Running head RISKS AND REWARDS 1RISKS AND REWAR.docx

Running head: RISKS AND REWARDS
1
RISKS AND REWARDS
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Risks and Rewards
Nicholas J Ceo
American Military University
27 December 2017
Risks and Rewards
Risk analysis of each proposed solution
Each of the different solutions proposed to address the problems
and issues facing MTS Systems Corporation has a positive
impact on client satisfaction. Besides this, it helps the
organization retain its best talent and develop the skills and
experiences of their employees (Thornton, 2004). Nonetheless,
implementing these solutions is not a guaranteed direction to

success; there are some underlying threats that need to be
identified before they adversely affect the organization. The
risk assessment of every solution is as follows;
i. Brainstorming
This method calls for participation of the thoughts and ideas of
the organization’s employees. The underlying risk in this
method is that the top management may receive contributions
from only the talkative members of the workforce who may not
have the right information to help solve the challenge.
Nonetheless, this is a good approach to improve communication
across different departments and job classes. Another risk of
this approach is that there be a division between the different
generations of the employees; for example, a case where the
millennials would not prefer to share with the older generation
due to fear of being undermined.
ii. Coaching
This practice involves employee training to enhance skill,
experience, and knowledge. Coaching will bring changes in the
structuring of the roles and responsibilities of some of the
employees. There more experienced employees will be required
to guide the un-experienced employees. Taking this action
introduces the risk of the passing of misleading or biased
information and knowledge from one generation to another
making it hard to identify the cause of failure (Aartsengel, &
Kurtoglu, 2013). It will also be necessary for each department
to have a trainer. This will cost the organization an extra salary
for the training services.
iii. Pink Bat Thinking Method
Improving the relationship between the management and the
employees through this method poses a risk to the adherence of
the protocol and the respect of authority in the corporation.
MTS Company may change some of the organization’s
operations in order to favor the employee and end up losing
some of its customers due to the changing of the business
image.
iv. Checklist Method

This might is a cost-effective approach which only engages the
efforts of MTS top management. By coordinating this process
among the different concerned stakeholders, the company will
be able to have different ideas on ways to retain most of its
skilled and talented employees. However, when ranking the
issues hindering the company from achieving its goals, it might
not show the exact situation on the ground as the issues keep
changing time and again. The risk, in this case, is relying so
much on this method without consulting with the employees
themselves.
v. Continuous Process Improvement
This method adds an additional cost to the company and
consumes a lot of the available resources in the company for it
to be successful. This process might also affect the productivity
of the teams involved in it especially if they are expected to
carry out other crucial roles in the company. Instead of
encouraging the employees to continue serving the company,
this method might even make them want to leave the company
sooner due to the tightening of procedures in the company.
References
Aartsengel, A. & Kurtoglu, S. (2013). Handbook on continuous

improvement transformation: the lean Six Sigma framework and
systematic methodology for implementation. Berlin New York:
Springer.
Thornton, A. (2004). Variation risk management: focusing
quality improvements in product development and production.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEM SOLVING
ORGANIZATIONAL PROBLEM SOLVING
4
Organizational Problem Solving
Nicholas J Ceo
21 December 2017
Abstract
Organizational problem solving goes beyond mere decision-
making processes. Therefore, practical problem solving has to
involve the entire organization. As an organization, everyone
from the senior management to the subordinate staff is an
essential entity in problem resolving. Some of the issues in an
organization arise from the management as well as the human
resource (employees). Therefore, problem-solving methods are
formulated in dealing with the problems the company is facing.
Furthermore, problem-solving targets increases quality and
productivity of a company making it an essential process of any
business organization.
Keywords: organization, problem-solving
Problems at MTS Systems Company

· Increased Difficulties in retention of skilled workers.
· Generational differences.
· Ineffective organizational communication.
· Low output,
Identified Problem Solving Methods
· Brainstorming.
· Pink Bat thinking.
· Continuous process improvement.
· Coaching.
· Checklist method.
Brainstorming
The method involves generation of ideas by a group. A problem
(s) is identified, and individuals give their version of solutions
to the problem. Viable concepts are defined and can be taken
for action in the company. During brainstorming, no criticism,
as well as judgment, is made to the ideas presented.
Brainstorming allows for acquisition of free and open views that
can be useful to the company. There are no worries of egos and
other associated personality traits.
For MTS, brainstorming can be utilized in identifying the cause
as to why employees drop out as well as addressing the possible
solutions. For instance, the top management will find an
opportunity for interacting with employees and break the barrier
that may result in ineffective organizational communication.
Coaching

Coaching refers to skill enhancement by providing part-time
employee training. A given area of improvement is first
identified, the necessary trainers are availed, and training is
done in the working place. Coaching is the best way to skill
development in an organization.
Provision of coaching services can solve the problem of
generational differences. Since the current generation of
employees is equipped with modern technological skills, the
pioneer employs at the company can be offered to coach in
existing technical skills and knowledge to bridge the
generational skill-gap between them. Coaching will, therefore,
ensure that all the employees are at the same skill level.
On the other hand, skill enhancement will give the company a
competitive advantage. Since the company aims at the
production of quality systems, skill enhancement will result in
quality output as per their needs and goals.
Pink Bat thinking method
Pink bat thinking Involves a positive approach to problems. An
individual looks at a challenge as an opportunity. The technique
is useful in strategic planning concerning the prevailing
conditions in an organization. The issues facing MTS systems
company can be handled as an opportunity. The central area to
be exploited about MTS company issues is one on one meeting
with employees. The act results in improvement of management
and employee relationship. Besides, the company can go beyond
limits and explore through case studies hence finding new
opportunities to exploit. Therefore, the entire scenario should
be treated as a chance to improve rather than a problem to be
solved.
Checklist Method

The method entails prioritizing. Matters of importance are given
the priority. Various problems are identified, management
levels are highlighted, and attention is given to each according
to the level of significance.
MTS as a company can identify the problems that hinder
achievement of their goals. This is known as the causes.
Various stakeholders are then given an opportunity to look at
the matter and probe into it. MTS then reaches out to diverse
affected departments to assess the possible causes of the
problem using any of the methods mentioned earlier. The
critical areas to be given more attention at MTS are related to
the human resource. Thus it should be given utmost care.
Continuous Process Improvement
The method involves bitwise development rather than
immediate wholesome process improvement. Procedures and
processes are attended to each at a time. A cause of a problem is
identified, target objectives and solutions are formulated, the
necessary measures and tools are out in place and finally, the
whole process is implemented.
MTS as a company can use this method to regain its high output
standards and competitiveness. They can implement the plan by
identification of critical problems especially in the human
resource and apply necessary measures within a given
predetermined schedule. For instance, retention of skills can be
employed as a strategy and implemented slowly starting with
creating a motivation plan for the employs to boost employee
productivity.
References
Large-Scale, Real-Time Organizational Change.
(2017). Alumnus.caltech.edu. Retrieved 16 December 2017,
from http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~rouda/T5_LSRTOD.html
Van Aken, J. E., & Berends, H. (2017). Problem-solving in
organizations. Cambridge University Press.

Running head: CLIENT SELECTION
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CLIENT SELECTION
Nicholas J Ceo
6 December 2017
MTS Systems Corporation is a supplier of test systems as
well as industrial position sensors all over the globe. The
company deals with hardware and software solutions with the
aim of accelerating and improving the design, development, and
manufacture of products and structures. MTS operates in two
segments, one which deals with sensors and the other with tests.
The test department focuses on providing testing solutions that
include software, hardware, and testing services. The sensors
segment is keen on providing products to be used in mobile
equipment and industrial tools manufacture in order to automate
their operations, thus enhancing safety and productivity of the
end users. The organization also provides tools to measure

displacement in fluids, for instance, liquid levels for clients in
industrial processes.
The organization provides a solution is an organization
that seeks to pioneer in technology and provides unmatched
expertise. Engineers depend on accuracy, certainty, and
measurements to do their work, to conduct research and
transform ideas into results that are tangible and working. MTS
Systems is a corporation that is fully dedicated to this
transformation in a manner that is faster, more efficient, easier
and more successful. The company was established in 1966 with
its headquarters at Eden Prairie, Minnesota and has since that
time worked in partnerships with engineers worldwide.
MTS Systems has had impressive performance over the
years with revenues of about seven hundred and eighty million
dollars in the 2016-2017 financial year, up from six hundred
and fifty million dollars the previous year. This represents a
38.4% growth in revenue. Profitability has also grown over the
years, and the strong performance is expected to continue into
the near future. Nevertheless, the performance would be much
better if the existing management problems are dealt with.
Running head: CLIENT PROBLEM
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CLIENT PROBLEM 4
CLIENT PROBLEM
Nicholas J Ceo
6 December 2017

The modern business environment has become very
complex, competitive and dynamic. An organization has to keep
scanning the environment to see what it can do differently so as
to increase its productivity. Management problems have been
around from time immemorial, but their impact on the
performance of the organization cannot be ignored. These
challenges, then, have to be sorted out in the most effective way
possible so as to mitigate their effects on the organization.
Some of these problems include transparency, human resources
challenges and change management. In this research paper, we
are going to focus on human resource challenges experienced at
MTS Systems, evaluate their effect on the company performance
and measures that can be put in place to mitigate the effects of
this challenge.
One of the biggest challenge in the workplace today is
retention of skilled and talented workers. The way the
workforce is constituted today, there is a need for more than a
good salary to keep the talented people motivated and satisfied.
It has been observed that employees move and job-hop as they
seek to move up the ladder at the shortest time possible and also
in an attempt to meet their expectations and motivations which
are ever-changing and dynamic. The situation has been
compounded by the generational difference in the company
where there are older generations and the millennial, who are
driven, motivated and simulated by different factors. For
instance, the older generations are much more loyal to the place
of work and are less likely to job-hop. They are also more
patient and are much more responsive to financial rewards. On

the other hand, the younger generations are less loyal to the
company they work for, are less patient and will respond better
to recognition as well as feeling valued.
Today, managers have woken up to the realization that
their skilled staff has more options on their hands, especially
now that there are more advances in technology, given the
explosion in startup and entrepreneurs who are revolutionizing
the way things are done. Managers have to evaluate the hunger
in the workplace and focus on feeding it (Bondarouk & Ruel,
2009). There is need to focus on much more than just providing
a potential opportunity for promotion and job security.
Managers should focus on working with the other members of
top management in order to define roles, come up with career
progression paths that are extensive, enhancing creativity in the
workplace, enhancing the working environment, encouraging a
culture of collaboration and providing a system-wide mission
that will be adopted by employees in their daily operations.
Management of human resources extends even to the
communication amongst the different generations that are found
within the workspace in the organization. A younger generation
is usually accompanied by new advances in technology, new
ways of doing things, new challenges, new ways of thinking and
different reactions from the society. Presently, we have
millennials who are at home in the digital world and are spiteful
of analog methods. They also appear to be more aggressive,
lacking emotions and patience. This is also a generation that
wants to be efficient in what they do and wants to feel that they
bring about an impact at their workplaces. Technology promises
to do more work, with better quality output, with fewer
wastages and less time. The organization has had challenges
managing the passion of these young people. There have also
been challenges in dealing with the reactions from other
generations in regard to these new ways of thinking as opposed
to the traditional methods and finding common ground that will
promote respect and collaboration. A mix of the generations of
the teams is a benefit if there is the diversity is used as a tool

for bringing the best qualities to the table and pooling them
together.
Focusing on retaining staff and talent for longer periods of
time will go a long way in reducing costs associated with
recruitment, training, and orientation of new staff. It will also
be important for the maintenance of good performance as there
will be little time lost in training of new staff and before they
become productive. In order to retain employees, the
organization needs to enhance the adoption of a company
culture that is appealing and that engages employees in two way
communication (Hendry, 2012). In this way, their needs will be
understood and steps that should be taken to make their
environment more conducive. Communication between various
generations will be better handled if there is the inculcation of a
culture that encourages respect, collaboration, and co-operation
towards achieving a common goal. In dealing with the younger
generation, there is need to provide better structures, mentors,
effective leadership, and guidance. At the same time, it is
important to encourage the millennials to embrace their can-do
attitudes and bring solutions in the workplace instead of trying
to confine them to certain ways of doing things. The
management can also take advantage of their levels of comfort
working as teams and use these groups to brainstorm and come
up with solutions for various challenges. In this way, the
organization will achieve greater levels of success.
References

Bondarouk, T. V., & Ruel, H. J. M. (2009). Electronic Human
Resource Management: challenges in the digital era. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(3),
505-514.
Hendry, C. (2012). Human resource management. Routledge.
Running head: NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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NEEDS ASSESSMENT
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Needs Assessment
Nicholas J Ceo
14 December 2017
A needs assessment is a systematic process of exploring the way
things are at the present and the way they should be ideally.

These factors are usually crucial in the performance at an
individual level to the organizational level (Rouda & Kusy,
1995). A needs assessment is a continuous process of
evaluation, with the objective of connecting the performance
problems experienced in an organization and performance
opportunities to human performance efforts that are specific. It
also involves the process of differentiating the specific
performance problems which will be solved through additional
training from those that need other management measures. The
main aim of this paper is to develop a needs assessment for
MTS Systems Corporation.
The management problem at MTS is a human resources
management problem One of the biggest challenges is the
retention of workers who are skilled and talented. There are also
generational differences amongst the work force, bringing with
it a challenge in that the different groups respond differently to
different situations, hence need to be handled differently. The
management also has to deal with communication at the
workplace and keeping the employees motivated in order to
enhance performance. The performance of the company is
impressive, with strong growth and revenue of around seven
hundred and eighty million dollars. The bottom line is also very
encouraging. This performance, however, is way below the
expected performance which was projected to be over a billion
dollars in revenue and a quarter billion dollars in profits. This
goal hasn’t been achieved yet but based on the strong
performance of the organization, together with good
management, the target may be achieved.
The mission of the organization is to be a leader in innovation
in the manufacture of measurement and testing solutions so as
to enable the success of their customers. The mission is related
to the desired performance in that it the mission statement will
provide a drive for the staff to be the best in what they do, and
in this way improving the performance of the organization as a
whole. The management problems are experienced within the
whole company and aren’t just experienced within specific

departments.
In conducting a needs assessment, several steps will be
followed. One will be performing a GAP analysis. This step will
seek at establishing the actual level of performance of the
organization and the employees in comparison to the standards
which have been set (Rouda & Kusy, 1995). In order to do this,
the current situation will be determined first. The skills,
knowledge and abilities that the current employees have. This
analysis ought to take into consideration the goals of the
organization, the business climate and constraints, both internal
and external. The desired situations are the conditions that are
desired for the organization to achieve success. This analysis
will focus on the abilities, skills and knowledge that will be
needed to achieve achievement of set goals. The gaps that exist
between the current and desired situations will point out the
needs of the company. Customer care in the company is good in
the company but with additional training, it can be taken a
notch higher. There is also high competition in the market since
several new entrants have started fighting aggressively for
market share. For this reason, there is need.
The second step is to identify the priorities and the
importance of each action. The first step produces a big list
with needs for career development, training and organization
development and other interventions that have been identified.
All these factors will be examined in light of their importance
to the organization in regards to the constraints, organizational
goals and realities that exist (Rossett & Sheldon, 2001). Due to
this, the needs that are identified will be determined if they are
real, worth addressing, are important to the organization and are
urgent in regard to the requirements and needs of the
organization. The customer service training should be
prioritized since it will impact directly on the clients, who are
the kings in the business. The training will also be more cost
effective when compared to the cost of the problem, which is
significant. On top of this, customer service will encompass
almost every aspect of the company. Good service will meet the

needs of the customers, who spread the word to their friends, to
the benefit of the company.
The next step is to identify the causes of problems in
performance and the opportunities that exist therein. At this
point, needs of the organization and individuals have been
focused on and prioritized, this next step is aimed at identifying
the specific areas that present problems and opportunities
(Rouda & Kusy, 1995). People ought to know what the
performance requirements and if the solutions applied will be
appropriate. In order to do this, two questions will be asked.
One will be whether the employees are doing the jobs they are
entrusted to do effectively. The next will be if they have the
right skills in order to their jobs effectively. This will require
the investigation of employees on their jobs, in depth, for both
present and future times.
The fourth step will be to identify the possible growth
opportunities and solutions. If the employees are doing their
jobs effectively, then they shouldn’t be interfered with.
Nevertheless, training, or some form of intervention would be
justified if it has sufficient importance in growing the
performance into new levels (Rossett & Sheldon, 2001).
Training could be a solution in case there is a gap in the
knowledge.
References
Rossett, A., & Sheldon, K. (2001). Analysis. Retrieved from
Big Dog' s and Little Dog's Performance Juxtaposition:
http://nwlink.com/~donclark/analysis/analysis.html
Rouda, R. H., & Kusy, M. E. (1995). Needs Assessment: The
First Step. Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper

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