Establishing and Maintaining Stability and Continuity
Referencing Styles : Harvard | Pages : 32
Internal Process – Module 2 – Establishing and Maintaining Stability and Continuity As we move to a new management quadrant (model), we see a shift in the era of management which looks more closely at the internal operations and systems of an organisation. Here the manager is concerned with the design and coordination of information, systems and processes that enable the organisation to efficiently achieve its objectives. This is in contrast to the previous RG model which predominantly adopted an external focus (i.e. the specific outputs themselves). The Internal Process model concentrates on the monitoring aspect of management. Look at the location of the quadrant in the Competing Values Framework. Can you see it is positioned towards the bottom of the CVF wheel – near the control axis? Controlling is a critical management function and to build this capability the topic seeks to develop the following five competencies: 1. Organising information flows 2. Working and managing across functions 3. Planning and coordinating projects 4. Measuring and monitoring performance and quality 5. Encouraging and enabling compliance Competencies #1, #4 and #5 are covered in this topic while competencies #2 & #3 are covered in the next. A detailed description of each competency is provided in the associated readings. As highlighted by the five competencies, effective managers pay attention to the critical details of business operations; mainly by collecting, analysing and disseminating information. In doing so the manager is in a better position to know whether the current systems and process are in fact leading to the required outcomes. This can seem to be routine and a boring aspect of management, but by knowing what information is generated and how it is dealt with from the first point of contact allows for informed and even creative decisions to be made. Study guide section Organising Information Flows At the outset of this unit we discussed several broad themes which typically describe what management is. Organising is one such descriptor. It has long been recognised as a central function of managing. Textbook: Ch. 7 Textbook Read pages 108-117 of your text, stopping at the heading ‘Analysis’. Activity Activity Take a few minutes to think about the vast amount of information you receive as a student of SCU. Develop a strategy which may help you to collect, categorise and act upon the information. To do so you might choose to follow the TRAF system and priority matrix, as detailed on p.111 and p.113 of your text. When you have completed the activity, read the ‘Reflection’ section on p.120 of your text. What is your view? Are you more productive when ‘perfectly’ organised or do you think that a degree of disorganisation leads to great efficiency? Study guide section Monitoring in 2nd era organisations Theoretical ideas related to ‘administrative’ management support the concept of 2nd era organisations. Quinn et al. (2014) advise that many contributions to management knowledge emerged during the early 20th century. In this unit we have separated the administrative and bureaucratic theorists as they align with the principals of internal administration. Writers such as Henri Fayol and Max Weber are among those whose ideas assist our study of internal operations. Important theoretical ideas proposed are available on pp 6 and 7 of your text. You should review that section of the chapter again to refresh your thoughts. Davidson et al. (2009) advise that Max Weber’s contribution to organisation administration was a model of a bureaucracy based on a logical and efficient system of operation. You will see that Weber’s ideas are very much about reporting and detailing processes inside an organisation. His ideas therefore contribute to the development of organisational policy. As previously indicated, there is a high degree of overlap between the theoretical ideas of 1st era (rational goal) and 2nd era (internal process) management. Hence the principals of Henri Fayol and Max Weber may have relevance in both eras. Large organisations predominated during both eras and the focus of the Internal Process model allows us to move the emphasis inwards to administration and information management. Textbook: Ch. 7 Textbook Jump to Competency 4 of the module and read pages 144-151 of your text, stopping at the heading ‘Analysis’. Activity Activity Complete the ‘Practice’ activity on p.152 of your text. Figure photo of magnified text Textbook: Ch. 7 Textbook Read pages 153-164 of your text, stopping at the heading ‘Analysis’. Study guide section The Importance of Compliance As detailed on p.162 of your text, the term ‘compliance’ means to act “in accordance with a request or a rule – something that organisations have always needed members to do.” The challenge that many organisations face is to ensure, as much as possible, that compliance occurs. At the very least failure to comply with organisational directives may lead to lower productivity and reduced earnings. At its most damaging, non-compliance may result in breaches of State and/or Federal law. In terms of developing and implementing a compliance strategy, it is important to not only be confident that the right organisational ‘systems’ are in place but they are appropriate for the staff involved. Effective management in this quadrant is evident in those who are ‘on top of’ the information and systems in their organisation. The competencies signify the need to be aware of the ‘impact’ of information to the functioning of the business, and also to know how that information translates into the work of staff who are undertaking their jobs. According to Moodie (2008) the term information governance reflects how managers can recognise the value of information to a business. Effective internal process managers ensure that evaluation mechanisms are in place to review work systems and processes. This is seen as monitoring and measuring performance and quality. So there is a focus on the assessment of outcomes too. Remember, being overly strong in this quadrant can put the manager in danger of focusing on trivia, minutae and irrelevant processes. They can become unimaginative, tedious and overlook opportunities. The quadrant needs balance with the opposite quadrant which looks outward and is open to new ideas continuing text Encouraging Compliance On one level we can be seen to work towards improving systems and processes in our organisation or department. This is based on the assumption that staff will carry out their roles and tasks. The challenge many organisations face in an effort to improve is to ensure compliance occurs. So, at another level we have to be confident that as well as the right system being in place that the system is appropriate for the staff who perform the roles as part of the system. Service-based organisations like hospitality and tourism are quite vulnerable in this regard as the cost of compliance can be high, particularly if standards drop because of ineffective delivery systems and service recovery mechanisms. An example here is something as simple as the temperature of a cup of coffee. How important is a good cup of coffee to you and the difference it can make to your choice to return if your coffee is poorly made or service is unsatisfactory. Activity Activity Look at the list of reasons for non-compliance identified on pp 155-158 of your text and compare these with the strategies for encouraging compliance in organisations on p. 158. Have you had experience with any of these reasons or strategies in your workplace? Figure airport picture