Cognitive Behavioral Strategies In Crisis Intervention

Theories that Support Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention

Discuss about the Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention.

Collings and Wood (2009) define a recognition scheme as the management approach which is used in an organizational set up to highlight and hence reward the efforts of outstanding workers. The details of a recognition scheme differ depending on the culture and structure of an organization. One of the most common approaches used to enhance worker motivation is through the establishment of stable salary schemes and occasional rewards for good performers. However, salary packaging may not be effective on a not-for-profit organization due to the financial constraints associated with such set ups. This paper focuses on salary packaging as an approach in retaining talent and motivation within the human resource fraternity. The case study “Retaining talent with salary packaging” provides the main facts which shall then be utilized to analyze the impacts of this recognition approach as applied in McDonald’s company. Based on key human resource management theories, the paper shall analyze the company’s recognition scheme and management culture before establishing its applicability in a different set up for instance in a non-profit making organization.

McDonalds is one of the fastest growing hamburger and fast foods industries in the world.  The international organization has its chains distributed in various countries across the globe. The immense success of the organization can be attributed to the strong culture and effective management approaches installed by the top leadership. As one of its management strategies, the company largely factors in the essence of employee motivation. This has gone a long way in enhancing the level of motivation within the human resource fraternity (Anita, 2010).

From the case study, we can deduce that managers can effectively nurture the talents of their employees through various recognition schemes. The main objective in such leadership approaches is to increase the level of confidence in the work in addition to encouraging quality delivery.  The use of material rewards is one of the most effective recognition schemes (Dobbin 2012). In this case, the organization chooses the best performers in a given department and rewards them based on the quality of the performance and consistency in service delivery. This HRM management approach is designed to take place over a given period of time hence can either be monthly, annual or bi-annual. The recognition scheme used by an organization entirely depends on its culture, mission, goals as well as the economic level which directly influences resource availability (Bernhard & Ingolis, 1998).

Application of Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention

The discussion above reveals a similarity in management approaches as used by McDonald’s. The organization’s design of management largely supports worker motivation through a number of activities (Daft & Armstrong, 2009). Despite the fact that the units exist within a chain, the management structure at McDonald’s is such that each chain works as a separate profit making entity. This approach encourages team work and healthy competition as the workers in each restaurant give their best in order to ensure quality delivery in all aspects. As a way of rewarding the best performers, the company rewards, with a bonus, all the employees in the top 10% of best performing restaurants within its chain. This reward is based on an analysis of customer feedbacks and the amount of sales made within a period of one month (Dattilio & Freeman, 2007). The additional bonuses enhance the employees’ salary packages which in turn creates motivation and the desire to remain consistent with quality delivery and good performance. Consequently, we can argue that the recognition scheme outlined in the course outline runs in conformation with the culture of the organization (Glisson, 1980).

McDonald’s believes in workforce motivation as a key strategy in maintain top performance. As such, the company continuously uses various motivation and recognition schemes which operate across all the subsidiaries. In order to ensure that these recognition schemes are more appealing to the workforce, the management revises them in addition to introducing new schemes (Hinings, 2013). As a recognition scheme, the company has the employee of the month, manager of the quarter and employee of the year awards. The winners in each of these categories are selected on the basis of the performances of their restaurants in terms of sales, customer satisfaction and quality delivery. This therefore reveals McDonald’s organizational culture as one which adequately advocates for the workers’ needs and interests. Apart from the periodical motivation, the company constantly revises its salary scheme in order to ensure that the remuneration’s are not only in line with the legal requirements but also motivate the workforce (Hoque, 2003). The attractive salary packages have played a crucial role in retaining the human resource. Lewin (2010) reveals that most workers at McDonald’s have been there for long periods of time since employment due to the relatively supportive work environment and reward programs.

As stipulated in the organizational culture, the leadership at McDonald’s ensures that the right behaviors by the employees are adequately recognized. In addition, the company ensures that the frequency for recognizing and rewarding efforts is right for the workforce. The strategies therefore indicate that the management team at McDonald’s does not only understand the needs of the employees but their value to the organization as well (Lingham & Rezania, 2006).

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention

The salary packages and reward programs play a crucial part in retaining the current workforce. Additionally, the constructive environment created by the organization for its workers equally attracts future employs and leaders. The recognition scheme, rewards and motivational strategies used at McDonald’s do not only encompass the workforce but also covers the managers in different departments (Ostroff, 1993). For instance, there is the manager of the month award in which the managers in the 10% of the best performing restaurants are awarded with additional bonuses to their salaries. As an organizational routine, the winning managers are also sponsored by their employer for a night or two out in addition to other privileges (Posey, 2012). This scheme therefore keeps the managers focused on achieving the key organizational goals which in turn improves the motivational levels down the hierarchical order. With these incentives, the leadership posts at McDonald’s are attractive levels where each member within the workforce yearns to be at one point in their service. In a nut shell, the consistency and effectiveness of the recognition schemes in the organization does not only retain the existing workers but also attracts future leaders to these positions.

The recognition scheme employed by McDonald’s is largely aimed at achieving high levels of motivation within the workforce. As a result, various motivational theories entail arguments which adequately support this HRM approach. To begin with, the needs motivational theory advocates for motivation as a method of increasing the effort of the human resource towards achieving organizational goals (Thomas & Pederson, 2004). This effort is conditioned such that when it is exerted, it satisfies a particular need by an individual.   The theory also describes need as the innate desire which stimulates behavior. For instance, at McDonald’s the constant effort by the workers in each of these restaurants is basically stimulated by the need for recognition.  As part of the recognition scheme, the organization rewards all employees in the top 10% of the best restaurants within McDonald’s chain of business. The reward which comes on a monthly basis involves the employees being rewarded with additional bonuses to their salary package. This strategy has successfully aroused the worker’s need to be recognized hence increasing their efforts toward achieving quality delivery. The reward scheme depends on the amount of sales and customer feedbacks based on the services received. This strategy motivates the workers to not only enhance their skills at work but also exhibit attractive qualities while dealing with the clients Trevisani, D. (2016). This in turn retains the organization’s market base as well as the clientele.  The strategies by the company to enhance motivation are clearly in line with the stipulations of the needs motivational theory which adequately supports McDonalds HRM management strategies.

Examples of Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention

John Stacey Adams in his equity theory explains that the monthly salaries and effective work conditions may not be the sole determinants of motivation within an organization. The theory therefore proposes pay arise and promotion as an effective approach which could be utilized by managers to enhance worker motivation. The theory further stipulates that employees are likely to feel motivated when they are treated fairly and advantageously. On the other hand, they tend to feel disaffection and lowly motivated when their efforts are not adequately recognized (Campbell, 2002).  This theory effectively illuminates McDonald’s organizational structure which is keen on enhancing worker motivation through occasional pay rises and promotion. As part of the recognition scheme, the company identifies top performers in each of the restaurants and in addition to receiving the employee of the year accolade, they get additional pays and promotions. Apart from pay increment and promotion, the organization has also established a number of reward schemes which keeps the workers motivated to offer their best.  According to the equity theory, workers tend to establish a balance between their input to the organization and the outcomes of their efforts. This implies that when the efforts meet an appropriate reward, the workers are likely to stick to this line of effort or offer more in a bid to increase the reward and hence the equity value (Watson, 2013).

In addition, the job characteristics model outlines the idea that the responsibility given to an individual at a work place ought to serve as a key motivational factor before other elements are injected into recognition scheme. The nature of a job can be designed to motivate a worker through job rotation and change of working conditions. According to Hackman and Oldham, the job characteristics theory proposes that employees are likely to be highly motivated when they experience the meaningfulness of work, have knowledge of the outcome and understand the nature of their responsibilities (Wiley, 2010). As a result, it is a core management responsibility to ensure that the work environment is always made as meaningful as possible to the workers. This could be achieved by enhancing the working conditions and rewarding efforts which collectively contribute to an overall rise in the motivational levels within the organization.   At McDonald’s, the organizational culture upholds the workers’ need to properly internalize the key goals and objectives of the company. As soon as an individual becomes part of the workforce, they are taken through rigorous orientation processes and training through different avenues like seminars and exhibitions. This process plays a crucial role in enabling the employees to have a good grip of the organizational mission and vision hence work alongside the requirements. In addition, this approach at McDonald’s, the recognition scheme involves periodical rewards to top performing employees. This in turn enables them to have a good understanding of the responsibilities and meaningfulness of work (Wiley, 2010). As highlighted in the job characteristics model, employees tend to be highly motivated when they understand the meaningfulness of their jobs. As such, they tend to work towards achieving greater heights in their areas of responsibilities. Additionally, McDonald’s approach to ensure that the organizational objectives are made clear to the employees enables the latter to work with a view on the outcome of their efforts (Braisby & Gellatly, 2012). The company encourages the workers to remain consistent in quality delivery by rewarding good performance. As a result, the human resource operates with a sense of direction and an innate desire to achieve constructive outcomes which would in turn attract reward. We can therefore deduce that the job characteristics model entails facts which support McDonald’s recognition scheme.

Challenges in Implementing Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention

The management approach used by McDonalds gives a lot of weight on financial rewards as opposed to other material bonuses. As highlighted in the discussion of the company’s recognition scheme, the employees in the top performing restaurants get reward every month with additional bonuses to their salary packages. This is the same case with the treatment of the managers who get financial rewards based on their performance on a quarterly basis. As a reward for their efforts, they get company sponsored tours and outings. The design of this recognition scheme therefore reveals the company’s use of resources in a number of occasions. It is however a fact worth noting that such an approach would not be sustainable if the company lacked a steady economic flow. This therefore implies that the amount which is spent on reward emanates from the profit the company makes on sales. Consequently, this management approach would not be applicable in a non-profit making organization. Furthermore, the financial reward is always calculated against the backdrop of the company’s expense as compared to the profit made. This implies that salary increments, promotions and additional bonuses in form of rewards are all functions which are directly proportional to the amount of money made by the company as profit.  These facts can further be emphasized by the statements of McDonald’s compensation manager Neal Blackshire (Andersen, 2001).  According to Blackshire, the reward given to the managers on a quarterly basis is based on three measures which include; profitability, the mystery shopper scores as well as the rate of growth of sales. From this statement, we can derive the correlation between rewards and profitability according to the management approach employed by McDonald’s. Without profitability, the company may lack the funds to sponsor the recognition schemes. We can therefore conclude that this management approach and recognition scheme would not be easily applicable in a non-profit making organization for instance Spastic Centre which majorly depends on sponsorship as a sure source of funds.

Conclusion

The human resource fraternity plays a crucial role in determining organizational success. As a result, the management approaches used within an organization ought to enhance maximum motivation among the workers. The discussion above adequately highlights the role of recognition schemes in enhancing worker motivation and hence a corresponding customer satisfaction. Despite the existence of various methods of rewarding workers, the use of salary packaging and additional bonuses proves to be one of the most effective approaches.  The global success registered by McDonalds could be attributed to the efficient management approaches which enhance worker participation and the eventual constructive outcomes.  However, the nature of a recognition scheme largely depends on the amount of profit made by an organization. We can therefore deduce that while the management approaches by McDonald’s has been effective in enhancing the realization of organizational goals; it would be quite a challenge applying it in a non-profit making organization. This is because the approach used by McDonalds entirely depends on the amount of profit made over a given period. In a nut shell, the HRM approaches tend to differ as one moves from one organization to another.

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