Monday, January 27, 2020

PolyProd: Organisational Problems and Solutions

PolyProd: Organisational Problems and Solutions It appears that Roberta Jackson is trying to make improvements to the current information management practices. Roberta is an experienced first-level manager working in the headquarters site for the manufacturing and distribution divisions for PolyProd. Although she has acknowledged it will not be an easy task to make such improvements, she identifies that not making such improvements could impact PolyProd millions of dollars in future cost of direct expenses. It could also impact long-term market shares because they would decline in PolyProd products. The task/goal is to change the documentation processes and procedures because there is so much room for errors and manipulation of documents as it goes through many hands of people (Cummings Worley, 2012). There are many obstacles when trying to improve the way some tasks are done, they include, but limited to, an organizations resistance to change, culture and trust issues, and the willingness to learn. Further details will be provid ed within questions 2-4. Problem and Diagnosis: Very similar to many other organizations, creating change in the way a business handles its procedures is always difficult. Due to the size of an organization, the number of employees, the various beliefs and personalities, missions and visions, creating change can be very challenging and difficult. One of the main problems with PolyProd is that it is a big organization that rapidly grew and continues to for 11 years. Because of this rapid growth, PolyProd focuses on increased speed intricacy, and expense of their unique high-volume automated manufacturing processes that produces products. The system that is currently in place at PolyProd is struggling to keep up with the growth; with exponential increase in locations, sales, capital equipments, product lines and personnel support systems such as information and knowledge management system. Secondly, PolyProd has hired temporary and inexperienced personnel which also contribute to the problem. Hiring temporary and inexperienced employees makes it difficult for PolyProd to maintain their culture. According to the case study, over the last several years, there has been friction between the headquarters and the other locations, and the friction is getting worse. There is a disconnect between them both because the other locations feel that the headquarters have demanding attitudes and are also patronizing them. The headquarters on the other hand feel as those they dislike the individualism of those locations. One thing that is evident in the case study is that the headquarters have a strong resistance to change and synchronizes the other locations when it comes to single processes or technology. The case study also acknowledges that there were attempts to create change in the past but have been doomed to failure for the headquarters find such change to be too risky. The key organizational problems at PolyProd are (1) the culture of an organization is difficult to change, because it is what molds the organization. PolyProd has a long history of being a conservative organization who resists change. (2) PolyProd has been rapidally growth in and it makes it hard for the organization to maintain some type of order and conformity. A hard and expensive task that can be done includes creating a new information management system that can update and conform itself and then maintaining that system. (3) The organization experiencing some type of difficulties in having a unified culture because of rapid hiring, insufficient mentoring for employees, promotions, massive outsourcing and also downsizing certain competencies. The organization extensively hires temporary employees which impacts the culture at PolyProd. Since PolyProd is growing rapidly, it is imperative to have a strong culture foundation. If nothing is done from the three listed, PolyProd can exp erience a great impact on revenue and profits which comes from the expansion of the manufacturing and distribution departments; and needs to be addressed in order for the organization to be successful. Problems with Documentation: there is a lack of trust for the documentation system. Since there has been bad past experiences on outdated and incorrect information, there has been a lack of trust for the documentation system. The design department, employees and management at the headquarters are dissatisfied with the documentation system. Secondly, the high manufacturing system, that allows products to be scanned for quality is to high-controlled and could possibly deem products as bad causing a huge loss in quantity in products. In order for me to convince Stewart Jones, it is important to present him with facts, proves, examples, on information that is accessible to employees. Assuming that Stewart Jones is a very busy man, it is a great idea to present the information in a manner that gets straight to the point and provides much detail that he can look after our meeting. Providing a small 3-5 page recommendation report and visual aid should be created during a 30 minute meeting. Within that recommendation report, it is important to create a successful strategy that provides positive outcomes to implement a general organization vision, mission, and/or strategy in creating a documentation system. Also addressed would be the differences within each department and how there is a huge lack of information sharing and communication among departments and locations within the organization. The first solution is implementing a system that can gain the approval and trust among the headquarters management. It is up to them to be willing enough to change their minds and be open to a new and improved program. In order for this to be achieved, awareness needs to be created (Cummings Worley, 2012). Showing how the change is imperative to the success of the company will be an ongoing process and should be reflected in the actions of throughout all management at PolyProd. Failure to do so can destroy the organization slowly. When trying to implement change, leaders are needed to motivate their employees and show them the right way of doing things, and this cannot be done unless the leaders themselves truly believes and trust the change also. Next, PolyProd should create a stronger vision and conformity among the different departments within the organization. Because the organization is growing so rapidly, the lines of communication among employees is diminishing and lack of shared information and knowledge. Empowering managers in the shared vision and shared knowledge to higher needs can be done in hopes of bringing the departments together and having meetings and share the new information technologies. With PolyProd being a huge company, empowering managers and leaders to shift power down from the top of the organizational hierarchy is a great weigh in creating new leaders among their subordinates. The third solution is to implement and sustain a successful and competent hiring of new permanent employees while maintaining a standard for current employees (Cummings Worley, 2012). The culture of PolyProd is changing because of the separation of a shared culture and beliefs. With the ongoing hire of temporary employees, t he organization will continue to breed a culture where temporary employees that lack the skills, knowledge and abilities to connect to the shared goals of the organization. Management has to understand the importance of personal qualities for leading diverse employees. With PolyProd having so many locations worldwide, having a personal, long-term and long-range vision will recognize and support a diverse organizational community. Adaptation is a great way to bring many diverse backgrounds together. It is not forcing them together but slowly integrating them to work as one body. With the organization having interest in a unified culture and emphasizing it, PolyProd can develop a strong culture that encourages teamwork, collaboration, and trust. There are many reasons for failure to change and adapt, according to authors Thomas Cummings and Christopher Worley. A primary solution is better change leadership. Leaders are role models for change and they can provide the motivation and communication that keeps the new change moving forward in the positive direction (Cummings Worley, 2012). There are five important steps when implementing change, they include: motivating change, establish a vision, develop political support, manage the transition and sustainability within the change. My solution would be to focuses on leadership, the system, and the trust and willingness within upper management. It is a great ambition to overcome resistance to change. Leadership can help Roberta by implementing a vision for PolyProd that all employees can understand. Next, a strategy should have the ability to empower all managers within each location and departments to make sure that everyone is on the same track. Apart of implementing change ca n assure that PolyProd has established that there culture has shared vision and beliefs. Besides leadership, sharing knowledge and technology is key to a successful organizational change. The next step would entail leadership to manage the change transition from its current state to the new ideal/desired state. Implementing the information management system can help share networks among all locations including the headquarters and will create a positive and successful change at PolyProd. After implementing the change, the managers can closely monitor and also participate in the employee feedback surveys that will be distribute to employees at least three times a year, or the preference of leadership (Cummings Worley, 2012). Data will be collected to view the progress of PolyProd. With the new system, and sharing a culture of knowledge and technology, PolyProd can maintain unified and can achieve goals and obtain profits from their products.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Safeguarding Case Study

Unit 3 Safeguarding the welfare of children and young people 2. 3a Case Study Chris works as a teaching assistant in a local primary school. As a group of Year 5 children were getting changed for PE, Chris noticed bruising in lines across the back of a boy called Marc. He asked Marc how he had hurt himself but he said, â€Å"It’s nothing† and quickly put on his top. As Marc left the room he approached Chris and said, â€Å"Please don’t say anything to Mum, or Uncle Paul will be cross with me. * Why does Chris need to take action about this? Describe the action that Chris should take. As Chris works as a teaching assistant and he has seen the bruising on Marcs back, he has to acknowledge that Marc may be being physically abused and this is why he has to report it immediately. Physical abuse is a result of excessive discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate for the childs age. Unfortunately, some children may try to justify for the abusive behaviour or try to hide the physical abuse in fear that it may continue or get worse.If Chris does not act upon what he has seen, it is more than likely that Marc will continue to suffer physical abuse, which if left unreported may have a serious effect on Marcs well-being or life. Therefore, it is Chris’s duty as a teaching assistant to follow the procedures regarding suspected abuse. Chris has to be very sensitive in this case and he has to take what Marc has said very seriously as children rarely lie about physical abuse and it probably took a lot of courage just for Marc to ask Chris not to tell his mum or uncle.It is important for Chris to reassure Marc and tell him that he will have to tell someone who can help him. It is not Chris’s responsibility to draw conclusions, it is only his responsibility to report what he has seen an what he has been told. Chris has a statutory duty under the Education Act 2002, to report his concerns to his senior manager. He is then to write a report explaining exactly what he saw and exactly what was said to him.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Face of Freedom Essay

Read the question below and use your knowledge of the time period to write your response. You are welcome to refer back to the lesson; however, all writing should be in your own words. Question: Explain how freedoms for African Americans were socially, politically, and economically limited from 1865 to 1900? Your response should consist of at least three paragraphs including one paragraph for each of the following: social limitations political limitations economic limitations You should also include at least one person, term, or event from the lesson in each paragraph. African Americans were heavily persecuted in the time period, the late 1800’s as they faced various obstacles that threatened their social, political, and economic freedoms. African Americans struggled to get jobs, even more sparingly was equal pay. They had limits on places they could go to, punishable by ample time in jail. The weren’t able to get a high class job like us Americans. African Americans were not allowed to marry the white or go to the same schools. The African Americans had a hard time living in the 1800’s. Jim Crow’s law is a great example for this. African Americans were prevented from exercising their new political rights. The Klu Klux Klan were an extremist group that were against the African American. They Intimidated the voters, burned schools, and destroyed homes that belonged to black people and even antagonized the white folks who saw African Americans as people. Also, politicians and other people who strongly disliked African Americans made literacy tests and poll taxes in order to keep African Americans from voting as the tests and the tax sometimes were not enacted upon the white people. African Americans still had limited economic freedom even after the end of the Civil War. The biggest problem after the Civil War but did not know exactly where to go, especially in the South. The traveled far away, some stayed and did hard labor due to they didn’t have any where else to go or nobody to see. Not everyone was able to acquire their own land, which created the poverty of sharecropping. An example of limitation also is the black codes. The African Americans had to work hard, but is also helped maintain a cheap source of farm labor and sustain social hierarchy.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Essay on The Purpose of a Public School Education

As an educator, living in a country where public schools are not as praised, or in the eye of the public, are not as strong as they are in other countries, I constantly ponder about the question: what is the purpose of public school education? Lots do not contemplate about the purpose of public schools, forgetting that this question is probably at the base of all schooling. As I started to dig deeper into this topic and really think about the purpose of public school education, I took to my fellow colleagues to ask them what they think it is. The results of our discussions and conversations were astounding, and I realized that many teachers never really took the time to think about this. Their definitions about education in itself, as†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, many believe that what it means to educate is to train students in the main subjects, such as Math, Science, English, and History. However, I believe that our society is much more complicated than what is covered in these subjects. I also believe that it is not only ineffective to force students to learn, but it is also unjust. Most people believe that the need for a strong public school system is for social justice. They believe that the system molds citizens into democratic citizens. Indeed, all that was mentioned are wonderful goals, but the reality of the public school system does not reflect this â€Å"ideal school system†. Once we delve into the depths of most public school systems we do not find a system that promotes democracy. Instead we find an organization that is outdated, constructed on social hierarchies, that disregards everything we know about effective organizations and cognitive development. We find an institution that disempowers people, forcing them to do things against their will; all while stressing that it is for their own good. If a â€Å"modern-day† democratic societ y is a society in which people are collectively in control of their lives and of their community, then our â€Å"modern-day† public school system is indeed anti-democratic. (Loder, 2006) IShow MoreRelatedThe Purpose Of Public School Education1678 Words   |  7 PagesThe purpose of public school education is to provide students with the tools and skills to continue to higher education, and to help them pursue their goals and dreams in life. It is meant to provide inspiring, positive and culturally affirming experiences that make students excited to learn and succeed. While many students are prepared properly in public schools, this is not true for all. 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