Hole In The Wall: Problems and Solutions

 

Problems

The first problem with Hole In The Wall is that there is poor communication between employees and management, and between employees themselves. Having ineffective communication means that there will be conflicts which inevitably harm the organization (Buddhodev, 2011). The first sign that there is poor communication is that all organizational levels have complaints and consequently blame each other for increased customer dissatisfaction. The fitting crew blames the manufacturing department for shoddy workmanship because some windows have to be returned to the factory to be reworked; the factory crew on the other hand blames the purchasing department for poor materials, the storekeeper for inadequate storage and the sales department for rushing orders. The second sign is that having weekly meetings between the manager, the floor supervisor and the purchasing officer usually ended up in confrontation to the point that they were discontinued.

The second problem is that there is lack of coordination between the various departments. Barker, the manager admits that there have been many customer complaints that the fitting teams took longer than promised to install the windows or left work unfinished or left the site in some other unsatisfactory state. These complaints did not reflect incompetence on the part of the fitting crew but on the whole organization since every department blamed the other all the way to the top. This lack of coordination led one of the fitting teams to quit working notwithstanding the recession and its attendant job scarcity. The situation is so dire in the organization that there seems to be no inter-departmental coordination mechanisms that would ensure that each department is aware of each others shortcomings or timetables. For example, the sales department goes about looking for as many orders as they can without considering the limitations of the manufacturing department or the storage.

The third problem is that there is a rigid management structure that focuses on the way that things have been done before without considering present circumstances. For example, management is centralized meaning that all decisions are made by Barker. This is because all complaints pertinent to the organization have been directed at him. When he is on the phone dealing with a customer problem, the floor supervisor comes in with a complaint of his own. When he is being interviewed, his secretary comes in with a receptionist problem. There seems to be a cycle of endless complaints that do not seem to have a clear way of being resolved. Another sign of a rigid structure is that barker is charged with the responsibility of advertising, preparing company wages, scheduling of employees, and invoicing among other, which shows that he does not delegate any of the management functions even if he purports to believe in delegation.

Solutions

Every organization needs effective communication to function properly. All departments of Hole In The Wall including sales, manufacturing, purchase, fitting and administration need to be effectively linked through communication to function harmoniously. The genesis of effective communication should be company goals and objectives (Hener, 2010). Barker should ensure that the company has clearly spelt out goals and objectives that will guide every department. Although the general goal is sales, there must be insistence on quality right from purchase of raw materials to manufacturing and to eventual fitting. The best way to ensure that everyone understands the goals of the business is to formulate SMART goals. These are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely meaning that they can be quantified and have a time limit within which they are meant to be acccomplished. The manager should communicate this to his supervisors and officers who in turn transmit it to their line staff (Papa et al, 1997). Creation of innovative products and customers satisfaction starts with effective communication. Employees must also be taught the importance of effective communication. This is because communication is never one dimensional but is circular. Every detail communicated to employees must be interpreted and feedback given. Barker must ensure that all employees have impeccable communication skills.

Communication fosters a common understanding (Joseph, 2013). Without it, the visions of management would not be realized. All details that are communicated must be understood in full. Barker must diagnose the communication problems in order to decipher whether they are due to clarity or lack of agreement. Communication can be occurring in the organization where the desires of the sales team are understood by the manufacturing department but conflict occurs since the departments are not in agreement on the matter discussed. Therefore, it is possible that the problem is not the means of communication, but the content. The simple solution here is to ensure that there is a continuous exchange between the departments where communication is acknowledged by feedback. Effective communication only occurs where the transmission and feedback phases are in concurrence (Pauley & Pauley, 2009).

Effective coordination is lacking in Hole In The Wall. For it to be restored, there are a number of solutions that can be adopted. First, there must be sound planning (Bass, 2013). This is achieved through having clearly defined company goals and objectives. Every employee must be made aware of his/her importance and contribution to the overall success of the business. A comprehensive plan will interpret the roles of every person in addition to helping them understand the roles of others so as to not inconvenience them. Second, the organization should be simplified meaning that the hierarchy should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the management and line staff (Kotter & Cohen, 2002). Every department must understand its role and obligation towards other departments and work harmoniously towards the betterment of the company as a whole (Spaho, 2013). The other factor is that there must be effective leadership and supervision. Good managers and supervisors usually lead subordinates to a unified direction that fosters coordination and motivates them to work harder. Barker must ensure that Jobson, Pat and Les are effective supervisors and espouse the company’s core principles in the course of their jobs. Conflicts between supervisors should be solved in private absent the line staff and should not be allowed to fester for long leading to them playing out in public. Barker must understand that instead of viewing the conflict between Les and Jobson as a normal one, he should intervene and ensure that both departments coordinate in producing high quality windows.

It is good in some instances to let different employees display their discontentment with each other. This usually helps in exposing emotions that are hidden and which might hurt the business. While health disagreements are allowed, open disagreements between supervisors in front of their subordinates are disrespectful to the owner, the supervisors themselves and to the subordinates. The major problem in Hole In The Wall is that the manager is too freehanded. He allows conflicts to fester for long and in an uncontrolled manner such that they end up frustrating the activities of the business. He must take control and rein on errant members of his teams. The fact that a fitting team quit shows that there is no faith in the hierarchy of the company as any grievances should have been ironed out in advance. Coordination must not only be required on the teams but must also be voluntary (Richmond et al, 2005). All departments must aspire to work together for the betterment of the business. The sales team must, for example, work in tandem with the manufacturing team to ensure that there is adequate time to produce high quality windows and fit them within a time frame that encourages precision and perfection.

An organization’s structure is closely related to its culture. Hole In The wall’s structure is such that line staff are used to working on their own in complete disregard of people in other departments. The organization also relies on the manager for everything starting from decisions, plans, payroll and invoicing. This leaves the manager very crowded such that he does not have time for his oversight responsibility that ensures the smooth running of the business. The organization has a simple mechanistic structure where decisions are highly centralized with tasks being highly specialized and many strict rules and regulations. This structure means that departments are like autonomous businesses where, absence of coordination creates major problems (Morgan, 2006). Barker should strive to move his company from a mechanistic structure to an organic one. This latter structure ensures that there are interactions between departments so that any changes are effectively communicated. The new model also ensures that there is dilution in the chain of command hence Barker can delegate some of his functions to his subordinates (Johnson, 2013). Alternatively, he can hire extra help that will relieve him off some of his responsibilities so that he can attend the classes that he desires. If he finds that extra workers would be a burden to the payroll, then he can delegate. The sales department, for example, can be in charge of invoicing whereas the supervisor and the purchasing officer can be in charge of scheduling. This will free the manager some space to ensure the smooth running of the organization. Advertising can also be done by the sales department as they are the ones that are in charge of dealing with the customers and hence have considerable experience and insight into their needs. On the contrary, if Barker does not desire a more organic structure, then he should tighten the operations of the mechanistic structure to ensure than all activities occur seamlessly in a timely manner where repeat quality is guaranteed and communication between departments is well coordinated (Du Gay, 2000).

Recommendations

There should be adequate training of both employees and supervisors to ensure that they appreciate the value of communication in the organizations and that they do it professionally (Mirjaliisa & Marschan-Piekkari, 2002). This will aid in promoting the understanding of the company’s mission, goals and objectives.

The organization should ensure that there are adequate forums through which interactions between various departments and employees occur. This will foster good relationships and will also create voluntary coordination and effective problem solving. The manager should ensure that there are regular meetings between head of departments in order to appraise procedures and also determine future goals, trends and procedures. Currently, department heads do not meet meaning that the manager acts as the liaison between them which is unhealthy for the business.

There should be adequate planning of all company activities. Planning should begin by the articulation of the company’s mission, goals and objectives (Collis & Montgomery, 1998). The floor supervisor, the storekeeper, the sales team and purchasing officer should formulate standard operating procedures that will direct all activities of the business. All departments must be made aware of each other’s capabilities. The sales team, for example, should not give short deadlines to customers with the knowledge of production and storage limitations.

The manager/proprietor should strive to change the organizational structure from mechanistic to organic in order to stimulate innovation and also delegate some of his functions to departments (Ritzer, 2007). This will aid in the solution of problems at the departmental level and will foster an environment of mutual respect and harmonious existence where employees value each other’s inputs.

 

References

Bass, B., 2013. Signs & Symptoms of the Lack of Coordination in an Organization. Demand Media. Retrieved on 28^th Nov, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/signs-symptoms-lack-coordination-organization-13119.html

Buddhodev, S.A., 2011. Conflict management: making life easier. The IUP Journal of Soft Skills 5 (4): 31-43.

Collis, D. J. & Montgomery, C. A., 1998. Creating Corporate Advantage. Harvard Business Review, 76: 70-83.

Du Gay, P., 2000. In Praise of Bureaucracy. London: Sage.

Hener, G., 2010. Communication and conflict management in local public organizations. Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences 30E:132-141.

Johnson, S., 2013. Mechanistic Organizational Structure. Demand Media. Retrieved on 28^th Nov, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/mechanistic-organizational-structure-58785.html

Joseph, C., 2013. How Does a Lack of Communication Cause Conflict in the Workplace? Demand Media. Retrieved on 28^th Nov, 2013 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/lack-communication-cause-conflict-workplace-10470.html

Kotter, J.P. & Cohen, D.S., 2002. The Heart of Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing

Mirjaliisa, C. & Marschan-Piekkari, R., 2002. Language Training for Enhanced Business. Communication Quarterly, 65, 9–29.

Morgan, G., 2006. Images of Organisation. London: Sage

Papa, M. et al, 1997. Organizational Communication Perspectives and Trends. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc

Pauley, J.A. & Pauley, J.F., 2009. Communication: the Key to Effective Leadership. Milwaukee, Wis.: ASQ Quality

Richmond, V.P. et al, 2005. Organizational Communication for Survival: Making Work, Work. Needham Heights MA: Allyn and Bacon

Ritzer, G., 2007. The McDonaldization of Society. London: Pine Forge Press

Spaho, K., 2013. Organizational communication and conflict Management. Management, 18(1), 103-118

 

 

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