Introduction
Organizational activity in various business structures, as a rule, requires a responsible approach from the management and control of all operations, including work with the staff. However, in some cases, stagnation occurs, which affects the outcomes of work negatively. On the example of the staff’s activities at the Junction Hotel reception area, it is possible to consider the relevance of making appropriate organizational decisions.
Here, despite the order and courtesy of the personnel, challenges arise with the distribution of duties and the lack of time. As a key principle applied to changes in working patterns, rationalization will be used and analyzed from the standpoint of its effectiveness in specific conditions.
Rational work design may be an effective practice if implemented reasonably, and as the subject, the Junction Hotel reception area will be considered, its peculiarities and the ways of achieving high productivity. The current principles of ensuring working conditions for employees of the organization are not based on rationalism. Moreover, as the capabilities of the considered brand increase, there is a need for a clear control. Therefore, it is essential to concentrate on how to help the management of the Junction Hotel and, in particular, its staff at the reception area. As a rational organization design, bureaucracy will be introduced, which, according to Ang (2017), is the Weberian model of optimal public administration.
The specific design will be considered from the standpoint of such types of control as Taylorism and Fordism, and as Previtali and Fagiani (2015) remark, these concepts have formed a serious background as respected management principles. Different perspectives exist in addition to rationalism, but this method may contribute to adjusting the performance of the Junction Hotel reception area due to its well-balanced control system and the separation of duties policy.
Main Features of Early Rational Work Design
Managing a large-scale organization with an expanded staff is a responsible task, and the search for an optimal control strategy is the aspect of leadership practice that has been considered by different scholars and sociologists for years. An essential role in the development of the modern principles of a rational approach to the organization of labor was played by the strategies that have been used since the Industrial Revolution. Among these practices, Fordism, Taylorism, and Gilbreths deserve the greatest attention. Each concept has its unique features of rational work design. The early prerequisites of bureaucracy as one of the best management practices in a large enterprise have influenced modern control models significantly.
Taylorism
The founder of this concept and the pioneer in the field of work organization and management is Frederick Taylor, who, as Stoller (2015) argues, developed the philosophical infrastructure of leadership principles. He proved the possibility of developing on the basis of the thorough study of time, movements, efforts, as well as the best methods for carrying out production and labor operations. According to Waring (2016), at the heart of Taylorism, there are four rules of governance.
The first one is creating a scientific foundation, replacing old practices. The second principle is selecting workers and managers based on scientific criteria, their professional skills, and training. The third aspect is the cooperation of the administration with employees in the practical implementation of a science-based theory. Finally, the fourth principle is the even and fair distribution of responsibilities among workers and managers. All these factors became the key points of the model under consideration and allowed forming a solid practical background.
Fordism
This doctrine formed on the ideas and concepts of Henry Ford was one of the main principles of enterprise management in the 20th century (Boyer & Durand 2016). The possibility of consumption by the largest sections of society was considered the basis of economic welfare. As Wigfield (2018) notes, the division of labor and the rational use of employees was characteristic of both Fordism and Post-Fordism.
Based on this technique, the workflow is split into simple parts that even an unskilled worker can perform. Professional employees are involved in managing, developing, and improving processes. According to Wigfield (2018), the high standardization of the technical base is another component of the theory. The entire system is organized and refined to optimize the cost of production and reduce the cost of the product, which can make it accessible to workers. Therefore, this concept found its effective use and gained recognition among both ruling elites and ordinary employees.
Gilbreths
The Gilbreth spouses have laid the foundations for modern concepts of rationalization, standardization, and labour motivation, and their theoretical legacy is important today. As Gregg (2018, p. 32) notes, “the Gilbreths’ method assessed labor according to type, creating improvements in task rate by grouping similar movements together.” The rationalization of working activities was based on the interests of the staff and the conditions of the workplace.
The issue of workers’ social security was also significant, and the couple paid attention to reducing the fatigue and stress of subordinates, as well as their promotion and well-being. Witzel and Warner (2015, p. 56) argue that the Gilbreths were “close associates of Taylor” and sought to refine his methodology, adapting it to a later period. Their long-term contribution to management theories and methods has expanded the possibilities of modern control in enterprises and created a solid background to promote various leadership tactics and strategies.
Rational Work Design in Contemporary Organisations
In the modern business environment, the aforementioned concepts have partially transformed; nevertheless, many key theses have been preserved, and contemporary organizations apply them, combining them with additional control strategies. Rationalization is the main component of the system of personnel interaction with the leadership is considered by various sociologists and researchers. Ritzer (2014) assesses the bureaucratization of working activity based on Weber’s theory and introduces the new concept of the McDonaldisation of society.
The author explores the issue of how the modern means and mechanisms of consumption change social life and adapt it to current needs and trends (Ritzer 2014). Ritzer (2014) considers McDonald’s fast-food restaurant as the model of formal rationality that is similar to the type of bureaucracy at the early stages of social development and penetrates all spheres.
Another essential aspect in the work of modern organizations is emotional labor. Bryman (1999, p. 39) describes this concept in combination with Macdonaldization and argues that it is the form “of expressing socially desired emotions during service transactions.” Today, when the need arises to control employee attachment and productivity outcomes, this strategy allows maintaining workers’ activity by analyzing their preferences and priorities.
Bryman (1999) also cites the example of the Disney theme parks where employees are completely immersed in their responsibilities. In its simplest expression, it is an activity style when “workers maintain a smile and pleasant manner in front of customers, no matter how rude or abusive the customer may be” (King & Lawley 2016, p. 566). Today, this principle of rationalization creates certain obligations for subordinates, but its observance allows an organization to rely on client satisfaction with the services provided.
Analysis and Evaluation of Rationalisation
Rationalization as the main strategy of management control has many benefits and advantages. Royakkers and Van Est (2017) mention Weber’s theory which viewed this methodology as an efficiency paradigm in enterprises due to its ability to provide the comprehensive assessment of productivity and resource allocation. However, Sterling and Moore (1987) clarify that Weber worked on the ideal environment and did not take into account potential deviations or nuances that might be found in different organizations. The use of bureaucracy as the single principle of control in an enterprise is possible if all the members of the activation process are aware of the rules of rational work design. Accordingly, if relevant educational work has not been conducted, no significant advantages will manifest themselves.
In addition to Weber, the ideas of Marx as one of the outstanding representatives of management theories need to be considered in the context of work on rationalism and its virtues. As Sica (2016) remarks, both Marx and Weber were the representatives of the past era, and today, they are not involved in the system of contemporary capitalist development. However, both researchers managed to assess the social prospects of this methodology and to predict its further relevance. According to Morgan (2006), rational work design helps to optimize production regardless of a particular concept (Taylorism, McDonaldisation, and other aspects). Consequently, for the correct implementation of the approach, it is necessary to establish interaction with all the members of the team and justify the introduction of the model in practice.
Applying Rational Work Design to the Reception Area at the Junction Hotel
Specific Area of Work Activity
Applying rational work design as a new and main strategy at the Junction Hotel is relevant in its reception area. Since this department requires constant attention to customers, labor optimization is the integral component of the intervention. As practice shows, an unexpected increase in the number of guests may lead to confusion and employee stagnation. Updating the way of interaction with customers is considered by Chakraborty (2017) not only the efficient tool of rationalizing emotional labor but also the means of achieving the positive perception of the hotel. As Juhasz-Dora (2015) notes, competition is an essential attribute in the hospitable business. Therefore, the proper administration of staff working with incoming guests is the key to consumer satisfaction and recognition.
Reasons for Applying Rationalisation to the Reception
In accordance with the case considered, at the Junction Hotel, there are problems at the reception area. In particular, the employees of this department do not have a clear organization of their activity and cannot cope with a large flow of customers due to the insufficiently proper distribution of working resources. As a result, long queues and guest discontentment are fraught with the loss of profits. As a rationalization tool, modern digital media can be brought. Bond (2018) gives an example of the Mariott hotel chain, which attracts innovative customer communication systems.
Such an approach can simplify the registration procedure and eliminate possible difficulties in the interaction. In other words, the mechanization of the workflow may be a successful practice. MacEacheran (2017) assesses the effectiveness of the introduction of robots in one of the Japanese hotels and argues that this approach is specific, but even this step can have a positive result as the way of retaining guests. Therefore, the introduction of the modern communication system among employees and interaction in the worker-client mode may help optimize the hotel’s business.
Impact of Rationalisation on the Reception at the Junction Hotel
The impact of the proposed steps of optimizing the reception area of the Junction Hotel may have positive results for the organization as a whole and the productivity of its staff. According to Mitreva, Saneva, and Miteva (2018), the struggle with the competitiveness that many establishments face today can be relegated to customer satisfaction. Clearly, maintaining the system of worker interaction may contribute to faster guest reception.
Also, based on the aforementioned critique, the environment under consideration is fruitful for implementation since each employee will understand his area of responsibility. Personnel’s attitude towards emotional work can change for the better. The staff of the reception area will be ready to operate for the benefit of the hotel fruitfully due to the convenience of all the operations of registration and guest reception.
The benefits will also be evident in team activities since there will be no misunderstanding among employees. In general, based on the ideas of Morgan (2006), the reception area will operate in accordance with the principles of rationalization due to an advanced control system because the management will be able to monitor subordinates’ activities in the intercom system. Therefore, the proposed innovations can influence the reception area of the Junction Hotel positively and stimulate the staff’s productivity.
Conclusion
The considered concept of rationalization may be applied to the reception area of the Junction Hotel successfully. The method of establishing a well-balanced system of personnel control and employee interaction can be an effective intervention technique. The evaluated management doctrine is suitable for solving many internal problems in contemporary organizations and is the best practice that helps to coordinate specific issues in the reception area. The principle of duties separation among all the workers is consistent with the policy of bureaucracy, and in accordance with theoretical concepts, this practice is suitable for implementation in the business environment under consideration.
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