Discussion 8 questions

Discussion Questions
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From a personal experience, Theory X is a great management style since the managers believe that the other employees at the company require some mode of motivation to work best (Nolan & Johnson, 2011). The manager believes that workers lack ambition and morale requires him or her to introduce some incentives in order to make the human service at the company to increase their level of productivity (Zeiger, 2013). This was a great success at the company since most workers were willing to work for extra hours and finish the job in the time since they were guaranteed a bonus on every extra time they remained in the office to work on a given task. However, the manager employed an authoritarian leadership style to assign the duties and any person chosen to work on a task could not contest on that directive (Helm, 2012). However, this method was successful in the company since most of the employees were always in need of some extra money to manage their livelihoods back at their respective homes (Kanter, 2009)
Every Company seeks to have an organizational culture that is client focused since this model puts the customer needs first during the presentation of solutions and provision of support services. All employees within the company work behind the scene to ensure that the customer gets quality products and promptly (What makes managing a non-profit different? 2013). In this case, excellence in customer service becomes the order in which things are done in the company.

An organization is likely to lose a large customer base when it does not focus on the provision of good customer service. Good customer service culture makes customers come for more, hence promoting loyalty between the customer and the company. When a Company loses focus on this culture, the employees tend to underperform their duties since they do not focus on the client needs anymore. As a manager, the delegation of duties to the different departments will be harder since the other employees have lost focus on the culture and thus a decrease in the productivity levels (Kardas, 2010). In this case, the company will lose the profits it used to enjoy due to a very thin market share that consume the Company’s product. As the profits reduce, the popularity of the company reduces and hence the shareholders will opt to sell their shares so that they can invest in a more successful company that will generate more profits for them.
The article points out that those new employees require adequate training on how the Company needs them to work on certain tasks. Companies have different systems of performing their duties and different production methods, hence requiring a company to invest in training new recruits so that they can produce as per the standards stated by the Company (Jelovac, Wal&Jelovac, 2011). On the other hand, the Author stipulates that employees of a company need to attend frequently training for them to gain more knowledge in the industry. As technology advances, the methods of production or service provision keep changing and this can be enhanced in a Company when the employees are exposed to more training frequently so as to improve the methods of production and service provision within the company (Bradt, 2012). In this case, the company is able to be at per with other competitors within the market or make better Improvements on their products thus enlarging their customer base and more profits gained. This article provides information that support the readings provided in class. I conquer with the author’s approaches that training is a very important aspect within a company and it aids in knowledge enhancement, quality service provision and improvement in technology used at the Company.
Leaders have the responsibility of organizing teams and assigning tasks. However, a leader is required to have skills to deal with some difficult employees who may be having technicalities within the team (Nolan & Johnson, 2011). From a personal experience, I was in a team of staff members with whom we were supposed to produce a marketing plan which the Company would use during the Christmas Eve. However, the team leader that was given the mandate of providing the management with the ongoing report on the progress of team was always absent during the meetings. One day he came while under the influence of alcohol and slept the whole time. The other members were not contented by his character and hence decide to seek intervention from the Human resource manager who later questioned the team leader about his behavior. It came to be noticed that he had some domestic problems that made him always absent from the meeting or even come late for the meeting since he was so stressed about his problems. However, the manager encouraged him to speak out his issues so that other team members may help him with necessary advice. Moreover, the manager points out that a team is always made for the workers to work closely and keep them together. This enables them to share their issues that arise and help each other solve them in any possible way (Behavioral minute). Dan Ariely points out that a good manager should be free with other employees and help them in any possible means that he or she can (Ariely, 2013). Being free with employees enables a manager to be close to his or her employees and assist the manager to know the strengths and weaknesses of each employee (Paarlberg & Lavigna, 2010).
I once happened to be engaged in an organic team of employees that were tasked with coming up with a plan for an year end party. In the team, all members were entitled to give an opinion on what they thought about the arising suggestions. There was a free flow of information between members and no one was forced to contribute on any issues since there was no supervision from the management (Characteristics of effective teams). Members were chosen from the different department since the subject did not entail any professionalism. However, the team members were always cooperative and always willing to give views on different points that were raised in the meetings. As an organic team, it enables flexibility within the team and hence members could be free and this promoted the success of the team. However, the non-organic method is always effective when dealing with matters that require utmost attention and immediate solutions (Fetzer, 2009). This might include those issues dealing with organizational culture or structures employed in running the company. Unlike the Organic teams, a non-organic team is usually formal and entails more supervision and concentration on the issues discussed (Block, 2012).
A 360-Degree performance review is a multi-rater and a feedback system that is used to assess the employee performance in a company (Gallagher, 2008). The information extracted is later incorporated into that particular individual’s performance review. The goal of this concept is to understand how the workers function as part of the team and enhance the ways the team members can work together. This is a unique and interesting way of evaluating an employee rather than getting information from a direct supervisor who may be biased. This strategy is also flexible to all employees since they are able to provide feedback on their progress. This tool used by the organizations that have put their focus on employee development and they use it to assess the potential and performance of the senior and middle-level staff (Better evaluation). This tool is also used in mapping the career path of an employee based on the feedbacks provided. However, this tool is difficult to administer and hence requires a skilled person to aid other employees to understand how to use it. Moreover, an extension of the exchange feedbacks may cause troubles and more tension on some employees (Lalayants, 2012). The feedback can also be useless when one does not deal with it carefully and smoothly.
The world is becoming a small and a more interdependent place. Most of the economic and demographics forces that are shaping the challenges of human service are also common in other nations too (Oghojafor, Idowu&Oj, 2012). Populations in most of the countries are rapidly aging and hence there is a greater need of human services in some countries. There is an increase in the number of mobile population and those migrating across borders, hence making it more difficult to address the problems related to social services that are within the isolated national context (Jigsaw, 2011). Moreover, the effects of recession around the globe have created an increase in rates of unemployment in most of the countries. Different governments are also contemplating on bringing the budget gaps under full control and reduce the expenses incurred on social welfare. Given these challenges affecting the entire globe, there is a dire need for human service leaders to connect with the entire world, benchmark the work within their respective countries against that of other countries and leverage some of the global models to improve the performance in their respective countries (Hansell, 2012).
During the recent change that occurred at my workplace, the process conducted by management was not as smooth as it was intended to be. Some of the employees had much tension of losing their positions to other new employees who had been recruited the previous month. Other employees who had been waiting for promotions were also worrying about their chances of getting the bigger positions that had been vacated by the retired workers. These are some of the things that the management should have prevented but they seemed to have neglected the feeling s of other workers. During that week, the level of productivity from the staff was very low due to a low self-esteem at work. As a manager, I would examine the emotions of the workers towards the intended move since it may negatively affect the entire group of employees and some of the acquisitions deals may be affected too(National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care, 2011). I would also communicate on the decisions that indirectly or directly affect the employees so as to avoid propagation of rumors around the Company (Oftelie, Booth &Wareing, 2012).
References
Nolan, T., & Johnson, K. (2011). The Essential Handbook for Human Service Leaders. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing.
Helm, S. (2012, Summer). Nonprofit management isn’t a game. Nonprofit Quarterly, 22-27. Retrieved from http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/management/20780-nonprofit-management-isnt-a-game.html 
Kanter, R. (2009). What would Peter say? Harvard Business Review, 87(11), 64-70. 
Zeiger, S. (2013). The difference between a classical management theory and human relations theory. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-classical-management-theory-human-relations-theory-35928.htmlKardas, C. L. (2010). The power of nonprofits: Analyzing the organization’s culture. Retrieved from http://www.ctnonprofits.org/ctnonprofits/sites/default/files/fckeditor/file/resources/publications/NPA-articles/ThePowerofNonprofits.pdf 
What makes managing a non-profit different? (2013, March). [Video file – 12:37 minutes]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/UUnXueCkrzgBradt, G. (2012). “Onboard” employees to attract and retain top talent. (2012). Nonprofit Business Advisor, (272), 4-5. doi:10.1002/nba 
Jelovac, D., Wal, Z., &Jelovac, A. (2011). Business and government ethics in the ‘new’ and ‘old’ EU: An empirical account of public-private value congruence in Slovenia and the Netherlands. Journal of Business Ethics, 103(1), 127-141. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-0846-5
Paarlberg, L. E., &Lavigna, B. (2010). Transformational leadership and public service motivation: Driving individual and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 70(5), 710-718.
Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work? (2013, April). [Video file – 20:26 mins]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_what_makes_us_feel_good_ab out_our_work.html 
Behavioral minute: Building reinforcement into your work. (2009, December). [Video file – 1:58 mins]. Retrieved from http://aubreydaniels.com/behavioral-minute-building-reinforcementyour-workBlock, J. (2012). Ten practical things you can do this month to enhance your board. Retrieved from http://www.501c3.org/blog/10-practicalthings-you-can-do-this-month-to-enhance-your-board/ 
Characteristics of effective teams: Examples and qualities. (2013). [Video file – 4:14 mins]. Retrieved from http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/characteristics-of-effective-teamsexamples-and-qualities.html#lessonFetzer, J. (2009). Quick, efficient, effective? Meetings. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 393(8), 1825-1827. doi:10.1007/s00216-009- 2645-8
Better evaluation. (n.d.). Participatory evaluation. Retrieved from http://betterevaluation.org/plan/approach/participatory_evaluationGallagher, T. (2008). 360-degree performance reviews offer valuable perspectives. Financial Executive, 24(10), 61.
Lalayants, M. (2012). Differential program evaluation model in child protection. Child Welfare, 91(4), 9-40. Read pp. 9-14 and 27-30.
Hansell, D. (2012). Think globally, serve locally: The US human service marketplace of the future and its place in the world. Policy & Practice, 70(5), 8-13, 37.
Jigsaw. (2011). Seeds of change planted in Thames, Whangarei. Retrieved from http://www.jigsaw.org.nz/Site/Campaigns/Many_Voices_One_Purpose .aspx 
Oghojafor, B., Idowu, A., &Oj, G. (2012). Application of management theories and philosophies in Nigeria and their associated problems. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(21), 72-81.
Comstock, B. (2013). Figure it out. Harvard Business Review, 91(5), 42. 
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care. (2011). Gaining buy-in from the front line during times of change. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/management/reform/soc/communicate/initiative/actionbriefs/briefs/GainingBuyInFromtheFrontLine.pdfOftelie, A. M., Booth, J., &Wareing, T. (2012). Leading change in human services. Policy & Practice, 70(3), 11-15.