Diagnosis of the Situation
From the case scenario, it is clear that the donor services department was not achieving its efficient capacities due to poor work flow organization, lack of adequate training on the part of employees, and lack of effective supervision. In work flow efficiency, the consultant found many unnecessary steps that led to slow turnaround times for various critical work processes, leading to the noted inefficiencies.
Lack of training and inadequate supervision, according to the consultant, were responsible for the errors and poor quality work, not mentioning that only a few employees could actually explain why work was to be done in a certain way. Further analysis of the case reveals that lack of motivation, poor leadership and ineffective culture served to entrench the problem of inefficient capacities in the donor services department.
Recommendations
The consultant should recommend further training and re-education of employees so that they understand their job roles better. Additionally, she should recommend the streamlining of work processes to remove unnecessary steps that contribute to the detailed inefficiencies.
Furthermore, the management of the donor services department needs to allocate authority to the supervisor so that she is more able to ensure that rules and regulations of the department are followed by employees. It is always good to retain employees, especially if their skills and expertise are still needed by the organization.
However, it serves no purpose to retain a clique of workers who actively contribute to low motivation levels among fellow colleagues. In this light, the consultant should recommend the removal from office of Juana and her two friends to spur creativity and motivation.
Managerial Styles and Impacts
Although very little has been illuminated on Sam Wilson, it is clear that he shares the same management style with Jose Barriga since both seem clearly unaware of what is ailing the department. It can therefore be argued that Sam and Barigga share chaotic management style, which provides employees with the capacity to take control over their decision making processes.
Indeed, Jose never likes to spend time in the office and never involves himself in the internal affairs of the department. The impacts are clear in lack of work organization and despondency by a clique of employees. Although Elena is meticulous, dependable, hardworking and loyal to the department, it is clear she exercises a hands-off management style due to inadequate authority, leading to lack of efficiency in work processes.
Improving Motivation
Motivation in the department can be improved by retraining the employees, allocating adequate authority to the supervisor to deal with despondency, and building a cohesive departmental culture that emphasizes the values of teamwork and respect.
Handling Juana
The best option that could be used to handle Juana, in my view, is to remove her from office and hire new staff because of her central role in leading a rebellion that has consistently affected the department’s efficient capacities. An employee who willingly becomes a liability to the organization’s goals and mission statement should be relieved of his or her duties to maintain harmony as well as spur creativity and innovation among the remaining members of staff.
Cultural Factors influencing the Case
The cultural factors influencing this case include lack of a clear and coherent ideology to govern workplace relationships, internalizing friendship in work processes, employees’ bilingual capacities, lack of workplace values as exhibited by the despondent employees, and lack of positive attitude towards fellow employees and work processes.