Briefing paper background
Organizational Theory and studies focus on the systematic explorations of; and analysis of how people as individuals and as groups function within organizational operational frameworks. Robbins, Stephen P. adds that “In this view Human resource management is thus viewed as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s dynamic, versatile yet precious assets, the personnel who function within organizations both as groups and as individuals towards the accomplishments of organizational objectives.” From another perspective the theme of organizational culture which is crucial to employee satisfaction and production is defined as the aspect that entails the attitudes, values, beliefs as well as experiences of an organization.
Organizational culture is largely viewed as the particulate assortment of the values and customs commonly shared by the people within an organization, from personnel up to the top structures of management. Handy, C.B. notes, “These are perceived to the very influential in determining manners in which the people within the organization will interact with one another as well as with external stakeholders of the organization”.
The foregoing presents a feasible context within which personnel can be manipulated to have they’re enhanced for the effective functioning of the entirety of the organization towards the accomplishment of shared goals and vision. In this outlined theoretical and conceptual framework, this paper presents an extensive exploration of how the motivation of workers and the entirety of an employee satisfaction stratagem can enhance the productivity of an organization and enhance the accomplishment of its shared goals.
The foregoing is the insight that has been gathered from preliminary studies and researches which have thus spurred the intention to take a deeper thrust at exploring the subject of diversity management for business entities within the precincts of the scope and objectives defined on the paper title.
Literature to be consulted
The study will not be conducted in a vacuum as has been shown from the foregoing preliminary studies. As such the proposed research will tap into the merits o others contributions by various scholars and researchers in various keen interest domains which will constitute the conceptual and theoretical framework of this paper. The literature will be reviewed with particular attention to the following topics and matters related to the concepts and aspects of diversity management.
Diversity, Leadership and Satisfaction
Organizational culture and HRM motivation and theoretical concepts and tenets can not be explored in isolation of other organizational aspects.
Bass, B. M. (1985) posits that in transformational leadership thrusts individuals will follow someone inspirational to them. He notes that “A team leader with vision and passion has a lot to achieve since the feasible way of getting things efficiently done is to infuse enthusiasm and energy to team members and the team will function effectively ad a unit”.
Legge, Karen (2004) presents that transformational leadership which is largely inclined to the process and demands of organizational change makes the teamwork experience a great and uplifting experience. He notes, “Transformational leaders will ensure that team members function with their full support and that everyone operates with passion and energy in all tasks. Transformational leaders want their followers to succeed in what they are undertaking”.
Various mainstream endeavors in the domains of employee satisfaction and production have shown that aspects like teamwork can boost the morale of workers and thus impact positively on the company’s productivity. This runs with the understanding that teamwork has tremendous effectiveness in getting things done in organizations. This view is commensurate with McGregor’s X-Y Theory which is useful in illustrating the reasons why empowered teams achieve great results in their group undertakings.
In outlining nuances from McGregor’s theory Burns, J. M. (1978) states that empowering team members is about attitude and behavior towards the personnel than the essence of manipulating tools and processes. This is the preliminary literature review proposal which will be kept to open to further areas of interest as need may arise in the course of the researching exercise.
UPS Case Study
To effectively zero in on the details of the issue under probe the paper will feature a case study of one identified company (proposed to be UPS) which has illuminate the dynamics of diversity management.
UPS is a US-based global leader in the parcel service industry and has business network coverage spanning over 200 companies. In the 1990s UPS had grown way beyond people’s expectations. They were undoubtedly the best in the industry. UPS however aimed at making it to higher levels. They let the core business remain the distribution of goods whilst looking to branch out to different fields. They started acquiring already existing companies and tried to utilize these companies to serve their customers in better ways. By 1995, UPS had acquired a company called Sonic Air and then was the first company to introduce ‘same day next flight out’ delivery.
Sample Targets
In conducting in-depth interviews, the researcher will seek to gather data from a representative organizational management panel. To researcher will solicit input through arranged interviews with UPS management representatives from the IT, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Corporate Sustainability and Financial management facets. The rationale of the sampling target is to arrive at impeccably balanced perspectives germane to fulfilling the core objective of this research task which is to establish the dynamics of the contemporary diversity management alternatives and approaches for organizations. The online survey to be used will cater to the balance objectives of this research criterion. The pool of UPS employees consulted includes workers at different levels of the company’s operational structures. The Survey will also factor in the gender, demographic and age balance aspect of the survey target scope.
Research Methodology and Ideology
Qualitative Research
This research project will be conducted mainly by qualitative research methods and accompany by analysing secondary data, like companies’ annual reports, press release, their official website…etc. The reasons for choosing qualitative research method instead of quantitative research method are due to four perspectives:
1) the nature of the research project;
2) the scale of the project;
3) the cost of carrying out the project and
4) time limitation.
Rubin and Babbie (2001:44) have emphasized the totally different nature of qualitative and quantitative research method. “Quantitative methods emphasize the production of precise and generalisable statistical findings and are generally more appropriate to nomothetic aims. When we want to verify whether a cause produces an effect in general, we are likely to use quantitative methods.
Qualitative research methods emphasize the depth of understanding associated with idiographic concerns. They attempt to tap the deeper meanings of particular human experiences and are intended to generate theoretically richer observations that are not easily reduced to numbers.”
As a direct result of the objective of this research project, the researcher intends to achieve a deeper understanding of the dynamics of UPS organisational strategy with particulate focus on diversity management.
Secondary data
According to Stewart and Kamins (1993), the use of secondary data is advantageous for a researcher since one can already evaluate the suitability of a data as it is already in existence, thus, much time can be saved. Before delving into secondary sources of data, an evaluation of potential secondary data is essential as a way of screening resources to establish the relevant sources of information which will provide relevant data germane to fulfilling research scope and objectives. Secondary data will be obtained from literature published on UPS enlisting company report and financial statements, etc. These will hale draw nuances and insights toward fulfilling the thrust and scope of this study.
Online Survey
This research exercise will make use of the UPS employee online surveys. The surveys data will give important information especially with regards to the impact of the company’s management styles to the UPS workforce and how the system bears on the workers’ diversity management and satisfaction aspects, hence the implications of these on the company’s growth and sustainability goals. The survey data has also been used to examine trends and dynamics of the UPS staff turnover particularly in relation to how this impacts on the company’s growth, success and sustainability. The survey provides useful opinions on the part of how employees view the organisations.
In-Depth Interviews
In-depth interviews will be conducted with various professional in the various fields related to the scope and objectives of this research endeavors. The interviewees will include UPS management representatives in organisational facets such as human resource management and corporate responsibility departments. The interview with the company’s marketing personnel is expected to shed light on the company’s marketing approaches for both national and international markets. The interview will draw useful information on how the company has modeled its international and cross-culture marketing endeavors in tandem with culture variances that exist from one country (culture-group) to the next. The interview will gathered specific details on how the IT component and strategy of the UPS contribute to the company’s sustainability endeavors and strategies. The interview with the company’s human resource management personnel will help bring to surface valuable data which relates to the company’s human resource administration styles in the frameworks of the predominantly micromanagement company management model. The interview questions will be well structured to obtain facts on how the company coordinates control measures within set employee diversity management and satisfaction frameworks.
Ethical Considerations
Data gathered in the proposed research thrusts of this study will be used exclusively used explore the prospects of UPS maintaining its growth and sustainability into the future. The research exercise will be carried out within the precincts and confines of regulations of the governing institutions as well as scholastic and professionalism values. As such the research drive will be conducted according to the guidelines and rules and regulations of the university.
Details and information to be solicited from targeted and contacted research respondents will be used in the strictest of confidence and will not be availed to any other endeavors unless where all requite arrangements have been made and fulfilled in the interest of the research respondents and all other parties concerned. The researcher also hereby declares categorically the factor of absolute independence from organisations of or bodies of knowledge or interest that may be perceived to be of some association with the carrying of this study. The four stages of ethics in doing research are followed by the way of a good design, modes of data collection, analysis of data and for proper dissemination.
Confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained on the part of the research participants and all other respondents contacted in premise and for the objectives of this research. Respondents will also be requested to participate out of their free will and conscience without any instrumentation of forces of coercion or impulsion by the researcher whatsoever.
Threats to research
Whilst the research will be conducted in commitment to the ideals of objectivity and authenticity, the concepts and ideas used and developed in the course of the study will be by no means exhaustive nor are they sacrosanct in any way. The research endeavor may not accomplish the desirable and ideal zero incidences of ambiguity. The research is also prone to suffering the blow of some perceivable logic leaps much attributable to the novel approach towards fulfilling the scope and objectives of the study as well as answering the hypothetical research questions. On another dimension the ideas to be presented in the study must be construed and used in the full cognisance of the tacit and underlying assumptions for instance that UPS intends to maintain its growth into the future through the championing of diversity management.
Summary
The success of this study will be attributable to the both primary and secondary research methods that are being devised and administered to obtain authentic data from identified sources. The data processing and analysis which will be preceded by some study components will be conducted for the analysing; synthesizing an extrapolation of the gathered data obtained through both the primary and secondary research methods. The ultimate objective of the study is to establish feasible and contemporary approaches germane for the championing of ultimate business success through diversity management.
Appendix 1
Action Plan-Research Project Management
References
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