Establishing Office of Idea Manager
JKL industries have to recognize the ideas and information play a crucial role in innovations. It is impossible for an organization to innovate without ideas and information. Ideas matter for innovation, and they help businesses generate new products or services that facilitate their success and competitiveness. Due to that JKL industries have to manage ideas and information to stay competitive and innovative in order to improve their fortunes.
The first process to manage ideas and processes will be appointing the idea manager. The office of the idea manager will have to collect ideas and give other new perspectives to help improve the idea. When the office of idea manager is in place, the next process should be inclusion of every employee or staff (11:482). Including all the staff would require the idea manager to communicate information through circulars, emails, and social media to employees to meet the responsibilities of their work. When ideas and information are properly managed, it will be possible for the idea manager to share it evenly with other employees to help them improve on their work responsibilities.
Idea acknowledgement by the idea manager to increase consultation
Idea acknowledgement- the idea manager should impress every idea. In this case, the idea manager can use the SCAMPER method, which stands for “Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse (11:438).” The objective of acknowledging ideas and applying the SCAMPER method is to ensure that all ideas are welcome, improved and possibly adopted. All in all, idea acknowledgment enhances employee’s contributions to consultations on work, because they would feel that their ideas or suggestions shall be dismissed by analyzed for modification rather than dismissal at face value.
Organizing, evaluating and developing new understanding of information
The object of this process is to facilitate feedback to employees on the outcome of their consultations. When information is proper, and easily understandable, the idea manager shall provide a new or better understanding of information to employees (7:4). The feedback can be by face-to-face or email. Feedback can give JKL employees a new perspective to improve their ideas.
JKL needs information to flow across all its departments. In case of any issues, they will be free to address them to the human resource, or idea manager for resolution.
In summary, office of idea manager, idea acknowledgement, information evaluation, organization and seamless flow of information aim at encouraging communication, consultation, feedback and innovation. When ideas are shared and properly managed all the time, it would be easier for the employees to be innovative.
Activity 2 A
Victimization, harassment, bullying and discrimination can be lumped into two policies, which are: equal opportunity policy and equality policy.
Purpose
The purpose of the equality policy is to address discrimination based on gender, race, religion, age or national originality to promote cultural diversity and ethical values. The policy will tackle victimization and bullying that is based on any form of discrimination.
The equal opportunity policy aims at ensuring that all people regardless of their race, religion or sex are given equal employment opportunities.
Idea Acknowledgement to Increase Consultation
Policy Application
Generally, both policies apply to work environment and hiring. Any employer that discriminates or denies opportunities to other job candidates, because of otherness shall be prosecuted.
Sex Discrimination Act of 1984 (2:4)
Ant-Discrimination Act of 1977
Most importantly, the above policies coupled with legislations eliminate any sort of discrimination in an attempt to enhance cultural diversity as well as ethical values.
Activity 2 B
Leadership is supposed to inspire, define behavior and lead employees to the right path to achieve organization goals. Situational leadership will be necessary for promoting trust and professional in JKL industries. This type of leadership states that a leadership style is dependent on the situation. It is divided into task-oriented and people-oriented. Task-oriented leader is one that will ensure that the tasks followers or employees play are clear or definite (4:1). Also, such a leader will monitor employee performance and ensure that they are doing the right thing. In essence, task-oriented leadership will ensure that employees maintain professional conduct when discharging their duties. Employees are likely to be inspired and well-behaved when a leader is around and directing them on what exactly to do. Hence, in a situation where professional conduct is required in the provision of products or services, the task-oriented leader ought to be around to ensure everything goes on well.
In essence, task-oriented leader will promote ethical behaviors, and enhance communication among workers. All this will help promote organizational performance through collaboration of workers. To build relations with external stakeholders, the people-oriented leader will inculcate customer care, and encourage employees to project a positive corporate image to its external stakeholder (4:6). Further, the relation-oriented leader also needs to promote a culturally-rich communication style. The leadership needs to ensure that every employee is ethically and culturally informed, for them to be sensitive in their communication. Ideally, in this situation, where there is commitment to promote professional conduct with external and internal contact, relations matter a lot. If employees are educated on diversity issues and tolerance encouraged, their communication style will automatically change, become political correctness-centric.
Activity 3
Like any other organization, JKL industries face conflicts, which if properly handled cannot interfere with the running of the organization. Building networks and workplace relationships need to be at the center of the JKL if it seeks to reduce conflicts that can interfere with its operations. However, to come up with a solid framework for conflict management, strategies for identification of conflicts should be in place.
Business networks are important in building effective work relationships. The networks could help in sharing knowledge to manage behaviors (3:120). An employer needs business networks where they can share their challenges and get help. The networks can extend to external stakeholders or business partners. The networks can only be leveraged in the employers; supervisors or managers share ideas and possible ways to manage workers.
The networks can also offer a great opportunity in hiring. When a business has good networks, they can get job candidates that are competent and laid-back. In essence, the point is that networks offer an opportunity to get reliable workforce. The workplace relationships can sometimes be worse, because the company hired the wrong people. If a company hires employees that are unethical, it would be impossible to have better workplace relationships. Therefore, through referral networks JKL shall be better positioned to get the right people to work with.
Organizing, Evaluating, and Developing New Understanding of Information
Besides, workplace relationships are also dependent on leadership of an organization. A leader should also assess the kind of leadership they offer to the followers. If the leadership does not inspire, networks are not likely to solve any conflicts within an organization. When employees understand or perceive their leader as someone motivational, democratic and understanding to their needs, it can be possible to improve workplace relationships (6:221). In essence, the crux of effective workplace relationships is leadership. If the leadership fails relationships also fail. If the leadership succeeds, relationships succeed as well. For this reason, the leadership needs to develop a strategic plan that is centered on improving communication and interactions within an organization to promote favorable workplace relationships (5:369). In the same breath, listening and acting on all other issues of concern by employees immediately would make it possible to nurture and maintain effective workplace relationships. Nevertheless, it is also a responsibility of every employee to promote and create a friendly atmosphere to enhance their relationships. All in all, when employees are inspired by organizational leadership they cooperate, work hard, meet deadlines and encourage each other.
Activity 4
Encouraging reporting of conflicts
This is an important strategy in the workplace that should be encouraged to identify and resolve conflicts. Encouraging employees, whether observers or conflict parties to report the conflicts they are facing while at work would help the organization resolve them (10:168). When conflicts are resolved, it is paramount to ensure that warnings are issues to avoid future conflicts. Prevention is better than cure. Due to that JKL industries should not simply be focused on resolving the conflicts, but also should go for prevention as well. Employees should develop a culture of reporting wrong doing. Going silent on issues that affect the organization is something that JKL needs not to tolerant. Employees, who do not report wrong-doing, should be punished. It is the responsibility of an employee also to create a safe and peaceful work environment. As a result, they are obligated to report any conflict for the human resource and other relevant departments to take an appropriate action.
Using supervisors in identifying conflicts should also be central at JKL industries. Supervisors are better placed to address any challenges or conflicts that are likely to occur in the workplace. They are the ones on the ground to observe and manage behaviors of employees. Empowering them to investigate and report conflicts will be another important approach for conflict management within JKL. What supervisors need is support from the management and other relevant authorities within the organization (4: 65). When they are empowered to investigate and report conflicts, it would be easier to achieve a tolerant and conflict-free work environment.
Ideally, the above strategies are important in identifying conflicts. When JKL ensures that its employees feel that their identity is protected in case they report conflicts they will be willing to share their observations in relation to the conflict. To enhance reporting of conflicts by the employees suggestion boxes should be placed at strategic places, where employees can share any relevant information in written. Also, whistleblowing can succeed if there is protection of employee identity. Further, empowering supervisors to investigate conflicts will also be an effectual approach to eliminating conflicts and promoting good workplace relationships.
In consideration of the above strategies, the first step conflict identification is an employee arranging the meeting with the supervisor. Workers should be free and open with the supervisors to report the conflict. However, the challenge that comes here is fear of condemnation in the event the identity of an employee is leaked prematurely. Employees will always harbor their fears, which will make it hard to identify conflicts and resolve them. Hence, the supervisor should ensure that they create rapport and friendly atmosphere to enhance information sharing.
Escalation of the matter to the senior management should be the second step in conflict resolution and identification (9: 405). After a conflict has been identified and directly shared by an employee with the supervisor, it will be the obligation of the supervisor to move the matter to a senior office. However, the challenge in this case is likely to be manipulation of facts. The supervisor can sometimes report in a conflict in a way that the senior authority can ignore its impact. However, if the supervisor is someone that upholds integrity and honesty, they should report candidly all the facts.
Involvement of the mediator should be the last process in conflict management. After identifying the conflict the mediator or arbiter should come in to resolve the issue. At this point all the conflict parties and witnesses should be allowed to give their witness accounts. The mediator needs to allow openness and freedom among the conflicting persons. Let every worker who is affected by the conflict speak openly without condemnation. After hearing both sides, the mediator should the given the final statement regarding the appropriate action to take against an individual found wrong.
Workers go through various challenges. Sometimes their family issues can impact their behaviors at work. Counseling programs should be open to any employee. When an employee has a problem they should come out and share with the counselor. However, sometimes workers can hide their family issues affecting their relationships with other employees. But with persistent commitment to encourage them to come out speak about their challenges workplace conflicts can significantly be reduced.
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