Employees During a Recession, Case Study Example

Management

Management is the activities and skills to coordinate the efforts of those within the organization, either directly or indirectly assigned to the manager, to accomplish the goals and objectives of the organization.  Management is the human interaction within a business system to utilize the limited resources of capital, time, technology, human resources and physical resources to generate an outcome for the business.  The key focus of the management role is to align those limited resources to the appropriate tasks and activities to meet the goals and objectives of the function they are currently managing while also aligning their goals and objectives with those priorities of the managers up the hierarchical chain of command.  These tasks and objectives become harder to achieve when the workforce is stymied by the possibility of losing their positions within the organization.  There are key factors that are necessary to ensure the workforce is still remaining productive during uncertain times.  The leadership of the organization has the responsibility to establish clear and concise goals for the employees, create a sense of purpose, clearly communicate the internal and external business environment and completely remain translucent throughout the chain of command.  There is the change-centric culture in which there are strategic plans followed by operational and tactical actions (Atkinson, 2014).  Without the ability to apply the appropriate amount of focus and attention on the operational objective the organization will struggle to progress through the obstacles that lay ahead.  These key areas will facilitate the effective and efficient communication throughout the organization but will also allow the workforce to focus on completing their operational objectives and help move through the economic downturn the organization is facing (Pettersen, 2009).

Driving behavior to respond to the recession is performed by clearly communicating the circumstances and applying a set of objectives that are indirectly associated with the financial health of the organization.  By directing a centralized focus on key metrics that the employees have a direct impact upon, the organization can shift focus in a positive nature toward activities that help the company achieve its own strategic intent and allows the employees to be part of that achievement.  Retaining and obtaining talent during a recession can be an obstacle within itself.  There is a certain fear within the work environment when a position or career opportunity is not as sturdy or reliable as the employee may require.  It is up to the organization to retain this top talent and to ensure the employee’s performance does not suffer.  This is accomplished through a process of reinvestment into the employees (Kee and Newcomer, 2008).  This is accomplished through increasing their skillsets through training or seminars as well as a re-baseline of their goals and objectives during their performance reviews.  It is imperative to follow the framework of open and clear communication as well as receiving the employee’s feedback on what their career aspirations include.  This will create a connection with the employee and regain some of the certainty needed within the work environment for increased performance and satisfaction.  The focus of the managerial echelon would need to focus on specific, measurable and achievable objectives to measure the employees.  The objectives should also be based on short-term achievements as well as include a clear and visible outcome so that the employees can have a target to focus their actions and manage their productivity.

References

Atkinson, C. (2014). Managing for excellence in the public and nonprofit sectors. Florida Atlantic University.

Kee, J.E. and Newcomer, K. E. (2008). Transforming public and non-profit organizations: stewardship for leading change.  Management Concepts.

Pettersen, J. (2009). Defining lean production: some conceptual and practical issues. The TQM Journal, 21(2).