– Identification of the problems and rationale for their prioritisation
– Use of appropriate theoretical models
– Evidence of imagination in identifying the options available
– Development of a realistic strategy and implementation proposal
Robin Hood’s insurrection began as a personal crusade against the High Sheriff of Nottingham and his administration. His band of men was a small disciplined group united against the Sheriff. However, Robin changed his recruiting tactics believing that strength was in number. This hierarchy change brought about many problems which hindered Robin’s success of his campaign.
The small disciplined group of men could fall under the definition by Schein of a formal organisation “the planned co-ordination of the activities of a number of people for the achievement of some common, explicit purpose or goal, through the division of labour and function, and through a hierarchy of authority and responsibility.” (Mullins, 2003)
It was easier for Robin to oversee the management of a small group of men as he personally recruited, the men he knew their strengths and weaknesses.
As the success of Robin Hood’s campaign grew more men joined him and soon Robin took all who came to him without asking many questions. This created many problems both internally and externally.
The Term Paper on Blue Man Group 2004 Library November
The off the wall antics and odd, but entertaining music style of the Blue Man Group has brought them to be one of the most popular and successful theater groups in the world today. The Blue Man Group came into play in 1987. Creators Matt Goldman, a software producer, Chris Wink, and Phil Stanton, both working as waiters, say the Blue Man Group started as a weekend get together in which they would ...
Internally, as human resources increased the number of lieutenants he would need to effectively manage the group would need to be increased. Groups need to be carefully managed as problems could arise. For example, informal hierarchies and leaders might start to appear which could slowly break down the chain of command. The task of discipline was delegated to Little John, but as the band grew this would become harder to enforce. Also, trust and loyalty will become an issue, especially for a group of outlaws. Robin is becoming more aware of these issues by reflecting “I don’t know half of the men I run into these days.”
Externally, the resources needed to support the group were in decline. The number of men began to exceed the food capacity of the forest. This meant that the long-term survival of the band would soon be at risk, as the case study clearly states game was becoming scarce within the forest and food had to be brought to the encampment by cart from the forest’s outlying villages. Also, the band has become so large that what began as a small gathering had become a major encampment that could be detected miles away. This puts the secrecy of band in jeopardy.
Another problem confronted Robin, while the band was getting larger; their main source of revenue was in decline. Travellers were beginning to give the forest a wide birth. An alternative solution would have to be found to gain satisfactory amounts of income for the band.
Robin knew that the High Sheriff of Nottingham was growing stronger and that he had a lot more resources available to him. Robin also knew that there was only a remote chance of killing the Sheriff because of the number of men he had or having him removed from office as the sheriff had powerful friends at court.
Robin therefore concluded that the campaign tactics needed to change, or the campaign itself must come to an end.
After identifying the problems that Robin faced it is easier to view the options and solutions that are available. The main problem which is clearly identified is the size of the group, the size of the organisation. It is simply becoming unmanageable, and the huge number of recruits which Robin had under his command made the band inflexible to the changing environment around them, and seems to be at the root of all the problems that Robin and his lieutenants were facing.
The Term Paper on Kraft Foods Group Inc.
Kraft Foods Group Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT) is an American grocery manufacturing and processing conglomerate[4]headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Northfield, Illinois.[5] The company was formed in 2012 by a de-merger from Kraft Foods Inc., which in turn was renamed Mondelēz International. The new Kraft Foods Group is focused mainly on grocery products for the North American market, while Mondelēz is ...
The increasing size of the group means that the span of control is drifting too wide. A wide span of control by definition means “it become difficult to supervise subordinates effectively and this places more stress on the manager. With larger groupings, informal leaders and sub-groups are more likely to develop, and these may operate contrary to the police of management.” (Mullins, 2003)
There are three options available to Robin that could help to solve this problem of the size of his group. He could stop recruiting more men to the cause since he currently has more than he can handle. Also, he could try relocation of a lieutenant and a number of men to another forest or another geographical location. This could then help to cause the campaign to spread outside of Nottingham. Or Robin could try to find a suitable method of obtaining enough food for the increasing size of his band.
Obtaining enough food could prove to be extremely difficult simply because of the larger size of the band. If the band were smaller, they may be able to survive successfully on the current food levels provided by the small amount of game, and the food transported from the forest’s outlying towns.
The members of Robin’s band have needs like any other employee, but their needs are much more basics than those of the modern day employee. Food, and other goods essential to live on would be required to even stand a chance of keeping the band happy and together. These factors fall under the physiological needs within Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. These needs can be described simply as the most primitive and obviously biological needs of a human “satisfaction of hunger and thirst” (Mullins, 2003).
According to Maslow, these were the needs that were to be satisfied first if an employee was to begin to be happy in their work. Robin must ensure that his men have these physiological needs satisfied by securing a steady and reliable source of food for the future.
Now that we have identified and examined the problem of obtaining food and its importance to be rectified we need to discuss possible options and solutions.
One strategy for securing food for the short term could be to bribe or pay for more food carts from more villages, smaller cart loads might draw less attention to the men. Another approach which is more long term might be to grow food in isolated areas of the forest; this could be supplemented to live game which is becoming scarce.
The Term Paper on Food safety 4
This is in terms of meals/drinks served and cleanliness of tables, table cloths, utensils, and servers. Nigerian press reports is replete with cases of hospitalization and death arising from use of adulterated and fake food/drugs, and fatalities from use of banned food storage chemicals. Concern for the prevalence of food-borne ill-health, and the need to reduce the risk and losses associated with ...
This does lead on to yet another problem facing Robin, revenue and finances.
Robin himself has talked about changing the policy from “Rob from the rich and give to the poor” to a fixed transit tax. This idea has been heavily resisted by his lieutenants who are proud of the old motto. They also argued that the poor and the towns’ people were their main source of support and information. If they were antagonised by transit taxes they might abandon the Merry Men to the Sheriff.
Robin suggesting for a planned organisational change. By definition a planned organisational change is “triggered by the need to respond to new challenges or opportunities presented by the external environment, or in anticipation of the need to cope with potential future problems” (Mullins, 2003).
The challenges and triggers presented to robin are declining revenue and declining food sources, so it is clear that changes is needed. Despite the potential positive outcomes, change is often resisted at both the individual and the organisational level.
Common causes for individual resistance to change include in this case three main reasons. The first being that people are habit forming, people tend to respond to situations in an established and accustomed manner. “Habits may serve as a means of comfort and security (…) proposed changes to habits, especially if the habits are well established may well be resisted.” (Mullins, 2003)
Economic implications also have to be considered here; “people are likely to resist change which is perceived as reducing their pay or other rewards.” (Mullins, 2003)
Finally, the fear of the unknown, “changes which confront people with the unknown tend to cause anxiety or fear.” (Mullins, 2003)
The organisational resistance to change might be because of the organisational culture. The culture of an organisation develops over time and may not be easy change. “The pervasive nature of culture in terms of how things are done around here has a significant effect on organisational processes and the behaviour of staff.” (Mullins, 2003)
The Review on Employee Resistance to Change
Contemporary business dynamics are pressuring organisations to change and adapt effective strategies to operate and remain competitive within this competitive environment. As a result, organisations are responding by embracing change as part of the transformation and strategising process (Pieterse, Caniels & Homan, 2012, p. 799). However, when changes in the organisations occur, employees are ...
Another factor could be maintaining stability. Organisations pay much attention to maintaining stability and predictability. The need for the “formal organisational structure (…) and established methods of work can result in a resistance to change.” (Mullins, 2003)
Before Robin can tackle the problem of the lack of revenue being generated by the band, he must first solve the problems which are internal to the organisation, and hope to regain some control over the organisational structure. It is clear that the lieutenants, who are performing tasks delegated to them by Robin, are not fully in support of Robin anymore. If Robin can manage the conflict and convince his lieutenants that change is vital then it is much more likely that he will find support for his transit tax plan.
Many organisations have strategies for managing conflict. The best strategy for Robin would be clarify the goals and objectives for the band. “The clarification and continual refinement of goals and objectives (…) will help to avoid misunderstandings and conflict. (Mullins, 2003) Focusing on common goals may lead to a more co-operative behaviour. Robin’s goals aren’t just to `rob from the rich and give to the poor` it’s also to free the imprisoned King Richard. He needs to make sure that all his men know that.
As a result of the large increase in size of the organisational, discipline levels have dropped. Robin knows very few of the men he encounters within the forest, this could prove to be de-motivating for the members of the group whom Robin is unfamiliar with. It will be important for the members of the band to feel like they belong, and that they are serving an important purpose by being in the band.
The Term Paper on Solve Business Problems 2
1.1 Describe ways of recognising when a business problem exists In most organizations recognition of a business problem typically relies on measures and management reporting of measures against expectations. Usually each performance area measures quality, cost, and speed of service – plus possibly customer satisfaction. If one of these measures starts to vary from expectations then ...
A possible method to improve this situation in the future would be to review the recruitment procedures which are in place for the band. Any possible new members to the band should be screened, and only those who will bring something of use and value to the band should be admitted. These more selective procedures will also help to ensure that Robin and his lieutenants have a more personal relationship with each of the band. This will make Robin’s task of getting to know each of the band’s members and maintaining discipline a lot easier and less daunting.
Since most of the problems exist as a result of the organisation being to large the possibility of the reducing the size of the band should be examined. The first problem would be deciding which members of the band to remove from their positions as it would be time-consuming and difficult. The actual process of removing people from the band would have consequences which could prove disastrous. The morale of the entire band, even those members who are not removed, would be reduced.
Job security is something which needs to be in place for an employee to enjoy his or her job, and to get the most out of it. If there is a constant fear that the employee could be removed from their job at any time, standards of work would likely fall. The members of Rosin’s band would not enjoy their positions if they felt that they could be asked to leave, so it should be made important that the members do feel secure within their positions.
There is another course of action that should be considered, and that would be to involve the barons who are secretly attempting to dethrone Prince John, and return King Richard the Lionheart back to the throne. However, if Robin’s band were to join forces with these barons then a number of changes might have to be made. The structure of the organisation could adversely be affected as it is quite possible that the barons would restructure the organisation. This could mean their would be a hierarchy shift.
At the moment there is a fairly flat hierarchy structure, “broader span of control and few levels of authority.” (Mullins, 2003)
However, with the barons included it might shift the hierarchy to a taller structure, “narrower spans of control and more levels of authority.” (Mullins, 2003)
The Essay on Community Response to a Community Problem
The youth gang problem in Southern California has reached epidemic proportions, and it calls for immediate action. However, any meaningful response on a social concern must be made with an understanding of the root causes of such an issue. Here we identify possible key causes of gang involvement and draw out implications for possible solutions to the problems involved. The key solutions require ...
It would mean that Robin might not have absolute power over the band as the barons might be in charge of the financing, tasks, and policies.
If the group is to remain together then this change will need to be managed successfully because if the changes become to disrupting for the group as a hole then Robin’s plans could failed. However, if the band can cope with the change, and help the barons to raise the ransom money for King Richard, then Robin will have achieved his goal.
The promise of amnesty for Robin and his group should King Richard be successfully returned to the throne would be very tempting, as they would hope to return to similar lives as to the ones that they led before the foundation of Robin’s group of Merry Men. This reward would de a great incentive and may well tempt Robin’s group into helping the barons. Employees are motivated by the promise of rewards and incentives. Using the Porter and Lawler motivational model we see that” rewards are desirable outcomes.2 (Mullins, 2003)
To conclude, the image of a simple organised band with specific tasks being delegated to Robin’s lieutenants was not reflected after this successful first year. The hierarchy of the organisation was simply not suitable for the events which followed the first year. All the problems, ranging from declining finances to scare food was a result of one larger problem, the size and the rate of growth the organisation was experiencing. Since the majority of these problems are all interlinked with the size of the organisation then it is advised for Robin to solve this problem first as it would help to solve all the smaller problems.
Bibliography:
– Mullins (2003)- Management and Organisational Behaviour
Other sources:
– Lectures notes from Management and Organisational Behaviour
