Employee Communication

Employee participation within an organisation allows for employees to have some say in decisions.  Participation generally comes from a pluralist view where everyone is considered an individual and have different interests and views, this is the view Taylor had.  This was the view during the 1970’s in Margret Thatcher’s era where employees where working and participating with the company however it was the management initiative and board level decisions that were being made not as a collective group involving the whole company.  More recently employees have become a lot more involved with decision making by management requesting their ideas and opinions.  Employees should be able to make decisions as they are the ones doing the physical work and therefore will see problems, management don’t.  Although many decisions such as redundancy or brand change should not be made by employees they should have their say when a schedule or hours change.  There are trade unions which represent workers and the managers will have to listen to the trade union as they speak for everyone and not an individual on their therefore becoming a lot more effective.  However sometimes what the majority and trade union is saying is not necessarily what every individual wants.  There are many ways that organisation are making their staff more involved:

·         Suggestion boxes- this method is private and anonymous which give introvert people the confidence to fill them out however many people are reluctant to complete them as more frequently than not nothing is done about the suggestions made, making the method pointless.

·         Staff opinion surveys- this scheme is meant to be anonymous however often age and position is identified therefore allowing managers to work out which member of staff it was that filled out the survey.  Also many employees see this as extra work which they are not being rewarded or paid for therefore giving them the impression it is a waste of time.  From surveys like this though organisations may be categorised in a survey such as the best 100 companies to work for by the Sunday Times increasing the prestige of the company.

·         Work committees- some individuals love being involved in committees where as others want to go to work do their job and go home however it is vital that people get involved in committees as it is how the staff’s voice is conveyed.  The people on the committee are making the other employees work life better and therefore they should be very appreciative of them.  The people involved in the committee need to be confident and good communicators to both employees and management.

Social networks are now very commonly being used within organisations to allow employees to communicate to one another more easily.  As well as employees it can also be used for potential recruits and often online recruitment site post ‘for more information visit Facebook.’  The most common network sites that are used are ‘Facebook’ ‘Twitter’ and ‘Myspace’ when searching for supermarkets.  However the most commercial social networks used by non-profits are: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn and Flickr.

Waitrose is a company that is very much involved in social networking; through Facebook you can find a group for almost every individual store which gives you a small bit of information and shows all its friends/employees.  Tesco has one large page which allows people to write on the wall and view information and photos. 

Some organisations will create internal social networks which are very beneficial if well managed; it can boost organisation morale, strengthen relationships and provide cheap advertising or marketing.

A really good advantage to employees using social networks is that it brings staff closer together and hopefully makes them work closer as a team.  It allows events and socials to be organised efficiently and makes it easier to make staff aware of activities that are happening within the organisation.  However being friends on social network sites with employees may cause conflict if someone wants to air their thoughts about work and there have been cases of employees complaining about managers and it resulting in them being fired.  In June 2008 a Waitrose employee was sacked for insulting the supermarket on Facebook.  ‘Mr Brennan thought his views were only visible to his online friends, but a colleague printed off the remark and showed it to his boss who fired him on the spot.’ (Rupert Neate, 2008).  Social networks tend to bring work and social/ home life very close together and sometimes it is very difficult to find the line between both, for some individuals this may be ideal however for others they may feel suffocated and unable to escape from work.

 References

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3357689/Waitrose-worker-fired-for-Facebook-slur.html

www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/comconslt/empcomm.htm 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/

Reward

Reward may be financial or a physical benefit however it may also be a psychological payment such as respect.  ‘A reward system consists of financial reward and employee benefits, which together comprise total remuneration.’ (Martin et al, 2010) This type of reward is physical and could be performance related pay, bonus, hire car, gym membership and many more benefits a company would subsidise.  A psychological payment may be respect, security or prestige.  There are two types of reward tangible which is a method that can be monitored and the financial rewards are an example of this.  Intrinsic reward is a non-financial reward such as recognition this is a method there is unable to be physically monitored and psychological payments are examples of these.  The reason for company’s and employers to provide reward is to reward employees for good performance, retain capable employees, support the corporate strategy and comply with legal obligations.

There are many theories that contain a stage for reward.  Vrooms expectancy theory is one of them.

Vroom’s expectancy theory is aimed specifically at the workplace and is based on three variables, expectancy, instrumentality and valence. Expectancy is the relationship between a chosen course of action and the predicted outcome. When a person chooses between different behaviours, the choice is influenced by not just the desire for a particular outcome; it is also influenced by the likelihood of achieving the outcome. ‘People develop a perception of the degree of probability that the choice of a particular action will actually lead to a desired outcome. This is expectancy’ Mullins, L (2010).

Both Maslow and Herzberg’s theories are based on reward as they are split into sections and if you reach basic needs then you will be rewarded with safety.  All of the theories are motivating theories and use a reward to motivate individuals to reach the next stage or step and receive the rewards of their hard work. 

Maslows theory is split into five levels (explained above) an individual will rise and fall between the levels depending on external factors in their life.

Hertzberg two factor theory is split into Hygiene and motivating factors.  Hygiene factors relate to the job itself and relates to the working environment and the tasks involved. The motivating factors of Hertzberg’s theory are those that encourage a person to perform better and increase effort.  

Within Fareham School of Gymnastics an organisation I have worked for over 4years with, the reward given is psychological.  The one financial reward may be that the pay is relatively good for a part time job.  The non-financial reward I feel I obtain are recognition of my hard work, respect within the club by both other employees, the children I teach and the parents of the children.  I also feel my job is very secure there especially as I left to live in America and again to go to university and whenever I am at home they will be flexible around me to try and give me work.  I feel I am appreciated and welcomed by everyone that works for Fareham School of Gymnastics.  I also receive Christmas presents and chocolates or wine for helping out with competitions.  To me enjoying your job and looking forward to going to work each day is a massive reward in itself.  I feel most of the employees working there feel the same recognition as many of them have been there for years and each employee receives the same help and guidance from more qualified staff.  The pay is increased as an individual become more qualified and further increased when you run a class and it is under your responsibility.  These increases in pay are very fair and an individual may ask if they would like to take a qualification and the company will subsidise half as long as it is seen as a benefit to the club.  All coaches will receive a present for helping out with competitions, fun day events or judging.  The rewards are not tangible and therefore fairness and equality is not very easily proven however the small rewards given are always given to every employee and the main reward is enjoying and being proud of working for Fareham School of Gymnastics.

Chief Executives are a vital part of any company however if their company is not successful should they still receive large bonuses?  If a company is underperforming surely they are not in a financial situation to offer bonuses and is it fair that only top employees receive them.  Bonuses are there to reward an individual for outstanding work and success, if you do well you should be able to earn and take home as much as your talent allows.  These bonuses are a form of motivation but if they are handed out even when an organisation is not successful there is no motivation to work harder and make the business succeed.  So what are the pros and cons of giving bonuses to chief executives of an underperforming company?

Disadvantages

·         The company doesn’t have the money to give.

·         The reward should be used as motivation however if the reward is received for even bad performance there is no incentive to improve.

·         Others may lose their jobs or receive a pay cut to allow for the bonus.

·         They have made the decisions that have lead the business into the situation it is in and therefore they should not receive the reward.

Advantages

·         The chief executives are the ones that are under the most stress and have the pressure of making vital decisions for the company.

·         Most chief executives have been part of the company for many years and have indirectly helped build the company up, the company may be in slight trouble now but with a reward and motivation the chief executive could lead the company back out of trouble.

·         Chief executives have great skills and knowledge to be able to be promoted into their role and therefore their role is highly respected even when times are bad.

References:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thecelltheatre.org

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://icsrpa.org.ge/images/stories/

Mullins, L (2010). Management & Organisational Behaviour. 9th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Ltd.

Performance Management

Management performance can be a number of activities such as appraisals, setting targets or measuring performance.  There are many benefits to performance management: it reminds the employees the vision and beliefs of the company, it is relevant to both the employer and the employee, able to set targets which can be motivating to staff, increases communication and enables recognition and reward.  A number of indicators of performance of a company, team or individual can be: number of products made/sold, spend per customer, number of complaints and project completed on time.  It is vital employers respect their staff and offer them mentoring or guidance when it is needed and reward them for their hard work when relevant.  Methods such as appraisal give the employee a sense of success and appreciation and can be a huge motivator.

The diagram above shows what is involved in performance management such as target setting and also outlines what should be involved in feedback.

Sometimes performance appraisals are seen as a waste of time and often employers feel it is a waste of time as they cannot get on with their actual job role.  Occasionally in companies the employee receiving the appraisal gets nervous and tense and sees the meeting as a time of judgement rather than development.  Performance appraisals may fail because there is not enough time can be bias due to how closely the managers’ work with some employees, the manager lacks information and there are insufficient rewards for good performance.

The university takes a role as a mentor or performance manager as they guide us through our learning.  The first mentor we met was our personal tutor however since that first day we probably only met him again once, he is available to contact but is not directly linked with our studies and is more there to support us in personal matters.  There are then our four tutors which teach us different modules, they teach and asses our learning through essays, reports and blogs.  They are easily accessible through blackboard, email and personal visits to their office.  Lecturers act as mentors as they give feedback on our work and provide guidance when it is needed.  Although meeting to discuss progress are not provided in the first year when in the third year and doing a dissertation frequent meeting to discuss work and progress are set up.  I think in the first year meeting like that would be tedious and most students would not attend them.  There is the help and support there if a student would like to use it, there are also scheme that the university employ such as buddy systems at the beginning at the year however I do not feel many students use these and also department’s students can visit to talk about personal issues.

To be an effective mentor many skills are needed:

·         An interest in helping others achieve

·         A capable listener that does not interrupt does not make assumptions or judgements and is able to pick up important cues from a conversation.

·         Able to give positive and constructive feedback

·         Able to question a person sensitively but with power so they can explore their own issues

·         You are able to convey your knowledge and experience in a useful manor which is encouraging and helpful.

·         Are you reliable, honest and trustworthy and will keep the individuals matters confidential.

·         Willing to give up your own time.

·         Can maintain a positive attitude even when confronted with bad situations.

·         Keep maximum attention, both verbally and with body language.

·         Keep your mentee happy!

When doing my level 2 gymnastics coach qualification, I was mentored by Clare Parker the head coach of Fareham School of Gymnastics.  Through working with Clare she gave me the knowledge and experience I needed to pass the exam. Through assessing my performance and reporting both good points and improvements, my confidence was built and my coaching improved.  Doing the course made me take more responsibility and start leading classes independently, this was really successful and made me feel as though I’d reached a goal and had achieved something.  Clare’s mentoring was extremely positive in my life.  I gained more hours at work and improved at my job. There is a friendly environment with a community feel between coaches, children and parents, which has been created by Clare who founded Fareham School of Gymnastics, this really encouraged and influenced me when doing the course.

References:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.du.edu/hr/employment/perf_mgmt_cycle

http://www.exemplas.com/Skills-and-Training/Mentoring--Coaching/Being-a-good-mentor/

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/cppd/opportunities/mentor/good.html

Selection

Selection is the process used to select the best person for the position available.  The purpose of selection is to gather as much information about the individual as possible then to evaluate that information and assess the candidate.  There are many different methods of selection such as:

·         Short listings from C.V’s

·         Interviews

·         Tests such as personality tests

·         Assessment centres

·         References

·         Work Simulations

·         Telephone screening

·         Graphology

·         Role play

·         Problem solving activities

Different companies will use different selection processes and maybe even two or three.  The company will choose the process which they believe is best for them and most cost effective.

B&Q uses the same process for both their part time jobs and full time managerial jobs.  The process they use is a telephone screening.  This is an automated voice which collects information about the individual and then asks a few questions which if asked correctly moves the individual on to the next stage of the selection process.  There is a problem with this method because you are able to phone several times and keep going through the process until the questions are answered correctly.  The next stage is a group interview where activities such as thinking of items B&Q sell for each letter of the alphabet after these activities individuals are then asked to stay behind for an individual interview.  Then candidate will be asked about what hours they can work, their knowledge on different departments of B&Q and what their current situation is.  Then the individual would be told if they have got the job or not. 

In 2007 one of B&Q interviewers asked candidates to dance to ‘blame it on the boogie’  which was probably used as a process to make individuals more at ease to ensure optimum performance during the interview however for some it may have the opposite effect.  Some saw it as an extremely offensive request saying ‘There is age discrimination - I wasn't even born when Blame it on the Boogie was released race discrimination - as an Irish man, my dancing is more Michael Flatley than Michael Jackson and, of course, on a more serious note, I'm surprised no-one has considered the implications for disabled applicants.’  An ex-employee describes the request as a way B&Q conveys its open, down to earth and fun culture.

In the three methods used by B&Q, telephone screening, group interview and individual interview there are benefits and disadvantages.  Telephone screening is very impersonal and the same person may phone up several times until they eventually get through therefore it is not a very successful process.  However it is a good method to keep numbers down and a cost effective method as no-one is being employed to communicate to the candidates.  Group interviews make candidate feel less pressure and therefore you tend to see more personality and is an opportunity to allow the individuals to get a feel of the culture of the organisation.  Group interviews are vital to see how people work with other individuals and within a team.  However this method does not allow the candidate to produce a 2-way conversation which would give them an opportunity to express their personality more.  This is why it is defiantly good that B&Q do an individual interview to confirm they have made the correct choose and the candidate can further impress the interviewer with past experiences or knowledge they have.

I have been involved in an interview for American Eagle a reasonably price fashion shop in America.  I took the application form back and the manager read it and interviewed me there and then on the shop floor.  It was not a formal interview and I did not realise I was going to be interviewed so was thrown in the deep end however it was really relaxed and I was able to be myself.  I was asked questions such as how would I describe American Eagle to my English friends back home who had never heard of it.  The interview system was not particularly professional however it showed how friendly and down to earth the employees of the shop were and conveyed a comforting yet fun atmosphere to work in.  I then worked there until I left to come back and live in England and they were very flexible when I wanted time off to go visit places in America.  Therefore the interview and selection was both positive for me and the employers and I was one of the staff that stayed there the longest, however it could have been the selection process that in turn resulted in such fast staff turnover.  If the selection process was more thorough they may have employed staff that were more committed to their job and would stay for longer periods of time. To improve the selection of American Eagle a group interview should probably be given and fun activities should be set in place to show the candidate it is a fun company to work for and to try and draw out the individuals personalities.  A short individual interview may want to be held with those chosen from the group interview to confirm they are the correct person for the job and then if suitable the job should be offered to them.  This process would be held by the managers of each individual shop and therefore would not be expensive for the company to hold the selection process.  As the process would be professional and the managers would have a selection of candidate to choose from the employees would be a lot more serious about their job and stay for longer.

A selection process can be very different in small businesses the selection process may be very quick with application forms being handed in and a short interview.  However for large companies and high demanding jobs the company usually spends thousands of pounds on the selection process to ensure the correct employee for the job.  These large selection processes may involve psychometric testing, interviews, telephone screenings and work simulations.  Whatever the process it needs to be a fair system without discrimination and giving every candidate the same opportunity.  Most methods of selection have pro’s and con’s and usually depend on the culture and background of the company to what process is chosen.

References:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=167380

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2007/01/23/38953/reader-responses-bq-dancing-at-interviews-row.html

http://www.ae.com/web/international/index_united_kingdom.jsp?_requestid=437366

Recruitment

'Recruitment is the process of identifying and hiring the best-qualified candidate (from within or outside of an organisation) for a job vacancy, in a most timely and cost effective manner,' (Business dictionary, 2011).  The aims of recruitment are to obtain a group of suitable candidate for vacant posts trough a fair process.  The recruitment process and activities must contribute to company goals in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

There are plentiful online recruitment sites which advertise jobs and courses.  www.prospects.ac.uk is a vibrant site which is well layout.  There are easy to read categories such as postgraduate jobs, student life and others.  There are drop down menus, pictures and adverts which keep the reader’s attention.  There is lots of advice and information for the client looking for work and the opportunity to take courses and learn as well as looking for a suitable job.  It is easily accessible to anyone with a computer and internet however there are lots of recruitments sites so knowing the best ones to visit is hard.   Also employers have many sites to post their adverts on so it would be wise to check a few.  Online recruitments systems don’t allow someone to show their personality and individuality and therefore an individual that may fit into an organisation but not into the job title may be lost.  It is also very impersonal and doesn’t give the individual an opportunity to express experiences they have been involved in that may really help with the job.  Online adverts allow a huge range of individuals to apply therefore allowing a much larger pool however it then also decreases the amount of chance of every individual making it a lot harder to get the job from an online advert.

The army’s recruitment campaign has many different methods of inviting people into that occupation.  They advertise on the internet, through television adverts, careers events and media such as newspapers.  They often attend schools, colleges and careers events aims to young adults and teenagers.  There are also offices within shopping centres where you can sign up or go for a careers interview where they will explain the different departments and opportunities within the army.  They have a very well-known phrase ‘Army, be the best’ which is conveyed in every advertisement.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2oEa0SLeiY&feature=related.  One of the Army’s campaigns in 2007 was designed to encourage both women and ethnic minorities to apply as it is seen as a male career, however with over 140 different trades the army want to discard this stereotype.  ‘The British army is launching a new recruitment campaign aimed at attracting more ethnic minority and women soldiers, featuring online personality tests and a new TV and radio advertising campaign.’ (Rob Watson)  By re-branding the army as one, both regular and territorial, and making it more attractive to both women and ethnic minorities the army made their recruitment process more customer based.  It employed methods such as online applications, personality tests and tools to test the motivational profile of individuals.  Other methods that could have been used to advertise to women are showing more females already employed by the army, promote family days and offer nursery’s on bases.

The army is able to offer over 1000 jobs and many different careers.  There is the option of regular army and territorial, which gives the opportunity of flexible hours and there are many benefits when being part of the forces e.g married quarters.  It is a great way to gain life experience and learn lasting skills.  The army’s recruitment centres are everywhere and its jobs are constantly being advertised.  The adverts really draw its audience in with real people, dramatic music and excitement, the forces have a level of respect and many want to be a part of it as they are representing their country.

The advantages and disadvantages of online recruitment:

Advantages

·         Cost effective- putting an advert on a company’s website does not cost anything and putting it on an agencies website is relatively cheap as well.

·         It’s a quick method- as soon as the job is posted it is available to its audience and individuals can apply.

·         It is available to a larger audience- online recruitment sites are now a regular process involved in most peoples job hunting methods. 

·         It is an easy process- individuals simply upload their C.V usually with the help of user friendly direction where little I.T. knowledge is needed.

Disadvantages

·         So many candidates- with online recruitment agencies there usually aren’t a limit of applicants only a period of time it is available for.  This therefore means the amount of candidates is very large as the internet allows the advert to be seen by millions.  This therefore makes the chances of achieving the job role a lot harder and creates a lot more competition for the hopeful job hunter.

·         It is not suitable for all job roles- some jobs just will not be able to be filled through online recruitment and other methods such as recruitment consultants or head hunters will need to be used.  This is usually the case for highly respected jobs with a very specific job requirements, skills and knowledge.  However for some selection processes online recruitment is only the first step and interviews and other methods will be used later on in the process.

References

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/2007/04/070411_army.shtml

www.prospects.ac.uk

http://www.whatjobsite.com/Online%20Recruitment:%20Advantages%20and%20disadvantages.htm

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

Equal opportunities and diversity are two different things.  ‘Equal opportunities is described as the absence of discrimination, as in the workplace, based on race, colour, age, gender, national origin, religion, or mental or physical disability,’ Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (2011).  Diversity is the state of being diverse; variety, a range of different things, Dictionary.com (2011).  A company needs diversity and individuality as if everyone had similar personalities conflict would occur, individuals with different backgrounds, experiences and cultures tend to have different ideas which would help expand the creativity of an organisation.  Therefore it is key to have a variety of different individuals in an organisation however the individual needs to fit into the team and the job title.  Equal opportunities remove discrimination and are seen as a human resources issue. 

The legislation supporting equal opportunities has increased over the years.  Listed below are legal acts that are enforced in the U.K which deal with harassment and discrimination.

The Equal Pay Act 1970 amended (1983)- This act ensures that persons of the opposite sex in the same employment are being provided with the same pay when doing like work, work is rated as equivalent, and work is proved as equal value.  However if an employer can prove the difference in pay or benefits are not gender related then this act is not relevant.

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 amended (1986)- This act applies to persons of both genders and all ages including children.  It prohibits sex discrimination in employment, education and the provision of goods, services and facilities. It also stops victimisation to those who have exercised their rights in the Equal Pay Act 1970.

Sexual Orientation Act 2003- This act makes it illegal to discriminate on the ground of sexual orientation in the supply of goods, facilities and services.  This regulation positively impacts those of a lesbian, gay and bisexual community.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995 amended (2003)- This act gave disabled people new opportunities in employment, access to goods, facilities and services, education and public transport.  The requirements were to ensure ‘reasonable requirements’ were provided in organisations and service providers e.g. ramps.  The 2003 amendment provided changes to employment provisions.  The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 was then designed to extend and clarify the rights of disabled people.  It extended the definition of disability, gave protection to those in the public service and introduced house adaptation regulations.

Race Regulations Act 1976 amended (2000)- This act makes is unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their race, colour, ethnicity, nationality and citizenship.  The amended act included public authorities had to promote racial equality. The 2003 Act incorporated the E.U. Race Directive which further focused on equality between those of different race.

Religion or Belief Regulations Act 2003- This act protects individuals from discrimination and harassment about their religion while at work.  It includes employment relationship, recruitment, pay, training, working conditions, promotion and dismissal.

Age Regulations Act 2006- These made ageism, age prejudice and age-based decisions in the workplace unlawful and covers direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Stereotypes of older and younger people:

 To help stop these stereotypes organisations need to try and change the attitudes of staff by running courses on equal opportunities and discrimination.  This should be seen as a team building activity while at the same time educating employees on these subjects.  If the course is fun employees would be more willing to get involved and it may open people’s minds to how some people are affected by such discriminations.  Another method to help employees more aware would be to get involved in events such as Equal Rights - Access for All, 17-25 March 2001, European-wide Action Week against Racism.  Organisations around Europe get involved with activities such as making special T.V. programmes and cleaning wall of racist slogans.   This would be a great opportunity for employees to get out the office and help others while opening their eyes to the discrimination that occurs in their country.

  

ASDA had a benchmark to increase the amount of staff aged over 50 from 15.4% up to 20% this was to support the company’s values and the staff were a good representative of their customer base as all ages use ASDA as their local store.  ASDA has a good history of employing elder staff compared to other superstores however it’s still not good enough for them.  To increase this percentage they removed the age requirement of job applications asking an age and abolished the retirement at 65 restrictions.  This then made it possible for the elder to stay working at ASDA easily however they needed to increase the amount of over 50’s to apply therefore they advertised grandparent and Benidorm leave.  This leave ‘allows all employees with grandchildren to take a seven-day break after the birth of a child. Those wanting to help further with the new arrival can take up to three months' unpaid extended leave at any given time in addition to their holiday entitlement.’ (Nicole Martin, 2000).  Benidorm leave is ‘up to three months unpaid leave regardless of job, contracted hours or length of employment while treating service as continuous.’ (Laterlife.com).  Other ways they have promoted the ‘Goldies’ campaign ‘is to send recruitment teams to coffee mornings, pension queues, bingo halls and other places where they reckon seniors hang out.’ (Laterlife.com)  The ‘Goldies’ campaign is targeting individuals who have celebrated their personal golden anniversary (over 50’s).  In stores there have been rewards for stores that go that extra mile with the campaign, briefings to the whole company as well as in store briefings and held events such as tea dances and open days.  The campaign was extremely successful not only increase the number of elder employers but also bettering the company with results such as ‘absenteeism drop to levels that are a third lower than its national average; labour turnover rates at one per cent less than ASDA average and a more flexible and better motivated workforce.’ (Laterlife.com). 

REFERENCES:

http://www.gos.gov.uk/497296/docs/347293/347303/356449/WEB_LEGISLATION_1.pdf 

 http://www.unitedagainstracism.org/pages/InfoARW_01.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5298164.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1375383/Asda-offers-its-staff-grandparent-leave.html
http://www.laterlife.com/laterlife-asda.htm

Teamwork

Teamwork is defined as ‘the combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.’ (Oxford Dictionary, 2009).  Teams or groups can be formed at work, friendship groups or sometimes strangers can be placed together to perform an action or activity; depending on the situation the group will be formal, informal, permanent or temporary.

A successful team I have been involved in is the cheerleading squad.  There is a team of 35 for competition and we have to all work together to produce a clean, well-choreographed and spectacular routine.  Last competition we received a trophy which was a reward of our hard work and commitment.  A relevant theory that can be identified in such a large group is Belbins team roles theory.  Belbins (1993) team role theory is based on the position within a group that a person will take.   It’s the skills at which they are best at performing and the way in which they behave and interact within a team.  All the individuals of the squad show one or more of the team roles and take on different responsibilities when working in the cheerleading team.  Within Belbin’s theory there are nine different roles that may be observed in a team working together.

 The nine roles are:

The first team role is a ‘plant’ they are identified as the plant as the individual is ‘planted’ within the team and is usually creative and good at solving problems in unusual yet affective ways. 

The second is the monitor evaluator; this is the individual that is logical thinking and can make rational judgements and weigh up options without letting excitement or passion get in the way.  This role is almost the opposite of the plant.

Another role is the co-ordinators role within the team.  This role includes keeping objectives in mind and being able to assign members to specific tasks and keep the team organised and on task.

The role of Resource investigator is to use contacts and links to investigate the competition or use their knowledge to make sure the project is able to fit into the outside world.  They are a good communicator and able to utilise information to the max.

Implementers are practical hands on individuals that use their strategic minds to insure the project or product will work efficiently.

Completers or Finishers are the individuals that will edit a piece of work or run through a presentation over and over again to ensure it is to the best standard it can be.  The will polish the work and pick up any errors or imperfections.

Shapers are individuals that keep the team motivated and on task, encouraging them and keeping them focused.

The final role is the ‘specialist’ this team member is the one with the expert knowledge in an area within the task.  Their knowledge usually makes them of rather high authority within the team however they do have a tendency to dwell on their specialist subject and not the whole task at hand.

All roles may not be present within a team however a team will succeed a lot better if there is a balance of almost all the roles.  I feel the cheer team is so successful because so many of the roles are apparent within the team making it well balanced.  Some people show the same team roles which may sometimes cause conflict but there is always a shaper to remind the group to focus on the goals of the sport.

Bruce Tuckman developed his theory ‘Team stages model’ in 1965.  It is a basis for team building and leadership and is backed up by extensive research.  Some of his studies include reviewing members of the U.S Navy, small group behaviour and analysing articles on group development.  Tuckmans teamwork theory is divided into four main sections ‘Forming,’ ‘Storming,’ ‘Norming,’ and ‘Performing.’  Tuchmans theory helps us understand that a team needs to evolve to develop and helps us understand how a team will handle a problem when at different stages of evolution.  However the theory is very linear and some groups can ‘loop’ when working for a long period of time.

Forming is when the team first interacts with one another and begin to establish their position by sizing one another up.  Generally people are quite guarded and it takes a while for the team to feel comfortable therefore the focus on work is very little.

Storming is the stage at which the team begin to challenge one another for a task or question one another’s ability.  At this stage typically there is conflict and the focus of the task is lost. 

Norming is the stage at which the team has established rules and a sense of organisation.  They fit into their roles and the focus is on the task and progress is made. 

Performing is when both the relationship of the member and the focus on the task are equal and the team are working together. At this final stage the work is being produced efficiently and usually at a good standard.

One of the most academic teams I have been a part of has been a team of three when writing an assignment about motivation.  The team included Harry Young, Gina McCaffrey and myself.  The team did not seem to follow Tuckman’s theory however this may have been that as individuals we already knew one another and as a class already form a group so we did not pass through the forming and storming stages as we already anticipated one another’s personalities and actions.  The intensity of the group working together was not much as we did not spend much time together and the importance of the task was not extremely high therefore the pressure on group members was not enough to cause stress and conflict.  Even without passing through the stages of Tuckmans theory and not spending large amounts of time together to write the assignment a well written piece of work was produced which was rewarded with a respectable grade, showing a degree of success.

Employees of P3 the best company to work for according to The Sunday Times survey must be so successful because of its teamwork.  As it is a charity there will be low wages and employees will not be motivated by monetary materials but by the atmosphere and feeling of achievement developed by the team.  P3 is a company based around people, potential and possibility.  It has been up and running for 40years, successfully helping vulnerable people in the most deprived places in the U.K.  The Sunday times describes P3’s success as ‘P3's victory lies not in big pay and bonuses — the average salary of a support worker is just over £17,000 and only six of the 262 staff earn more than £35,000 — but rather in its supportive, inclusive culture which promotes control, choice and independence for staff as well as clients.’ (Sue Leonard, 2010)  This is strongly supported by the Chief executive Martin Kinsella saying: ‘People who come to work for us do not want to make a million pounds or be the next X Factor winner but to do something to make a difference.’  Employees love working for the company and get a real sense of achievement out of it. They are supported by all superior staff and often enjoy teambuilding and training days, making employees feel up to speed with the latest information.

Hitting the number two spot of the best company to work for is company Luminus, a community housing company.  Luminus is involved in all aspects of housing and with a small workforce of 287 it is obvious each employee works extremely hard and is stimulated and inspired by the work they do.  Ranking second in the Sunday times survey strongly suggests each team feels like a small family and to further these bonds the Chief executive of the company organises a luminous conference involving, ‘the winner of our special award for leadership. Birthdays and achievements are celebrated and feedback from customers is read out. Thank-you dinners, letters from Abraham, and £25 and £50 rewards are given to hard-working employees who go the extra mile.’ (Sunday times, 2010)  The relationship between employees shows great teamwork and the openness between the Chief executive and other employees makes them feel appreciated as he wants then to share ideas and comments with him.  There are opportunities for employees to improve their skills with ‘The training budget allocates an average of £509 per employee every year. There is a range of opportunities on offer, from NVQs to a leadership academy, and personal development courses run by experts in the workforce such as photography and the good food club.’ (Sunday times, 2010)  Employees are extremely happy here with a good balance between work and home life explaining why Luminus achieved rank two in such a survey.

References

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7030218.ece

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/best_100_tables/