Organizational Behavior Management at BMW Proposal

Vision

The project that will be undertaken will enlarge the knowledge of the existing employees. The employees will be motivated and will be a source of competent and knowledgeable workforce guarantying Bavaria Motor Works (BMW) a steady flow of innovation and competency in handling global motor production.

Automobile production requires expertise and motivation to gain competitive advantage over competitors (Shatouri, Omar & Igusa, 2012). It is the vision of this project to develop a workforce that will be loyal to BMW. Dedicated workers will facilitate the company in its strategic plan to attain a competitive edge in the automobile industry.

Objectives

The objective of the proposed project is to develop a strategic human resource management concept that will facilitate the company to attain its corporate mission. The objective of BMW is to create an organizational culture that will facilitate the development of skills and loyalty within the employees. In order to attain this objective, the employees will be motivated through a variety of human resource programs.

The objective of the company will be assured by the creation of a defined pool of workforce that will meet the demands of customers. Additionally, the human resource function will ensure that the employees are not only financially endowed but also their career and development will have received a new lease.

Scope of project

The project consists of a variety of aspects. The motivation of employees is the main objective. It is important to acknowledge that motivating a huge workforce is a challenge. The project is a long-term strategy as it is geared towards the development of a pool of knowledge workers.

The targeted clients for this project include the upper class as well as middle class consumers of BMW products. Most of BMW adverts are aimed to reach these groups of individuals. In fact, BMW strongly feel that these clients are prone to buying most of its automobile products.

Key stakeholders

Automobile manufacturing has multiple stakeholders that need to be considered when implementing this project. The manufacturing begins with the designers. Typically, the designers are part of the company workforce. Automobile manufacturing involves teams that collaborate to produce a specific part. The relationship between the teams requires mutuality to be effective. The teams require flexibility and adaptability. Mostly, the teams are task-based and as a result, team authority is placed on each individual to accomplish the task assigned.

The supplier of the automobile is another stakeholder. Once the teams assemble the automobile, they hand it over to the supplier after the inspection of its functioning. The supplier is responsible for delivering the automobile to the user. The use is subsequently the third stakeholder. Once the automobile has been sold, the stakeholders such as public authorities and insurance companies emerge.

Roles and responsibilities of project team resource

The role of every team member is well defined. The manufacturing of automobiles requires skills and proficiency. In this respect, it will be imperative for every team member to execute his or her roles with precision. Team members are essential stakeholders in the development of automobiles. The supervisor will be charged with overseeing the accomplishment of tasks.

The HR will be the central player in ensuring the success of the initiative. The function will liaise with the finance department to facilitate the implementation of the project. The department will develop a training program that will not interfere with production.

Cost and time estimates and allocation of resources

In this project, the purchase of computers will be the most costly expense. The company does not need to build a computer laboratory. One of the rooms in the conference complex will be used for this purpose. Twenty computers will be purchased and installed in the room.

All these will cost $30,000. The computers will be customized for use in the automobile industry. Software will be purchased and installed. This will cost the company $20,000. The company will require training manuals and stationery to facilitate training. Every employee will be handed a hardcopy of the training manual. Additionally, they will be availed with a softcopy of the same for mobility purposes.

The computer will include a server that will be remotely accessible through the internet. The initial training will require the company to hire external service. Currently, the company does not have a trainer for the proposed initiative. The company will eventually employ an expert to train the employees upon the success of the pilot project.

The success of the initiative in other companies is the driving force for the project. Competitors have realized the importance of integrating the employees in propelling companies to higher performance levels. The initiative requires the development of technology-based culture.

The company must commit substantial amount of money to fund the project. The human resource department will be an essential resource towards the realization of the objective. The department will facilitate the creation of knowledge workers for the long-term benefits of the company. Since the project involves workers, the human resource manager will develop a schedule for training attendance. The production activities will not be significantly impacted by the absence of some of the individuals.

Major project milestones, delivery dates and criticality of milestones

Any project requires being measurable in terms of delivery of the objectives. Investing in the project will cost the company a substantial amount of money. Naturally, the shareholders will require the realization of return on investments.

In order to substantiate the investment the shareholders will make on the project, it is imperative to use assessment tools that will demonstrate that the project is important in the end. The approach to demonstrating that the project is significant in the attainment of competitive advantage will be facilitated by the utilization of performance appraisal tools.

The utilization of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) will be instrumental for this project. It is expected that between January 2014 and September 2014, Development Productivity (DP) will have improved by over 10 percent. The DP is the function points per man day and per platform annually. The quality of automobiles manufactured will have improved by 30 percent with innovative automobiles.

The milestones will be important in addressing a transformational approach to the Application Development and Maintenance. This will be achieved by actively engaging a culture of constant progression via performance measurement. The changes that will be introduced by this program require tracking and comparative analysis with time. In order to enhance comparability with previous performance, function points will be necessary.

The milestones that the project is expected to deliver include the production of modern sports utility vehicles having the ‘greener future’ features. This means that the development teams will be expected to suggest and develop the contemporary engineering applications in automobile manufacturing. Technological changes experienced globally means that individuals in every global location will demand the BMW products.

In view of the increasing demand for modern and convenient automobiles, it is imperative for BMW to focus on the delivery of novel automobiles. Since the project does not require the recruitment and training of new staff, it will take significantly minimal time to implement the HRM strategy.

The milestones achieved through this project will be determined by the satisfaction levels of the employees and shareholders. The attitude of the employees will change.

The sense of teamwork will be developed in the employees. The accumulation of knowledge gained through the initiative will present the employees with essential innovation skills. As a result, the company will gain competitive advantage over competitors. Knowledge workers will facilitate the development of green technology automobiles. This will move the company towards sustainable development.

Main dependencies, risks, issues and assumptions

The human perspective is critical in automobile manufacturing. The dimension is the most essential component for success. The management plays a fundamental role in the motivation and engagement of the team members to be innovative and collaborative towards a common objective.

Effective production of an automobile depends on the ability of the management to define and explain the objectives of the company. It then plays a central role in sharing the means to achieve the objective. BMW management requires motivating the employees to take challenging courses with the aim of attaining the highest degree of competence. The employees need to feel as part of the company. As the company develops, the employees should also develop financially and professionally.

Inherently, the approach proposed in this project has many benefits compared to the risks the approach attracts. The costs of producing an automobile are lowered significantly. The risks involved are multiple but preventable. The project seeks to ensure that the level of engaging outside expertise is minimized.

The company will depend on the employees for profitability, innovativeness and growth (Lopez-Nicolas & Mero-Cerdian, 2011). The success of the project will be the creation of loyalty and commitment to meet the objectives of the company. However, this does not guarantee the retaining of employees. There are companies that often poach skilled employees from other companies (Zapata & Nieuwenhuis, 2010).

This poses a major risk for this project. Consequently, it will be imperative for BMW to ensure that the employees are appropriately compensated. The company will also ensure that the employees are satisfied with their performance. Irrespective of the remuneration the employees receive, employees need to be psychologically settled when performing their roles. Dissatisfied employees are a recipe to the failure of any company. The cooperation of the management is critical towards ensuring minimal employee turnover.

Planning and managing a project involves a variety of risks. The most important risk is the failure of the project to deliver the projected outcomes. This is often brought about by the failure of the management to commit significant efforts in terms of resources. All kinds of projects require funding.

It is hence important for the management to establish a pool of financial resources to mitigate the stalling of the project. Another risk hat faces this project is the prospect of the employees resistance to change. In fact, change is usually unwelcomed in the organizational settings. Most of the employees have worked with BMW for years.

The introduction of the proposed human resource approach is bound to face resistance from employees who feel threatened. Inherently, the project will entail training of staff. However, the training will involve aspects that some employees may consider undesirable. In order to diminish the effects of resistance from employees, it is essential for the human resource function to communicate to the employees about the importance of the proposed organizational change.

Approved project budget

BMW management realizes the need for the creation of knowledge workforce. Currently, the initiative to move towards this objective may appear expensive but the benefits from the project will surpass the costs three-fold. Competitors have been implementing such projects as a long-term strategy for sustainable development in the increasingly competitive automobile industry.

In addition to the above expenses, the management has factored in the miscellaneous expenses such as consultation fees. The amount set aside for this purpose is $1000. Upon effective implementation of the project, the company has considered increasing the salary packages for employees who will demonstrate innovation.

References

Lopez-Nicolas, C., & Mero-Cerdian, L. (2011). Strategic knowledge management, innovation and performance. International Journal of Information Management, 31(6), 502–509.

Shatouri, R., Omar, R., & Igusa, K. (2012). Towards a new era of sustainability in the automotive industry: Strategic human resource management and green technology innovation. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 69(2), 217-222.

Zapata, C., & Nieuwenhuis, P. (2010). Exploring innovation in the automotive industry: New technologies for cleaner cars. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18(1), 14– 20.