When preparing your response, take into consideration the following issues: Leadership and Motivation Workplace Communication Conflict Management Compensation and Benefits Administration
As the Manager -Legal Services, advise on the course of action that should be taken to protect the financial situation and stability of Tuff Technologies Limited. When preparing your response, take into consideration the following issues:
- Leadership and Motivation
- Workplace Communication
- Conflict Management
- Compensation and Benefits Administration
For a company to survive and grow, the management control systems should be designed to provide timely inputs and adequate standards and actionable steps to overcome deficiencies. However, when there are significant challenges to the functioning of the company that result in adverse results such as financial losses, employee turnover, and so on, it would be better to look at address those challenges by modifying the management control systems.
Tuff Technologies Limited, has a pan-North American operation and has been facing challenges in one of its geographical locations - Canada. The continuing financial losses and escalating employee relations made the company attempt to tackle these issues with a change in the executive management. The company has had some success in a turnaround of its financial results in the first quarter of 2002. This has been brought about by a complete change in the management style of the new EVP, who has adopted more centralization in decision-making. The company's union is unhappy as also managers who are looking to part ways with the company.
There is thus a need to address the non-financial issues in a constructive and collaborative manner so that the employees in the Canada branch can feel happier working for Tuff.
The Manager - Legal services could provide the following steps for improving the current situation:
1. The first and foremost step should be to improve communication and provide information in a transparent and timely manner. The townhalls should be restored and used as the forum to inform employees of the challenges that the company faces and the tough decisions needed to be made. It is also necessary to reassure employees that their jobs would be protected and their opinions would be sought in matters that affect them although vindictive or disrespectful comments would not be encouraged. If the townhalls cannot be held, managers should be allowed to conduct brief floor meetings to discuss their departmental changes. The employee concerns across departments can then be consolidated and presented to the higher management. In any case, constant communication is necessary and the newsletter cannot be used as the only avenue.
2. The management style of the new executive should be accommodative of the culture of Tuff, which has been one of collaboration. Therefore, while proposing any new decisions, it is necessary to take the managers into confidence and convince them of the necessity of those decisions. They should be empowered to suggest alternatives through better process control, cost management, and so on. Managers should be allowed autonomy to translate the plans into action by appropriately managing the employees under them. If managers cannot act with freedom, they will be merely executing orders, and may not be motivated to achieve efficiencies or identify gaps in employee performance. The executive management should remember that the managers who implement the plans can be motivated and provide leadership only when their responsibilities are balanced by appropriate autonomy. Adequate periodic review of managers will be sufficient rather than a heavy hand at all times.
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