Decision Making And Problem Solving For Two Overarching Methods

Company Background

Describe about the Decision Making and Problem Solving for Two Overarching Methods.

The two overarching methods decision-making and problem solving are one of the most important factors for running a business organization effectively. The business managers have to play a major role in order to make any decision regarding organizational goal. The Iconic is one of the growing online retail chains occupying a predominant place in the realm of retail industry, especially popular for its fashion industry. Started its journey in the year 2011, this organization has receive a large number of responses from social media. Within the year 2013, the organization has received 500,000 responses from Facebook and 80,000 responses from Instagram due to their excellent service process (theiconic.com.au 2016). However, at the late 2013, the business flow of The Iconic started to flatten due to ineffective decision-making process of the management. Employees showed their reluctance for providing effective services to the customers. As a result, the entire business process was hampered due to this management issue.

At the beginning of 2014, the employees showed their stubborn attitude due to some of the major issues. They took a unanimous decision of being indifferent towards the services (Clarke 2013). Among some of the major managerial problem, one particular problem raised vigorously. Employees at the particular time become furious to adjust themselves within the internal environment of The Iconic. Lack of implementing appropriate leadership style inside the organization had become one of the major issues raised by the employees. As per the point of views of organizational existing staffs, The Iconic likes to follow autocratic leadership style at the workplace. With the help off autocratic leadership style, the organizational managers do not intend to share any opinion before making business strategy or policy for the organization. In addition, managers intend to impose their decision on the employees regarding the business goal. Therefore, employees feel de-motivated for providing their best services towards the business goal (García-Morales, Jiménez-Barrionuevo and Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez 2012). However, the implementation of Autocratic leadership style at the workplace has rendered a major threat for the business organization for maintaining their business process effectively. Employees failed to provide good customer services (Ghorbanian, Bahadori and Nejati 2012). As a result, the entire process of business was serious affected due to this. The customers after receiving an ineffective service process stopped to use the products and services of The Iconic. 

Management problem

Research question primarily focuses on the research problem or issue based on which the entire work would be conducted. In this specific topic, the research questions are as follows:

What are the major impacts of following appropriate leadership style at the workplace?

Which would be the best leadership style for a business organization based on which they can maintain a good relation with both the employees as well as managers?

What should be the recommendation to the management in order to maintain an effective employee relation at the workplace?

In order to acquire sufficient knowledge and information in that particular issue an effective research program has been decided to be conducted. The entire research program can be conducted in five specific sections that include introduction, literature review, research methodology, data analysis and findings and finally conclusion. In the introduction part, detailed introduction has been provided regarding the research problem. The Iconic had to face immense difficulties in order to maintain the entire process of business at the end of 2013. The organization intended to follow autocratic leadership at the workplace (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee 2013). As a result, the existing workers did not get any scope to express their point of views regarding the betterment of business. Automatically the performance level of the employees has been demolished.

After identifying the research issue, an effective literature review is also been conducted. In this particular section, a detailed and critical analysis is conducted regarding the impact of proper leadership style at the workplace and on the employee performance, the importance of maintaining leadership theory for the managers at the workplace and the factors that affect highly on the employee performance (Huber 2013). On the other hand, research methodology is the systematic process with the help of which necessary data and information regarding the research issue can be conducted. Based on the collection of data an effective analysis is evaluated. In this particular study, a specific problem has been pointed out at the management of The Iconic.

The managers fail to maintain an effective communication with the existing workers. Before taking any decision, the employees are not been informed properly. As a result, employees lose their interest to provide an effective service process to the organization. In order to collect sufficient data and information, data collection method is applied, be it primary or secondary (John and Taylor 2014).  In the last section that is conclusion, some of the major recommendations can be provided. Here, recommendation would be provided on how The Iconic would be able to maintain an effective employee relation at the workplace.

Research question

Figure 1: Conceptual framework of Research Program

(Source: Created by Author)

In this particular section, a detailed description has been provided regarding the use of appropriate research methodology.  In order to collect sufficient data and information some of the appropriate research philosophy and approach are selected. Post positivism research philosophy can be chosen in order to deal with the research issue. Post positivism philosophy is associated with repeated observation coupled with appropriate data or evidence. With the help of post positivism philosophy of research, an in-depth observation can be conducted on how The Iconic tends to make their business strategy and policy within the organization (Kara et al. 2013). The interpersonal communication between the employers and the employees can also be observed by applying business post-positivism research philosophy. Deductive approach has been decided to be applied for this particular study. Deductive approach is based on case study. In order to collect necessary data and information an effective case study from secondary resources can be conducted in order to know company’s business plans and policy regarding employee retention. 

In this specific research, both the primary and secondary data can be collected in order to acquire sufficient knowledge and information regarding the research issue. Primary data can be collected by conducting an effective survey as well as interview. More than 50 employees are involved to express their point of views (Laschinger, Wong and Grau 2012). Here, the employees can be asked why they are not getting motivation for providing an effective service to the employees. The employees can share their point of views on how they have to face various challenges in order to survive at the workplace. At the same time, qualitative data can be collected by taking an effective interview session to five managers. They are requested to share their point of views why autocratic leadership has been followed at the workplace instead of participative or transformational leadership style.

On the other hand, secondary source of data can be collected from various newspapers, magazines, journals and various newspapers. Secondary data collection technique is constituted with three types that include case study analysis, observational analysis and thematic analysis. In this specific research, case study analysis technique is used in order to gather data and information.

In the data analysis and findings section, an in-depth analytical overview can be presented on how participants would respond on the specific research issue. Both the survey and the interview would be conducted in order to collect data (Lutz Allen, Smith and Da Silva 2013). Based on the response of the participants, the entire process of reach can be evaluated. With the help of case study analysis, the data analyst would be able to acquire an in-depth knowledge on how the organization has to face major crisis at the time of repeated employee turnover at that specific time. The service providers had to face immense difficulties in order to maintain a balance demands and supply of the products.

Research Program

Based on the research issue the recommendations that can be provided are as follows:

Implementing participative leadership style at the workplace:

Participative leadership is the form of leadership style with the help of which both the leaders and the employees can equally participate within the business process and services (Westerberg and Tafvelin 2014). With the help of this particular leadership style employees are able to share their opinion regarding the business goal. Both the managers and the employees have the equal contribution on the decision making process. As a result, the organization like The Iconic would be able to take a collective decision.

Maintaining employee relation within the organization:

Employee relation can be maintained only when employers tend to maintain a participative relation at the workplace. The employers would have to make an effective communication with the employees in order to know their problems and difficulties at the workplace (Nixon, Harrington and Parker 2012). Employees should not show their hesitation for sharing any kind of opinion with the managers. The employers should always maintain a friendly environment at the workplace. As a result, people would be able to provide their best effort for rendering the success of an organization.

The management problem of The Iconic that has been identified currently can be solved in several ways:

Conducting a face-to-face session with the employees:

Within a limited span of time, employers should always make a face-to-face communication with the employees in order to know their difficulties at the workplace. Direct communication is possessed with several advantages. Employees are able to provide an immediate feedback to the managers (Randereev and Ghaffar Chaudhry 2012). On the other hand, managers come to know the problems and difficulties of the employees directly from their own mouth. Individual communication helps the managers to record every problem categorically. As a result, the employees do not have to face much difficulty to get a sound suggestion from the managers. The Iconic should be concerned about the fact.

Making collective decision at the time of changing organizational policies and strategies:

Collective decision-making process would never be possible without implementing participative leadership style at the workplace. Participative leadership allows the employees t share their own opinion regarding meeting the business target (Rodd 2012). Managers never like to impose their decision on the employees. As a result, at the time of making any decision at the workplace, the organizational managers would be able to involve existing staffs for taking a collective decision.

Therefore, leadership style plays a major role for rendering the success of a business organization. An effective leadership style can make a strong communication between the employees and the organizational managers.

Reference List:

Clarke, S., 2013. Safety leadership: A metaâ€Âanalytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 86(1), pp.22-49.

García-Morales, V.J., Jiménez-Barrionuevo, M.M. and Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, L., 2012. Transformational leadership influence on organizational performance through organizational learning and innovation. Journal of Business Research,65(7), pp.1040-1050.

Ghorbanian, A., Bahadori, M. and Nejati, M., 2012. The relationship between managers’ leadership styles and emergency medical technicians’ job satisfaction. Australasian Medical Journal, 5(1).

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. and McKee, A., 2013. Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.

Huber, D., 2013. Leadership and nursing care management. Elsevier Health Sciences.

John, M.C. and Taylor, J.W., 2014. Leadership style, school climate, and the institutional commitment of teachers. In International Forum Journal(Vol. 1, No. 2).

Kara, D., Uysal, M., Sirgy, M.J. and Lee, G., 2013. The effects of leadership style on employee well-being in hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 34, pp.9-18.

Laschinger, H.K.S., Wong, C.A. and Grau, A.L., 2012. The influence of authentic leadership on newly graduated nurses’ experiences of workplace bullying, burnout and retention outcomes: A cross-sectional study.International journal of nursing studies, 49(10), pp.1266-1276.

Lutz Allen, S., Smith, J.E. and Da Silva, N., 2013. Leadership style in relation to organizational change and organizational creativity: Perceptions from nonprofit organizational members. Nonprofit Management and Leadership,24(1), pp.23-42.

Nixon, P., Harrington, M. and Parker, D., 2012. Leadership performance is significant to project success or failure: a critical analysis. International Journal of productivity and performance management, 61(2), pp.204-216.

Randeree, K. and Ghaffar Chaudhry, A., 2012. Leadership-style, satisfaction and commitment: An exploration in the United Arab Emirates’ construction sector. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 19(1), pp.61-85.

Rodd, J., 2012. Leadership in early childhood. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Theiconic.com.au, 2016. Clothes Online | Shoes Online | THE ICONIC. 2016. Theiconic.com.au. Retrieved 25 September 2016, from https://www.theiconic.com.au

Westerberg, K. and Tafvelin, S., 2014. The importance of leadership style and psychosocial work environment to staffâ€Âassessed quality of care: implications for home help services. Health & social care in the community, 22(5), pp.461-468.