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In the end, no matter what. This is what it's all about.

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As women especially a woman of color I believe that we have to continue to strive for greatness no matter what.

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Meet the First Self-Made Female Millionaire

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Teamwork

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Let's talk production. It is the transformation of organizational resources into products. That simple. How good are you at producing? What is your product?

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Types of Production Methods: Job Batch Mass / Flow Mass Customization Check out my other channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy501w4maqzxbY7HSy_DqWw

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Why is it important?
1) Operational Excellence – businesses can constantly improve their efficiency of their operations in order to achieve higher profitability. They can do this by constantly having the correct amount of stock in store so consumers can always get want they want.

2) New product services and business models – I.S systems play a major role for businesses in creating new products and services. New business models can be created and these can describe how a company produce, create and sell there products.

3) Customer and Supplier intimacy – the better services a company provides its consumers with more likely they are too come back to them and as result the more they will buy off the supplier therefore creating a good relationship with both parties.

4) Improved decision making – I.S systems make it possibly for managers to use real time data when making a decision to therefore make better decisions and not have to waste time looking for  information.

5) Competitive advantage – if companies achieve any of these 6 reasons to use I.S they will generally create a competitive advantage over their rivals.

6) Day to Day survival – business invest in these systems to make their jobs as easy as possibly. an example is Citibank introduced the first ATM machine to make it easier for customers to access their money and to cut down queues in their banks.

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Control requires organizations to ensure that an event occurs as it was planned to occur.  So if the company is suppose to provide a presentation to a client then the manager should have controlled the presentation to ensure that it happens as planned.  What are some of the challenges that could come up with control?  The organization has to:
-Measure performance (how and what)
-Compare measured performance to standards
-Take corrective action (as needed)

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There are a number of different challenges that businesses face each day. Firms need to be able to count on their personnel to step up and handle any crisis, be it related to customer relations, data management or revenue generation. Giving workers the right hardware and information resources is only the first piece of the puzzle, though. Companies must provide the right kind of coaching and sales performance management to make certain that these assets are being used correctly and efficiently.

Quantifying quality
Putting a numerical value on performance can be difficult for some leaders. Emergency Management Online wrote that planning ahead for any kind of situation requires the right mix of forethought and applications deployment, giving personnel the right kind of experience before a problem should arise. Simply creating strategies for situational control alone is not enough, though. Organizations need to test their methods and ensure that these solutions are optimized for changing markets and consumer interests, or else businesses could be teaching their employees outdated ways of doing things. This in turn can result in scenarios where employees aren't reaching clients, even though they're following coaching methods and applying corporate software.

It's easy for firms to take these responses in the wrong direction. Monitoring sales performance management solutions can help businesses ensure that they're driving for the right outcomes and producing outcomes that are in line with corporate goals.

Preparing for problems
As the Business Standard stated, responding to ongoing market challenges means identifying core issues and creating action plans that directly address the concerns at hand. Testing and modifying plans is essential for producing the right action strategies, as not all first thoughts on how to handle concerns are necessarily the correct methods.

Creating test scenarios and gamification concepts can help businesses determine if their sales performance management solutions are working properly. Entering a portion of the workforce into a model challenge period helps companies see whether the training and applications currently available to employees are sufficient to cope with the enhanced workload, modified schedules and increased productivity demand that some of these scenarios might produce. According to Business Standard, these contrived experiences let leaders experiment with how to remedy response problems, as well as granting room for error in challenge circumstances without the risk of actual failure. The source stated that it's wise for firms to expect failure when deploying these tests but should build on the elements that work best.

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Controlling challenges requires better employee performance management - Canidium

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There are a number of different challenges that businesses face each day. Firms need to be able to count on their personnel to step up and handle any crisis, be it related to customer relations, data management or revenue generation. Giving workers the right hardware and information resources is only the first piece of the puzzle, though.

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Module 8 Controlling Performance and Operations

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Module 8 Controlling Performance and Operations

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In this module the thing that stuck out to me the most was the discussion we had to do about Toyota and the major recall they a couple years back. Toyota was always know for their safety, their trustworthiness, dependability and their reliability. When they found all the issues that required them to do a recall what hurt their reputation the most was how they handle the communication aspect of this ordeal. They communicated so badly to their employees, customers and shareholders that their trust was gone. Toyota have recovered more from the safety aspect of their cars but they are still dealing with restoring their reputation. Ensuring that proper information is passed is key to success for any business.

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After watching this video I was ready to go out and do anything, lol. I'm so hyped right now.

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I am a champion - the greatest speech ever [ENG SUB]

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How do you motivate your organization members?  Let's talk about the process theories that addresses more the issues relating to how the process works and sustains itself over time, such as factors that determine the degree of effort, the continuation of effort, the modification of effort, etc

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The Process Theories of Motivation

Whereas the content theories concentrate on the question of 'what' motivates, the process theories address more the issues relating to how the process works and sustains itself over time, such as factors that determine the degree of effort, the continuation of effort, the modification of effort, etc.

As with content theory, there are a number of process theories. These include:

Equity theory

In this theory employee constantly assesses their level of effort against fellow workers and the reward they receive for their effort. If they perceive there is a significant difference between their level of effort and their fellow workers, they will endeavour to bring about equality of effort for everyone—by adjusting up or down their own performance or by taking measures to adjust the level of their fellow workers. Likewise, the relative reward for effort is also monitored. The message for managers is that employees need to be seen to be rewarded on a fair and equitable basis, and inequities quickly adjusted.

Activity

Have you seen or experienced situations where one employee does all the work but gets only the same wages as their fellow employees?

What is likely to be the outcome of such a situation?

From a Human Resources Management perspective, formal and informal performance management processes are used to identify and adjust inequities.

Expectancy Theory

This has been an important theory in the history of the study of motivation. This theory highlights that motivation is partly a decision-making process that evaluates effort for outcomes. It highlights the involvement of the active cognitive processes and user choice in the process. It also highlights the importance of the outcome representing a valued reward for the individual involved.

The actual evaluation process is broken down into a number of parts:

1. If I put in effort, can I expect to perform at the required task?

2. Will performing this act or task achieve a desired outcome?

3. Can I expect the outcome will be available and forthcoming?

For example do I have the time, energy and commitment to undertake this course?

If I pass the course will my promotion chances increase?

Is such a promotion likely, and how much do I want promotion—enough to counter all the effort I must put in to pass the course?

Do you go through such a logical evaluation process everytime you need to make a decision, or do you often make de cisions on intuition, whims etc?

Expectancy theory does highlight the significance of matching rewards for effort on an individual/personal basis. It focuses on the relationship between anticipated future rewards and present behaviour.

The Porter-Lawler Model

This model of motivation although based on the expectancy theory, is probably the most complete theory of workplace motivation. It is an integrated approach that includes elements of nearly all the other motivation theories. This is important as it helps explain why each of the various theories have a contribution to make but also serious limitations. If we consider each as part of a more complex model of motivation this starts to make sense.

The model thus suggests that using individual theories won't work. A more integrated approach is needed. It also differs from content theories, particularly 'two factor' theory, in suggesting that performance leads to job satisfaction, rather than job satisfaction leading to performance

The complexity of the model, and the need to evaluate and provide valued rewards on an individual basis, are practical limitations. However it is difficult to argue with the process of the model. The area of motivation is complex and the model highlights this—rather than presenting an unrealistically simple approach, as is the case with many of the alternative theories.

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Whereas the content theories concentrate on the question of 'what' motivates, the process theories address more the issues relating to how the process works and sustains itself over time, such as factors that determine the degree of effort, the continuation of effort, the modification of effort, etc.

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I am by no means saying that I am a great leader, I am constantly learning and I hope to continue to grow. Enjoy this video.

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The textbook defines leadership as the process of directing the behavior of others toward the accomplishment of an objective.  A lot of people has the common misconception that just because you are in a high ranking position then you are a leader. If you can't get the people that work for you to meet the goals then you aren't leading them, you are just someone in high position. This article is great in explaining Leadership.

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What is leadership, anyway?
Such a simple question, and yet it continues to vex popular consultants and lay people alike. I've now written several books on leadership for employee engagement, and yet it occurred to me that I never actually paused to define leadership. Let's start with what leadership is not ...

Leadership has nothing to do with seniority or one's position in the hierarchy of a company. Too many talk about a company's leadership referring to the senior most executives in the organization. They are just that, senior executives. Leadership doesn't automatically happen when you reach a certain pay grade. Hopefully you find it there, but there are no guarantees.

Leadership has nothing to do with titles. Similar to the point above, just because you have a C-level title, doesn't automatically make you a "leader." In all of my talks I stress the fact that you don't need a title to lead. In fact, you can be a leader in your place of worship, your neighborhood, in your family, all without having a title.

Leadership has nothing to do with personal attributes. Say the word "leader" and most people think of a domineering, take-charge charismatic individual. We often think of icons from history like General Patton or President Lincoln. But leadership isn't an adjective. We don't need extroverted charismatic traits to practice leadership. And those with charisma don't automatically lead.

Leadership isn't management. This is the big one. Leadership and management are not synonymous. You have 15 people in your downline and P&L responsibility? Good for you, hopefully you are a good manager. Good management is needed. Managers need to plan, measure, monitor, coordinate, solve, hire, fire, and so many other things. Typically, managers manage things. Leaders lead people.

Let's see how some of the most respected business thinkers of our time define leadership, and let's consider what's wrong with their definitions.
Peter Drucker: "The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers."
Really? This instance of tautology is so simplistic as to be dangerous. A new Army Captain is put in the command of 200 soldiers. He never leaves his room, or utters a word to the men and women in his unit. Perhaps routine orders are given through a subordinate. By default his troops have to "follow" orders. Is the Captain really a leader? Commander yes, leader no. Drucker is of course a brilliant thinker of modern business but his definition of leader is too simple.
Warren Bennis: "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
Every spring you have a vision for a garden, and with lots of work carrots and tomatoes become a reality. Are you a leader? No, you're a gardener. Bennis' definition seems to have forgotten "others."
Bill Gates: "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."
This definition includes "others" and empowerment is a good thing. But to what end? I've seen many empowered "others" in my life, from rioting hooligans to Google workers who were so misaligned with the rest of the company they found themselves unemployed. Gates' definition lacks the parts about goal or vision.

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What is leadership, anyway? Such a simple question, and yet it continues to vex popular consultants and lay people alike. I've now written several books on leadership for employee engagement, and yet it occurred to me that I never actually paused to define leadership. Let's start with what leadership is not...

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In this module I learned about how to lead and how to motivate. Being in the Navy one of the things I have to do as a leader is get the new Sailors to buy into the Navy. Yes they joined but now I have to show them why they joined and what is their purpose. I have to make them realize that no task, no matter how small contribute to the big picture. I have to get them to believe in what we do everyday. As far as motivation, I have to keep them going no matter if we are doing the same task over and over again everyday (believe me it happens). So how do I go about this?

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In the Navy we get an annual evaluation. In between that we get a mid term counseling where your strengths and areas of improvements are discussed and it gives you about 6 months prior to your annual evaluation to work on the areas that need to improve. Below is a copy of the front page of our evaluation. If this is used correctly and fairly it can have a positive impact on your entire time in the Navy and how well you are promoted. Because this evaluation is subjective it can sometimes cause a negative impact as well if it's improperly used.

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Here we go, the "fun" begins. I was getting yelled at Chicago airport until the day I graduated from boot camp. Boot camp is where you go from being a civilian to now becoming a U. S Navy Sailor. One of the final test we have to do is called Battle Stations that takes place overnight. Once you pass Battle Stations, you are presented with your Navy ball cap while the play the song I'm Proud to be an American (there isn't a dry eye in sight)

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Their wasn't much to this step, I passed the physical and I didn't have any criminal history so I was good to go. I stood in a room similar to the one pictured and I had the same look on my face( I'm scared but I'm not look) as I took the Oath of Enlistment.

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I am going to use myself for these steps.  I really needed to provide for my son and I and I saw the Navy commercial and I didn't even hesitate, I called the recruiter and started my journey.

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Module 6 Managing Human Resources and Communication

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Module 6 Managing Human Resources and Communication

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In this module I learned about the individuals in a organization that makes valuable contributions to management goal attainment and these are the people that make up Human Resources.  There are four steps that a manager needs to follow sequentially:
1. Recruitment
2. Selection
3. Training
4. Performance Appraisal

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This is something that I struggle with. Sometimes I have a hard time passing the work to someone else because I have a certain way of doing something and I don't want to take the time to train someone on how to do the task and I believe that it will take too long to train them vice just doing it myself. This cartoon explains it

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The ability to establish a set of shared values of organization members regarding the functioning and existence of their organization to enhance the probability of organizational success.

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In order to accomplish the goals desired, you will need to have a good strategic and tactical plan. You will need a basic roadmap on where you are now, and where you are going. You would also need to determine the best way on how to get from point A to point B. Finally, you would need to make sure you have the means to get to your final destination.

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Published on
Introduction: Managers need to plan and guide the work for their employees

Patani Muhandiramlag Hassan Ali

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Ass.Manager Business Development at Vice Squad Ltd.

In order to accomplish the goals desired, you will need to have a good strategic and tactical plan. You will need a basic roadmap on where you are now, and where you are going. You would also need to determine the best way on how to get from point A to point B. Finally, you would need to make sure you have the means to get to your final destination.

For example, if providing excellent customer service were your main objective, you would need to come up with a strategy to make sure the customers are satisfied in every way. This is where managing and organizing your department comes into play.

You might need to organize the department differently to achieve the goal such as setting up a Tier 1 group to handle the simple and quick calls, and a Tier 2 group to handle the difficult longer lasting calls. You would need to determine who would go into each group and where they would sit. You would have to have the calls routed differently. You will need to direct the staff to follow the process and monitor the performance to make sure all functions are running smoothly and in a coordinated fashion. You also at the same time need to take into consideration the costs associated in structuring your department while staying within budget. These are the kinds of the decisions that come with structured planning and organizing. How you deal with these kinds of decisions are a big part of being a successful manager.

In this project we will look at a model that can help you fully understand and improve your organization, and ways to set up your department to its optimum performance to be able to meet any goals or objectives that may come your way.
The 7-S Model and how it can help improve your organization
Also in this lesson, and throughout the course, we will be using management examples of a Customer Service/Technical Support Manager. Customer service is so important and just about every manager has some sort of customer service expectations related to their goals and duties. This makes these examples exemplary. We will use an example company that provides telephone and Internet service called Sample Corp. The fictitious product being used is called a Widget, which is an Internet service related product. The manager's name that is being used in the short stories in lessons 1 through 7 is John Smith. Be sure to keep in mind that the basic premise and logic of these examples can be translated into just about every managerial scenario and function.

The 7-S model is a useful way to look at the many interrelated aspects of a complex organization and it's a great way to help you understand your organization and leverage it to maximum efficiency and profitability. It was developed by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman while working at McKinsey & Company.

The basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful. It is the seven key elements of an organization that are critical to understand its effectiveness. These seven elements are: Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Style, Staff, and Skills. The beauty of the 7-S model is that it can be used in a wide variety of situations such as:
Managers must act on all S's in parallel as all S's are interrelated. All elements must align equally:

A diagnostic tool for an ineffective organization.

Improve the performance of a company.

Guides organizational changes.

Align departments and processes during a merger or acquisition.

Determine how best to implement a proposed strategy.

Combines rational and hard elements with emotional and soft elements.

The seven elements are distinguished in so called hard S's and soft S's. The hard elements (consisting with Strategy, Structure, and Systems) are feasible and easy to identify. They are easier to change than the others. They can be found in strategy statements, corporate plans, organizational charts and other documentations.

The four soft S's (consisting of Skills, Staff, Style, and Shared Values) are not as feasible. They are harder to change directly, and typically take longer to do so. They are harder to describe since capabilities, values and elements of corporate culture are continuously developing and changing. They are highly determined by the people at work in the organization. Effective companies, however, tend to pay as much attention to these factors as to the hard S's.

Essentially, you'll want to run through each of the seven points and analyze how they fit in with your business. The concepts remain fairly similar, with some minor changes:

1. Strategy: Refers to the plan or route-map to maintain competitive advantage. What is your plan for the future? How do you intend to achieve the objectives? When was the last time you looked at your business plan? What were the actions you took after looking at it? When was the last time you updated your business plan? How do you deal with competitive pressure? What are the sources of sustainable competitive advantage such as cost, quality, service and technical leadership? What are the key strategic priorities such as improved customer service? How are changes in customer demand dealt with? How do you deliver greater value to customers?

2. Structure: Refers to the framework in which the activities of the organization's members are coordinated. A key function of structure is to focus employees' attention on what needs to get done by defining the work they do and whom they should be working with. How is the organizational structure designed right now? How is the team divided? How do the various departments coordinate activities? How do the team members organize and align themselves? Is decision making and controlling centralized or decentralized? Is this as it should be, given what you're doing? Where are the lines of communication? If you had to suddenly hire another 6 employees tomorrow, what would it look like? What changes would you have to make? If your customer has a complaint, or if there is some kind of emergency, how are problems escalated? Is there a stated hierarchy and an "in-practice" hierarchy?

3. Systems: Refers to the day-to-day processes and procedures. Having effective systems helps reduce redundancy and streamlines process. How do you gather business intelligence? Do you have a unified database? Does the organization have the systems it needs to run your department such as monitoring for customer satisfaction? If you have to put together a report on something, could you do it quickly? What happens if one of your staff leaves; will they take with them a key part of your business intelligence? What are the main systems that run the organization? Where are the controls and how are they monitored and evaluated? What internal rules and processes does the team use to keep on track?

4. Shared Values: (also known as Superordinate goals): Refers to the guiding principles of the organization. These are the core values of the company and your department. What are your core and stated values? What do you measure and reward? Are they the same thing? How can you make minor changes to bring them in line with each other? What are your stated values supposed to contribute to your business? Do they contribute what you want them to contribute? Does your employees have a shared understanding of why the company exists? Do they share the same company and departmental vision? How do they described the ways in which the company is distinctive? Is the focus on quality, emphasis on people, etc?

5. Style: Refers to the leadership approach and the organizations overall operating approach. How would you describe your department? How would your employees describe your department? How would your competitors describe your department? How would your customers describe your department? How would your vendors describe your department? If all five would say the same thing then you're on the right track; if they say different things then it could indicate a potential problem. Is this same style and culture going to carry you through the next few years? What will have to change for you to grow? How participative is your management and leadership style? How effective is your leadership? How good are you at making decisions? Where do you focus most of your time and attention? Do your employees tend to be competitive or cooperative? Are there real teams functioning within the organization, or are they just nominal groups?

6. Staff: Refers to the staff levels and how people are hired, developed, trained, socialized, integrated, and ultimately how their careers are managed. Are you staffed to serve customers adequately? Will the addition or deletion of one or two staff members change anything? How do you train and mentor employees? Is your training methods effective? Are your staff members trained to do their jobs? Can you give them any other skills or resources to do their job better? What's holding them back from helping you grow your business? Are they "bought in" to seeing your business develop? What positions or specializations are represented within the team? What positions need to be filled? Are there gaps in required competencies?

7. Skills: Refers to the distinctive competencies of people within the organization. What skills have you been hiring for? What skills do you need? What skills will you need in 1 or 2 years from now? Does someone in your organization have those skills and are you grooming them for an important role in the next 1 or 2 years? What skills will you need to possess in two years that are different than the skills you possess today? What are the strongest skills represented within the team? Are there any skills gaps? What is the team known for doing well? Do the current employees have the ability to do the job? How are skills monitored and assessed?

An example of the 7-S model in action, for an improvement opportunity, would be if the department was misaligned resulting in poor performance.
Manage your Department to its Optimum in 10 steps
We will act on some of the questions just described from the 7-S model in the next section of this lesson, "Manage your Department to its Optimum in 10 steps."

Managing a department that is successful in meeting its goals is the goal of every manager. You want a solid organization that knows the goals and runs like a well-oiled machine. Everyone should be on the same wavelength with the same unified vision and shared core values. By following the right steps, you can be sure you have covered every angle to achieve success in meeting the department's goals and objectives.

To begin with, you need to fully understand what is expected of you as manager. You need to know what products and/or services you are supporting, what the goals and objectives are of the company, and what the goals and objectives are of your department. Once all of that has been determined, you can start on creating a well organized, planned out, fully trained and controlled department.

Here are the 10 steps to plan and build your department to its optimum to meet the goals:

Step 1 - Determine your part in the company's goals and objectives

Step 2 - Absolutely know what's expected of you as manager

Step 3 - Fully know the company's products, services, and systems used to support them

Step 4 - Establish goals and objectives for your department

Step 5 - Strategize, plan and structure to meet the objective

Step 6 - Get the right people you need to meet the objective

Step 7 - Get the right materials to get the job done right

Step 8 - Get your staff all of the training it needs

Step 9 - Organize it all to put the plan into effect

Step 10 - Monitor and control it all to keep it running smoothly

Each one of these 10 steps will be discussed in the following segments. There will also be examples used from the point of view of a customer service/technical support manager.

Step 1 - Determine your part in the company's goals and objectives

A company needs to always think strategically and be focused on the future in order to succeed. Goals and objectives could be a new product or service the company wants to produce or provide, targeting the markets through research analysis that best suit the company's product line, raising capital based on financial projections through potential sales and earnings, or increase customer satisfaction through its operational strategies.

Once the plan is fully in place, the pieces of the puzzle need to be put together. Anytime a plan has been established, the information to the entire company usually flows something like this:

1. The company's goals and objectives will be filtered down to all department managers, most likely while in meetings with upper management.

2. Department managers will take their part of the plan and fully understand the goals and objectives.

3. A timeline to achieve these goals would need to be put into place.

4. The department manager will create the projects and tasks associated with the plan and clearly state the goals and objectives to their employees. Training is given and processes are created.

5. The project is monitored to ensure quality and maintain focus.

6. The manager reacts to any problem with the process as soon as possible.

7. Status reports and updates are given to upper management.

Sounds simple, but without careful planning it can get muddled, confusing, and unorganized. The most important aspect of the plan is to be able to clearly translate it throughout the company.

Once your managerial responsibilities of the plan have been determined, you must clearly translate the goals and objectives to your staff along with a timeframe. You need to tell them why the goals are important and what they mean to the company. There should never be a reason why your staff does not know the reasons and goals of each project that comes their way.

You need to develop processes and procedures that are easy to follow and make sure everyone is trained. It is up to you to direct them toward objectives, monitor their progress and react when necessary. You need to be able to show upper management the progress being made by reporting stats, survey results, and any other relevant data.

Remember, when dealing with upper management, "It is better to under promise, and over deliver." Most managers do the opposite. Always remember this simple phrase whenever you feel a project that comes your way is bigger than what it first appears to be.

Step 2 - Absolutely know what's expected of you as manager

You need to know exactly what it is upper management expects from you. If you have any doubt, chances are they are expecting something you might not be able to deliver. This is why the information flow as stated in step 1 is so important. What you should expect from yourself is to always think big. You are either in management, or inspiring to be in management, because deep down you know you can do the job.

One thing that is for certain, you are expected to create a strong team, inspire the team to perform well, clearly state the goals expected of the team, achieve those goals with proof from statistical data, and recognize and reward a job well done.

In order to achieve and even surpass expectations, you will always need a good solid plan that is well understood by all. You will need to figure out how to best develop, communicate, and train the processes and procedures associated with the plan. You need to make sure that there is no doubt from your staff regarding the goals at hand. These goals can vary from call center metrics such as customer satisfaction survey results, to a production line such as how many units need to be made per hour.
Step 3 - Fully know the company's products, services, and systems used to support them
How you structure your department can determine whether or not you hit your goals. You need to make sure the setup and flow of the department works in efficiency and harmony. In order for the department to flow in harmony, you first need to make sure you and your team fully understands the company's systems, products and/or services.

You have to know the company's products. When you and your staff don't have a good grasp on the products or services your company provides, more mistakes, less confidence and wasted energy is inevitable. How can you expect your team to support a new product release or service offering when they are not even certain about the existing products and services that are being offered?

This not only pertains to the products and services, but the company's systems and tools used to track, troubleshoot, and enter pertinent data. Your job is to make sure everyone is 100% comfortable with the tools and systems they use as well as the products and services they are supporting. Make it a point to demystify everything that is involved within your department. You should also make it a point to personally know how to use or work on the products, tools, and systems as that of your staff. This way you will be able to better relate to any comments or suggestions they may have as well as give you more confidence.

When we talk about a product, we are talking about a tangible item that can be physically touched. When talking about a service, we are talking about an intangible action performed by someone or a service provided. For example, if you buy a car battery, you're buying a product. If you elect to have someone install the battery, that person is providing a service. There are many times when the product and service are combined from the customer's point of view. For example, the steak from a restaurant is considered a product, whereas the cook who cooks the steak and the waitress who then brings the steak to the customer is considered a service. Managers in these types of companies have both product and service to worry about.

There are important quality distinctions that must be made regarding products and services:

A good product is an entity that meets all quality standards. Products that are flawed are considered of low quality. This is a problem for both the customer and the company employees who have to support the product.

A good service is complete satisfaction from the customer's point of view with the quality of the company's help and action taken. Service that is bad is considered of low quality customer interaction. Bad service can also be related to numerous outages from service providing entities such as your electric or Internet service.

By fully knowing the company's systems, products and/or services, and how the quality can alter the customer's perception and the employees' morale, are detrimental to the success or failure of a manager.
Step 4 - Establish goals and objectives for your department
Your staff also needs to be aware of the reason why the products they produce, or services they provide, goes beyond the marketplace so their customers will continue to be loyal.

As manager, you need to determine how the goals and objectives for your department are set. These goals might be established through your boss, upper management, or might even be determined by you. In any case, the goals are most likely based on industry standards, or using the competition as a benchmark. No matter how the goals are set; you need to fully understand their meaning. You also have to be able to clearly communicate these goals with your staff.

Your employees need to firmly know what is expected of them. They should be able to quote these goals when asked, and have the meaning of these goals engrained into their memory. This way they will always have a unified focus on where they are now, and where they need to be headed. Goal setting encourages employees to put in substantial effort; because they know exactly what is expected of them. There is little room left for a lack of effort going unnoticed. Goal setting also provides direction and a sense of purpose. Goals are the motivating force to work harder. To make the goals worthwhile, there needs to be a reward of some sort, once the goal is achieved. We will discuss more about compensation and rewards in Lesson 3.

You should set up both long-term and short-term goals. The long-term goals capture the main objective. The short-term goals provide guidance on a day-to-day basis to meet that objective. An example of a long-term goal would be to improve customer satisfaction ratings from 80% to 95%. The short-term goals towards that increased customer satisfaction would be to address issues such as service outages, provide more technical training, focus on personal skills, or to develop a more standard format to increase efficiency. The short-term goals should always be related to the greater good of the long-term goal. If the long-term goal is measured in months, then the short-term goals should be achieved in just a few days, or a couple of weeks. Determining the timeframe of long-term and short-term goals can vary depending on the size or severity of the project.

Dealing with numbers is a necessary part of being a manager, and is the nature of business. Managers have to deal with schedules, production costs, service statistics, quality measures, and satisfaction results, just to name a few. Numbers should be an important part of the guiding principles in running your department, however, not the only driving force. You need to set targets and goals, but if you live by the numbers alone, you might lose the personal touch. Your employees will be more worried about their personal stats, rather than providing a pleasant customer experience. For example, if a company prides themselves on providing an exceptional customer experience, yet the employees are being judged with the amount of orders they took, not by the extra personal customer touch they gave, you are in for a conflict of interest. Besides, once they hit their quota, they may not be inspired to do any extra work.

It is a fine art to balance the metrics with a personal touch. For example, you need your customer service representatives to quickly answer the calls, provide the information, and get to the next call as soon as possible so that you do not have too many customers on hold (which is a measured metric). You might hit your numbers, but the customer felt rushed and did not have a pleasant customer experience. If, however, you gave too much attention to every call, then you would have longer hold times, thus aggravated customers who just wanted a quick and easy answer, thus poor customer satisfaction ratings because of long hold times. This is a typical catch-22 scenario that most managers have to face.

Structuring your department to its optimum plays a key role in these types of situations. The skills taught in this lesson and throughout this course will help you face these types of scenarios.

Here is a list of some typical goals and objectives that are common within a business that you might have to face as a manager:
Step 5 - Strategize, plan and structure to meet the objective

Improve customer satisfaction

Reduce churn rate (customers who no longer use your service, product, etc)

Prepare for a new product launch

Improve project management

Reduce attrition rate (employees leaving the company)

Reduce product defects

Reduce service outages

Reduce hold times

Reduce costs, and increase profits

Coordinate efforts on acquiring another company

Outsource specific projects

Expand operations

Improve product delivery time

Improve order delivery time

Implement new (or upgrade) your company's information systems such as an inventory database, trouble ticket database, testing software, or order processing system.

A great plan comes from absolute attention to detail, which is key to setting up and structuring for success. Not only do you want to meet the general goal, but set up a specific standard. A general goal might be to answer calls quickly. A specific goal would be to answer all calls in an average of 30 seconds.

Before you start planning, you need to know the general and specific goals, the expectations, the type of products and/or services, what is coming down the pipeline, or the anticipated projects in the near future. Each situation calls for a different plan. Some plans are smaller and not as important, whereas some are major projects with utmost priority. You need to know which projects to start planning on first and be prepared for any surprises that may come your way. You will normally find out during your management meetings with your boss or upper management what is to be expected (which was covered in step 1).

Once determined, you start planning on how to accomplish the task at hand. You should first share this information with your key staff members like your supervisors, leads, and your subject matter experts (or SME, pronounced "smee"). You will most likely use a whiteboard to chart all the requirements. If there is any confidential information, use initials or codes that only you and key members of your staff understand. There may be just one big project that requires your full attention, or many smaller projects working concurrently. In most cases it is both. It is important that you prioritize the most crucial projects. You need to be able to make the right call.

You also need to create and stick to a realistic timeline. It needs to be challenging yet attainable. Map out the plan from start to finish with a description of each task and projected completed dates. Again, think about the saying, "Under promise and over deliver." What might look amazing to upper management at first could come back to haunt you when you miss your target date. Depending on the type of business, a simple spreadsheet will normally do. If it is a large and intense project, Microsoft Project Manager is a great tool to use.

Whether you inherited the department by being promoted from within, or from another department or another company, the best time to plan and make major structural changes is within the first couple of months of becoming manager. However, be careful if you are following a manager who was very respected. Major changes might look like a slap in the face and your staff might resent you for it. It is much easier to make major changes when you follow a manager who was inefficient, even though it's harder to clean up the mess that was left behind.

Upper management is usually more lenient about certain expenses and disruption while you are making your mark in your first few months as manager. For example, you may want to re-organize the seating arrangement, request new computers, buy software upgrades, buy extra monitors, get better tools for the trade, get new uniforms, invest in advanced training, move to a new location, or even change the overall direction of the department. Once you are settled and things are running smoothly, it is harder to get the finances to make major improvements, even if it is within your budget.

Lets look at a scenario from a customer service/technical support point of view in a company that provides telephone and Internet service. Lets say you are a new manager who has taken over a department with poor customer satisfaction ratings due to long hold times that is also losing customers (known as "Churn") because of repeat issues and the time it takes to repair the problem. When you were hired by upper management, they let you know that your main objective was to improve customer satisfaction ratings and reduce churn. After discussing with upper management and comparing industry standards, your goal as manager is to obtain the following metrics:

Calls are answered in an average of 30 seconds

Abandon rate needs to be under 3%

Repeat cases needs to be under 5%

MTTR (Mean Time To Repair - which is the average time it took to open, troubleshoot and close the case) needs to be under 90 minutes

Customer Satisfaction surveys of all customers polled within your department needs to be 95% or greater

To obtain these numbers you first need to look at the way your department is setup. You would need to figure out problems such as the number of staff needed, how long each call should last, find out the skills sets of your employees, find the right balance between quality and quantity, etc. You would also need to look at methods on how to make an effective and streamlined process to reduce call handle time.

The way the department is set up at the moment is one big group that takes on all calls, no matter the skill set or the nature of the reported problem. These calls can vary from regular telephone service repair calls to Internet access repair calls. These incoming calls can also vary from easy to fix repairs to intense troubleshooting repairs. Some people's strengths were more related to voice repair while others were more related to Internet data repair. Unfortunately for the customer, when they called into repair, they were getting bounced around quite a bit.

After careful analysis, the best plan might just be to restructure the department. To make the department run more efficiently, it makes more sense to split the group into two teams, one that deals with voice repair issues and another that deals with data repair issues. The next step would be to split those groups in two to have one team that answers the easy questions with short call handle times, and one that works on the harder and longer duration repairs. A supervisor would be appointed to each team as well as a lead technician or a SME (Subject Matter Expert, pronounced "Smee"). With a couple of programming changes to redirect the incoming call flow and some seating changes, the restructured plan would be complete.

Depending on the type of business you are in, many times it does helps to divide the department into a tiered structure. You can create a team within each tier and modify the goals of each tier to fit the overall goal of the department. You will need to determine both the physical setup (i.e. where your employees should sit and be grouped, etc) and the logical setup (i.e. the incoming call flow, etc).

Sometimes if you are lucky, one big group or an "all for one, one for all" strategy works, however, what usually happens is your better "A & B" employees spend half of their time with the simple issues or easy orders, while the "C" employees spend half of their time on difficult issues or the bigger/harder orders. You're A & B employees have a higher skill set and are your top performing employees.

Another incentive to create a tiered structure is to pay the more qualified people more money. This gives incentive for the Tier 1 people to want to learn more in order to be promoted into the Tier 2 group. This is a good idea as long as you have the money to do so in your budget.

Going back to the customer service example, what tends to happen is a call will be in queue (on hold in the order received), which tends to make the abandon rate increase (people do not like to be on hold...). This also increases the time it takes to repair a problem and also results in more repeat cases because the less qualified employees are potentially working on the hard issues. The end result would then be a dissatisfied customer who would give poor marks on their satisfaction survey. By breaking the department into a tiered structure, you would be able to set up the department like this:

1. Tier 1 answers all incoming calls. They have an easy to follow flow chart and would only answer questions that are easy in nature and do not take up too much time to explain. Even though they have a flow chart to follow the troubleshooting steps, you should make sure they have adequate training to have the confidence to troubleshoot the basics on their own. They have an average of 5 minutes per call to resolve the issue. If they cannot resolve the issue, they would pass the call to Tier 2.

2. Tier 2 takes over the call. All of the troubleshooting done by the Tier 1 technician will be noted in the trouble case. The Tier 2 technician would pick up from that point on, which will mean the customers would not have to repeat themselves. Tier 2 has an average of 1 hour per case, as the problem will most likely take some time to troubleshoot.

What would happen with this simple yet effective set up would help reduce time in queue, which would lower the abandon rate, which would also reduce MTTR along with a reduction of repeat cases, which would leave the customer more satisfied, which would result in fewer customers leaving the company. Higher customer satisfaction is achieved and the churn rate is reduced. All of the objectives and goals would be achieved with this restructuring move.

The goals for each tier would be different. You would not want to have a generic goal for both groups. The goals for Tier 1 would be based more on quantity, whereas the goals for Tier 2 would be based more on quality. That is not to say that Tier 1 shouldn't do quality work. It just means that Tier 1's main goal is to answer calls quickly and if they do not know the answer, pass the call to Tier 2. Tier 2 would also be expected to perform a certain quantity, but their main concern is more on reducing repeated issues and chronic type of problems. Something to keep in mind, you can always have one group help the other in times of need.

As part of the restructuring in this example, a knowledgebase could also be built so that Tier 2 can document the troubleshooting steps for certain problems. By utilizing the knowledgebase, technicians can cut down their troubleshooting time, thus reducing MTTR. Some of these troubleshooting steps can also be placed on a FAQ page on the company's website. Customers might be able to fix the problem themselves, thus reducing the amount of calls into Tier 1, thus reducing hold time even further, thus reducing abandon calls. This would reduce having to hire more staff to hit the goals, thus saving the company money, which makes upper management very happy.
Step 6 - Get the right people you need to meet the objective
Even though this example was based on a particular customer service scenario, the same logic could apply to any planning and structuring situations you might face.

It's pretty obvious that you need to have good people to do a good job. The tricky part is to have the right person for the right job. If you have been out on the floor getting to know your employees, knowing their strengths and weaknesses, trusting in your supervision staff on your top performers, and knowing who has the right attitude and aptitude, you should be able to find the right people for the job. If you have done your job correctly, you will have an inspired staff, full of knowledge, just waiting to show you their talents and strengths. You will also need to start off with hiring, and keeping, the right people, as well as keeping the good people you already have.

This section alone is a lesson or two within itself. We have dedicated much more information to this subject in lesson 3 regarding ideas on how to create, motivate, recognize, evaluate, and compensate your people, and Lesson 4, which is dedicated to hiring and retaining the right people.
Step 7 - Get the right materials to get the job done right
Step 6 is probably the most important step in this lesson. It really is all about the people within your organization who truly make a difference. Your job as manager is so much easier when you're surrounded by nothing but the best people.

You need to make sure your staff has all the tools it needs to get the job done right such as efficient equipment, materials, and supplies. Do things like making sure your staff has good working computers with plenty of disk space and memory. Nothing is worse than having a slow computer, especially while on the phone with a customer. Continually communicating with your staff is the key to finding out what they need to make things run more efficiently. Many managers assume everyone has what they need because they do not ask for anything. They might think it is too trivial or that they do not want to waste your time with small requests. Don't let this happen to you. Encourage your staff to look for any improvements that can make their lives a little easier.
Step 8 - Get your staff all of the training it needs
Hopefully you have enough in your budget to adhere to the requests. Many times, items such as computers are part of Capex (capital expenditures) and should not necessarily come out of your budget (basic finance and creating a budget will be discussed in more detail in lesson 8). Insist from upper management that you need this equipment in order to achieve your objectives and goals. The software you choose is also of vital importance. Clumsy and hard to use programs like old DOS type of software is hard to use and takes extra time to find and enter information. You should also be able to show how the benefits outweigh the costs. Lesson 9 goes into detail regarding how to determine the cost-benefit analysis. Getting fast computers with easy to use software programs makes for easier training and efficiency improvements.

Before anyone can do anything, they need to know how to do it. When surveying employees for what they would like and need, training is the most requested item, besides of course, more money. Everyone wants to be trained whether they are new and just starting, or are a seasoned pro who wants to get even better. Proper training and support for all levels of work produce better and more productive employees. You will find that the cost of training is met quickly with lower turnover and higher productivity. You should periodically ask each employee, while you make your rounds, on what training they would like to receive.

You want training done by experts who understands, and can clearly explain, the subject matter. This could be someone in your department or an outside resource. The point is to truly make the training count. It is a total waste of time if you train just for trainings sake. No one will get anything from it. It might not even apply to the real training need. Training needs to relate to what your employees do on the job.

Here are 20 training ideas that could pertain to your department:

1. Work with one of your most knowledgeable employees to develop a training process and procedure manual. You would want to document everything from beginning to end. Using customer service as an example, it would start off with how to answer a call and exactly what to say, how and what information should be documented into the order or ticketing system, how to look up all pricing and billing info, etc. This should be printed and put into a binder. You should also meet with your staff and go through the manual to make sure everyone fully understands the process, flow charts, etc. Whenever there are any major updates, make sure you modify the process. If it starts to become outdated, no one will use it when new products are released or procedures are modified.

2. Set up weekly training sessions for the supervisor or lead to go over training issues that popped up during the week with their staff. For example, people might be using the wrong codes, there is not enough documentation in the trouble case, orders are incorrect, etc.

3. Find online training programs such as technical schools that your staff can take. Put aside some time during the day or even pay overtime for after hours study at home.

4. Have a "Lunch and Learn." Provide lunch for the staff in a training or conference room, and train while they are eating. It's a win/win situation as the employee gets a free lunch and you get the opportunity to go over some training issues that does not interfere with their normal work schedule. This is also motivational and helps in team building. Make sure to clear this with HR to make sure there are no labor laws violated.

5. Find a webinar or workshop that specializes in the subject matter. It can be viewed either in house or at a yearly retreat type of event.

6. You might find someone who can benefit from some one-on-one mentoring. A gesture like this goes a long way not to mention builds morale and shows leadership.

7. Take the time to get with your staff to discuss the optimal training they would like to receive. What might look good to you is not really what they need or want to learn. Take a poll by having them list the top 5 training needs in a secret ballot due to some individuals might be too embarrassed to publicly state the training they need. Gather the information and find the main trend. If the majority requests the same training need, you can start setting up the training process right away. If there are a few different ideas, you can either set up a few different training sessions, or gather your staff together to discuss all possible options.

8. If it is within the budget, offer a company paid tuition to a local college. This is a huge motivational and retaining tool to use.

9. Try to relate the training to something they already know and are confident doing. It is easier to learn something new when you can relate it to what you already know.

10. Training should be as visual as possible with true hands on participation. They need to actually perform the tasks they are being taught.

11. Make sure your boss or upper management shows their excitement towards this training amongst your employees. This will generate more enthusiasm and determination.

12. Make sure they are motivated and want to learn. They should feel a sense of excitement about enhancing their career by becoming more knowledgeable. The more motivated they are, the more they will want to learn.

13. Keep the training area away from any office or factory related noise and commotion. They need to be 100% focused with no distractions. This also includes turning off cell phones and not checking e-mail from their laptops.

14. Make sure you take a quick break after each main subject. Each subject should be no more than 1 to 2 hours. Too much information all at once is too much to take in.

15. It is ok to do repetitive training if it is needed. The more your employees see, hear and do something, the better they will be able to remember it.

16. If anyone cannot make the training, ask one of the employees who took the training to train other employees with the information learned. This could be thought of as "train the trainer."

17. During the training seminar, make sure to discuss how the material being taught applies to real life scenarios. If there are good examples to use, this would be a great time to discuss.

18. If you cannot set up a training course or provide online training, you can always purchase business books for the employees. Ask them to read it during slow times at work or at home. You might even want to start up a book club to meet once a week so that the employees can discuss facts with one another.

19. Set up a buddy system. Pair up a seasoned knowledgeable employee with a less experienced employee. This would improve skills and build confidence. This also builds a strong work ethic, morale, and loyalty within the team. Just make sure the knowledgeable employee adheres to these rules:

Puts the less experienced employee at ease by not showing off and is humble with stories about when they first started out.

Asks what the person knows or does not know about the training subject. Nothing should be assumed, as the person might be afraid to ask any questions. Don't blind the person with science by using acronyms or terms they do not understand.

Covers the main objectives and goals including how their job relates to the big picture.

Motivates and creates excitement. This is a time for positive interaction, not negative opinion.

Clearly goes over the workflow both visually and in theory. Have the less experienced person repeat it back until fully understood.

Makes sure the less experienced person performs the tasks. The main goal is to fully understand the processes, procedures and expectations. Total quality is always imperative and is absolutely key to the persons and company's success.

Sets up a post meeting, and if necessary another training session, to make sure all is good.

Step 9 - Organize it all to put the plan into effect
20. Training is an ongoing commitment you need to make to your team. You need to always keep on top of any training needs. Always remember, "The more you train, the more they retain."

Now that you know your part in the company, know what is expected of you, know the products and/or services that pertain to your department, know the goals and objectives expected of your department, developed a plan to achieve those goals and objectives, picked the right people for the job, have the materials needed for optimal efficiency, and made sure they have been fully trained, it's time to organize it all and put the plan into effect. This is the time to make the physical moves, get the project underway, start the task, etc. It is imperative that everyone involved is fully aware of these moves, projects, and tasks and are fully prepared to make it happen.

It is a good idea to utilize programs such as Visio or spreadsheets to make visual representations of your structuring plan such as organizational charts, schedules, and seating assignments. Enterprise iPBX's are very beneficial for a call center phone system with incorporated reporting tools.

Using the same customer service example, it was decided that in order to achieve the goals, we first split the customer service technical support team into two sections: Voice Repair for telephone service, and Data Repair for Internet service. It was determined that you needed supervisors for each group and lead technicians to provide support for the technical support representatives. This was based on measuring call volume, time on the call, time it took to fix the problem, trending future call volume based on POS (point of sale, pronounced "paws") reports, determining the need for 24/7 coverage, and customer satisfaction results.

By deciding and planning correctly, your staff will understand what is expected of them and their place within the organization. Putting your head in the sand and hoping for the best will inevitably catch up to you. Always plan ahead. Here are some planning pointers to follow:

Utilize your resources to their optimal performance. If you have a great plan and do not have the resources, then you need to back up that plan with documented reasoning on why you need more staff, equipment, seating area, etc. to upper management.

Look at all the possible scenarios and make sure there are clear benefits to each decision.

When in doubt map it out. That is what the white board is for and you should use it whenever possible. Visually looking at possible structure changes makes things so much easier.

Hold daily meetings with your supervisors to make sure the plan will work as good in real life as it looks on paper. They will be the ones who will be in direct contact with the employees on a daily, if not hourly basis, and you want to make sure they are happy with the plan.

Make sure you get your employees suggestions, as they are the ones in the trenches who really know which processes work and which don't.

Again, even though we are using customer service as an example of a department to manage, the same principles apply to most any management scenario.
Step 10 - Monitor and control it all to keep it running smoothly
Point to keep in mind: You always want to keep your boss informed before making any changes or implementing any plans. By giving well-documented processes, procedures, and laid out plans, you will look good as well as make your boss look good. Upper management expects this type of detail to achieve success from you, the manager.

Now that you have the department in order, everyone is trained and happy, and you have all of your processes and procedures in place, the best way to determine how things are going is through reports and feedback.

Continuous employee feedback and communication, statistical reporting, customer based surveys, feedback from suppliers, feedback from other departments that are closely involved with yours, sales performance, financial analysis, inventory control, monitoring order accuracy, and employee evaluations are just a few of the necessary tools to monitor how your department is performing.

There might be problems and unforeseen bumps in the road ahead such as a new product line or taking on additional responsibilities, however, with all of the planning and organization you have put into place, you will just need to do some slight modifications to keep it all running smoothly.

You need to have the right tools to measure productivity and process effectiveness. At a minimum, you need to know how to read, create and manipulate a spreadsheet, know how to create and present a PowerPoint presentation, and work with a Word Processing doc. Other great tools are Visio for creating flow charts, and Microsoft Project for large task related projects.

Being able to analyze the data not only helps you find trends, it also keeps upper management informed. They can either see the progress you are making or the problems you are having. Either way, they will appreciate the fact that they are not being kept in the dark.

If any problems arise when monitoring productivity, make sure you have created a systematic approach in finding the root cause and correct resolution. In order to do this, you need to have accurate data as previously presented. You would then set up a meeting with key players in your department, and if necessary, key players from other departments. The key point here is to make sure you have the accurate data to back up the issues at hand.

For example, if your team is getting inundated with calls due to a faulty product complaint, you need to have a system in place that tracks by problem report code, category, and resolution along with accurate documentation. This is needed to help spot the trend. With accurate data you can report something like "an 18% increase in customer complaints due to a power failure." This is much better than making a generic statement like, "Customers are complaining that the product doesn't work."

With this type of information, you can present the data with confidence to the other areas within the company. With this accurate data, they should be able to find the source of the issue. You need to be exact, precise, timely, and confident with the data you provide. Don't come off like you don't know what you are doing. You will not be taken seriously, the customers will continue to be upset, future sales will go down, and the department morale will decline due to the increase in work and complaints. All of this because of insufficient data.

Do not be afraid or intimidated to bring issues up to other department heads. This is expected of you. As the manager of your department it is your job to make sure everything is running smoothly, including issues that might be out of your control. At the same time you need to be careful that you do not look like you're on a witch-hunt to find the culprits. It's all about finding the perfect balance between being easy going and aggressive. You need to make sure that you, and the other departments involved, understand that this is for the greater good of the company's success. Your part is just to make sure it is clear you are doing everything you can to achieve the company's goals.
A short story about structuring a department John Smith is the manager of a customer service department that he had recently inherited. John realized that he needed to come up with a plan to improve customer service. John met with key members of his staff to address the issues and map out a timeline to investigate and resolve the problems. What he found was that technicians who were more inclined to work a case quickly, had more repeats due to not fixing it right the first time. Through all of this analysis, John was able to determine how to structure his department. All of these changes directly improved hold times and repeated issues. Customer satisfaction results went way up due to hold times and repeated problems going way down. This also improved employee morale. John made sure from this point on to always look for trends and structure his department based on a plan, not just because it seemed right. He utilized his staff more efficiently by transferring them to the area that best suited their skills. He organized a tiered system so that Tier 1 addressed the quick and easy issues, and Tier 2 addressed the long and more difficult issues. He applied this system to both the Internet and telephone sides of the department. He made seating arrangements that put them into smaller groups associated with the tiers. He scheduled his techs accordingly to cover the busiest times of the day. He also worked with engineering to investigate network related problems. Engineering was able to find the problem due to the accurate data they received. He also found that the technicians who took their time on a case, had less repeats, but longer customer hold times. He found that certain technicians had better skills at Internet related issues than telephone related issues. He found certain times of the day were much busier than others. Customer survey results showed the main complaints were long hold times and repeated trouble. He also found that more cases were opened in a certain area of the country than any other city. This was due to network issues that were captured through his new coding system. John also made customer satisfaction a prime objective and made sure his staff fully understood the targeted goal of high satisfaction percentages. He delegated certain tasks such as updating and adding codes to the ticketing system. This was done to track the root cause of the problems. A customer satisfaction survey was also created and was sent out to each customer who recently dealt with customer service. John also tracked how long the calls were on hold, how long each call took, etc. Once the data was analyzed, he started finding trends. He decided to dig deeper through departmental reports to see what was going on. Unfortunately the reports did not show much as the data was too generic and meaningless. He provides support for Internet and telephone services. He has a staff of 50 employees who have different skill levels and technical expertise. His department seemed to be doing fine, however, customers were complaining of bad service. John made sure everyone was trained but the customers still kept on complaining. He thought he had his department in order but there were no true goals or objectives set, nor was there a good way to capture the data.
Utilizing all that has been taught in this lesson will help build your value and effectiveness as a manager. A department that is structured to achieve its goals is key to being a successful manager. Following through on your well thought out plans will show off your management and leadership skills, it will also earn you a great deal of respect.

Epilogue: A solid plan to obtain the goals and objectives is mandatory. You can then decide how to set your department based on the results of that plan. John was able to hit all goals and achieve high customer satisfaction ratings by structuring his department to its optimal performance with little additional resources. Most of what was covered in this story relates to the examples used in this lesson.

Quick Summary

You need a solid plan and the methods needed to succeed to obtain the goals and objectives.

You need to make sure both you and your employees fully understand the mission, goals, company products, what is expected of them, and what is expected of you.

Carefully analyze all aspects within your department before making any changes. Get with key members of your staff and discuss all options.

You need to get the right people to do the right job. You might need to reassign them for optimal performance.

You need to set up a timeline whenever a major project, task, or structuring takes place. The short-term plans must coincide with the long-term objective.

You need to provide the right materials and training. A lack of materials and training will result in a lack of efficiency.

You need to know how to use programs such as spreadsheets to monitor your department's performance and correct issues as they arise.

Ass.Manager Business Development at Vice Squad Ltd.

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HOW TO MANAGE AND ORGANIZE YOUR DEPARTMENT TO MEET THE GOALS

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Introduction: Managers need to plan and guide the work for their employees In order to accomplish the goals desired, you will need to have a good

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I am attaching a picture of the Navy's operational chain of command. Every organization in order to be successful must have some kind of structure. This is just one version of our Chain of Command.

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Module 5 Organizational Structures and Processes

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Module 5 Organizational Structures and Processes

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Every organization has to have some kind of structure, how else will everyone know who is in charge. Who is responsible for what? Who has the authority to authorize it? and Who can it be delegated to? An effective Organization Structure can help answer those questions. Also, we have to have an Organization culture to influence the behavior of everyone within the organization and if carefully crafted it can have a significant, positive impact on organizational success.

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How do managers help their company to attain their organizational goals in the long run?

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Before starting any strategic planning process, it is essential to make sure your staff or team members have the same expectations of what the outcomes will be. This video explains the different possible outcomes that can arise from strategic planning. It can range from simply having an articulated plan, to a full-blown organizational transformation.

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Don't exactly deals with business but this video kind of shows bad decisions. lol

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Uploaded by Epic Compilations on 2015-10-27.

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Decision making. It's the bread and butter of managers and executives, who make about three billion decisions each year. Indeed, Bain researches found that decision effectiveness is 95% correlated with financial performance .

Despite this, very few of us keep track of the decisions we make and how they turn out. Think of it: you track sales, you track web clicks, you track your Starbucks receipts. But you don't track the most important thing you do at work - the decisions you make.

As a result, most organizations are not very good at decision making. It's no surprise that our study of 500 managers and executives found 98% fail to apply best practices when making decisions.

If decision making is so important, why are we so in the dark?
The Lie At The Heart Of Business
It's because we're lying to ourselves. As renowned futurist Stowe Boyd writes in his free white paper, "How to Untell the Lie at the Heart of Business ":

There is an enormous lie underlying business, the lie that decisions are made rationally, applying logic and expertise, sifting evidence, and carefully weighing alternatives. However, the science is clear: in general, we don't really make decisions that way - we fake it, instead.

The combination of cognitive biases, limited attention spans, and our tendency to overestimate our abilities in areas we know little about add up to a insidious tendency towards bad judgment. We think we are great decision makers. And since we rarely write our decisions down and check them later, it's easy to keep convincing ourselves that we're right.

We're wrong. But we can change.
Using Best Practices To Defeat Bad Judgements
We can get to better, faster decision making by using best practices and technologies based on behavioral economics.

Consider this: In a three-month study of 100 managers, managers who made decisions using best practices achieved expectations 90% of the time, and 40% of them exceeded expectations. Meanwhile, managers following best practices for setting goals achieved expected results only 30% of the time. Other research showed that decision-making best practices increase the number of good business decisions sixfold and cut failure rates in half.

In the course of this research, w e discovered that the most successful decision-making approach can be summed up in a simple checklist. The result? Research shows that businesses using this checklist make 75% better decisions twice as fast with half as many meetings and 20% better performance.
Seven Steps To Faster, Better Business Decision Making
The methodology is described in detail in our Harvard Business Review checklist for decision making. Spending a few minutes to follow these steps each time you face a business decision will save 10 hours of discussion and drive better decisions 10 days faster. Here's what to do:

1. Write down five business goals that will be impacted by the decision. Avoid the trap of rationalizing your decision after the fact.

2. Write down at least four realistic alternatives. No other practice improves decisions more than expanding your choices.

3. Write down the most important information you are missing. Don't let what you know distract you from what you don't know.

4. Write down what's likely to happen in the future, good and bad. Telling the story of what you expect will help identify similar scenarios.

5. Involve a team of at least two but no more than six stakeholders. More perspectives reduce bias and increase buy-in...up to a point.

6. Write down what was decided, why, and how much the team supports the decision to increase buy-in and set a basis to measure results.

7. Schedule a follow-up in a couple months. We tend to forget decisions after we make them, missing the opportunity make corrections and learn from what happens.
Change The Game By Keeping Score
If you follow this approach, not only will your decision effectiveness improve, but as an added bonus, you will have a clear record to track your results.

When it comes to improving decision execution across your organization, that really changes the game. Once decisions are tracked, they become data to be measured. What gets measured gets managed, because when leaders are measured, their competitive instincts motivate them to improve and win.

Check off these steps, start measuring decision making, and you'll start making it better!

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Don't Fail At Decision Making Like 98% Of Managers Do

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Decision making. It's the bread and butter of managers and executives, who make about three billion decisions each year. Indeed, Bain researches found that decision effectiveness is 95% correlated with financial performance . Despite this, very few of us keep track of the decisions we make and how they turn out.

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Managerial decision-making involves a systematic thought process.

man thinking image by forca from Fotolia.com

Small business owners and managers make decisions on a daily basis, addressing everything from day-to-day operational issues to long-range strategic planning. The decision-making process of a manager can be broken down into six distinct steps. Although each step can be examined at length, managers often run through all of the steps quickly when making decisions. Understanding the process of managerial decision-making can improve your decision-making effectiveness.

Identify Problems

The first step in the process is to recognize that there is a decision to be made. Decisions are not made arbitrarily; they result from an attempt to address a specific problem, need or opportunity.

A supervisor in a retail shop may realize that he has too many employees on the floor compared with the day's current sales volume, for example, requiring him to make a decision to keep costs under control.

Seek Information

Managers seek out a range of information to clarify their options once they have identified an issue that requires a decision. Managers may seek to determine potential causes of a problem, the people and processes involved in the issue and any constraints placed on the decision-making process.

Brainstorm Solutions

Having a more complete understanding of the issue at hand, managers move on to make a list of potential solutions. This step can involve anything from a few seconds of though to a few months or more of formal collaborative planning, depending on the nature of the decision.

Choose an Alternative

Managers weigh the pros and cons of each potential solution, seek additional information if needed and select the option they feel has the best chance of success at the least cost. Consider seeking outside advice if you have gone through all the previous steps on your own; asking for a second opinion can provide a new perspective on the problem and your potential solutions.

Implement the Plan

There is no time to second guess yourself when you put your decision into action. Once you have committed to putting a specific solution in place, get all of your employees on board and put the decision into action with conviction. That is not to say that a managerial decision cannot change after it has been enacted; savvy managers put monitoring systems in place to evaluate the outcomes of their decisions.

Evaluate Outcomes

Even the most experienced business owners can learn from their mistakes. Always monitor the results of strategic decisions you make as a small business owner; be ready to adapt your plan as necessary, or to switch to another potential solution if your chosen solution does not work out the way you expected.

About the Author

David Ingram has written for multiple publications since 2009, including "The Houston Chronicle" and online at Business.com. As a small-business owner, Ingram regularly confronts modern issues in management, marketing, finance and business law. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts in management from Walsh University.

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What Are the Steps in the Decision-Making Process of a Manager?

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Small business owners and managers make decisions on a daily basis, addressing everything from day-to-day operational issues to long-range strategic planning. The decision-making process of a manager can be broken down into six distinct steps. Although each step can be examined at length, managers often run through all of the steps quickly when making decisions.

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Why do we plan?

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The Importance of Planning in an Organization

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Planning helps an organization chart a course for the achievement of its goals. The process begins with reviewing the current operations of the organization and identifying what needs to be improved ...

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I learned in chapters 5, 6 and 7 in this module that you need to have a plan before you can make any type of decision hopefully an accurate one.  Here are the steps in the Planning Process:
1. State organizational objectives
2. List alternative ways of reaching objectives
3. Develop premises upon which each alternative is based
4. Choose best alternative for reaching objectives
5. Develop plans to pursue chosen alternative
6. Put the plans into action

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Being in the Navy, every time before we pulled into a different port we had to learn about the culture that we were about to enter to ensure that we don't offend anyone.

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It's not good business to have cultural stereotypes. This video is funny but accurate.

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Cultural Diversity Examples: Avoid Stereotypes while communicating

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Cultural Diversity: Avoid cultural stereotypes while talking to people from other cultures.

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These are the big guns, the world's largest public companies!

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Forbes' 18th annual ranking of the world's largest public companies is a reflection of the state of the global economy today: who's on top, who's growing, and who's seen better days.

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Module 3 Management Within a Global Organization

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Module 3 Management Within a Global Organization

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I learned in this module about how to manage in a global arena. Knowing and understanding the culture of the people in the international countries that your company operate in is critical to how you manage them.

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How is America stacking up compared to the rest of the world?

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The Real Reason Corporate America's Diversity Initiatives Fail

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If corporate America wants to be more diverse, companies need to create equal opportunities for their employees.

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Was not done for the U.S but I think it's relevant for us here. Enjoy!

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With seeing all the corporate ethical violations this was created.

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With seeing all the corporate ethical violations this was created.

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https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/040815/why-are-business-ethics-important.asp

This is a great article and video that answers this question.  All businesses should strive to ethical and all consumers should demand that these corporation are ethical.

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Organizational Ethics and Corporate Governance

I learned in this module that there are many companies out there that need to change their philosophy and work on their ethics.  With so many major corporations having such a public display for their disregard for ethics, we as Americans have accepted the norm of greed and corporate corruption.

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We are getting there!!!

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Fortune 500 female CEOs: Growing in number, but still rare

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The number of female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies is at a high, but they still make up less than 7% of top executives.

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Let's talk about women in high ranking management positions.  

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Let's talk about women in high ranking management positions.  

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I was really interested in this because women are so under rated in corporate America. We continue to strive to break the glass ceiling. Here is a couple women you should know.

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Making the rank of Chief Petty Officer in Navy took me from the role of leader to now manager.

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Making the rank of Chief Petty Officer in Navy took me from the role of leader to now manager.

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Management Overview
Chapter 1 and Appendix 1
I learned in this module that the role of a manager is very important and that there are four basic management functions:
-Planning
-Organizing
-Influencing
-Controlling

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Hi I'm Diedre but most just call me Dre.  I always say that I would like my life to be shown in IMAX and narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.  Being in the Navy and currently stationed on a ship my days are filled with suspense, action and comedy.  I am trembling a little in horror to think that I am taking this class and a statistic one as well.  I was recently promoted and I was so excited when I found out that I almost pop out of my skin.  I have a 20 year old son and I can tell you that he's the main character in my feature film called life.

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Hi I'm Diedre but most just call me Dre.  I always say that I would like my life to be shown in IMAX and narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.  Being in the Navy and currently stationed on a ship my days are filled with suspense, action and comedy.  I am trembling a little in horror to think that I am taking this class and a statistic one as well.  I was recently promoted and I was so excited when I found out that I almost pop out of my skin.  I have a 20 year old son and I can tell you that he's the main character in my feature film called life.