|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Organizational Structure of Our Growing Business
This article relates to the organizational structure competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It shows how structural concerns can affect the typical employee workday, as well as feelings towards your organization's management hierarchy and reporting structure. A healthy organizational structure is one that arranges the activities of the enterprise in such a way that they contribute to the goals of the organization. Specifically, this competency looks to see if your employees clearly understand who they report to, as well as measure their sense of accountability to the organization. Evaluating this competency can be especially useful if your organization has recently experienced an organizational restructuring or might be considering one in the future.
This short story, The Organizational Structure of our Growing Business, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales From the Corporate Frontlines. It illustrates how business growth affects every employee in the organization and lists some signals that a review and revision of organizational structure is necessary.
Anonymous Submission
My brother and I own and operate a mid sized manufacturing business that was passed down to us by our elderly uncles. Over the years, the business has experienced significant growth. The workforce alone has doubled since we added four new production lines just a few years ago.
At that time, we hired a group of consultants to help us analyze and optimize the flow of work through the facility. The new processes and employees were integrated quite easily, and the production areas of the plant ran smoothly.
Looking back, we see now that more attention should have been focused on the fulfillment and shipping areas of the business, as well as the HR and office functions. Several signs have appeared over the past year or so to tell us that we need to seriously consider rearranging our organizational structure:
* Morale in the above areas has deteriorated measurably.
* Paperwork, reporting, forms and correspondence are often late and incomplete.
* Turnover rates in the affected departments are rising.
* Certain areas are often severely understaffed, especially during popular vacation and holiday periods.
* The reporting structures in these areas have become confusing, some employees express concern about vague accountability.
Although productivity in our shop area remains high, it does appear to be limited by the dysfunctions occurring in other integral areas of the business. We decided that now is the time to conduct a thorough evaluation of our organizational structure and develop a plan to adapt and change it to more closely fit the needs of our growing business.
If we need outside help, we'll engage it. But the time has definitely come to address the effects of expansion on our entire organization and act accordingly to preserve and grow the business we've inherited. It's more than just a business to us---it's a family tradition.
© 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.
Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee satisfaction surveys.
Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc.
AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.
Launch your employee satisfaction surveys with AlphaMeasure.
CNNMoney.com - 4 hours ago
( Kristen McNamara writes Practice Management, a column that looks at ways financial advisers can build and improve their business. ...
CNNMoney.com - 3 hours ago
These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. ...
Reuters
Wall Street Journal - 22 hours ago
The business has $4.5 billion under management, and holds stakes in more than a dozen portfolio companies including a Spanish railcar manufacturer to a US ...
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times
Lehman deal on private equity close Reuters
Lehman Said to Be in Talks to Sell Fund to Managers, Reinet Bloomberg
FINalternatives - RTT Newsall 95 news articles
CNNMoney.com - 7 hours ago
New Management stated the following: "We are very pleased to begin our new operations and to share our visions and exclusive development program whit HE-5 ...
CCTV
Newsweek - Jan 8, 2009
In the world of management consulting, high-powered and often expensive contractors infiltrate all levels of a company to determine how it can run more ...
Chief Performance Officer: Nancy Killefer TIME
Obama Appoints Government Performance Officer Washington Post
Obama's performance czar has tried to improve IRS The Associated Press
CFO.com Magazine - GovExec.comall 486 news articles
GigaOm, CA - 3 hours ago
Today, Amazon ( s AMZN) Web Services announced a management console that illustrates how carefully Amazon is playing its role as a platform provider. ...
Amazon Web Services Launches Management Console CMSWire
Amazon Web Services releases web-based EC2 console CNET News
Amazon EC2 launches Web-based management console Examiner.com
ReadWriteWeb - PC Worldall 28 news articles
Reuters - 8 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 9 (Reuters) - South African wealth and asset management firm Peregrine Holdings Limited (PGRJ.J) said on Friday a management buyout plan ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 5 hours ago
A pay freeze for senior management of the University of California system will be considered by the UC Board of Regents during a Jan. 14 teleconference. ...
CNNMoney.com - 4 hours ago
PARIS -(Dow Jones)- JPMorgan Asset Management's stake in French IT company Bull SA (BULL.FR) has fallen through the 5% threshold to 1.72%, according to a ...
CNNMoney.com - 52 minutes ago
Helios High Income Fund, Inc. is managed by Hyperion Brookfield Asset Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor located in New York City. ...
Pimco Pays Seven Dividends It Postponed Last Month Financial-Planning.com
PIMCO Municipal Income Fund and PIMCO New York Municipal Income ... Trading Markets (press release)
Western Asset Income Fund Declares Monthly Dividend Distribution PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
MarketWatch (press release)all 62 news articles
Organizational Culture, Creativity, Innovation
It can be concluded with great certainty that certain organizational cultures inhibit creativity and innovation whilst others foster it. Some organizations are just better at identifying problems,... Read More
Knowledge Management - Creating a Sustainable Yellow Pages System
How can I "know who knows" None of us can personally know more than around 250 people, yet we want our companies to be smart, learning organisations... Read More
Ten Top Ways for Managers to Motivate Their People
So to help start the ball rolling, here are ten top ways to get your people motivated. Ten small steps for you to start with. Recognise themRecognise... Read More
Hold Your Applause!
It's amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit. Harry S Truman President Truman had decided that Secretary of State, General George... Read More
Better Management Performance - The Easy 3-Step Way
Managers make three mistakes when they try to run businesses. They do too much, they don't trust their people and they don't have enough skills. Here we... Read More
10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown
In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes business will slow down. This might occur due to an upcoming holiday, seasonal variations, or uncontrollable circumstances.... Read More
What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Training Activities
Whether you are training preschoolers in the classroom or executives in the board room, here are 15 premises you might want to keep in mind the next... Read More
Inventory Management 101
Inventory management may seem complicated to some, but if one truly thinks about what the words "inventory management" mean, it is a simple concept. Inventory is basically... Read More
Innovation Management ? what are the practical impediments?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem... Read More
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process focused on satisfying customers by delivering nearly perfect products and services. In today's competitive market, consistently maintaining satisfied customers is... Read More
Avoiding The Sheep Dip
It is a sad fact that many employees are still being subjected to the age old training ritual of "sheep dipping". This is a process by which... Read More
The ?Better People? Fallacy
It's easy enough to convince your own staff that better people will prevail, even against the odds. It's what they want to hear. And surely in a... Read More
Key Control ? Who Has the Keys to Your Kingdom?
Key control, or more accurately the lack of key control is one of the biggest risks that businesses face.What is the risk?Imagine, you have fired a trusted... Read More
Lateral Thinking, Logical Thinking, Applied Creativity
Certain processes enhance creative output and others enhance innovative output. Defining creativity as problem identification and idea generation and innovation as idea selection, development and commercialisation, this... Read More
Punctuality in Business: What it Says About You
"Nothing inspires confidence in a business man sooner than punctuality, nor is there any habit which sooner saps his reputation than that of being always behind time."... Read More
Learning To Let Go
If you have the entrepreneurial spirit (which clearly you have!), you probably have a tendency toward being a control freak. I know the feeling well -- "No... Read More
He Hate Me: Turning Their Bad Attitude Into Your Great Results
"He Hate Me" was the nickname of Rod Smart, a leading rusher in 2002 for the Las Vegas Outlaws of the now defunct XFL pro football league.... Read More
Truth or Consequences: How to Give Employee Feedback
In the bestseller, Good to Great, Jim Collins discovered that, "the good-to-great companies continually refined the path to greatness with the brutal facts of reality."And, in his... Read More
Qualities of a Great Manager
In the call center environment we are often only as successful as the people we hire. While our front line employees are critical to our business, choosing... Read More
Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Team Dynamics and Communication
This article relates to the Team Dynamics competency, which evaluates interpersonal communication, cooperation, and productivity between members of a single team, group, or department within your organization.... Read More
Managing the Human Resource Project
We obtain strategic results by aligning HR mission, vision and values. The following overview highlights a macro approach to project management. Seeking a stretch assignment, such as... Read More
How to Dodge Distribution Difficulties
It happened again. I ran into an old friend while registering for the World Masters Games last month and as we were catching up, she complemented me... Read More
Competencies for HR Professionals in Knowledge-based Industry with Reference to IT, ITES-BPOs
Introduction"High performing HR function affects bottom line nearly 10%"- A surveyCompetencies have become integral part of HR field. In the last 25+ years, the competency approach has... Read More
Time Management Tip: Stop Micro-Managing Employees
If I was a fly on the wall what would I hear your employees say? Would it something like this? "They won't allow me to make even... Read More
Hire The Person, Not The Resume
"? [get] the right people on the bus, the right people in the right seats (and the wrong people off the bus) and then [figure] out where... Read More
Choosing the Right Corporate Training
According to a Gallup Poll, 80 percent of employees said the availability of company-sponsored training programs was a factor in deciding whether to accept a new job... Read More
Weaknesses of Wishing
When you're starting a business, you might wish for a lot of things, like having more than enough customers or not having to do marketing. But wishing... Read More
Hows Your Company RQ (Reputation Quotient)?
In light of recent corporate scandals, from Enron and Global Crossing to those of once trustworthy mutual funds, is it any wonder that more people are asking,... Read More
Einstein - Definition of Insanity
Insanity in the Sign & Graphics IndustryEinstein's DefinitionAlbert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different... Read More
The Rise of Corporate Chair Massages
Employers have rapidly begun to understand the importance of stress relief in the workplace. Stress free employees have a higher retention rate and higher rates of productivity.... Read More
Comparing Ancient Programs from the East to Modern Programs like Stephen Covey.
Comparing Corporate and Personal goal attainment programs that have developed over thousands of years with those of modern day legends such as Covey - "The 7 Habits... Read More
How to Coach Your Employees - 5 Simple Steps Anyone Can Do!
Want to get more from your people, but you don't know how? Are you up for a small challenge and prepared to do things a little differently?... Read More
Thoughts on Empowerment
People are empowered when they are given the authority and responsibility to make decisions affecting their work with a minimum of interference and second guessing by others.Empowerment... Read More
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Workplace Ethics: Reaching the Highest Standard
This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency, commonly evaluated in employee surveys. It gives examples of how employees and customers consider ethical behavior and... Read More
The Paradox of Job Enrichment
Ellen was a clerk working for a large insurance company. One day, she spotted a glaring discrepancy in a form she was typing. Through a simple error,... Read More
Management & Leadership - Doing it right in the 21st Century
The Old Way ? Command and ControlAlthough workplaces and management styles have come a long way in the last decade, the command and control style of management... Read More
Questions To Ask Employees You Want To Retain
Times of cost cutting and downsizing has dramatically impacted the way employees look at their careers. Employees at all levels now know better than ever that job... Read More
Project Management - Preventing Project Slips
Can Project Managers prevent projects from slipping?Ask a techie to come up with a schedule for a specific list of activities, and more often than not, he/she... Read More
Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: An Unexpected Benefit
This article relates to the Compensation and Benefits competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of a company that offered a new benefit... Read More
Having Your Phil
February 2nd, at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Gobbler's Knob in a small town in western Pennsylvania, 20,000 people and a national radio and television audience... Read More
ISO 9001 Okay Now You Have It How Do You Market It?
Marketing ISO 9001 2000.Lately we've been seeing a lot of press releases from wineries and suppliers touting their ISO certifications. "We've obtained ISO 9001: 2000," they trumpet.... Read More
Delegation - The Basic Steps To Reducing Your Workload And Creating A Successful Team
If you have a task greater than you can handle on your own, then you need to delegate. Not a choice many of us choose to make,... Read More
The Golden Key to Meeting Success
We all attend many meetings. I'm sure you have been to some great meetings and some poor ones. Unfortunately for everyone I've ever talked to, the number... Read More
How to Beat the Turf Mentality
Want to hear a fascinating story? Let's sit in at a meeting of the human resources department of a large corporation. A number of human resources specialists... Read More
Micromanagement and Delegation
Micro-Management and Delegation Recently I had a long discussion with a friend of mine about Managers and managing. She... Read More
Juggling Demands in an Organization
JUGGLING DEMANDS: All leaders constantly juggle a multifarious array of demands from those of their organization, employees, and themselves. Good leaders, never drop one demand at the... Read More
MANAGING CRISIS; when you?re too good at it
When you are acclaimed for excellence during times of crisis you may not feel so good in a non-crisis environment. You may not shine so bright, perform... Read More
How to Enhance Quality in Your Business
Every business must strive to provide quality products and services to customers. To achieve that objective the company must draw well thought out policies and procedures to... Read More
3 Reasons Why CRM Strategies Fail
Customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most effective tools for improving customer relationships and therefore increasing revenue, customer satisfaction, and customer retention. Unfortunately, some CRM... Read More
Innovation Management ? Producing Great Products, Motivation
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More
Protect Your Organizations Proprietary Information
The other day one of our overseas clients called in a state of near panic, to ask a question. At issue was whether they had unwittingly violated... Read More
Basic Management Skills
Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60 % of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this... Read More