Managerial issues

Managerial issues

Introduction

The management is an essential part of any organization because it is responsible for controlling all the activities in the firm. The management can affect the performance of the firm. Proper management can lead to the success of the organization, while poor management can lead to the failure of the firm. Successful management depends on the ability of the managers to handle managerial issues. Problems in management act as a threat to the success of the firm. There are various issues that can affect the management of a company. Some of these issues include reduced production, lack of training, workplace conflict, and poor interpersonal relationship in the workplace. A manager should have the ability to handle these issues to ensure that it does not harm the firm. This paper will focus on the issue of increasing productivity to an acceptable level, need assessment, and identification of solutions.

The client and the problem

As a manager, I need to solve the issue of increasing productivity in my area to an acceptable level. Productivity entails the net performance of different functional areas in the organization. The organization has different functional areas with different goals of performance. The production of these different functional areas influences the overall performance of the firm. In my area, there has been a decrease in the productivity of the area, which is a threat to the overall performance of the company. The client of this issue of increasing productivity is the manager of this particular area. This is because the manager has to formulate appropriate strategies that can increase the productivity of the area within the firm. The manager can influence the performance of the employees, which can have an impact on the productivity of the firm. The ability of the manager to have a positive influence on the employees will increase the productivity of the area, while the lack of ability to influence the staff will reduce the performance of the area. Relating to this problem, the manager must increase the productivity of the area to an acceptable level.

The main goal of my division is to have a continuous increase in productivity. It indicates that my area aims at having a constant rise in performance over some time. A reduction in the productivity of the area is against the primary goal of the division. Therefore, it shows that there is a managerial problem that needs to be addressed. The progress halt in attaining the purpose of my area, whereby there is a reduction in the performance of the area. The productivity data of the area can be used to substantiate this issue, whereby there is a notable decrease in productivity as compared to that of the previous periods. The issue of productivity in the area has lasted for some time, and therefore, there is a need to address it to avoid adverse outcomes to the firm. The manager of the functional area is the one who is involved in this issue since the productivity of the area depends on the ability of the manager. The manager communicates to the employees by giving them instructions and directions on how to perform their duties and responsibilities. The main contributor to this problem is the decision making a factor. The manager lacks proper decision-making skills, which can increase the performance of the area. The technical expertise and training of the employees also contribute to the issue. The staff in my functional area lack adequate training, and therefore, they do not have the necessary technical skills, which can improve the productivity of the area. There are various ethical issues that relate to this issue of productivity in my functional area. One of the main ethical issues is the unequal treatment of the employees in the area. The division manager discriminates some employees, whereby promotion is given to some employees on an unfair basis. The ethical issue has not been handled, which makes it hard for the employees to cooperate, thus reducing the productivity of the area.

Need assessment

Assessing the need is an essential factor because it facilitates the formulation of an appropriate solution to the managerial issue. Need assessment involves a systematic process of addressing and determining the gap between the desired conditions and the current condition of the firm or a particular functional area of the firm. Appropriate identification of the need will help in handling the discrepancy between the wanted condition and the current condition. This section will provide a need assessment for the issue of increasing productivity in my area to an acceptable level.

There is a gap between the current productivity condition and the desired productivity condition in my area. The current productivity condition is at a decrease, whereby it does not attain the set productivity goals. The desired productivity condition aims at putting my area as the top performer in the firm. This has not been achieved because, in the current condition, some functional areas have higher performance as compared to that of my area. I have the knowledge that the organization wants to increase the performance by increasing the productivity of my area and other functional areas in the firm. Therefore, addressing this issue in my functional area will help in attaining the overall goal of the firm.

The following are the approaches that will be put in place to collect and analyze the appropriate data about this managerial issue. The first approach is through interviews. An interview is a proper way of collecting data about this issue because it will allow me to get primary-hand data. The interview will involve having a direct conversation with appropriate individuals, such as the employees in my area and the customers. It will involve asking the respondents proper questions on the issue of productivity in my division. Therefore, I will have a chance to get knowledge of the respondents’ thoughts on the managerial issue. The second approach is the use of a survey. The survey will involve issuing questionnaires to some of the employees and customers who will be expected to answer them. The questionnaires will contain both open and close-ended questions that will give the respondents a chance to express their views on the managerial issue. The survey will facilitate the collection of first-hand data from the respondents. The third approach is through observing. As the manager, I can observe the various issues affecting my team, which can harm my area. It will involve observing multiple issues such as team dynamics, which influences the behavior of the employees towards their roles and responsibilities. The other approach is through social interaction. As the manager of the functional area, I will interact with the employees and the customers. It will help me to gain knowledge of their opinions towards the issue affecting my area. The other approach of gathering data is through reviewing the mission statement of the firm, which will give me knowledge on the primary goal of the firm.

Conducting a proper analysis of the collected data will help in the identification of the actual managerial problem and formulating appropriate solutions. The analysis of the data collected through these approaches will provide the current condition of the firm. Therefore, the information can be compared with the desired goals of my functional area. The data from the review of the mission will show that the current condition is lower than the desired production condition of the firm.

Solution identification

The section will provide information about the strategies which can be adopted to solve the issue of productivity in the firm. It will give proper information, which I can use, as the manager to increase the productivity of my area to acceptable levels. The following are the techniques which can improve the performance of my area. The first solution is training the employees. Training of employees is a program that will be designed to enhance the technical skills, efficiency, knowledge, and creation of value that will enable them to carry out responsibilities in an appropriate manner. The firm will offer periodic and regular training for the staff continuously. Training the employees will increase the set of skills needed in the job responsibilities, which will assist in the employees’ development as well as enhancement of the performance of the firm. Training will increase the awareness of the employees on their job responsibilities, which will improve their performance. As a result, the productivity of my area will increase.

The second solution is employee motivation. The motivation of the employees will involve formulating appropriate strategies that will enhance the internal and intrinsic drive of the employees necessary to achieve their job goals. Motivation will create a positive attitude towards their responsibilities that will promote efficiency in their activities. The motivation of the employees is a vital factor in the success of the organization since the motivated staff is more productive in the place of work. As the manager, I can adopt various strategies to motivate the employees in my division. One of the methods of motivating the employees is by rewarding them on their achievements. This will help to show the employees that I recognize their effort, and therefore, they will work hard to get more rewards. Motivating the employees will help in solving the issue of productivity since it will increase the performance of the employees and that of my division.

The third solution is encouraging teamwork. Team working will entail having a collaborative effort of a team to attain a common objective efficiently and effectively. It involves encouraging the members of my division to work in groups instead of working as an individual. Working as a team will allow the employees to handle complicated work-related issues which can be challenging to handle them as an individual. The creation of teams in the workplace will facilitate the sharing of information that can help attain the firm’s goals. The formation of the teams will help in addressing the issue of productivity in my area since it will enhance the productivity of the teams.

The other solution is creating a conducive work environment. The creation of a conducive environment will involve providing appropriate conditions that will support the performance of the employees in the workplace. It will include creating a healthy environment in the workplace. The employees will feel comfortable to work in such an environment, thus creating a positive attitude towards responsibilities. A conducive environment will reduce the cases of turnover of the employees. Also, it will reduce the absenteeism of the employees, thus enhancing their productivity. A conducive working environment will help to solve the issue of productivity in my area because it will create a positive attitude of the employees towards their duties, thus increasing their productivity.

Conclusion

The management is an essential part of any organization because it has a significant influence on the productivity in the firm. Successful management depends on the ability of the managers to handle managerial issues. There is a need to solve the problem of increasing productivity in my area to an acceptable level. There has been a decrease in the productivity of my area, which is a threat to the overall performance of the company. Various solutions can be put in place to address this managerial issue. The solutions are employees’ training, employees’ motivation, encouraging team working, and creating a conducive working environment.