Management & Leadership

Management & Leadership

TOC o “1-3” h z u 1.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc467563769 h 12.0 Potential resources and skills gaps relating to the changes necessary to the meet organisational objectives PAGEREF _Toc467563770 h 22.1 My personal, professional plan PAGEREF _Toc467563771 h 5Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc467563772 h 7List of References PAGEREF _Toc467563773 h 8Appendices PAGEREF _Toc467563774 h 10
1.0 IntroductionSekoal Branded Footwear is a popular producer of quality footwear and has an average of 400 employees who work at Rushden, Northamptonshire. The company was established in the late 1970s, and since then, it has undergone diversification to different regions across the globe such as Asia in search of cheap labour and raw materials to reduce the cost of production. The company focuses on the traditional fashion of footwear and the average time of production is eight weeks. The company emphasises on its traditional technique of production. Nevertheless, there has been an increase in concern as the company has witnessed inconsistencies in sales performance and low-quality products. In addition, the customer service is rated as poor; thus, there is a need for improvement in its efficacy. A people strategy was implemented whose focus was to give line managers for HRM activities the responsibility to enhance quality, sales, and customer services. The HR policy involved three major aspects that include productivity management, reformation of the compensation package, and a ‘build’ recruitment approach.

There is a need to identify the prospective resource skills gap in relation to the changes that are required to meet the organisational goals. As well, taking the role of a line manager, ways of creating a personal, professional plan will be evaluated.
2.0 Potential resources and skills gaps relating to the changes necessary to the meet organisational objectivesA skill gap refers to an essential gap between the skills requirements of an organisation and the existing capacity of the workforce. At this point, the Sekoal lacks the capacity to advance and compete effectively because it does not have the skills needed to achieve productivity and meet organisational goals. According to Phoosawad et al. (2014: 70), a mismatch of the existing skills and the organisational needs is the most common way to identify organisational needs. It is apparent that Sekoal Branded Footwear is facing skill gaps. The current skills are related to human resource (HR) management. HR skills are essential for any organisation and the HR experts and managers play a vital role in organising people to facilitate efficient performance (Jackson et al. 2014: 1). It involves treating people as key assets of the organisation. The organisation has considerable employee evaluation skills; thus; it is easy to identify a drop in performance and effectiveness. An efficient performance appraisal strategy is a vital element of the HR management team. The management team at Sekoal Branded Footwear keeps the organisational mission in mind when dealing with the workforce and has implemented various strategies to support productivity and the achievement of organisational goals. Also, the management team seems well prepared to take action related to the changing times.
Nevertheless, according to Kehoe and Wright (2013: 366), any good HR team wants to improve its capability. It starts with a desire for progress and an in-depth understanding of the aspects needed for achieving the progress. The effectiveness of the HR team is an essential element because the team is responsible for administrative and strategic roles of the organisation (Phoosawad et al. 2014). It plays a vital role in identifying skill gaps and finding the right talent to fill the gaps. In this case, it is apparent Sekoal is experiencing skill gaps. First, the organisation lacks innovativeness. From the case study, the organisation has maintained its traditional means of production. On the last few decades, innovation has become a critical skill for organisational success. There is a continuous need for innovative problem solving as effective solutions require creative insights. As well, the company has witnessed a reduction in sales coupled with negative customer feedback. The potential job designs and descriptions include innovation manager and a customer service manager. Recruitment is needed because there is a determined vacancy in the organisation; nevertheless, the organisation may develop these skills in its employees. Effective customer service requires employees to possess various skills such as empathy, positivity, patience, and effective communication. Customer service is not an easy task. At times customers will express anger and will require employees to make extra effort to ensure that their needs are adequately addressed (Snyder and Tai 2014: 254). These skills will assist in service delivery and improve the way of doing things.
With regards to Khalid et al.(2016:326), innovativeness is mainly linked to the establishment of novel products but can also involve changing the traditional way of conducting business. If Sekoal focuses on developing innovativeness in its business strategy, it will ensure that every individual in the organisation is working towards the achievement of enhanced practices, business efficacy, and productivity. The organisation is responsible for encouraging innovativeness by creating an environment that supports creative thinking and sharing of ideas, opinions, and experiences (Torrington et al. 2014). In an organisation with an innovative culture, employees can share ideas and concerns freely without fear of criticism. Moreover, the HR team should focus on hiring individuals with a range of perspectives, as well as those who understand and fit into the organisational culture. The organisation should implement training programs to inspire advanced thoughts and approaches. It will provide employees with additional skills and knowledge to the existing ideas.
Moreover, the organisation may consider changing the existing structure. Organization flexibility is an important aspect in the modern times as it gives room for development. The organisation and the employees should portray high levels of flexibility to ensure that the organisational needs are met. Some things need to be adjusted so that the organisational strategy addresses the needs of the organisation and those of the employees. According to Pilbeam (2010), adaptation is difficult for a rigid organisation. The fact that Sekoal has emphasised on its traditional techniques of conducting business indicates its rigid nature. Sekoal must identify ways of incorporating new technology into the existing techniques. Flexibility is needed for organisational growth as change is an inevitable process. A flexible organisation provides employees with a range of choices; thus, they can fulfil personal and organisational goals.
In addition, employee training will facilitate the development of the skills required in the organisation to achieve its goals. Employee training is the duty of the organisation; nevertheless, employee advancement develops from the effort of the management and individual employees. The management is responsible for providing the necessary resources and the environment required for personal development. Employee development describes the process of strategic enhancement of the employee’s professional skills, and development programs are imperative in this process (Parris and Peachey 2013:377). Nevertheless, the program cannot be successful if the employees do not take personal initiative to respond and utilise such opportunities effectively. First, employees must possess a positive attitude when undertaking development programs; or else, it would be impossible to succeed. Employees have an obligation to ensure that they gain as much as possible from training programs. Moreover, employees need to put effort towards the achievement of personal goals. Even though organisations may offer tuition benefits for employees for developing their skills, employees have to commit their time towards development. As well, the organisation may pay seminars for the employees; even so, employees must opt to invest their time in learning and gain profession growth. Gurdjian et al. (2014:121) report that at times, employees treat seminars as moments of retreat, which hinder achievement of professional skills.
2.1 My personal, professional planIf I were one of the line managers at Sekoal, taking into account the need to see sustainable change in the finished products, I would create a personal, professional plan for myself. The personal, professional development plan will document personal goals, the needed skills, competence, and the objectives I will have to meet in the development process. The first step involves individual analysis personal strengths and weaknesses to identify the current skills and those needed for this position. Firstly, I am flexible. Flexibility is an important skill because it is linked to a wide range of benefits. Managers should be flexible because flexibility is a source of opportunities and individuals who are able to adapt to changing environments have proved to be valuable assets of the organisation. Employees do not have to follow a traditional work structure; hence, it is important for managers to allow for employee flexibility as it creates a positive culture that benefits the organisation. Stress is a common factor that impacts employees productivity (Bach 2012). Therefore, it is likely that stress is a key factor that contributes to low productivity at Sekoal. A flexible work structure leads the development of an environment for improved management and one that balances work with personal demands.
Secondly, a strong manager leads by example. I am empathetic and patient. These are key skills required to achieve excellent customer service. As observed in the case, one of the issues in the company is ineffective customer service. Empathy is needed in customer service to help them become happy and successful. It refers to the ability to share and understand the emotions of other people. As a line manager, I will act as a good example to the employees in demonstrating empathy by reshaping customer experiences. Patience is a powerful skill in customer service and facilitates delivery of excellent customer care service (Snyder and Tai 2014). It is important to listen to the issues the customers have to present before making a judgment. This skill goes hand in hand with effective communication.
Effective communication is one of the skills that I need to enhance. The skill is essential for organisational success because it improves customer service. When employees are able to communicate effectively with the customers, they understand their needs and put effort to ensure they are satisfied (Barrett and Mayson 2008). Also, without effective communication, it is impossible as a role manager to make employees understand what they are required to achieve. I will seek to achieve powerful written and spoken communication, collaborative problem solving and improved listening skills.
In this position, I also need to enhance my level of innovativeness. Innovativeness will be an important skill in facilitating the achievement of organisational goals. The ability to innovate means that I will have the capacity to introduce new and efficient ways of doing things in the organisation. An innovative leader embraces ideas and supports development of an environment whereby employees are provided with the necessary resources and status to attain personal development (Bach 2012). To achieve this skill, I will constantly communicate and work jointly with others because effective innovation necessitates for a high level of collaborativeness. According to Khalid et al. (2016: 326), innovativeness does not occur in a vacuum. Thus, I will develop and support lively, energetic network between people and the organisation. Rather than viewing associations as challenges, I will view them as opportunities to enhance on weak aspects and discover opportunities for growth.
In addition, practice improves creativity. It is reported that practice enhances a
person’s ability to think creatively. I will require a greater understanding of both the
employees and the customers and extend my knowledge on leadership. Thus, I feel
it is essential to undertake a short leadership and customer relation courses. Also, a
training program on organisational communication will play a vital role in sharpening
my communication skills. I will evaluate my skills through course assessments and
organisational performance appraisals. I hope to achieve with these skills by July
2017. Performance evaluation is conducted twice in a year; therefore, by December
2017, I will have the opportunity to identify any improvement in collaborativeness,
innovative, as and overall performance within my line of supervision.
What are my development
objectives? Priority What activities do I need to undertake to achieve my objectives? What support/resources do I need to achieve my objectives Target date for achieving my objectives Actual date of achieving my objectives
Decide how much flexible me and my organization can be Adopt flexible management skills Invite conversations with employees
Develop solutions that are mutually beneficial
Support team work
Approaches problems collaboratively Formal and informal management policies
Support from colleagues and employees January 2017 January 23, 2017
Understand employees situations, weaknesses, and strengths
Establish effective communication Explain employees my expectations
Recognize personal responsibilities of the employees
Create flexible work schedules
Assign employee different projects Effectual communication channels
Personal information on family responsibilities
Support from fellow staff by working as a team February 2017 February 30, 2017
Lead by example Develop empathy and patience Incorporate and integrate social emotions of both the employees and customers
Developing bonding relations with employees and customers
Listen to issues without making judgment
Recognize the needs and concerns of customers and employees and ensure they are satisfied Effective communication channels
Productive feedback systems
Willingness from employees to develop bonding relationships
The management team should support this idea April 2017 April 30, 2017
Enhance my communication skills Communicate effectively with colleagues, employees Become an active listener
Pay attention to nonverbal cues
Maintain eye contact
Ask questions
Develop powerful written communication and collaborative problem-solving
Learn an additional international language Effective communication tools such as online platforms and phone system
Training classes on organizational effective communication
Collaboration with the maintaining team May 2017 May 31, 2017
Enhance my level of innovativeness Gain the ability to think creatively Always embrace other people’s ideas
Constantly communicate and work jointly with others
Develop and support lively, energetic network between people
View challenges as opportunities
Gain a greater understanding of the employees and the customers Support from colleagues through by maintaining an active network
Innovative management team
Effective communication tools
Positivity from employees
Leadership and customer relation course June 2017 June 20, 2017
Review Date:
July 29, 2017
ConclusionIn summary, this paper has identified the prospective resource skill gap in relation to the changes that are required to meet the organisational goals at Sekoal Branded Footwear. Taking the role of a line manager, ways of creating a personal, professional plan have been evaluated. The company is facing some issues such a lack of rigidity in business operations, poor quality products, effective customer service, and reduction in sales. Even though the company has effective HR management skills, there is a notable skill gap in relation to the current organisational needs. The organisation includes innovativeness, flexibility, as well as empathy, patience, communication skills needed for effective customer service. As a line manager, I will have to implement ways of enhancing my communication skills and innovativeness. My greatest strengths in this position include empathy and flexibility. The two skills are imperative for driving the organisation towards the achievement of its goals.
List of ReferencesBach, S., 2012. Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition, 5th ed. Wiley
Barrett, R. and Mayson, S., 2008. International Handbook of Entrepreneurship and HRM. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Ltd
Gurdjian, P., Halbeisen, T. and Lane, K., 2014. Why leadership-development programs fail. McKinsey quarterly, 1, pp.121-126.
Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S. and Jiang, K., 2014. An aspirational framework for strategic human resources management. The Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), pp.1-56.
Kehoe, R.R. and Wright, P.M., 2013. The impact of high-performance human resource practices on employees’ attitudes and behaviours. Journal of Management, 39(2), pp.366-391.
Khalid, N., Pahi, M.H. and Abdullah, S.B., 2016. Investigating the Moderation of Organizational Culture on the Relationship between Innovativeness, Reactiveness, and Risk-Taking Propensity with Business Performance: A Case of Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 6(10), pp.326-338.
Parris, D.L. and Peachey, J.W., 2013. A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organisational contexts. Journal of business ethics, 113(3), pp.377-393.
Phoosawad, S., Fongsuwan, W. and Trimetsoontorn, J., 2014. Leadership, Management Skills, and Organization Innovation Affecting Auto Parts Organization Performance. Research Journal of Business Management, 8(2), pp.70-88.
Pilbeam, S., 2010. People Resourcing and Talent Planning: HRM in practice. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education UK.
Snyder, D.J. and Tai, A.P., 2014. Customer Satisfaction At Low-Cost Airlines: A Case Study Of Jetstar Pacific Airlines (JPA). In Proceeding of the Clute Institute International Academic Conference (pp. 254-265).
Torrington, D., Taylor, S., Hall, L. and Atkinson, C., 2014. Human Resource Management, 9th ed. Harlow: Pearson/Financial Times Press.
nd.: University of Notre Dame Press