Executive Summary
Brunswick Velodrome Facility is one of the most successful cycling clubs in Melbourne that has attracted a large number of the local population. It’s cycling services have gained massive popularity, especially after the renovation of the tracks that it clients use. The firm has majorly targeted the local population which makes up over 95 percent of its clients. Although it has been renovating its facilities to meet the international standards, it is worrying that some clients feel that the firm is out of touch with the reality of change. Some clients feel that the management of this firm has failed to embrace changes which are taking place in this industry.
In the past, cyclist would come for a few hours, get the services and drive back home. However, the current youth- which is the majority of the clients- want a place where they can board for several days as they enjoy the experience of cycling. This is one of the changing trends that this firm has failed to appreciate. It is recommended that the firm should use ISO 9001 quality management tool to ensure that it has the capacity to meet the changing demands of the customers. Using some of the principles of this quality management tool, this firm will be able to remain dynamic in the market.
Problem Definition
Brunswick Velodrome Facility is one of the most successful cycling clubs in Melbourne. It has been offering the local community superior cycling services. However, some changes are taking place in this industry that requires this firm to adjust its service delivery approach in order to remain competitive in the market. A case study conducted on this firm has identified some areas of weaknesses that should be addressed in order to enable Brunswick Velodrome Facility to remain competitive in this industry. Limited number of employees was found to be one of the main areas of weakness that is limiting the ability of this firm to achieve success.
The current workforce is unable to meet the demand of the customers. For this reason, some of the clients go unattended when they visit the facility. This reduces the levels of satisfaction of these clients. Another issue that was identified was the inability of this firm to manage the market changes. This has limited its ability to deliver quality products which meet customers’ demands. According to Reib (2012), a firm can only achieve success in the market by delivering products which meets the market requirements. This is only possible if a firm is able to change with changes taking place in the environment. These are the key issues that need to be addressed at this firm in order to make it successful. At this stage, the focus will be to determine how this firm can develop a management plan on how to implement change management strategies.
Customer Expectations
In the current competitive market, firms are struggling to find the best strategies that can help them remain relevant to their customers. Customer satisfaction is one of the best ways of achieving this relevance. For this reason, many firms have focused on finding ways of maintaining customer satisfaction in the market. However, Kneer (2009) warns that satisfying customers in the current market is very challenging. They have several choices to make whenever they want to make a purchase, and this makes them very demanding.
The customers will make the ultimate decision on the products they want. As Horch (2003, p. 27) says, “The customers determine whether the efforts made by the firm to meet their demands were worthwhile or not.” In order to meet customers’ expectations, Brunswick Velodrome Facility has been using Total Quality Management principles. Total Quality Management offers the best solution to some of these dilemmas that many firms find themselves in while addressing the issue of customer satisfaction. This quality management tool seeks to improve the levels of customer satisfaction by maintaining a continuous quality improvement process.
According to Cameron and Green (2012), Total Quality Management is customer-centric. Achieving success with this tool means that quality must be maintained at all levels and meeting or exceeding the expectations of the customers. This starts by embracing an outward-in approach to production. Brunswick Velodrome Facility must find out what the market needs. With this information, it should align its production and product delivery strategies with the market expectations.
When delivering the products to the customers, care must always be taken to ensure that the appropriate approaches are used. This would mean that the firm must be dynamic in order to be in a position to maintain superior service delivery. It must be ready to change with the changing trends in the market. It must be ready to find ways of remaining relevant in this industry by offering products which would meet the expectations of the customers.
Management Plan to Resolve the Problem
According to Charantimath (2006), change in an organisation can only be realised if the management is ready to embrace it within the workplace. Most organisations find it difficult to introduce change in their management structure because of the slow pace at which their managers implement new policies. The review conducted on Brunswick Velodrome Facility has revealed that this firm is slow to implementing new trends which take place in the industry. The recent expansion that was done on the tracks that cyclists use is a positive effort towards achieving the desired success. However, the management must realise that more has to be done to maintain the current clients, and to attract other clients into this firm. It may not be enough to have better tracks for the clients if what they need cannot be provided for by this organisation.
The management must make a concise decision to embrace change in its management practices. It must also be ready to convince its workforce to embrace change in their respective assignments. As Reib (2012) notes, a strategy that is effective today may not be the most appropriate in future. Changes in environmental factors may make it necessary to adjust the strategy to meet the changing demands to make it relevant. In order to achieve this, the decision making process at the top office must change. Currently, the strategic objectives of this firm is made by the top executives and communicated to the junior managers who will be expected to develop tactical and operational plans that is communicated to the junior employees. This inward-out approach to developing marketing strategies may not work in the current competitive market.
It would be necessary for the junior employees to be involved in the decision making processes at the top level of management because they are constantly in contact with the clients. They know what they want, and how their tastes and preferences are changing. They are in the best position to advice on some of the changes that should be introduced in the strategic plans to be in line with the changing market trend. The management must be ready to use all the possible avenues to ensure that its strategies are dynamic. Although Brunswick Velodrome Facility has been using Total Quality Management principles that have enabled it to remain competitive, it is the right time to introduce ISO 9001 principles in its operations. This will not only help the firm to remain dynamic in the market, but also enable it to meet the best practice in the industry as some of the leading companies in this industry are using this quality management tool.
Application of Best Practice and Quality Management Principles
Brunswick Velodrome Facility is operating in an industry that is increasingly becoming competitive. In order to manage this competition, the management of this firm needs to learn the best practice from some of the industry players in order to determine the best approach that it can take in improving the quality of its service. The dynamism that this firm must maintain is entirely focused on maintaining high levels of customers’ satisfaction. St Kilda Cycling Club is one of the best cycling clubs in Melbourne. One of the best practices that this firm has employed is Total Customer Satisfaction strategy which is enabled by their application of ISO 9001 principles.
This cycling club considers its clients to be the major pillars of its sustainability. For this reason, it has been using this management tool to ensure that they get total satisfaction irrespective of the changing tastes and preferences in the market. According to Mohanty (2008), a good firm should always be ready to change with the changes which take place in its market, however sudden they may be, or their complexity. This is what St Kilda Cycling Club has always maintained in its marketing strategies. This has made it one of the most popular cycling clubs in the city of Melbourne. This is the best practice that Brunswick Velodrome Facility must embrace in its new marketing strategies.
This will help it to maintain its level of competitiveness in the market. The management of Brunswick Velodrome Facility must understand some of the guiding principles of this quality management tool that would be very relevant in its quest to maintain dynamism in its marketing strategies. ISO 9001 has eight major quality management principles that are vital for a firm that seeks to maintain high quality services for its clients. However, Brunswick Velodrome Facility will need to give more focus on the first four principles because of their relevance in motivating dynamism in an organisation. These four principles should be implemented at this firm in order to help it achieve some of its strategic goals despite the raging market competition in this industry. The following are the four principles.
Leadership
This is one of the most important factors that this firm must embrace in order to remain dynamic in its operations. According to Morfaw (2009), many organisations have failed because of lack of leadership. Change requires strong leadership principles that would convince all the stakeholders that it is necessary to change some of the systems that are currently in use. Leadership is one of the core principles of ISO 9001, especially because of its emphasis on the need to embrace change. This principle states that change starts with the leaders within an organisation. For members of the organisation to embrace change, they need to see their leaders acting in a way that shows that they support change. Any form of resistance to change by the management may paralyse the efforts of the organisation to remain relevant in the market. At Brunswick Velodrome Facility, the management must remain committed to change in order to make others appreciate its relevance in making the firm successful.
Customer focus
This is another core principle of ISO 9001 quality management tool that many firms have found to be very relevant. According to Cameron and Green (2012), marketing has changed from what it used to be in the past. This scholar says that in the past, competition was not as stiff as it is today. The main concern of companies then was to manufacture standardised products in mass. The market had no alternative but to accept what was presented to them. However, this is not the case today. Many players exist in various countries, giving customers a wide range of choices to make whenever they are planning to purchase any item.
For instance, if Brunswick Velodrome Facility fails to meet the expectations of its clients, they can easily consider getting the service from St Kilda Cycling Club, Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club, or Whitehorse Cyclists. This means that the power is taken away from the firm and given to the clients. The only way that Brunswick Velodrome Facility can protect its market share is to embrace customer-focus strategy that seeks to maintain high quality service delivery. It must understand the changing trends in the market, and find ways of changing its service delivery to be in line with the changing trends.
Involvement of people
This is the third principle of ISO 9001 which requires an organisation to involve all its stakeholders in the decision making process. Brunswick Velodrome Facility must understand that it has a responsibility to many stakeholders, and the best way of meeting their expectations is to involve them in the decision making process. The owners of this facility, the top managers, and the junior employees must come together when developing strategic objectives.
They must determine the approach that would yield the best result to the organisation for the benefit of everyone. The owners need more interests on their investment. Employees need increment of their salaries, while the top managers are struggling to ensure that the firm remains on its feet. To resolve these contrasting interests, the management must bring together all the stakeholders in order to make them appreciate the need to make some concessions on their demand for the benefit of the organisation. When initiating change, everyone should be involved. Every member of the organisation needs to understand the relevance of the change, the course it shall take, and the benefits it shall bring to the stakeholders.
Process approach
This is the fourth principle of ISO 9001, and the last that will be analysed in this study as we seek to implement the strategy chosen for Brunswick Velodrome Facility. The management of this firm must ensure that the process approach to various activities is upheld in order to ensure that it maintains efficiency in its service delivery process. This principle demands that an organisation must embrace change by using modern means of production to help it cut its costs of operations. The management of this firm should ensure that this is achieved to make it competitive in the market.
Conclusion
Brunswick Velodrome Facility is one of the largest cycling clubs in Melbourne. It has always struggled to maintain a superior quality delivery to its customers by renovating and expanding its cycling tracks. However, some of its clients have complained that it is unable to understand the changing needs of the market. This has reduced its competitive edge, as a section of its clients are now considering the use of services offered by some of the rival firms. In order to understand the changing market needs, the firm needs to embrace ISO 9001 principles in its operations. It also needs to understand and implement some of the best practices in the industry by monitoring what the major competitors are doing right.
References
Cameron, E. & Green, M. (2012). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organisational change. London: Kogan Page. Web.
Charantimath, P. (2006). Total quality management. New Delhi: Pearson Education. Web.
Horch, J. (2003). Practical Guide to Software Quality Management. Norwood: Artech House. Web.
Kneer, C. (2009). Change Management: Enhance the ability to survive. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH. Web.
Mohanty, R. (2008). Quality management practices. New Delhi: Excel Books. Web.
Morfaw, J. (2009). Total quality management (TQM): A model for the sustainability of projects and programmes in Africa. Lanham: University Press of America. Web.
Reib, M. (2012). Change management: A balanced and blended approach. Norderstedt: Books on Demand. Web.