ROWE program at best buy

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Introduction

To stay competitive countries today are establishing different strategies to increase employee productivity and encourage results (Chandler 2001). Best Buy is no different from other American companies, to deal with the issue of overworking staff; it established results- only work environment that allows employees to control their own schedules (Cullen 2003).

Discuss culture at Best buy

Best buy after the new program was introduced; the employees control their own work, schedules. Nobody is forced at the company to join the team sign up for the ROWE program everyone joins willingly. The company eliminated the time clocks and the two-hour meeting and now has the employees come to work at their timing.

The workers communicate via pagers and email. The company staffs operate on trust where the company believes that the workers will deliver. The culture of the company involves giving the employees freedom to work anywhere as long as the work is delivered.

Discuss approach to organization change that the ROWE program illustrate

The ROWE program starts with training sessions for the employees at Best Buy, where the employees undergo training. The first step is to ensure that the attitudes of all employees are dug out. Overworking in the organization was common and employees would even make fun of the idea. The program seeks to erase the cultural barriers amongst the staff members and encourage the employees to adopt the changes fast.

The sessions also see the employees through the principles of the ROWE program, which include less supervision, fewer meetings and no time clocks. The employees have got to establish their work systems in line with the organizational structure. ROWE illustrates a total change in the way Best Buy employees approach work related issues.

Discuss the resistance both organizational and individual that the ROWE program had to overcome?

When a company introduces new policies and programs into the country, there is always the likelihood to face resistance (Alvesson 2002). Resistance comes from many sides, internally and externally, from managers and workers. People at first feel like the change interrupts the normal day activity and it could be hard to adopt the new policies (Alvesson 2002).

When the ROWE program was introduced in Best Buy, resistance was evident amongst individuals and the managers. Managers pulled a form of resistance because they did not want to take responsibility for the employee’s level of stress.

The employees would show the stress they had and they would place it on management level. Employees at Best Buy were being overworked and were under immense pressure to perform. The program was introduced to help employee deal with some of those issues.

Best buy legal department also showed signs of resistance towards the ROWE program. The legal department was against this policy because the in-house attorneys are worried that their pay will be reduced. The legal department is compensated based on how they treat their clients but do not have any influence on sales. The change introduced at Best Buy could prove to reduce legal issues and affect the attorney’s pay.

The corporate management team who were led by Brad Anderson also showed some resistance on introducing the ROWE program to Best Buy. The team was not sure whether to adopt the program only at the head quarters or to have spread to other Best Buy stores.

The team however, got convinced and decided to adopt the ROWE program. Best Buy’s main issue is to increase productivity and keep up with the competition from its competitors. The program was adopted because it would motivate employees.

Discuss the source of stress that is apparent in the case

Best Buy’s case is an example of a company that affects its employee’s morale due to overworking. In Best Buy the work seems to be much, leaving the employees on dilemma when it comes to carrying out their other activities. For instance Janssen who works in the finance department, is a mother of twins and has to pickup her children form day care.

Her biggest challenge is that she does not have anyone to cover for her. This places the staff at Best Buy under pressure because there is no time left to carry out other activities and they cannot leave their office cubes because they have no one to replace them.

Darrell Owen for instance worked for three days and night consecutively and landed in the hospital after that for fatigue issues. The company used to embrace a culture of long working hours and would encourage workers through bonuses.

The long hours put in also affected the employee’s family life, because they had to get to the office early and would leave late, working extra time sometime and also working on weekends.

Janssen has always had it rough in the mornings, because she had to leave early before her children wake up because they would beg her to stay on. This was straining Janssen because she did not have ample time to spend with her children before she went to work.

Joe pagano a vice president in merchandising also feels like the old system also forced him to sacrifice his family’s time working. Pagano would work every day, put in extra hours and also work on Saturday and Sunday. This made him distant from his family; he now wishes the new system was introduced earlier because he could have been a better father and husband.

Janssen, Owen and Pagano show the great strain of overworking in companies and the negative effects it has on family (Hodson 2001). Best Buy policy was draining the employees emotionally and physically, as a result of the work schedules assigned.

Discuss whether or not the organization culture has helped with the change?

The ROWE program has helped change the company’s sales; within six to nine months Best Buy employee productivity increased by 35%. This was for the first two divisions chosen to experiment the ROWE program. One procurement division saw the voluntary turnover drop from 37% to 6%.

Judy Thompson, the principle of culture is also happy with the change because the employees communicate now easily. With the paging devices and cell phones the employee conduct business anywhere they are. Judy thanks to the system can tell where the employees are with the white boards where they leave messaged, while out of the office.

Janssen now with the new program does not have to leave early for work, and now has time for her children at home. She has her target which she is to meet and has no pressure because Best Buy employees are free to design their work schedules. Janssen had in mind an idea of quitting when she was expectant but now with the new program she decided to stay.

This is because she has the freedom to work anywhere because what matters are results and not the time spent in the office. Pagano now with the new program has established time and even creates leisure time for himself such as playing golf.

The analysis department now concentrates on finished projects and not on the turn up rate for each worker. The company had clocks and online calendars but both systems collapsed, now the company operates on a trust system.

Conclusion

The ROWE program introduced in Best Buy division is a good strategy to keep employees motivated and productive. This program also improves the employee’s accountability and responsibility level, because each employee is in charge of his or her own work schedules.

References

Alvesson, M. (2002). Understanding organizational culture. London, Sage publications.

Chandler, A. D. (2001). Strategy and structure. New York MIT press.

Cullen, K. (2003). Work and family in the eWork era. New York, IOS press.

Hodson, R. (2001). Dignity at work. Oakleigh, Cambridge University press.

Click Here To Order Now!