Human Resource Management For Work Team Effectiveness – ABC Retail Chain

Present Challenge for the Company

Discuss about the Human Resource Management For Work Team Effectiveness.
 

ABC is an Australia-based retail chain that has for long been one of the largest in the country. The company was founded in 1988 and since then, has grown to become one of the leaders in the industry. The company has more than 4000 up and running retail stores in Australia and has an employee base of more than 100,000. In such a case, it is a brand that also has a good repute in this sector. The company aims at providing the customers with the best quality products and for this, has also developed a line of products that are exclusive to only their stores. This factor has also proved to act as a competitive advantage for the company as they have succeeded in providing a high-quality line of products to the customers which have resulted in their customer loyalty. The market presence of the company has been formidable because of these exact factors of the company 

Although the company has had a successful run ever since its inception, the company has currently been facing major problems. The company has been struggling to maintain its place in the market. The main reason for this is the inability of the company to keep up with the growing levels of competition in the market. When the company started, it was able to keep ahead of its competition. There were many factors at work that maintained the competitive advantage of the company. However, the company recently seems to have lost its advantage. The Australian market at present is littered with a vast number of retail service providers and as such, there is a tough competition among all the brands to outdo each other (Tracy, 2014). ABC followed a strategy of competitive pricing in order to gain an advantage over the other brands. However, the policy of slashing off their profit rates made it even more difficult for the company to maintain the financial standards that they were used to. The company thus had to work on a tight budget. In addition to that, the company has also been facing a high rate of employee turnover. The employee turnover has been the result of many factors (Alcover, Gil, & PeiroÃŒÂ, 2005). The company attempted to retain its skilled workforce by offering them better salaries. However, it was found that higher salaries were not the reason behind the loss of workforce. The employees have been leaving ABC because of the lack of a positive culture, high team morale and visionary leadership which they find in other organizations. Also, the employees have cited the work culture in the organization as one of the reasons for leaving their jobs at the company (Weston, 1975). The efficient employee base was one of the reasons behind the success of the firm initially. However, the same department has taken a hit recently. The employees who have left the company said that the teams now fight and blame each other. Also, they have said that the groups in the company do not possess a decent leadership and as such the direction of the company is extremely unclear.

Recommendations for the Company in the Current Situation

First and foremost, the issue that immediately needs to be addressed is the formation of a team that has a direction as to the functioning of the company. First of all, we need to identify what are the characteristics that help in the development of an effective team. The company at present, must not only apply the methods of forming an efficient team, it should also focus on creating a team that is better than its competitors. The company has been lagging behind in terms of the competition that it has with the other brands (Raatma, 2003). In such a case, the company needs to form a superior team if it even needs to get on par with its competitors. In doing so, we must, first of all, identify the building blocks of an efficient team. First of all, an efficient team has a clear set of goals. The clear set of goals means that the team knows what it aims to achieve (Sadler, 2003). Only with a valid aim can the team march ahead in its function. Every member of the team needs to know about the goal that they are supposed to achieve. Only then can they work together to attain the goal. In order to attain the goal, every team member needs to have a clear idea of their roles within the organization. Only through an idea of their roles can they decide what to do in order to maintain the balance in the team (Grint, 2005). The team members also need to be aware of each others’ roles in the organization. Only then can the coordination within the team be maintained. In order to understand each other’s roles and importance in the team, there needs to be an effective communication within the team itself (Yoder-Wise & Kowalski, 2010). Now, once the members know their roles and place in the organization, there needs to be an efficient leadership of the team. An efficient leader is one who knows the exact method to work in order to attain the organizational goals and also knows the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the team. In such a manner, the leader knows how to lead his team in order to attain the said goals (Kerin, 2006). Other than these, the mutual trust, cooperation among the team members, openness, and individual development are the factors that drive the development of an organization. An example of efficient teamwork can be seen in the McDonald’s food chain where every employee knows his or her place in the entire system and the managers perform various functions in order to maintain a motivation within the workforce.

First of all, the process of overhauling the teams in ABC can be attained by setting the organizational goals. At present, the company has taken a hit so badly that it just possesses short-term goals in matters of survival in the market. However, the company must decide on its long-term goals if it needs to bring its workforce under control. Due to the short time goals, the company has kept on changing its modes of operations and as such, the teams within the organization have also lost the direction regarding which methods to employ and which direction to follow (Kotler, 2000). Also, speaking of teams, the teams need to be rearranged on the basis of the skills of the employees. The classification of teams is present but it is obvious that the individuals are not satisfied with their jobs. The dissatisfaction is the exact reason why they have been leaving the company to join other companies. In such a case, the employees need to be assessed by a comprehensive program that is aimed at identifying their strengths and weaknesses. The program must take into account the various abilities that are required by the employees and rate them on a scale that would evaluate the skills in that particular line of work. After that, the employees can be arranged by putting the employees in teams which perform the function that they are most suited to. Once the teams have been formed, there should be managers for each department who know the working of the system (Osborne, 2008). The managers need to be well aware of the work procedure and also well aware of what the goals of the company are. The short term goals are important but it is also necessary to have long-term goals and visions of the company. Only in the presence of long-term goals can the short-term goals be created which are again a part of the long-term goals. The goal needs to be one in which the company aims at being a major player in the retail chain industry. The company should also focus on the delivery of high-quality products and services to its customers. Only in the presence of such a long-term goal, can the company set a short term goal which includes getting back its place in the competition. Now, once the goals have been set, the work should begin in a way which enforces a disciplined work culture. The employees are given their desired positions in the team and as such, they do not have much to complain about. The work culture should now be one where everyone is responsible for their own actions (Perkins, 2004). Since the groups have been divided and under strong leaderships, there is a much lower chance of interference from the external factors which would provide for a higher efficiency of the workforce. The workforce motivation was also one of the factors that were lacking in the company. The workforce motivation is likely to be brought back as the employees are now assigned their desired positions and the company has clear goals. The employees would now work toward attaining a goal that is visible and practical. 

Marketing is one of the most important departments for any company. In a company like ABC, one of the most important factors is the ability of the company to promote itself. The promotion is what attracts the customers to the brand. The promotions work as a catalyst for the brand value of the company and what the company works towards providing to the customers (Sandhusen, 2000). In such a case, the marketing team of the company should be one that has the ability to be creative in all aspects. The marketing team also needs to be able to assess the market trends and customer preferences of any given period. The marketing strategies could thus be formed that promotes the aspects of the company that is in accordance with the market trend at the time. The effective promotion lies in the exploitation of the various opportunities that are available in the market (Giuliani & Kurson, 2002). The promotion opens up new pathways for the company which would help the company get back in the competitive sphere. The first thing that is taken into consideration while forming a marketing team is the composition of the team. The team should be made up of members who have a creative outlook. Designing the various advertisements and promotional acts are a matter of creativity and as such, the team members must be full of ideas. The team members should also have a very efficient of the market trends and customer preferences. Only when the members have an idea of those factors can they work towards the formation of the strategy that would be in accordance with these trends (Armstrong & Kotler, 2000). At present, the team is at a forming stage as the members are new employees. Although it would have been better if there were employees who had been working for a long time, it should be understood that the company has lost a substantial amount of the employee base and as such, must resort to new employees and they should be selected on the basis of these factors. The management and the team members share a good amount of interaction and this has provided a right direction for the company (Grewal & Levy, 2010). It is due to the personal interaction between the employees and the managers that the employees have a clear sense of the goals and direction of the company. This has also worked in the favor of creating a workforce motivation within the organization. the workforce motivation has been facilitated as the employees know that their work is being monitored and their role is crucial to the company. The team members know that their opinions are taken into account and given importance during the formation of any strategy. The goal at present is to make the company’s presence felt in every place (Bedford, Brumpton, Bedford, Bedford, & Bedford, 2007). The marketing strategy cannot be one that uses intensive advertising as slashing off the profits has caused a considerable strain on financial resources for the company. In such a case, the company must at present on the events that have a considerable presence among the common people. The major events, for example, a football match is supposed to draw a considerable amount of crowd and as such, associating with such an event would provide the company with some amount of visibility. Since the new team is at a nascent stage, the team has not yet been able to fulfill the goal. However, the idea is a feasible one as the company has limited resource and can consider investing a large amount in a crowd puller rather than small packages where it would not be useful at all (Salas, Goodwin, & Burke, 2009). The goal of making a market presence can be measured through measuring the effect of presence in the online platform. An online platform is a place where the company maintains a presence and as such, the response of people to the company on the social media and social networks can be a measure of how successful the marketing campaign been. The goal can be classified as one of the SMART goals as the goal does fulfill those criteria. The goal is specific as the company has a fixed measure of how much market place to acquire in order to be on par with the competitors (Dennis, 2006). The goal is measurable as the growth or decrease in the response can be measured via the reaction to the company on the online platforms. The manager performs an important function of clarifying the goals with the staff. The manager performs interactions with the employees on an individual level in order to track the development of the project. In such a case, the manager should also display a high level of responsibility and himself be a person who has a sound knowledge of the system. Not possessing these qualities would lead to the development of a procedure that would not yield worthwhile results. It is only when the manager demonstrates these qualities that a viable structure is formed and the employees are encouraged to work in a manner that would benefit the organization and the employees as well.

Stakeholder	Current communication strategies	Plan to improve
Team Members	The team members are given a clear idea of the organizational goals. The communication is carried out via interactions with the team members. While the interactions help in a better understanding of the company goals, the employees need to be motivated in a better manner	In order to improve in this department, there needs to a greater level of employee motivation. Conveying the brand value of the company would help the employees understand the fact that they are working for a reputed company and as a result, would be motivated to give better outputs.
The investors	The investors are one of the prime stakeholders who are involved in the communications during the marketing process. The communication with the investors is done whenever the marketing campaign takes place. The investors are thus given a clear idea of what the team is aiming to achieve for the company. While this process is important, there needs to be more individual interactions.	The investors need to be interacted with in the marketing process. Investors are one of the stakeholders who are directly linked with the company’s well-being. As such, there needs to be openness of communication with them.
The consumers	Marketing is directly aimed at consumers as it is the mode of communicating with them. However, there needs to be minor improvements	The current strategy of communication with the consumers is one where the company creates advertisements. However, the company must at present set up online platforms where the consumers can directly relate their problems to the company.

The company has been facing major problems in the competitive market and as such, must fight its way out of the mess. The problems have been with the company’s workforce which was once the cause for the company’s reason for growth. However, the same workforce has been showing problems. The workforce has been displaying many problems including problems in attitude. The problems that arise in this department are the workforce turnover which has again been because of the lack of team management. At present, the problems can be resolved via an effective team management. The teams need to be formed of efficient individuals. The teams should then be given a fixed direction regarding the goals and objectives of the company. Only in such a case can the teams work towards the development of the team goals. The employees also need to be motivated by a team spirit that would foster a better communication. Finally, the teams need to be led by efficient leaders who have considerable knowledge of the processes and work as a role model to the employees. 

References

Alcover, C., Gil, F., & PeiroÃŒÂ, J. (2005). Work team effectiveness in organizational contexts. Bradford, England: Emerald Group Pub.

Armstrong, G. & Kotler, P. (2000). Marketing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bedford, D., Brumpton, K., Bedford, D., Bedford, D., & Bedford, D. (2007). The team. Surry Hills, N.S.W.: Little Hare.

Dennis, M. (2006). The team. London: Corgi.

Giuliani, R. & Kurson, K. (2002). Leadership. New York: Hyperion.

Grewal, D. & Levy, M. (2010). Marketing. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Grint, K. (2005). Leadership. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kanaga, K. & Browning, H. (2003). Maintaining team performance. Greensboro, N.C.: Center for Creative Leadership.

Kerin, R. (2006). Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Kotler, P. (2000). Marketing management. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Osborne, C. (2008). Leadership. London: DK Pub.

Perkins, D. (2004). The team. Chicago: Agate.

Raatma, L. (2003). Leadership. Mankato, Minn.: Bridgestone Books.

Sadler, P. (2003). Leadership. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Salas, E., Goodwin, G., & Burke, C. (2009). Team effectiveness in complex organizations. New York: Routledge.

Sandhusen, R. (2000). Marketing. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron’s.

Tracy, B. (2014). Leadership. New York: American Management Association.

Weston, R. (1975). A team approach to marketing planning. New York: AMACOM.

Yoder-Wise, P. & Kowalski, K. (2010). Leadership. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders.