach is for Sam to set and define SMART goals targeting the top manager, Sam, in this case, and the junior management team. Goal setting will allow Sam to realize strengths and weaknesses, including self-performance. The strategy will allow Sam to identify areas requiring maximum attention while reflecting on personal accomplishments and weaknesses to improve work performance.
There is, however, a need for Sam to make sure that he does not set goals in isolation. Instead, the manager should use a collaborative approach involving team members in goal decisions. Wolff et al. (2019) discussed that collaboration eliminates employee disengagement, improves job performance, and increases production. Employees involved in making decisions feel a sense of ownership and responsibility and are likely to support collective actions compared to cases where top managers exercise micromanagement.
When setting goals, Sam should consider ethical issues that could arise when employees are forced to work on unrealizable goals. Goals should be set according to employees’ experience and abilities to avoid discriminating against underperforming individuals. Additionally, Sam should ensure that the goals do not compromise the organization’s ethical values, such as integrity, equality, and fairness in the distribution of work and resources. All junior managers should be treated fairly and equally to promote growth and development and propel the organization to new levels.
Introduce Training and Empowerment Programs
The importance of training and empowerment programs cannot be underestimated. Sam can offer training and development programs to help new sales managers hone their abilities and broaden their expertise. This might involve coaching on dealing with challenging clients and circumstances and training on sales skills, product expertise, and time management. Sam can boost the performance and confidence of the new sales managers by investing in their development to help the company achieve both short-term and long-term goals. According to Hill and Van Buren (2018), training should be the goal of any firm to maintain a competitive advantage over rivals.
However, Sam must conduct a needs assessment before introducing the training and development programs to identify specific skills and knowledge that could be missing among the employees. Assessment can be done through performance reviews or soliciting junior managers’ feedback. A practical needs assessment entails analyzing the skills of employees, knowledge, and job requirements to determine if all employees are working within their levels of expectations.
The advantage of a needs assessment approach is that it will save Sam and the organization from wasting time and resources where they are not needed. The training will be channeled where needed and at the right time. Furthermore, the needs assessment approach will guide Sam and the team in making informed decisions regarding the nature and type of training required. Based on the assessment outcomes, Sam can decide if there is a need for on-the-job training, coaching, mentoring programs, or classroom training.
Training programs must adhere to ethical standards of practice to yield positive outcomes. When selecting the type and method of training, Sam and the training team should ensure that all junior managers are given equal attention to navigate discriminatory practices. Any personal information collected during the needs assessment should be kept confidential and not be used to blackmail employees.
Additionally, safety concerns should be prioritized to ensure no employee is harmed during on-the-job training sessions. Training should be inclusive and relevant to the organization’s current needs and employees’ future. This strategy is in line with Taylor’s theory of scientific management, where training aims to improve work performance and employee satisfaction.
Motivation, Feedback, and Recognition
Motivation, feedback, and recognition are among the essential aspects and components of scientific management. Lee and Raschke (2018) defined motivation as employees’ intrinsic and internal drive toward work-related activities. Motivation, reward, and recognition can significantly impact Sam and junior managers at the company. Motivated employees tend to work more, commit time to the organization, and feel a sense of belonging. Taylor emphasized the strategy of using financial incentives to motivate workers.
Sam can introduce and involve the team of junior managers in setting goals such as a specific amount of daily or weekly sales and the associated target of financial incentives for individuals who surpass the target. Winners should be awarded in public to encourage competition and generate more sales. The advantage of publicizing the reward system is that it encourages other members to partake, knowing they can still qualify in the future.
Feedback is also a crucial aspect when considering a change in job performance. In scientific management, managers use quantitative values to provide feedback to subordinates. However, one should also consider the impact of qualitative feedback, such as congratulatory remarks or surprise birthday presents for employees that exceed expectations.
Feedback helps workers look back and compare where they have come from and where they are going. Positive feedback can motivate subordinate members to put in more effort, knowing that the organization acknowledges their actions. The same applies to recognition. Sam should devise a strategy that recognizes top performers to encourage productivity. The impact of recognizing and rewarding excellence is that it will indirectly challenge non-performers to start rethinking their strategies and change overall organizational behavior.
Even though motivation, feedback, and recognition will transform the organization and help Sam achieve the desired goals for the company, the manager should be aware of ethical factors that could arise when implementing the strategy. One of the factors to consider is that the strategy should be free from bias and serve the needs of employees and the organization. Motivation should be fair and done honestly without the intention of exploiting or forcing junior managers to succumb to forces of exploitation that could come up later.
Sam should also put in place many measures to avoid unfair competition, such as dishonest behaviors that could arise when employees struggle for rewards and incentives. In cases where there is room for rewards, the management team should ensure that the competition is fair and the winner disserves the incentive. In cases where the manager provides feedback, one should focus on positive attributes and avoid demotivating remarks that could trigger hatred and enmity among employees. All employees should be encouraged to identify barriers limiting their potential even when they are not performing.
Conclusion
The case scenario highlights the power of Taylor’s scientific management in resolving issues facing organizations today. Employees are crucial resources for organizational success, and their challenges should be approached and resolved to improve organizational performance. The application of Taylor’s scientific management to the case scenario has revealed the role of needs assessment, collaboration, training, and employee motivation and recognition in boosting morale and work performance. The problems employees face at Sam’s company are similar to the ones faced by the competitors in the industry.
The best approach is to devise a plan involving affected employees that trains and equips junior managers with the skills and necessary knowledge required for effective sales and management and provides continuous follow-up to the team. Subordinate managers should be informed of the ongoing developments, such as the impact of the training program on job performance, as well as the impact of the program on the organization. The recommended interventions can significantly impact productivity, employee satisfaction, and the overall outcomes in job performance.
However, Sam and the team need to be aware of negative factors that could result from implementing change. Sam and the management team should address all ethical concerns, such as privacy issues, exploitation of employees, and setting unrealistic goals. Scientific principles applied to the work should reflect ethical standards and encourage employee growth instead of suppressing one’s professional development in specialization.
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