The document discusses strategies for re-energizing employees at a small town newspaper called Blaze after it underwent a downsizing that resulted in layoffs. It recommends that the chief editor take an honest and informative approach when briefing remaining employees. It suggests focusing on motivating employees rather than mandating tasks by appealing to their sense of purpose, reinforcing the value of their work, and encouraging personal involvement and input from staff. Some specific strategies include implementing an award system for top performers, facilitating job rotations for skills development, and appealing to the paper's role in preserving small town culture.
Zenith (HDTV) Case Study by Dhiraj AgarwalDhiraj Agarwal
This presentation aims at informing its viewers what Zenith Electronics was all about. What are the its environmental factors that affected its sustainability in the market, ie, its 4Ps, 4Cs, SWOT and so on.
The study also reveals the Pros and Cons of all the alternatives discussed by the executives of the company to overcome their problem.
Finally a recommendation, its plan of action, and a contingency plan is also added in this Powerpoint.
NOTE: This powerpoint was presented in the form of a role play cum presentation, wherein the members of the group enacted a Board meeting scene of the company back in late 1980s, discussing the future of the company.
Zenith (HDTV) Case Study by Dhiraj AgarwalDhiraj Agarwal
This presentation aims at informing its viewers what Zenith Electronics was all about. What are the its environmental factors that affected its sustainability in the market, ie, its 4Ps, 4Cs, SWOT and so on.
The study also reveals the Pros and Cons of all the alternatives discussed by the executives of the company to overcome their problem.
Finally a recommendation, its plan of action, and a contingency plan is also added in this Powerpoint.
NOTE: This powerpoint was presented in the form of a role play cum presentation, wherein the members of the group enacted a Board meeting scene of the company back in late 1980s, discussing the future of the company.
MBA-5 Low Contact Service and High Contact ServiceVivek Ghatbandhe
Service is Activities, benefits and satisfactions which are offered for sale or are provided in connection with the sale of goods.
*Main Characteristics
-Intangibility
-Inseparability
-Perish ability
-Variability
SHODH- MARKET RESEARCH FOR ECONOMY HOUSINGArushi Verma
a Bengaluru-based market research agency has learnt that his proposal for carrying out a market research study for a new customer has been given assent.
Aqualisa Quartz - Simply A Better Shower (HBR Case Study)Arjun Parekh
Probable Solution to HBR Case on Aqualisa Quartz. The Presentation consists of info about Channel Distribution, Development of Quartz Shower Valve, UK Shower Market, Initial Sales Results, 4Ps of Marketing for Aqualisa, A shift in Marketing Strategy.
Innovation at Progressive (A) - Harvard Business School
Answering the following questions:
1. How does Progressive’s performance as an auto insurer compare to that of typical insurance companies? How does its performance changed over time? What explains the difference in performance?
2. Customers of auto insurers are very price sensitive. How problematic is it to Progressive that customers almost always select the insurer that offers the best price?
3. Assess the viability of the Autograph system. What level of consumer acceptance will it take to make Autograph successful? What are the barriers to consumer acceptance? Should Autograph be expanded nationwide?
Made and presented for the course Service Operations Management at the Viadrina University, winter term 2012/2013
In Chapter 1, we talked about compensation objectives complementing overall human resource objectives and both of these helping an organization achieve its overall strategic objectives. But this begs the question, “How does an organization achieve its overall strategic objectives?” In this part of the book, we argue that organizational success ultimately depends on human behavior. Our compensation decisions and practices should be designed to increase the likelihood that employees will behave in ways that help the organization achieve its strategic objectives. This chapter is organized around employee behaviors. First, we identify the four kinds of behaviors organizations are interested in. Then we note what theories say about our ability to motivate these behaviors. And, finally, we talk about our success, and sometimes lack thereof, in designing compensation systems to elicit these behaviors. Exhibit 9.1 shows how organizational strategy is the guiding force that determines what kinds of employee behaviors are needed.
As an illustration, Nordstrom’s department stores are known for extremely good quality merchandise and high levels of customer satisfaction—this is the organization strategy they use to differentiate themselves from competitors. Nordstrom’s success isn’t a fluke. You can bet that some of their corporate goals, strategic business unit goals (SBU goals, where a strategic business unit might be a store), department-level goals, and indeed individual employee goals are linked to pleasing customers and selling high-quality products. The job of Human Resources is to devise policies and practices (and compensation falls in this mix) that lead employees (the last box in Exhibit 9.1) to behave in ways that ultimately support corporate goals. Walk into a Nordstrom, you see employees politely greeting you, helping without suffocating, and generally making the shopping experience a pleasant one. These are behaviors that support Nordstrom’s strategic plan. Every organization, whether they realize it or not, has Human Resource practices that can either work together, or conflict with each other, in trying to generate positive employee behaviors. One way of looking at this process is evident from Exhibit 9.2.
Wanting to succeed isn’t enough. Having the ability but not the motivation also isn’t enough. Many players with lots of talent doesn’t have the motivation to endure thousands of hours of repetitive drills, or to endure weight training and general physical conditioning. Even with both ability and motivation, a player’s work environment (both physical and political) must be free of obstacles. A home run hitter drafted by a team with an enormous ball park (home run fences set back much farther from home plate) might never reach his full potential. The same thing is true in more traditional jobs. with ability—that’s the primary job of recruitment, selection, and training. on Once good people are hired, they need to be motivated to behave in way
MBA-5 Low Contact Service and High Contact ServiceVivek Ghatbandhe
Service is Activities, benefits and satisfactions which are offered for sale or are provided in connection with the sale of goods.
*Main Characteristics
-Intangibility
-Inseparability
-Perish ability
-Variability
SHODH- MARKET RESEARCH FOR ECONOMY HOUSINGArushi Verma
a Bengaluru-based market research agency has learnt that his proposal for carrying out a market research study for a new customer has been given assent.
Aqualisa Quartz - Simply A Better Shower (HBR Case Study)Arjun Parekh
Probable Solution to HBR Case on Aqualisa Quartz. The Presentation consists of info about Channel Distribution, Development of Quartz Shower Valve, UK Shower Market, Initial Sales Results, 4Ps of Marketing for Aqualisa, A shift in Marketing Strategy.
Innovation at Progressive (A) - Harvard Business School
Answering the following questions:
1. How does Progressive’s performance as an auto insurer compare to that of typical insurance companies? How does its performance changed over time? What explains the difference in performance?
2. Customers of auto insurers are very price sensitive. How problematic is it to Progressive that customers almost always select the insurer that offers the best price?
3. Assess the viability of the Autograph system. What level of consumer acceptance will it take to make Autograph successful? What are the barriers to consumer acceptance? Should Autograph be expanded nationwide?
Made and presented for the course Service Operations Management at the Viadrina University, winter term 2012/2013
In Chapter 1, we talked about compensation objectives complementing overall human resource objectives and both of these helping an organization achieve its overall strategic objectives. But this begs the question, “How does an organization achieve its overall strategic objectives?” In this part of the book, we argue that organizational success ultimately depends on human behavior. Our compensation decisions and practices should be designed to increase the likelihood that employees will behave in ways that help the organization achieve its strategic objectives. This chapter is organized around employee behaviors. First, we identify the four kinds of behaviors organizations are interested in. Then we note what theories say about our ability to motivate these behaviors. And, finally, we talk about our success, and sometimes lack thereof, in designing compensation systems to elicit these behaviors. Exhibit 9.1 shows how organizational strategy is the guiding force that determines what kinds of employee behaviors are needed.
As an illustration, Nordstrom’s department stores are known for extremely good quality merchandise and high levels of customer satisfaction—this is the organization strategy they use to differentiate themselves from competitors. Nordstrom’s success isn’t a fluke. You can bet that some of their corporate goals, strategic business unit goals (SBU goals, where a strategic business unit might be a store), department-level goals, and indeed individual employee goals are linked to pleasing customers and selling high-quality products. The job of Human Resources is to devise policies and practices (and compensation falls in this mix) that lead employees (the last box in Exhibit 9.1) to behave in ways that ultimately support corporate goals. Walk into a Nordstrom, you see employees politely greeting you, helping without suffocating, and generally making the shopping experience a pleasant one. These are behaviors that support Nordstrom’s strategic plan. Every organization, whether they realize it or not, has Human Resource practices that can either work together, or conflict with each other, in trying to generate positive employee behaviors. One way of looking at this process is evident from Exhibit 9.2.
Wanting to succeed isn’t enough. Having the ability but not the motivation also isn’t enough. Many players with lots of talent doesn’t have the motivation to endure thousands of hours of repetitive drills, or to endure weight training and general physical conditioning. Even with both ability and motivation, a player’s work environment (both physical and political) must be free of obstacles. A home run hitter drafted by a team with an enormous ball park (home run fences set back much farther from home plate) might never reach his full potential. The same thing is true in more traditional jobs. with ability—that’s the primary job of recruitment, selection, and training. on Once good people are hired, they need to be motivated to behave in way
Ob unit-v- Osmania University Syllabus- BBA-1st YearBalasri Kamarapu
: ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, CONFLICT AND EFFECTIVENESS :
Concept of Organizational Culture, Distinction between organizational culture and organizational
climate, Factors influencing organizational culture, Morale- concept and types of morale.
Managing conflict, Organizational Effectiveness - Indicators of organizational
effectiveness, Achieving organizational effectiveness. Organizational Power and Politics.
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR- UNIT-5-BBA-OSMANIA UNIVERSITY, Organizational Culture , Factors influencing organizational culture, Morale, Types of Morale, Organizational Effectiveness, Indicators of organizational effectiveness, Achieving Organizational effectiveness, Managing conflict, Causes of conflict , How to manage conflicts in an organisation , Managing conflict with the boss , Managing conflict with peers/colleagues , Managing conflicts with the subordinates .
3-5 ways managers can motivate their teams. Stick to non-financial. Apparently financial motivation isn’t actually that effective. According to Gallup, only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. That statistic can be daunting to a manager trying to find ways to motivate a team – particularly when the manager is not in a position to give large pay raises.
The use of Stay Interview is presented to the purpose to start to highlight some key elements of an organizational culture.
Them can be used to define (or to check an existing) Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
The so reviewed EVP can be used as a base to check for people retention risks and to design a set of individually focused retention plan
Engagement & empowerment are key to fostering cultures which THRIVE on change and unleash human & profit potential--in the corporation, classroom or community
How to Fortify a Diverse Workforce to Battle the Great ResignationMiloudtvShope
The Great Resignation, also known as The Great Realignment, wreaked havoc in organizations and businesses. It's left many leaders scratching their heads, trying to understand the climate, and scrambling to find solutions to keep their top talent from departing, all while attempting to increase engagement and drive productivity. Organizations who have been able to overcome this time focused and doubled down on one key element of their people strategy: People first & focused engagement programs. This approach has not only allowed them to retain their talent, but to provide an avenue for growth in this incredibly competitive market, strengthening their employer branding along the way.
In this session, you will learn:
• The core power of The Great Resignation and how to build retention resilience
• How to identify your employer brand’s “secret sauce” as the foundation of your next engagement strategy
• How to reclaim the talent market and hire the best and brightest talent in the market today
• How to align with your workplace culture to create unity and connection
How to Fortify a Diverse Workforce to Battle the Great ResignationAggregage
The Great Resignation, also known as The Great Realignment, wreaked havoc in organizations and businesses. It's left many leaders scratching their heads, trying to understand the climate, and scrambling to find solutions to keep their top talent from departing, all while attempting to increase engagement and drive productivity. Organizations who have been able to overcome this time focused and doubled down on one key element of their people strategy: People first & focused engagement programs. This approach has not only allowed them to retain their talent, but to provide an avenue for growth in this incredibly competitive market, strengthening their employer branding along the way.
In this session, you will learn:
• The core power of The Great Resignation and how to build retention resilience
• How to identify your employer brand’s “secret sauce” as the foundation of your next engagement strategy
• How to reclaim the talent market and hire the best and brightest talent in the market today
• How to align with your workplace culture to create unity and connection
This scenario recaps possibly the most challenging and far-reaching example of Link’s transition
planning and management capabilities - - sometimes referred to as managing a whitewater
transitioning. Organizational transitions are often precipitated by mergers, acquisitions,
organizational restructurings, financial distress, or startup. Whereas change management
typically focuses on creating change in an organization, transition management strives to
optimally control and manage that is inevitably occurring.
Energy Consulting SDVOSB Transition Planningnatalyabelmont
Link Resources: providing Energy Consulting, Management, Operations and Maintenance services across Fossil, Nuclear, and Bio Energy power plants globally. No SDVOSB has our energy credentials or competencies!"
Similar to Re-Energizing Employees After a Downsize_FINAL UPDATE (20)
This timed practice problem involving easement property issues written without notes showcases one of my finest law school exam-type essays---formerly regarded as an A analysis!
Another classic essay--this terse, trenchant, transpicuous analysis assesses three fundamental fallacies inherently assumed under the Model Penal Code in American Criminal Law jurisprudence. My professor, a distinguished federal judge, characterized the issues disputed in this analysis as "excellent reasons why almost every jurisdiction has rejected the MPC."
Both Civil Procedure I and Lawyering Skills IV while attending Liberty University School of Law afforded me the invaluable privilege to prepare two tangible, simulated complaints.
This extemporaneous slide show presentation features a compelling, comprehensive overview of injunctions as applied to common real property litigation disputes where monetary remedies presumably provide insufficient compensation; i.e. trespass violations.
2. Blaze, small college-town newspaper needs to downsize.
Ostensibly fired its highest-salaried employees.
Corporate hired outside consultants to notify those dismissed.
Chief editor Andrea Zuckerman to brief employees about downsizing
agenda.
Factual Summary:
3. How to Approach the Situation?
Informational Justice—reflects a perceived fairness of
correspondence between authorities and correspondents.
2 Rules:
1) Justification Rule—explain decision-making procedures and outcomes in a
comprehensive manner;
2) Truthfulness Rule—requires the highest of honesty and candor in communications
5. Preference for transparency, timeliness, and effectiveness.
People tend to prefer clear & well-reasoned information.
6. 1) Tell the truth
2)Share the entire situation
3) Treat them as you would like to be treated
4) Focus on the future
5) Identify what is positive now
6) Teach them how to work with less
7) Share the workload
Colleagues can be motivated by the following:
7. 5 characteristics used to measure job satisfaction—V.I.S.A.F.
1) Variety—degree to which job diversely incorporates versatile skills & talents among
various responsibilities.
(2) Identity—visible sense of achievement employees derive from finishing a whole,
identifiable project.
(3) Significance—perceived substantial impact the job exerts on others, often with
national/global implications.
(4) Autonomy—degree to which job permits independent work with individual discretion.
(5) Feedback—direct information from the job about employee performance.
Job Characteristics Theory
8. 1) Shift from MANDATING to MOTIVATING.
Hiring outside “wastes company resources”
Replacing proven experience with unfamiliar sources—recipe for disaster.
2) Incentivize Economic efficiency & Cost-reduction Initiatives.
Consider Amazon, Jeff Bezos—“Door Desk Award System.”
Similarly, Blaze might embolden brand with “Top Torch of the Month”
Innovative Alternatives
Re-Prioritizing Focus to Plausibly Improve Job Satisfaction
Potential
9. BIG FIVE TAXONOMY
Conscientious—Ambitious, hardworking;
Agreeable—sympathetic;
Neuroticism—Emotionally insecure;
Openness—Intellectual inquisitiveness;
Extraversion—socially assertive.
C.A.N.O.E
10. BIG FIVE AT BLAZE
LOWER WORK-CAPACITY (NE/I) HIGHER WORK-CAPACITY (COAE/I)
Likely less Conscientious; Likely more Conscientious (C);
Likely less Open; Likely more Open (O);
Possibly more Neurotic (N); Possibly less Neurotic;
Possibly Less Agreeable; Likely more Agreeable (A);
Extraversion/Introversion—perhaps more
neutral, though may depend on staff position—e.g.,
reporter, photographer, artist, editor.
11. Task Performance—employee behaviors that transform company
resources into output.
Affective Commitment—a sense of emotional attachment to company that
motivates employee’s prolonged membership with company.
Evidence suggests satisfied employees generally exude greater diligence
fulfilling duties as plausibly inferred from “positive emotional”
associations with work—conducive to improved “creativity, problem-
solving, decision-making, and task persistence.”
JOB SATISFACTION & TASK PERFORMANCE
12. Issue: Whether to invest in short-term retention bonuses, permanent raises, or restructuring Blaze such
that compensation reflects job structure, particularly for staffers with an extended workload?
Short-term retention bonuses—non-salary bonuses to encourage employee retention.
Restructuring—process of changing company structure.
Monochromatic to Multifaceted.
Multiple fronts with “more than one hammer.”
All of the above feasible.
Texas Commerce Bank example.
Bottom Line Problem Solving
Involve employees in problem solving to curtail costs.
COMPENSATION BUDGET—RESTRUCTURING
14. Issue:
(1)How much voice & input to staffers?
(2)Advantages & Disadvantages
(3)How to Mitigate Dangers?
Equity Theory—postulates that employees purportedly
create a mental ledger of outcomes received from job
inputs.
“THE NEW NORMAL”
16. (1) Listening on Multiple Fronts to Shared Employee Interests
noting repeated trends/patterns among the staff—e.g., focus groups, efficiency award
system—”Top Torch of The Month.”
(2) Simulating a Quaint Setting
“charming” local coffee shop ambiance that mixes traditional physical with
modern digital print;
(3) Small Town Appeal—
May psychologically empower staff, perhaps accentuating the significance of
purposefully preserving traditional community—a dying breed in contemporary
society.
COMMON NUCLEUS OF INTERESTS
17. Inputs largely demand a strong staff with up-to-date tacit
knowledge, the following learning systems may be incorporated
within the company:
1) Rotational programs
2) Peer-to-peer collaboration networks
3) Social media certification program, which engages employees in
digital dialogue with consumers to build customer value.
INPUTS—TRAINING PROGRAMS:
19. FROM MONOCHROMATIC “MANDATING” TO MULTIFACETED MOTIVATING.
Revitalizing purpose/ significance among Blaze demands the following potential considerations:
1) Reinforce value — facilitating psychological empowerment
2) Re-energizing employees through personal involvement
Inspiring positive work-related associations may strengthen:
1) Affective Commitment
2) Citizenship
3) Company Morale
4) Job Satisfaction
5) Positive Task Performance
CONCLUSION
20. 1) Booz&Co., “Energizing Employees in Recessionary Times—Try Motivating, Not Mandating,” 2008,
2)Engaged Employees Drive The Bottom Line, ISR-Towers Perrin, July 2006;
3) Frederick Herzberg, “One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?” Harvard Business Review, September-
October 1987, p. 112-113.
4) Jason A. Colquitt, Jeffery A. LePine, Michael J. Wesson, “Organizational Behavior—Improving Performance and
Commitment in the Workplace,” 4th Edition, 2015, p. 114, 243
5) Booz&Co., “Energizing Employees in Recessionary Times—Try Motivating, Not Mandating,” 2008
6) Real Change Leaders, Jon Katzenbach and the RCL team;
7) Frederick Herzberg, “One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?” Harvard Business Review, September-
October 1987, p. 112-113.
8) Jennifer Rooney, “In Dell Social Media Journey, Lessons For Marketers About The Power Of Listening” p. 3,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferrooney/2012/09/25/in-dell-social-media-journey-lessons-for-marketers-about-
the-power-of-listening/2/.
References:
Editor's Notes
Analysis:
Informative. The justification rule requires “comprehensive” explanations. Here, “comprehensive” likely implies a complete explanation of the decision-making process. If so, this comprehensiveness strongly supports an informative approach because complete explanations assume efforts to maximize information without reservation. Therefore, informational justice under the justification rule evinces an informative approach.
Honest. The truthfulness rule ineluctably advocates an honest approach. The candidness sub-element under this rule also negates “guardedness” by emphasizing explicit communication without any attempts to surreptitiously suppress or sugarcoat with subterfuge. Such disingenuous exaggerations and/or inhibitions contradict candidness which inherently assumes a frank, forthrightness. Thus, the truthfulness rule underscores honesty while reinforcing an unabashedly informative approach as inferred from detailed, direct, unambiguous discussion.
Conclusion. Therefore, informational justice as promulgated by its two-prong rule favors an “honest and informative” approach to explaining the downsizing situation.
Analysis:
Informative. The justification rule requires “comprehensive” explanations. Here, “comprehensive” likely implies a complete explanation of the decision-making process. If so, this comprehensiveness strongly supports an informative approach because complete explanations assume efforts to maximize information without reservation. Therefore, informational justice under the justification rule evinces an informative approach.
Honest. The truthfulness rule ineluctably advocates an honest approach. The candidness sub-element under this rule also negates “guardedness” by emphasizing explicit communication without any attempts to surreptitiously suppress or sugarcoat with subterfuge. Such disingenuous exaggerations and/or inhibitions contradict candidness which inherently assumes a frank, forthrightness. Thus, the truthfulness rule underscores honesty while reinforcing an unabashedly informative approach as inferred from detailed, direct, unambiguous discussion.
Conclusion. Therefore, informational justice as promulgated by its two-prong rule favors an “honest and informative” approach to explaining the downsizing situation.
Rationale:
Transparency projects honesty.
Evasive equivocation not only risks confusing interpretation with diminished logical clarity but plausibly projects a disingenuous appearance.
The probative inference of possible deception among perceived hedgers may consequently undermine citizenship/company morale, perhaps culminating in counterproductive behaviors.
If so, these counterproductive behaviors, especially if exacerbated by suspicions of a downsizing, may denigrate company competitiveness, possibly predisposing insolvency from attempts to rehabilitate reputation following potential brand-damage.
Facts: Blaze currently contemplates new operations to consolidate, grouping job functions, historically into five areas: State, City, Sports, Lifestyle, & Business. Within these five areas, reporters, photographers, artists, and editors shall share the same duties, but for a broader range of content than before downsizing. Editor plans to merge areas into preferably two or three groups.
Issue:
Whether job characteristics theory offers some guidance as to combining areas for staffers?
Whether innovative alternatives exist to plausibly upgrade versions of existing jobs while still surpassing pre-downsizing job satisfaction potential?
Areas & Location. The areas may subdivide into 1. Sports, 2. Lifestyle, and 3. Business, with each area based in different Locations by City/State.
Job Characteristics—Combining Areas for Staffers:
1. Variety—staffers may experience variety by travelling to different locations and collaborating with others in different areas on a regularly basis.
Rotational Cycle. Blaze might consider a rotational cycle such that persons in one area of interest trade the following week others in some different area. For example, the reporter who stays in one area (Business) may need to choose a different topic (financial analysis versus reporting latest events on investors, legal news, etc.,) and/or change another area (if previously, sports, switch into some topic next week on Lifestyle. Those who wish to travel, assuming any, may present areas always in some different location. If employees grow tired of one location, switch them to another. This rotational structure may enable diverse exposure, perhaps stimulating efficiency, refreshing minds possibly dulled by routine.
2. Identity—Blaze may also benefit from endowing a sense of identity by permitting staff to stay on one project until completion before moving forward, consistent with the aforementioned areas and locations.
3. Significance—Additionally, combining areas for staffers from diverse locations may engender psychological empowerment—the belief in tasks contributing to some larger purpose—especially if each member perceives their work as meaningfully influencing readers all over the nation/world about domestic/global affairs. The collective participation in such a process may reinforce significance as staffers recognize their widespread contributions to inspiring, empowering, and enlightening readers with reliable information.
4. Autonomy—Flexible Choice: Blaze may implement autonomy via flexibility—allowing staffers to choose topics within 2/3 areas and locations they desire on a first come first serve basis. Where conflicts arise, Blaze might compromise by matching personal priorities with individual talents, (e.g., what matters most, location or subject, and which areas enable the most efficient use of talents). Any person to dislike the particular area of interest may still choose a location consistent with personal preference and exhibited talent. For example, photographers may agree on the state and/or city to capture live sports.
5. Feedback—Furthermore, the variety, identity, significance and autonomy may collectively combine to create feedback, as heightened publicity may catalyze opportunities for attention from patrons who may recognize familiar faces at different locations. The expanded exposure perhaps assumed from possibly larger variety, more staffers participating with greater news coverage areas in different locations may increase opportunity of public recognition.
Mandating to Montivating:
One of Blaze’s problems as referenced stems from an inordinate focus on “mandating” project needs at the detriment of overlooking company and people needs. For example, allowing its corporate owner to hire outside consultants “wastes” company resources—expenses perhaps otherwise economized preserving Blaze’s highest salaried-employees. This cost-inefficient approach to downsizing neglects the assumption of possible diminished efficiency from undue time investment substituting proven existing experience with unfamiliar sources. Such exorbitant reliance on complete strangers likely unexposed to custom business operations assumes a learning curve.
Incentives:Thus, a blazing cost-reduction motivation plan that aligns with employee engagement might enhance company morale. But how? A reward system might help. Consider Amazon. Jeff Bezos introduced a monthly “door-desk award” system that recognized any employee to achieve “significance savings.” Rather than prescribe, Bezos incentivized efficiency, inexpensively encouraging employees to work harder by synchronizing employee engagement with cost-reduction objectives. Similarly, Blaze might embolden its brand with a “Top Torch of the Month” title for highest-producing staffers in each category. The title might even permit Blaze bucks whereby employee “Top Torch” recipients receive such fringe benefits as grocery coupons, food discounts at select restaurants, and/or free monthly digital Blaze newspaper subscriptions. Employee engagement, especially when connected “directly and emotionally to work,” evinces elevated productivity, at least from one 2006 Towers Perrin-ISR study where net income aggrandized 13%. This crescendo effect might indirectly improve job satisfaction as more money from company revenue may translate into increased compensation. Organizational theorists, industrial engineers, and behavioral scientists alike emphasize “ optimized work-efficiency” as instrumental to “favorable job attitudes” where the company motivates by highlighting “human values.”
Conclusion: Therefore, as employees mobilize cohesively in a conscious, concerted cost-reduction effort, “energizing toward the same specific task-oriented goal,” these innovative employee-engagement alternatives when integrated with job characteristics might help job-satisfaction potential supersede even pre-downsizing levels.
Facts: Assume staffers’ personal files contain big five personalities to inform decisions about combining areas.
Personality Profiles: Assuming Big Five personality taxonomy accurately represents work capacity, Blaze may reasonably infer the following correlative work/personality patterns for staffer personal profiles:
Again, job satisfaction moderately correlates with higher task performance.
Monochromatic to Multifaceted. Companies too often “adopt one method” and “impose it on the organization.” This one-dimensional approach tends to neglect the assumed source of driving costs. Rather, a paradigmatic transition in perspective from monochromatic to multifaceted, using, “more than one hammer” that operates on multiple fronts provides one plausible solution. Applied to this present issue, Blaze need not dump all its eggs in one basket by singularly selecting from three options. Rather, Blaze may reasonably implement all of the above, contemporaneously combining short-term retention bonuses and permanent raises for everyone while restructuring pay to match workloads. Like Texas Commerce Bank, which involved nearly 4,500 employees in “hundreds of focus groups,” to reduce costs approximately “$150 million”—exceeding its initial 50 million target reduction thrice, Blaze might pursue a similar initiative.
Bottom Line Problem Solving: Involving employees in the problem-solving, whether by focus groups or some analogous method that solicits employee opinion, may considerably curtail costs, while liberating opportunities to offer generous bonus packages and sizeable salary increases. Likewise, this proactive approach empowers employees in the decision-making process, reinforcing value. Such empowerment may bolster company morale, perhaps stimulating a sense of citizenship, affective commitment, and positive-job satisfaction sentiments conducive to enhanced task-performance.
SPECULATION. The chief editor merely “suspects” an ability to “leverage extra funds.” Without a precise understanding of funding capability, Andrea’s tentative strategy may prove ineffective, especially if “Corporate” repudiates her idea. After all, “44%” of executive respondents from 350 companies in a 2008 Archstone Consulting survey opined that “implementation was not well-managed.” This indication suggests people failed to understand their role. Such conjecture perhaps strengthens the probative conclusion of substandard implementation because people tend not to understand their role without knowing financials. How might the chief editor even contemplate “creative ways to match pay with a new job structure,” without first knowing leverage power?
QUESTIONABLE SUSTAINABILITY. Such speculation also strengthens the inference of questionably sustainable “savings” which may evaporate with a dissipating initiative. Without a fundamental foundation of financials, how may one reasonably plan how to implement savings if the initiative ends? Therefore, these evanescent savings to budget restructuring, salary, and/or bonuses may become no more than vaingloriously, “deferred expenditures.”
INVETERATE INSTITUTIONAL BELIEFS. Even if no speculation or questionable sustainability, Andrea encounters the intractable challenge of convincing philosophical policy changes despite a preexisting regime with “unchanged leadership” and custom practices. To reinvent the wheel with radical restructuring without preliminary experimentation or heuristics lacks proven practical influence. Thus, inveterate institutional beliefs tend to prevail absent any legitimate showing of improvement from the recommended renovations.
The voice given to staffers as aforementioned should reflect a common cost-reduction consensus, digitizing information for competitiveness, while preserving shared conventional values. This common nucleus of interests might include:
Since inputs largely demand a strong staff with up-to-date tacit knowledge, Blaze may ponder the Verizon Wireless Paradigm which accommodates versatile learning styles, incorporating rotational programs, peer-to-peer collaboration networks, etc. Like Dell, Blaze might also execute a “social media certification program,” engaging employees in digital dialogue with consumers to build customer value.
Undisciplined Flexibility—Risk of Division.
As the editor herself acknowledged, Blaze may need to temper flexibility by amalgamating members in common interests, lest she opens “Pandora’s Box”—triggering too many diverse, conflicting interests, which potentially predisposes dividing rather than mobilizing staffers.
This undisciplined flexibility may obscure newspaper perhaps propagating a perception of seemingly aversive newspaper missions, which may also dissuade employees—e.g., “Newspaper business or web portal business.”
Possible Solution—Mitigate Danger By Aligning Common Interests.
Again, to mitigate these dangers, the editor should accentuate common views while downplaying divergent interests expressed among staff. Aligning members in shared interests, grounding them to a common purpose, may mitigate the risk of different discursive directions potentially at odds with Blaze’s efficiency objective.
FROM MONOCHROMATIC “MANDATING” TO MULTIFACETED MOTIVATING
Consensus—Multi-dimensional employee-focused approach that unites staffers in a common purpose—cost-reduction initiative—with shared thread of common interests.
Incentivize Cost Efficiency with Employee-Driven Alternatives— Spearheading a reward system (e.g., “Top Torch of the Month” with concomitant benefits package), while integrating job characteristics (V.I.S.A.F.—Variety, Identity, Significance, Autonomy, Feedback), and active employee participation—problem-solving based training programs accompanied by focus groups/similar employee inquiry systems—as the engine to drive employees during downsizing.
Conclusion. This proactive multifaceted motivation system operating on many fronts stands to reinforce value—facilitating psychological empowerment—re-energizing employees with a sense of purpose & significance through personal involvement, specifically, inspiring positive work-related associations which may ameliorate:
Affective Commitment;
Citizenship;
Company Morale;
Job Satisfaction;
Task Performance; See Slides 3-7, 10-11, & 15-17.