Introduction
The duties performed by assistant managers vary according to the types of different organizations. Assistant managers may assume the roles of managers when the managers are absent. They are important in coordinating functions of different offices and departments as well controlling all the employees of an organization. One of the most important functions of assistant managers is leadership (Performance Appraisal 5). They are required to develop good leadership by being a good example to other employees. They are also important in delegating duties to other employees in the absence of managers.
Case A
As an assistant manager, Ms Fatema is supposed to oversee the operations of the club by being in touch with all the other employees. It is also her responsibility to ensure that the members of the club are satisfied. There have been complaints from the club members that small ants are destroying the lawns and Fatema has been working in the evenings and over the weekends to deal with the issue but no change has been witnessed. The fact that there has not been a change is an indication that there is a problem that needs to be solved in order to achieve the desired outcomes. One of the likely causes of Fatema’s poor performance is that she might have been communicating with the employees on what should be done using one-way communication method. For instance, the issue of the presence of small ants requires constant follow up to ensure that the employees assigned the work of eliminating the ants do their work. Best employee performance is achieved when assistant managers are involved in a discussion with the employees regarding their work. Employees are expected to meet the requirements of their jobs (Delpo 46).
An appropriate solution for this problem is for Ms. Fatema to engage the employees who are supposed to do the work in a discussion. In such a discussion, they will assess their own performance and set the goals they want to achieve themselves. Such a move will compel them to take responsibility of their work and be ready to achieve the goals even in the absence of the assistant manager. In the end, they will eliminate the small ants that the members of the club have been complaining about.
Another potential cause of Fatema’s poor performance is that she might not have focused on whether the employees have the required skills to prevent the ants from doing the destruction or not. The employees might do their best to deal with the problem but if they do not have the required skills, the problem will persist. It is the responsibility of Fatema as the assistant manager to ensure that the employees are skilled enough to deal with the problem. She can solve this problem by ensuring that the employees assigned the duty have the required skills. To avoid poor performance, Fatema should make sure that employees are offered training sessions and encouraged to develop essential skills. By so doing, they will perform their work effectively hence she will not be seen as having failed in her work.
Case B
Conducting research for an organization and coming up with a new product might be a challenging task that requires enthusiasm and great determination (Kirkpatrick 35). The first reason that might have caused the project to lag behind is lack of interest and enthusiasm in coming up with the new paint. If Mr. Saeed lacks interest and enthusiasm in developing the new paint, then this would make the project stall. Lack of interest implies that the dedication that would have been devoted towards completing the project is lacking. He can solve this problem by changing attitude and developing interest in the project. Interest in completing the project and achieving the best results would inspire him to work hard towards completing the project. This would consequently eliminate the poor performance which has been witnessed by the CEO.
Another potential cause of Mr. Saeed’s poor performance is lack of enough creativity to develop the new paint. Bringing a new product into the market requires the person involved in the project to be highly creative. In trying to meet the specifications of the new paint to be developed, lack of creativity might cause Mr.Saeed to spend a lot of time in designing the new paint. This is because there are technical issues that are involved in the production of a new product. In order to solve this problem, Mr. Saeed needs to gather adequate information that will be useful in carrying out the project. For instance, gathering ideas from experts and reading information about how to come up with new products will be useful in increasing his creativity. This will be an important step towards improving his performance.
The other possible cause of poor performance is that Mr. Saeed might be dedicating little time than required towards completion of the project. There are quite a number of reasons that would cause him not to dedicate ample time in the project. One of the reasons is that he might be involved in many other activities either internal or external that deter him from completing the project in time. To solve this problem, Mr. Saeed should learn how to balance his time to ensure that the duty that he has been assigned is completed in good time. This will ensure that he does not concentrate on other activities at the expense of a crucial project he has been assigned to finish within a specified time period.
Case C
One of the most important qualities that a media personality should possess is punctuality. This is because both TV and radio shows are run within specific time periods hence time management is of essence. One of the problems causing Mr. Aarefa to perform poorly is that he does not manage his time appropriately. His inability to manage time appropriately causes him to arrive for his shows late. Such lateness affects the schedules negatively and may discourage viewers from watching the talk show. A solution to this problem would be for Mr. Aarefa to look for mechanisms of managing his time appropriately. He can do this for example by reducing or doing away with some of his activities that cause him to come for the show late. His improved time management skills will win the confidence of the producer who is contemplating shifting him.
Another possible problem that might be causing Aarefa to perform poorly is that since he considers himself talented, he might think that nobody can replace him. The problem of such line of thinking is that it leads to self-gratification and instead of putting more effort to perform better, Aarefa reduces his efforts. For this problem to be solved, he needs to realize that his poor performance can lead the producer of the show into looking for another equally talented person to replace him. It is important to inform Aarefa that his show requires timeliness and dedication and unless he changes, there will be need to look for a person who is more time conscious.
Cirques Product and its Strategy
Cirque is a company comprised of street performers, acrobats, gymnastics and clowns presented on theatre or in the form of dance dramas. The group composes music whose language sounds like the Latin Language with the intention of making it recognized worldwide. Although the group started performing its first shows in Canada, it was cognizant of the fact that globalization was spreading very fast. The group got global audience and it left Canada for the first time in 1987. They wanted to go for a tour but they did not have the required equipment so they had to secure a loan from the Canadian government to buy the required equipment.
In 1999, cirques had a multimedia division that worked to produce the first feature film of the group and a television special. In 2000, the group also created a huge film production which was distributed to the market by Sony Pictures Classics. Cirque went on with its business activities merchandising and publishing. Cirque opened its first store in Florida in 1998 where big complexes were put in place. Each complex comprises of a theatre for facilitating the productions of the group (Delong & Vijayaraghavan 2).
Strategy Used by Cirque
In promoting its product, Cirque has to use strategies that make it one of the favorite groups among its customers. One of the strategies used by Cirque is by building its headquarters in Montreal. As a result, its employees are happy that their headquarters are located in one of the largest landfills in North America. The studio is designed in such a way that the administration offices are close to the training studios so that visual contact between different parties is possible. This is a strategy used by Cirque since the administrative staff is able to monitor the progress of artists in their shows while the artists are able to see the amount of support they get from the employees. Another strategy Cirque uses is ensuring that everybody involved is tied to the end product. Employees are invited to assist in raising the big top as every new show starts. They are able to continue working for Cirque because of their discovery that they are working with the best and this strategy works for Cirque (Delong & Vijayaraghavan 6).
Structure of Cirque and Support to the Cast
The structure of Cirque is comprised of an assistant choreographer and artistic director for the shows. In addition, there is also the tour director who is responsible for managing all multimedia ventures. In the structure is also present a chief operating officer working in the human resource department and responsible for various tasks. Cirque is committed towards offering the necessary assistance to its artists to keep them motivated and enhance their casting. The artists are always kept occupied even when they are not in a position to perform. The directors at Cirque make it clear to the staff that their work is to serve the cast and ensure they have what they want. The management personnel such as the chief operating officer has created a code of behavior in order to serve the artists well and also invites positive criticism that would make the management improve its service provision. The chief operating officer tries to create a sense of community and close family relations for the benefit of the cast.
Challenges to Cirque’s Continued Growth
There are a number of challenges that have been facing the growth and diversification of Cirque. One of the challenges is that it has been difficult for Cirque to get the right artists. Whenever they are producing a new show, they have to travel to many different countries conducting auditions in order to get the right artists. Another challenge is that some employees have been having a feeling that Cirque lacks in originality when compared with other opportunities in Europe. The tours that Cirque conducted in Asia did not yield the expected results hence acting as a setback for its attempts of diversifying the operations. The company has also faced a problem in its bid to decentralize its services where establishing separate headquarters in Europe and Asia has been problematic. The currency rates in Asia have also acted as a major impediment towards its growth. Another challenge that Cirque has faced in its expansion bid is the saturation of the American market. This has caused the company to make some spontaneous moves in trying to absorb the unpredicted shocks (Delong & Vijayaraghavan 10).
Conclusion
This paper has discussed three different scenarios of employee’s poor performance and the possible solutions. For any organization to prosper, it is important to identify potential areas where the problems come from and possible solutions. The second part of the essay has focused on a case study of Cirque Du Soleil. The product of the company and the strategy the company uses have also been analyzed. There are also some challenges facing diversification of the company such as saturation of markets in America and the difficulty of getting the right artists.
Works Cited
Delong, Thomas and Vineeta,Vijayaraghavan. Cirque Du Soleil. Harvard: Harvard Business School, 2002. Print.
Delpo, Amy. The performance appraisal handbook: legal & practical rules for managers. Berkeley: Nolo, 2007. Print.
Kirkpatrick, Donald. Improving employee performance through appraisal and coaching. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2006. Print.
PerformanceAppraisal. Performance Appraisal . 2010. Web.