Decision Making at Workplace Essay

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Introduction

In today’s world, firms are facing many challenges and are looking for ways to improve organizational performance by using human capital (Nguwi, 2012). Then employers are now turning to employee engagement to obtain committed and productive employees. Consequently, this has been done because it is difficult for top management to carry out successful decisions in the organization without involving employees in decision-making (Kersley, 2005; Dundon, Curran & Maloney 2006; Purcell & Hutchinson, 2007). Hence, this has inspired me as the researcher to examine the relationship between employee involvement and work engagement in the retail industry, particularly narrowing it to Masvingo TM Pick n Pay. Therefore, this chapter addresses the background of the study, the statement of the problem, the aims of the study, the research objectives, and the research questions. The scope of the study stating the delimitations, limitations, and assumptions of the study have been introduced before the chapter sums up with a conclusion.

Background of the study

Armstrong (2006) affirms that today’s business world is ever-changing with increasing volatility, uncertainty, and ambiguity which drive firms to be flexible and comprehend new ideas that enable them to be competitive in this environment. Moving on, a more open and collaborative strategy that exploits the decisions of employees through their involvement and engagement needs to be adopted (Hewitt, 2002). As such, it is important to investigate employee involvement and work engagement in the retail industry narrowing at Masvingo TM Pick n Pay.

Employee involvement can be defined as the industrial relations systems in which the rights of employees are recognized, empowerment in the working environment is enhanced and management and workers are seen as partners. Workers are allowed to directly or indirectly participate and get involved in the decision-making process of the organization. Also, employee engagement can be characterized as the harnessing of organization members themselves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during their role performances (Ncube & Jerie (2012:381). Schaufeli, Bakker, and Salanova (2006) acknowledge that employee engagement is a positive fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Therefore, employee involvement and employee engagement bring benefits to the firm and the employees. Likewise, consistent focus on employee involvement and employee engagement empowered a committed and engaged workforce that is willing to stay and work on their best to enhance the business performance. Hence, autonomy and a strong workforce voice imply that employee involvement at Masvingo Pick n Pay can result in workforce engagement yielding a buffet of benefits to the business.

The contribution of employee involvement and employee engagement as a way to improve business profits can be illustrated by the study findings of Renwick et al (2012) in their study on Green HRM which proved that employee involvement and engagement are of more importance as it promotes employee attraction and retention. They further moved on saying that employee involvement in the working environment is critical to the success of the organization. Along the same lines, Gollan (2005) suggested that a high level of employee involvement acts as a means of achieving greater effectiveness through enhancing employee commitment, loyalty, and engagement in the organization. This is so because affording employees to participate in decision-making increases work satisfaction and employee retention. Indeed, employee engagement can be attained through participation management and involvement practices (Macey & Schneider 2009). This view is also supported by Cantor, Morrow, and Montabon (2012) who acknowledge that when employees are involved and participate more strongly in the decision they will feel more motivated which consequently leads to higher levels of engagement.

Furthermore, a study that was conducted in China by Tsau and Tsau (2015) revealed that employee involvement and engagement are rapidly becoming central in the management of many organizations with the need to improve superior business performance in this ever more demanding financial, volatile environment and market environment. Adding on, the researchers unveiled that competitive advantage derives not only from cost leadership but also from the ability of the firm to exploit a higher degree of willing employees committed to business objectives. In the same manner, employee engagement levels are of more importance to managerial strategies that focus on increasing workforce discretion as well as aligning their interest closer to managerial goals (Rees, Alfes & Gatenby, 2013). Accordingly, Batt, Coliv, and Keefe (2002) emphasize that employees have a perception that their voice mechanisms are more likely to advance their perspectives. Then, when employees are afforded the chance to raise their voices they would go the extra mile in their work. Therefore, it was reported that there is a correlation between employee involvement, engagement, and business performance.

Moreover, Little (2010) conducted a study in Ghana’s Ministry of Education on the impact of employee involvement on the performance of educational sectors. The researcher evaluated the A-level and O-level teachers’ perception of the reforms proving that the teachers felt that they were insufficiently consulted in the implementation of new structural reforms. This can be seen through the workload burden imposed on teachers through pre-lesson preparation, lesson delivery, and evaluation of learning outcomes. Little (2010) further noted that teachers were trained for to implement reforms in most curriculum areas but the lack of teachers’ involvement delayed the process and made it hard to implement them. This study concluded employee involvement in decision-making is of significant importance in the education sector not only for the implementation of reforms but also as a way to obtain an engaged staff that is immersed in their work as well as having a feeling of belonging to the organization. Hence, this study proves that there is a relationship between employee involvement and engagement in enhancing employee commitment as well as adding value to the organization.

Locally, a study was conducted by Maketo (2018) on the impact of employee involvement in decision-making and its impact on service delivery: a case study of Chegutu Municipality. The researcher observed that Chegutu Municipality witnessed an increase in disciplinary hearings arising from poor service delivery. Consequently, the non-involvement of employees in the decision-making process led to the low morale of employees which has impacted service delivery. Therefore, the researcher concluded that top management must share decision-making power with all employees of the organization regardless of their hierarchical levels and there is a need for them to accept employees as valuable assets to enhance flexibility in the workplace. This is also in line with the study findings of Mugonderwa (2017) who investigated the impact of decision-making on organizational productivity at the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. The researcher observed firms should implement decision-making styles that are not bureaucratic hence these styles will facilitate changes faster and this increases organizational productivity.

However, by observing the findings of various researches TM Pick n Pay cannot be spared from the challenges that have been caused by non-involvement of non-managerial employees. At TM Pick n Pay there is also evidence of poor service delivery, absenteeism, turnover, and low morale due to the failure to involve all employees in decision-making at the workplace (HR report, 2019). Therefore, instead of using rewards as a strategy to enhance business performance, TM Pick n Pay is in dire need of strategies to enhance organizational performance through human resources. As a result, the firm has turned to human resources involvement to leverage and reinforce productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable service delivery mainly through engaged employees. Therefore, this inspired the researcher to investigate the impact of employee involvement and work engagement in the retail industry, particularly narrowing at Masvingo TM Pick n Pay.

Problem statement

Masvingo TM Pick n Pay like any other retail industry in Zimbabwe is struggling to use salary as a strategy to engage its workforce in this complex and ambiguous environment which has led to a decrease in employee morale and commitment subsequently impacting service delivery. Employees’ engagement is being lowered and this has posed threats of staff turnover, absenteeism, and decrease in organizational performance. Therefore, when employees are involved they become committed and loyal to the organization’s goals and become more productive and efficient (Zoghi and Mohr, 2011). However, in Zimbabwe, there is evidence that shows that employee involvement is receiving minimal attention due to the prevalent industrial actions and poor performance of the Zimbabwe industries. According to Nguwi (2012), firms would be left vulnerable if they do not retain their workforce through various HR strategies to enhance employee engagement. Therefore, one way of achieving an engaged workforce is through employee involvement. Employees can be involved in decision-making because employees are the backbone of the organizational existence and its operations. Therefore, against this backdrop, it becomes imperative to examine the relationship between employee involvement and work engagement in the retail industry paying close attention to Masvingo TM Pick n Pay.

Purpose of the study

This study aims to examine the relationship between employee involvement and employee engagement in the retail industry paying close attention to Masvingo TM Pick n Pay.

Research Objectives

To identify employee involvement practices adopted at TM Pick n Pay.
To examine the relationship between employee involvement and employee engagement in enhancing organizational productivity.
To gather the perceptions of employees towards employee involvement practices at TM Pick n Pay.
To assess the challenges that have impacted management in implementing employee involvement practices TM Pick n Pay.
To offer alternatives that can be used by TM Pick n Pay to leverage employee involvement to gain employee engagement.

Research questions

What are the employee involvement practices that are used at TM Pick n Pay?
What is the impact of employee involvement and employee engagement in enhancing organizational productivity?
What are the perceptions of employees towards employee involvement practices at TM Pick n Pay?
What are the challenges that have impacted management in implementing employee involvement practices at TM Pick n Pay?
What are the alternatives that can be used to leverage employee involvement to gain work engagement at TM Pick n Pay?

Significance of the study

This investigation is of critical importance to various stakeholders such as TM Pick n Pay, Great Zimbabwe University, HR practitioners, and the researcher.

TM Pick n Pay

The investigation will increase knowledge on the topic, employee involvement, and work engagement as well as improve service delivery and business performance in the industry. Furthermore, management would be able to implement effective involvement practices as well as accept employees’ voices to effectively achieve organizational goals.

To Great Zimbabwe University

Data gathered on employee involvement and work engagement will be used for future purposes by GZU and its affiliates including students and other academics. The recommendations can be used by the University to develop and improve employee policies and practices.

To HR practitioners

This investigation will help HR specialists in developing policies and practices that can attract and retain staff and make improvements to working conditions.

To the researcher

The researcher will increase the research skills and the research is done in partial fulfillment of BSC Honors in Human Resource Management.

Assumptions

The assumptions are that:

The researcher assumes that employee involvement practices are being employed at TM Pick n Pay.
The representatives are equipped with full knowledge to answer all questionnaires.
The targeted sample would be open and honest in giving correct information.

Limitations

Financial resources may limit the researcher to effectively carry out this research. The costs related to carrying out this research are very high. However, the researcher will limit costs by using his printer to print all relevant documents. Further, traveling will be limited so that transport costs are reduced.

Also, the company policy which is in line with Covid regulations will hinder the process of doing interviews as well as distributing questionnaires. Some of the regulations include maintaining as well as providing a COVID certificate hence the research used online interviews and questionnaires.

Another challenge faced by the researcher was to find the relevant information he was looking for. The respondents were a bit hesitant to provide information because of the company’s policy of secrecy and confidentiality. Nevertheless, the researcher assured the participants that the information will be treated with strict confidentiality.

Delimitations

Geographical delimitation

The central objective in carrying out the study was to examine the impact of employee involvement and work engagement at TM Pick n Pay. The research was carried out at TM Pick n Pay in Masvingo focusing on managerial employees and non-managerial employees to collect a lot of data on employee involvement and work engagement.

Study delimitation

The research will specifically concentrate on the impact of employee involvement and work engagement at TM Pick n Pay mainly on managerial and non-managerial employees.

Definition of key terms

Work engagement

Ncube and Jerie (2012:381) referred to it as the harnessing of organization employees to their work roles; so that people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during their roles.

Employee participation

It can be defined as the arrangements that give employees some influence over organizational and workplace decisions (Williams and Adam Smith, 2009).

Employee Involvement

Employee involvement can be defined as the joint consultation in decision-making, goal-setting, teamwork, and other measures through which an enterprise attempts to achieve business performance (Bach, 2006).

Employee voice

According to Boxall and Purcell (2011), employee voice can be defined as a whole variety of processes and structures that enable and empower the workforce to directly and indirectly contribute to organizational decision-making.

Summary

This chapter has introduced the research topic, the research objectives, and questions. The background of the study and problem statement, significance of the study, and limitations were also addressed. The last section of the chapter covered the definition of key terms. The next chapter will focus on the literature review to understand the views of other researchers regarding employee involvement and work engagement.

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