Management Assignment: Developing Managerial Strategies For Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd

Question

Task: BRIEF: Prepare a business report (1,500 words) outlining the decision-making process and the development of managerial strategies to implement your selected decision.

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS:
For this management assignment, you will select a problem that requires a decision or solution to be made and develop managerial strategies to implement it within your workplace or organisation that has some significance to you. If you are not currently associated with a workplace or organisation, you may select a company that you are interested in or one that has been reported recently in the media. Use the Six-Step Framework for Making Decisions: Decision Making as a guide for your decision-making process. Furthermore, you will develop a variety of managerial strategies to implement the solution you selected. Although identifying and understanding the problem and developing alternative solutions are extremely important in real-world scenarios, you should concentrate on developing the strategies to implement the solution.

For your report, you should address each of the following elements:
1. Identify the Decision
a. Identify a decision you are currently facing in your workplace or organisation. You should describe the problem and classify it as either a programmed or non-programmed decision.
b. Explain the level of uncertainty or the spectrum of the decision certainty.
c. Describe what decision-making model you used or plan to use to guide your decision.
d. Connect any theories, concepts, or findings in your readings to support your explanations and reasoning.
2. Understanding the Problem
a. Briefly explain the root cause of the problem.
3. Develop Alternatives
a. Develop several possible alternative solutions that will correct the underlying causes.
4. Select from the Alternatives
a. Select the best solution and provide a brief explanation of why it was chosen.
b. Remember, much of this assignment is focused on developing the strategies to implement this solution.
5. Implementation
You will develop several managerial strategies for each of the following areas:
Change Management
a. Develop several managerial strategies that address the change that is needed to implement your proposed solution. Your strategies should include what type of change is needed (i.e. people, culture, training and development, etc.)
b. One of your strategies should use Kurt Lewin’s 3 Phases of Organisational change as a guide to help manage the change process.
c. One of your strategies should focus on how you will plan to manage employees who resist change.
d. Connect any theories, concepts, or findings in your readings to supporting your explanations and reasoning

Motivation
a. Develop several managerial strategies you will use to motivate the implementation of your proposed solution. You should identify what types of motivational strategies you will use (i.e. intrinsic or extrinsic) and provide supporting reasons.
b. Connect any theories, concepts, or findings in your readings to supporting your explanations and reasoning.

Communication
a. Develop several managerial strategies that direct how the solution or implementation will be communicated throughout the workplace or organisation.
b. The strategies should address at least two different aspects of communication (i.e. communication channels, persuasion, candour, dialogue and negotiation steps, asking questions, nonverbal communications, listening, and written communication).
c. The strategies should identify if you used formal or informal communications and the communication flow that will be used (i.e. downward, upward, horizontal, etc.)
d. Connect any theories, concepts, orfindings in your readings to supporting your explanations and reasoning.

Defining Team
a. Develop several managerial strategies that outline the key personnel or teams you will use to assist with the solution implementation.
b. The strategies should identify what type of team you will use (i.e. self-managed, virtual, etc.).
c. One managerial strategy should address how you plan to help the team’s formation, cohesiveness, team norms, or dealing with conflict.
d. Connect any theories, concepts, or findings in your readings to supporting your explanations and reasoning.

Leadership
a. Identify several challenges you foresee occurring while implementing your solution.
b. Address how you might overcome each of the identified challenges from a managerial perspective and a leader perspective.
c. Explain what type of leadership style would be most effective in leading the solution within your workplace or organisation.
d. Connect any theories, concepts, or findings in your readings to supporting your explanations and reasoning.

Answer

1. Decision Identification
Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty.Ltd is an Australian company that provides service in Brisbane. The company provides a wide range of cleaning services in which most evident services are commercial cleaning, restaurant& bar cleaning, Gym cleaning, bank cleaning, child care facility, etc. Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd also has civil debt insurances for the cleaner. They provide online services for their customers to book the service with a secure and easy payment mode. However, there are specific issues in their management while operating their business. Among which teamwork is the most significant one amongst all the problems. Since the company or the business depends on the teamwork of the company's employees and their not being able to work collaboratively reflects on their management issues—the decision identified in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd is a non-programmed decision, and the spectrum of this issue is high if not managed properly(Battaglia, 2016). The model that has been used to guide the issue is the Six-Step Framework which will assist the organisation in making an ethical decision. This model will support Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd in every situation in their management. Theories that have been connected to support the explanation and to provide logical reasoning are

• Change Management: Kurt Lewin’s 3 Phases
• Motivation: Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory
• Communication: Weber’s Classic Organizational Theory of Fixed Structures
• Defining team: Scientific Management
• Leadership: Contingency Theory

2. The root cause of the problem: The teamwork issue that has been identified in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd is because of the lack of work transparency in their working system. Not only Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd in this recent time, most of the companies are facing this issue because the employees do not want to work with such an organisation that doesn't provide proper information to their employees (Hearn, 2020). Unless and until the employees are not clear with the company's mission, they will not be able to give their 100%. The same issues were identified in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd where the seniors or the leaders were not being able to make their employees work collaboratively. Thus, the management issue was encountered in the company's management department.

3. Alternative solutions: Team management can be handled efficiently within the organisations, in the case of Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd, the management can come with several alternatives to overcome their team conflict issue. The most relevant alternatives will be communication, motivation, change in the existing management, values, etc. (Vicky, 2015). These alternatives not only work on team management issues but it is appropriate for every organisational issue. Thus, these alternatives will be enough for Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd to tackle their management issue. Each mentioned alternative comes with its own significance, but they mostly have a positive impact on the business organisation, for the service companies like Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd these alternatives will work excellently within their organisation.

4. Selected solution Alternatives: Among all the above-mentioned alternatives, communication is a selected approach that will work excellently in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd. Communication is a key factor in handling every management issue in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd the issue arose because of lack of communication where the management was not being able to transfer adequate information to their employees. Lack of communication increases the spectrum of transparency that lowers the employee's morale which ultimately affects the company's performance. Hence, if Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd will adopt a good communication approaches the company will manage their management issue. With communication Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd can motivate their employees, and they can bring out the actual reason for employees' demotivation.

Communication will allow each member of the team to share their feelings and knowledge and hence improve teamwork efficiency (Sikder, 2020). Communication will bring each member of the team closer, breaking the formal barriers between the employers and employees. This approach will create natural bonding making each member comfortable within their workplace. Moreover, communication within the workplace creates a sense of belongingness; therefore, each person gets read to help each other in every needy situation, for Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd, the management needs to transfer adequate information to their employees so that they will be able to make a decision towards their work. The company being unable to provide the necessary information will always suffer in their management issues. Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd being a service industry, needs to maintain a relationship with its employees to sustain itself in the market. Proper flow of information through good communication will provide a clear understanding of the company's mission and vision and makes the employees work accordingly.

5. Implementation
Change Management- Change is necessary for the growth of an organisation. Various strategies are developed to implement change management in an organisation:

• Putting people first- Change proposals fail when the people involved in the change process don't understand, engage or believe in the change. Thus, it is necessary to engage the employees in the process of change. The change process becomes more accessible when the leader engages the employees.
• Kurt Lewin’s 3 Phases of Organisational Change- Kurt Lewin’s 3 Phases of Organisational Change focuses on the following processes:
  1. Unfreezing- This stage focuses on the preparation of the changes that are going to occur in the organisation
  2. Changing- This stage focuses on the change process and needs adequate time for the implementation of the change.
  3. Refreezing- This stage stabilises and creates an environment for long-term progression.
• Participation and involvement- Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd must involve their employees in the stages of the change
  implementation and make them feel valuable to ensure that the change resistance does not happen in the organisation.

Motivation- The following strategies can be developed to motivate the employees in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd:

• Maslows hierarchy of needs- This theory describes that the employees are motivated according to their needs and Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd must motivate its employees according to the hierarchy of needs. The hierarchical needs are physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs and self-actualisation needs.
• Openness and transparency- Open communication is an intrinsic strategy for motivation, and it is required for motivating the employees. Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd must remain open and transparent about the change to their employees to encourage them in participating in the process.

Communication- The following aspects are vital in the development of effective communication in an organisation:

• Communication channels- Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd must focus on the richness of the medium during communication.Face-to-face communication is also an effective way to develop effective communication.
• Persuasion- Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd must persuade its employees for the change, and thus credibility must be established by the company. Goals among the employee must be built on common ground.

Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd must adopt informal communication as it functions simultaneously besides formal communication and is more effective. Poor teamwork is identified as a vital issue in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd and horizontal communication is the best choice to improve it. Horizontal communication enables employees to solve intradepartmental problems, interdepartmental problems and disputes. The company can also adopt weber's theory as it defines communication to be hierarchical, and organisations should have classified responsibilities and roles.

Defining Team- The critical issue that has been identified in Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd is poor teamwork, and the company can adopt the theory of Scientific management as the approach enables an organisation to improve its workflow and the economic efficiency, labour productivity of the company is improved (Waring, 2016). Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd should use a self-managed team to increase the understanding and synchronisation among the team members. In order to maintain or improve the team’s formation, cohesiveness, team norms, or dealing with conflict, the strategy that the company must adopt is increasing communication. Improved communication will help the company to achieve all the team building requirements. The disputes which result in poor teamwork can also be resolved with the help of effective communication.

Leadership- Laissez-Faire Leadership will be the most suitable for Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd. The Laissez-Faire leadership style enables the employees to participate with their full potential (Ekmekci & Tosunoglu, 2016). All the team members are given equal importance in the Laissez-Faire leadership style. The poor teamwork of the company can be resolved if every team member is provided the same priority and authority in the team to put forward their ideas and concepts. Implementation of changes and solutions bring numerous challenges with it. The key challenges which can be foreseen are miscommunication, change resistance, the inefficiency of employees and management and many more. The contingency theory is applicable in the case of Blue Bird Cleaning Services Pty. Ltd. The contingency theory suggests that all leadership styles are not suitable for every situation. The leadership styles and techniques change according to the problem, and this quality of a leader provides him/her with success.

References
Battaglia, M. (2016). Framework for Making Ethical Decisions: The Six-Step Guide for Ethical Success. Www.biz417.com. https://www.biz417.com/blog/framework-for-making-ethical-decisions-the-six-step-guide-for-ethical-success/ Ekmekci, O. T., & Tosunoglu, H. (2016). (PDF) Laissez-Faire leaders and organisations: how does Laissez-Faire leader erode the trust in organisations. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320283218_Laissez-Faire_leaders_and_organizations_how_does_Laissez-Faire_leader_erode_the_trust_in_organizations
Hearn, M. F. and E. V. (2020, September 17). Ten common team challenges and how to overcome them - Real Business. https://realbusiness.co.uk/ten-common-challenges-that-teams-face-and-how-to-overcome-them
Sikder, T. (2020, August 26). Overcome Team Building Challenges To Handle Your Team Better. WordPress ERP. https://wperp.com/78530/overcome-team-building-challenges-to-handle-it-better/
Vicky. (2015, June 22). Communication: Meaning, Purpose, Importance and Principles. Management assignment Your Article Library. https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/management/communication/communication-meaning-purpose-importance-and-principles/60291
Waring, S. P. (2016). Taylorism Transformed: Scientific Management Theory Since 1945. In Google Books. Management assignment UNC Press
Books. https://books.google.co.in/bookshl=en&lr=&id=vwo1DgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=theory+of+ Scientific+management+&ots=1WGwFzn4a3&sig=CUhsGBsU3dqUfUgigtam5IgJKm0&redir_ esc=y#v=onepage&q=theory%20of%20Scientific%20management&f=false