Category: Action Plan

Creating the personal action plan, it is necessary to take into consideration all strengths and weaknesses and to turn the theoretical advice into practice in order to develop their own leadership and action plan. Thereby, an understanding of the individual characteristics will help to establish the most appropriate strategy. According to Daft and Lengel (2008), it is highly essential to develop oneself in order to get more professional success. Self-organizing is the most critical part of the leadership process and movement from fission to fusion.

Providing the personal action plan, I concentrate on such capacities as the self-inquiry, facilitation, welcoming, and readiness for changes and cooperation with partners. Those aspects are the most important peculiarities of the personal action plan. It is essential to develop a personal leadership style that will help to be unique and recognizable. The benefits of this issue are clearly seen. For partners, it is more preferable to choose the company or leader which is able to provide a unique strategy and ideas.

Moreover, I take into consideration the statement that the leader has to control people for the sake of a goal. Therefore, the leader should be the first person who sees the new perspectives and react to the last tendencies and demands of a particular business area. As a leader, I will use my technical, conceptual, and human skills, composing my action plan. A clear understanding of my strengths and weaknesses will help me to provide the most effective and appropriate strategy. My action plan should provide adequate consideration of managing performance, indicating critical points, and soft skills.

Taking into account three levels of collaborative management (Voets, J., De Rynck F., and Van Dooren, 2006, p.1), I will compare my action plan with the concrete situation. There can be an individual level that means those people who manage collaboratively, the organizational level that takes into consideration the organizations that provide the collaborative management, and the third collective level that implies the collaboration itself and its functions in the direction of the particular company.

Creating a “public value” within collaborative management, the leader provides a more complete and complex image of the strategy of the company (Agranoff, 2005,p. 23). Therefore, as the leader, I will take into account this issue, providing my action plan.

For those managers who want to improve their organization, it is highly important to implement an affirmative action strategy that can guarantee all employers equal rights and opportunities. As a leader, I will pay attention to this issue. Collaborative work within the company is the crucial moment of the success results achievement. As all employers should be treated equally, the leader has to avoid discrimination in the management and provide a high level of protection.

Unique fusion unites the physical, mental, and emotional characteristics of the leader (Daft and Lengel, 2008, p. 49). Therefore, the individual qualities are those elements that help one to create an action plan. The peculiarities of the collaborative management on different levels, the development of the unique leadership style, and the indication of the public value are the critical moment of my personal action plan. Analyzing my strong and weak skills, I can comprehend what strategy will be the most appropriate and successful according to the current situation and what perspectives I can find in order to develop my business.

Reference List

Agranoff, R. (2005). “Managing Collaborative Performance. Changing the Boundaries of the State?”, Public Performance & Management Review, 29, 1:18-45.

Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1998). Fusion Leadership. US: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Voets, J., De Rynck F., & Van Dooren, W. (2006). Managing and measuring collaborative performance. In A Performing Public Sector: The Second TransAtlntic Dialogue: Proceedings of a conference held 1-3 June 2006 at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Web.

Expressing the goal

The main aim of a modern business is to manage diversity. Those that do not bring in diversity in their respective organizations and manage it to for the organization to have competitive advantage will have to suffer economic and social consequences.

A workplace culture that encourages low morale, employee turnover, harassment, discrimination, absenteeism encourages inefficiency and low productivity in a business. When certain employees in the workplace are segregated by their colleagues or the leadership because of their ethnicity there is always a resultant underperformance of the organization.

Benefit to the organization

Diversity is appreciating and promoting differences that exists between different groups of people for instance, the manager can promote diversity in the organization by doing and encouraging certain things in the organization, while inclusion is about empowering the employees in an organization and leveraging diversity in the workforce by enabling individuals to contribute to their fullest potential through development, retention, and pluralistic work process (Elizabeth, 2004).

It is important for a company to have a mixture of employees from different background and groups within their customer bas. This will enable the company to understand the customer’s needs so that they are in a good position to understand them better. For example a Best buyer Inc needs to employ people from different races, different ages, the disable and others, this will make the organization realize their sales and profits because customers normally like to identify themselves with premises where they see their identity since they have a notion that their issues and needs will be met fully by this people since they are in a better position to understand their feelings, their likes and dislikes than others employees who have no identity with that particular customer.

For example a black customer will prefer and feel very good if he or she is served by a black employee in the company because there is a feeling of understanding between them. This idea will make him to continue company to make a purchase at the company and influencing other customers about the experience he or she is feeling when being served by this employees. His influence will make other customers to associate themselves with the organization hence creating a market base.

In order to maximize diversity, the managers of Best buy should be able to create the facilitating conditions throughout the organization to enable employees’ full engagement and optimum contribution to the mission to achieve maximum organizational effectiveness and performance outcomes. For example there should be achievement rewards, promotions on excellent performance, tokens, and salary increase to motivate them more, team building events to cement the employee’s relationships. This can also be achieved when internal and external barriers within the organization are dismantling to encourage full participation of all employees in all level of the organization (Elizabeth, 2004).

Another benefit of diversity is clearly seen when a product is designing a new product or launching a new product in the market. It does not matter in which area of diversity a company is interested in but it is very important since diversity can help Best buy to design and deliver products in ways that appeal to diverse customer segments. This will make the organization to fulfill Jill, busy mother who is the primary shopper for electronics in the household; or Barry, an affluent professional where the best of everything is required.

This practice will make customers to get accustomed to the organization thus widening the customer base and offering them good service. Diversity also yields a diversity of ideas, which is the backbone of the creation of the best strategies in the marketing of a particular product among the very many customer bases that a business can get access to. Frito (91986), Smart customer packed goods companies in particular are involved and supportive of diversity if they want to be successful, because it is the right thing to do.

Another way for in which Best buy will substantially benefit from good management of diversity is by getting acclimatizing to the unexploited markets by having work force which comes from different ethnicity which can be used to the advantage by harnessing the potentiality which this advantage can bring to the organization, since people who do businesses with buyers who are familiar to them find a welcoming advantage. For example the management can decide to include Asians manager or black managers at the board of directors, this reflects their recognition of the diversity within them and it will boast their image on the international market. Diversity varies in many ways for example diversity in employee’s talent and how they think strategically which will lead to better marketing decisions and successful targeting of the right customers.

Actions needed to meet the goal and responsibility of each action plan

Communicating with employees

The method to be employed by management for passing information and communication within the company varies widely from one organization to another depending on the number of employees and locations. Informing employees of the diversity efforts that the business is undertaking to enhance productivity and growth is a necessary step to keep them aware and make them contribute to this course of the organization (Betsy, 2003).

Allocating financial resources

There is usually a cost for implementing diversity within the organization and the management should be ready to count for them. The management of Best Buy will formulate a precise budget which seeks to bring on board different people from different ethnicity and enhance good relationship from each other in order to make maximum benefit from them.

Establishing a diversity task force

The management should be able to come up with a small group of individuals who are diversity cautious to try and promote diversity within the work force, there work should be specific and time bond The diversity council is an integral business partner in the development, implementation, monitoring, and review of the action plan. Establishing a diversity task force is an opportunity to directly involve employees who often are the company’s diversity sore eye.

References

Walter, P. and Baker, P., (2005). Dissent on intelligence is critical. Washington post journal.

Betsy L. H. (2002). Use of marketing communications: to leverage program awareness and participation. BLH publishers.

Elizabeth K. M. (2004). Management of diversity for organization’s success. NY: McGraw- Hill publishers.

Introduction

Considering the degree of delicacy that is associated with this matter, West Midlands Designers and Architects Ltd. (WMDA) management will have to take time to keenly study all the available options, and employ wisdom together with business sense in making these sensitive choices (Cameron 1994, pp.477-479). With full knowledge that the ultimate decision lies with the owner of the firm, this report provides a well thought out plan of action that sets out to give the firm the business edge it needs and the survival choices that are necessary.

Action Recommendations

An analysis of the four choices that are available, namely: peer selection, last-in- first out (LIFO), voluntary redundancy, and selection on merit, below is a classification founded on the two guiding principles which were identified in the introduction as business edge and survival choices.

Excellent Criterion: Selection on Merit

The determination of who is to leave and who is to remain that is based on merit leaves the management with the most qualified employees who can maintain the competitive edge of the firm. It is also a reward of input in that the most productive employees are naturally rewarded. Thus the best marketers and the best designers and architects should be the last to be considered for elimination. This makes selection by merit an excellent method.

Voluntary Redundancy: Best Criterion

The fact that some members of the firm may be willing to leave without being forced eliminates the necessity to send people who are not ready to leave out of work. Asking employees you have worked with for a long time to leave is not easy. Thus voluntary leave or redundancy saves the management the trouble and guilty of sacking. Matt’s readiness to leave after being given a reasonable package is an ideal case for this option.

Peer Selection and Last In -First Out: The Least Appropriate Options to Use

A careful look at the prevailing economic circumstances leads to the conclusion that using peer selection and last in-first out options will not do the firm any economic justice. To start with peer selection, it is conventional wisdom that no one would wish to be selected by peers to leave the firm. It is even harder when the employees are friendly to each other after periods of shared work experiences. It is also possible that the less qualified workers can gang up and ask a more qualified colleague to leave simply because they hate his sleek dressing style or his cool speaking style. In simple terms, it is easily mixed with personal issues. It is therefore a bad option. The second one in this category of inappropriate options is last in first out. This one can make the management ask a newly hired but highly qualified employee to leave despite the fact that that is the kind of employee the firm needs badly. It is therefore totally unacceptable in terms of business.

The Way Forward

With due consideration of the detailed profiles of the employees, Bryony, Hiroshi, and Felicity are culprits under the criterion of merit. The organizational skills of Bryony are unnecessary at this time since the owner who founded the firm is still active and can do the organization.Hiroshi’s business mind is not needed since this is catered for by the marketers who are in plenty and the owner himself. Furthermore, his connections are not the firm’s priority at the moment. Felicity on her part is more of a socialite. Her value, based on merit, is not high compared to the remaining employees. She is actually at the bottom of the three in classification based on value to the firm.

The last employee will be eliminated based on the criterion of voluntary redundancy since he is willing to leave. Matt has made the offer of leaving provided he is given a package for leaving.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Matt is willing to leave and therefore should be given the facilitation to do so. The other three employees should be asked to leave purely on merit as a way of not only rewarding the best and most productive talent but ensuring that the firm has what it takes to maintain its edge in the architect and design world.

References

Cameron, K.S. 1994. ‘Strategies for Successful Organizational Downsizing. Human Resource Management, Vol. 33: 477-500.

Introduction

The paper performs a DiSC test and provides a plan of action and commitment timetable. The test stands for Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. This is a standard self-administered test and is used for the evaluation of prospective employees (DiSC, 2008).

Test Score

Test results of the scores are:

• Dominance 20: The interpretation of the score is “People who score in the low range: tend to want peace and harmony; prefer to let others initiate action and resolve problems; are quiet and indirect in their approach to most situations and are usually cautious and calculate risks carefully before acting. They are generally well-liked because of their mild and gentle nature. Other people will tend to see them as being patient, calm, thoughtful and a good listener” (DiSC, 2008).
• Influence 48: The interpretation of the score is “People who score in the average range are likely to possess and display a mixture of the traits and behaviors associated with both high range and low range scores. A well-balanced mix of the best of both ranges. People who score in this range are unlikely to be ‘extreme’ types” (DiSC, 2008).
• Steadiness 16: The interpretation of the score is “People who score in the low range: tend to enjoy change and variety in their work and non-work life; are expansive by nature and tend not to like routine and repetitive work/activities. They enjoy stretching themselves intellectually and physically” (DiSC, 2008).
• Compliance 16: Interpretation of the score is “People who score in the low range: are independent and uninhibited; resent rules and restrictions; prefer to be measured by results and are always willing to try the untried. Free in thought, word, and deed, they long for freedom and go to great lengths to achieve it. They feel that repetitive detail and routine work are best ‘delegated’ (Guide, 2007).

Strengths and capacities about coaching

I have a low level of dominance and have an attitude that is being patient, calm, thoughtful, and a good listener. I feel these traits are very important for coaching, as we need to be patient with students and must be liked by them to get their confidence. My Compliance score is 16 and this means that I preferred to be measured by results and am always willing to try new things and this is important in coaching (Sparrow, 2006).

1. What aspects of the report seem to describe you well?: The traits of peace and harmony, cautious, and calculate risks carefully before acting best describe me.
2. What aspects of the report do not seem to describe you well? The score says that I resent rules and restrictions and this is not always true as I respect and obey the rules and restrictions that are to be obeyed.
3. How does this information relate to other self-assessments that you might have taken in the past? The results match in some areas and in some areas they are off. In one of the previous tests it was suggested that I like routine and repetitive jobs but this time it is different and correct.

Plan of Action and Commitment Timetable

My Plan of action and commitment timetable is as given in the following table (Brocato, 2003)

References

Brocato, R. (2003). Coaching for improvement: An essential role for team leaders and managers. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 26 (1), 17-22.

DiSC. 2008. The Ubiquitous DISC. Web.

Guide to Managing Human Resources, Chapter 5: New Employee Orientation, Web.

Sparrow, S. (2006). Do you want to be in L&D? Training & Coaching Today, p. 31.

Recommendations

• Bankruptcy protection- the airline used this strategy to deal with financial problems caused by operational challenges which are beyond their control.
• Capacity – its is vital for airline operators to plan their capacity to minimize cost. They should maximize usage of their planes rather than increase their fleet size.
• Contend with competitors- regardless of operational challenges, the airline should push on to stay in the market.
• Negotiating with governments- Air Canada should negotiate with governments to have some restrictions reduced or abolished.
• The airlines should try to schedule their airlines in a way such that the weather will have less effects on them to avoid flight delays.

Action Plan

• Following financial crisis in 2010, the airline controlled its finances by creating new agreements with suppliers and credit providers.
• Canada airline was forced to launch a low price Tango fares to compete with Westjet who host smaller players in a low budget segment.
• To cut costs and compete with international airlines, Air Canada has forged alliances with other operators for example it’s the founding member of star alliance.
• Air Canada entered into an agreement with EU governments. Restrictions for Air Canada were reduced. Following this it launched five direct airline services to major cities in Europe.

Summary

• Due to challenges in the environment, Air Canada had to make strategies in order to succeed. They came up with recommendation to ensure that they minimize losses.
• The recommendations were implemented and some of these include: signing deals with governments, forming alliances with other operators and making financial deals with their suppliers and credit providers.

Introduction

The government spends billions of dollars on development every year, and thus, it needs a high-level action plan for the successful completion of public projects. The schema provides a clear direction and mandate for the execution of sustainable procurement and an outstanding framework for creating a comprehensible and well-coordinated approach, especially to development projects. An executive-level action plan is based on a desk study and findings of a status assessment report, social readiness for the mission, sustainable public procurement prioritization report, legal reviews, and feedback from the appropriate technical consultants. The essay examines the relationships between the elements of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to explain how organizations can use the concept to increase effectiveness.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The execution of one activity in the WBS leads to another. The structure starts with the identification of the problem or opportunity, which guides the program manager to the development of an achievable objective. The project leader creates the infrastructure needed to design and start up the mission. Three important factors considered during the initial stage include time, cost, and specification (Feldman, 2017). The project must have a tentative timeline indicating when particular elements, such as prototypes and progress reports, must be delivered. The projected cost of the initiative is also determined to avoid budgetary problems after commencement. Refining the scope of work is also essential at this level. Deliverables, at this level, include a project proposal or a business plan that defines the nature of the problem, goals, and objectives of the project (Lenzen et al., 2017). Next, the project manager leads the team in identifying project initiatives, constructing a workflow, preparing a project proposal, and approximating the resource requirements (Zecheru & Olaru, 2016). Project execution involves the selection of a dynamic team and the allocation of the necessary resources for the project.

The step goes together with project monitoring and control in line with the plan. In case the project does not meet the anticipated results, project planning is started again to brainstorm new ideas and seek alternative implementation strategies (Lenzen et al., 2017). The last step of the WBS is project close-out and evaluation, which involves creating a rollout plan before compiling a final report.

Concepts to Make The Organization More Effective

The concepts presented in the above action plan can be effectively integrated into an implementation strategy for the realization of a successful project by adhering to numerous fundamental steps. From a program manager’s perspective, the holistic integration is critical for ensuring that all the project activities progress collectively, considering any dynamics that can arise in due course (Lenzen et al., 2017). Thus, the organization should develop a project charter, scope statement, and plan to direct, manage, monitor, and control any unforeseen changes. The program manager should also define the scope and time of the overall activity. Government contracting projects need to have elaborate parameters, which must be broken down and managed using a WBS (Q Visible, 2012). They should also have a definite schedule, showing the start and end of the planned development. Since projects consume resources, there is a need to manage the investment to create value by ensuring that the resulting benefits exceed the amount spent.

Conclusion

An executive action plan is an inevitable tool for defining the integration of processes, project scope, time and cost management, maintenance of quality throughout its lifecycle, staffing, and management of risks in line with government procurement and acquisition policies. Project managers need to use this schema to increase effectiveness, ensure professionally responsible and sustainable procurement and emphasize the government’s role to lead by example.

References

Feldman, S. W. (2017). does government contracting have a remedies problem-a response to Eric M. Singer, competitive public contracts. Nev. LJF, 2, 13.

Lenzen, S. A., Daniëls, R., van Bokhoven, M. A., van der Weijden, T., & Beurskens, A. (2017). Disentangling self-management goal setting and action planning: A scoping review. PloS one, 12(11), e0188822.

Q Visible. (2012). Project network diagrams – project management. YouTube.

Zecheru, V., & Olaru, B. G. (2016). Work breakdown structure (WBS) in project management. Review of International Comparative Management/Revista de Management Comparat International, 17(1), 61-69.