hi i need help with this case, thanks

Course: Essential Skills for Managers

Case Study

Background

You have been working at Davis & Leon, a national chain of specialty food stores, for over 4 years. You really enjoy the work; the pay and benefits are excellent, and the organization is very supportive. Recently, you applied for a store manager position in the downtown location, and you were the successful candidate. You started training for your new position 3 months ago with the former manager (Pat), who retired as soon as you were trained.

Your team consists of 16 direct reports: 2 supervisors, 4 cashiers, 6 grocery staff, 2 delivery drivers, 1 baker and 1 catering/gourmet food specialist. The 2 supervisors do most of the scheduling, ordering and day-to-day supervision of the staff. According to their job descriptions, staff report to both supervisors equally, which has caused some confusion and tension in the past. However, you see little actual evidence of any staff reporting to the supervisors, except for matters related to scheduling.

The store has 5 departments: produce, bakery, grocery, meats, and gourmet food. The staff generally work in their specific areas but are expected to help out in any department or take on any role when needed.

During your training, the former manager shared some frustrations about the staff team.

Pat: "Overall they are a great team. They know their jobs. They also know that I will always be there to help them out. I don't like mistakes, so the staff know that if there is anything out of the ordinary, they should come to me, and I will make the decision.

There is one person I'm having issues with, Sam, our gourmet food specialist. I don't know what is going on with him! He used to be my star employee, friendly and great with customers. Now, he is rude and uncooperative with the staff. I have been tempted to just let him go, but who could I hire? The knowledge Sam has is very specific, and we have many customers who will only deal with him because of that knowledge! So, I just kind of ignore it and hope it will get better."

You have been observing the staff team for a while now and have come to some of your own conclusions. Overall, they do seem to be good at their jobs. They pull together and work well as a team when the store gets busy. However, if a customer complains, if anything goes wrong, or if they have a question or concern, they come straight to you, the Store Manager., They do not seem to be willing to make a decision on their own. You questioned the supervisors as to why the employees are not going to them, but they state that Pat used to make all the decisions, and they thought you would continue with this style. Even the supervisors double-check with you about decisions they have made. Both of them seem very competent and seem to be ready to take

on more responsibility when it comes to dealing with customers or making decisions. Besides, these constant interruptions are taking up too much of your time, and something needs to change.

Over the past few months, you have been observing Sam, and you agree with Pat's assessment. Sam snaps at the other staff, takes extra long breaks and will not help out in other areas, even when the store is busy. You have noticed that the other staff seem frustrated with Sam's attitude, and they are starting to gossip about Sam behind their back. Sam and a supervisor got into a verbal altercation yesterday. The supervisor asked Sam to help put together a large delivery order, and Sam refused. The supervisor came to you after the incident and requested that you "do something" about Sam.

A. Organizing and Authority

You have decided that some changes need to be made to the reporting structure, as well as the way staff are organized, to ensure the organization is using its resources efficiently. You are not wanting to make any major changes to anyone's roles or responsibilities; just some changes to the existing structure so the organization will be more efficient and effective.

1. Explain what kind of organizational structure would work best for this store and why.

2. Using the organizational structure that you chose in question 1, decide how you want to organize your staff team, including any changes you want to make to the reporting structure.

use the three-step approach to Organizing, outlined in Chapter 7 (attached the definitions from the book). Explain in general how you will follow each step in creating your plan. You will be presenting this plan to your staff at the next staff meeting. Please be creative and add/make up any details that you feel are appropriate.

The three steps are:

1. i. Define the objective: What is the end goal you wish to accomplish by making changes to the organizational and reporting structure of your team? How will this goal make your staff team more efficient and effective?
2. ii. Determine the needed resources: What the staff need so they can accomplish the established objective(s)?
3. iii. Group activities. What changes do you want to make? Think about how you will group your staff: by function, by area, by duties, etc. Consider the 4 Principles of Organizing and how you will delegate authority and responsibility. Briefly describe what the changes will look like for each team/group/department and supervisor.

3. Using the information from questions 1 and 2, build a new organizational chart that shows the changes to the structure.

Chapter 7 (attached are the definitions from the book)

Acrobat File Edit View E-Sign Window Help CA O D Q O Mon Jul 3 15:37:35 .. . Supervision Concepts and Skill Building by Certo, Samuel C. (z-lib.org).pdf Home Tools Case Study. (2)(1).... Supervision Conc... x 168 (199 of 575) + 125% At least one signature is invalid. Signature Panel effectively. But the supervisor also is accountable for the Promote the use of carpooling and public transit to group's performance and should make sure that employees reduce the number of employees driving. have the resources and conditions necessary for workplace safety and effectiveness. Here are some suggestions for Sources: "When Guards Fall Asleep on Duty, Who's Truly at Fault?" doing that: Security Director's Report, July 2011, pp. 1, 11-13; "Coping Safely with Be sure the department has enough personnel to cover all Extended, Rotating, or Unusual Work Shifts," Safety Compliance Letter, no. 2529 (September 2011) pp. 7, 10; "Night-Time Practices Jeopardise the shifts safely. People need days off to rest and for sick Quality of Care in Residential Homes," Joseph Rowntree Foundation, days and vacations, so the department needs about four http://www.jrf.org.uk/media-centreight-time-practices-jeopardise- crews to staff three shifts per day, seven days a week. quality-care-residential-homes, accessed April 19, 2014; Dave Rebbitt, 'Night shifts: Are they safe?," Canadian Occupational Safety, March 13, Provide more supervision to ensure workers are more 2014, http://www.cos-mag.com/safety/safety-columns/3862-night- closely monitored. shifts-are-they-safe.html?print=1&tmpl=component. LO7.6 | Identify the steps The Process of Organizing in the process of organizing. For a supervisor, organizing efforts are generally focused on allocating responsibili ties and resources in a way that makes the department or work group operate effect tively and efficiently. In addition, supervisors may want or need to set up teams (see Chapter 3). Whether the organizing job involves setting up a new company, restructuring an existing one, or deciding how to organize a department or team, the process should be basically the same. The supervisor or other manager should JUL 3 A I PNGAcrobat File Edit View E-Sign Window Help CA O D Q O Mon Jul 3 15:37:56 .. . Supervision Concepts and Skill Building by Certo, Samuel C. (z-lib.org).pdf Home Tools Case Study. (2)(1).... Supervision Conc... x 169 (200 of 575) + 54.7% Y At least one signature is invalid. Signature Panel Chapter 7 Organizing and Authority 169 Define Determine Group define the objective, determine what resources are needed, the the activities and then group activities and assign duties. This three-step objective . needed and approach leads to a structure that supports the goals of the resources. assign organization, as illustrated in Figure 7.4. duties . Define the Objective FIGURE 7.4 | The Process of Organizing Management activities should support the objectives Organizing, regardless of the level within the company or developed during the planning process. In the case of orga- the task to be accomplished, requires three basic steps. nizing, the supervisor or other manager should begin by defining what objective the department or work group is supposed to be achieving. If the supervisor does not know, then he or she has not finished planning and should complete that job before trying to organize work. Walmart Stores operates more than 4,000 stores in the United States, so a big chal- lenge is how to run stores profitably and develop high-potential employees v there is so much activity to manage. The company determined that it could do th best by giving regional managers better oppo develop their skills. So the company divided its U.S. stores into three geographic business units, called Walmart West, Walmart South, and Walmart North, each headed by an executive vice presi dent. Each business unit is divided into regions headed by a general manager, and every region is divided into smaller markets, each headed by a d ded by a director of stores serving that market. By creating separate business units and adding layers of man- agement, the company reduced the number of people supervised by each of the higher-level managers, so efforts to develop regional managers can be more personal. It also created more management positions for store managers to move up to as their skills are developing. 16 Determine the Needed Resources The planning process also should give the supervisor an idea isor an idea of what resources- including personnel, equipment, and money-are needed to achieve goals. The super- visor should review the plans and identify which resources are needed for the particular areas being organized. To achieve Ritz Carlton's lofty goals that all of its customers be satisfied and return again, its manag- ers have determined that they need employees comm high quality. They also realize that every employee must be empow- ered to contribute to customer satisfaction. This responsibility in turn requires that employees have access to information about what customers want and how well the company's processes are working. Modern information systems help fulfill that need. RECEPTION Group Activities and Assign Duties The final step in the process is what it's no secret that a strong portion of company success can be attributed to employees most people think about when they who are committed to customer service. consider organizing. The supervisor DOnoky/SuperStock RF groups the necessary activities and JUL 3Acrobat File Edit View E-Sign Window Help CA O D Q Mon Jul 3 15:38:00 .. . Supervision Concepts and Skill Building by Certo, Samuel C. (z-lib.org).pdf Home Tools Case Study. (2)(1).... Supervision Conc... x 170 (201 of 575) + 54.7% Y At least one signature is invalid. Signature Panel 170 Part Three Functions of the Supervisor assigns work to the appropriate employees. For example, the line leader in a small machine shop noticed that it was difficult to set priorities when a stack of work orders arrived from the company's office. So the line leader starts each day by reviewing the latest orders. She marks each order with a colored highlighter: green for rush jobs, yellow for orders that have a little longer to complete, and red for orders that aren't urgent. After organizing the work in this way, the line leader distributes the jobs among the various lines so they can keep work flowing smoothly." At Walgreens Lowe's, and many other companies, managers group anagers group activities and assign duties so that workers with disabilities can do certain jobs alongside nondisable de nondisabled workers. To learn how, see the "Supervision and Diversity" feature. To ensure that all the necessary responsibilities are assigned, the supervisor also can involve employees in this step of the organizing process. Employees are deeply involved in these decisions at Harley-Davidson's motorcycle plant in Kansas City, Missouri. Representatives from management and the union established an overall structure based on teamwork. Most of the work takes place in what the company calls natural work groups (NWGs), teams of up to 15 workers who handle all the tasks for specialized func- tions (painting, fabrication) or for assembling particular motorcycle models. 18 Each NWG decides how to meet its goals-for example, deciding how to arrange the machinery and equipment and solving quality problems. Workers in the NWG rotate through the group's various jobs so that they can fill in for one another as needed. The groups have authority for solving problems. For example, when a machine on the production line for welding frames broke down, the groups affected by the breakdown worked together to fix the machine and called in the next shift early to get caught up.19 The remainder of this chapter discusses how to carry out this third step of the orga nizing process. SUPERVISION AND DIVERSITY ACCOMMODATING WORKERS WITH Because of Walgreens' success, many other companies, DISABILITIES AND IMPROVING including Best Buy, Lowe's, and Toys R Us, have adopted EFFICIENCY similar practices and have utilized programs that work to match companies looking to hire with disabled job-seekers. Knowing that workers with disabilities and appropriate job Lowe's has, in fact, sent leadership teams from around the skills can be highly dedicated and motivated, Walgreens country to the Walgreen's South Carolina facility to learn designed the work and facility of its high-tech South Carolina quently, Lowe's has made distribution center to accommodate disabled workers. modifications to their distribution facilities and is focusing greens saw a remarkal recruiting efforts on people with disabilities. efficiency. Though 4 out of every 10 of the center's 800 Unfortunately, Americans with disabilities often still face employees have reported a physical or cognitive disability, great deal of discrimination in the workplace and high ity improved because rates of unemployment. Forward-thinking supervisors and r for everyone to carry out accurately. companies can use the success stories of companies like According to Deb Rus manager of out Lowe's and Walgreens as exam xamples of what they co byee services at ens, the company focused on how achieve both in higher rates of efficiency, improved bottom to "make work more intuitive" without lowering standards for lines, and making a significant difference in the lives of productivity. For example, while many warehouses might many individuals. ask employees to type information with computer key- boards, Walgreens developed touch screens that display Sources: Susan J. Wells, "Counting on Workers with Disabilities," large symbols and pictures. Workers select images on the HR Magazine, April 2008, www.shrm.org: "Hiring Disabled Workers touch screen to complete various tasks. That means people and writing can handle jobs Can ming 2015 have difficulty r accurately. Also, the height of the workstations is adjustable, workers-with-disabilities_n_1707421.html, accessed April 19, 2014; which makes them more comfortable for everyone-not just 22, 2013, http:/www.forbes.com/sites/ judyowen/2013/04/22/lowes disabled workers-to use. ramps-up-disability-inclusion/, accessed April 19, 2014. JUL 3 4 I PNG