Moving from one place to another to look for enough office space possesses its challenges. The costs of movement are very high because most companies charge a minimum of $50 per hour. For all items to be moved to a new office, it requires many hours which translates to more money. Additionally, one has to get an insurance cover for the property being moved so that, in case of any damage or loss, the company can be compensated. It, therefore, means that the cost of movement is very high, and it will affect this magazine publishing company negatively. The firm has another option of telecommuting where some of the employees will be working from home. The method has its challenges too because the workers will not meet physically, and share ideas which are important for creativity and imagination more especially in a publishing company will also be more complicated. It, therefore, means that the creativity of the magazine will reduce because few people will be in the office to collaborate and give ideas on the graphics, layout, and other essential aspects that have to be made before the magazine is published. Teleworking has the potential of making the business fail because of the disjointed way of working for telecommuting employees. The management team needs to develop a goal of moving to a new office space. They should then brainstorm on how to achieve those objectives so that they can clear obstacles that might be on the way. Planning is important because it can either work for or against the firm. Therefore, allowing the planners to get views before the implementation process begins is critical. Developing a commitment to the goals that have already been set can be achieved by making the process participatory, public, and reasonable. To engage the employees in the decision-making process, there should be group involvement. In groups, the issue will be approached from multiple perspectives, which is not the case when the problem is tackled by one or two people. A different perspective will have a broader picture of the issue, thus making informed decisions.
Therefore, the workers should be allowed to brainstorm an idea and give their suggestions. Furthermore, group discussions generate more alternative suggestions that might make the movement cheaper and more convenient. Finally, when other employees are involved in the decision-making process, they become more committed to ensuring that the solution that had been chosen works. However, this technique is more effective when the members of the group have similar experiences and backgrounds. Using management by objectives method of decision-making is another effective way of ensuring that the employee input is taken into consideration. In this method, a manager develops objectives after getting some ideas from the junior members of staff. The manager will then select the aims that are challenging, attainable, and are in line with the objectives and goals of the company. There should also be regular meetings to review and monitor the progress of the set objective. In this particular case, the manager should have informed the employees about the plan to move, get their views, and go through them and select the most appropriate ones. This top-bottom way of employee engagement, makes them feel part of the team, which can eventually boost their morale. Equally, the team that has developed the movement plan should encourage electronic brainstorming about the issue. This system makes it possible for an idea to be shared immediately without waiting for somebody else to share the matter first. It also eliminated the fear of those who usually worry about the comments people will make about their ideas.
This kind of anonymity creates a free expression of minds Those employees who have their opinions usually accepted by the virtue of their position will not have that privilege because the information is shared anonymously. This is the best way in which the employees of the publishing firm can share their suggestions, hence participating in the decision-making process about moving to new office. Transformational leaders will be the most appropriate leadership style in this particular case where there is a shift in the way of doing things. Transformational leaders can fit in different situations, therefore they are the most suitable in this situation. This type of leader will allow employees to understand what they are expected to do. They then give specific guidelines by scheduling tasks and setting the performance standards. They additionally ensure that the standard guidelines and rules are strictly followed. Since telecommuting employees have a lot of freedom because they do not have direct supervision, they are not likely to use their time prudently. However, when they are given schedules, the working and performance standards set, they are not likely to waste the company’s time. Another strong point of transformational leaders lies in their ability to set challenging goals and high expectations for employees. They also demonstrate confidence that the workers will do their best to ensure that the tasks are completed within the allocated time. Employees need to be involved in making decisions so that they can feel part of the company’s work processes. Transformational leaders excel at that because they regularly consult employees to get their suggestions and views on an issue. They do not only listen to the opinions of the workers but also input them in the final decisions. This will be the most appropriate leader because changing from the normal way of doing business to telecommuting will require the input of the employees on the best way to conduct the exercise. Shifting to telecommuting is taking a risk because of the change in the working environment.
Transformational leaders are good at taking calculated risks because they have a lot of trust in their instincts and use the information that the team members gather to make wise decisions. However, before they embark on a task, they first analyze the situation properly and take well-thought and calculated prudent decisions for the benefit of the firms they work for. Sometimes, a leader has to make very difficult choices for the benefit of their organization. Transformational leaders do not fear removing members of the team who are not performing to the expectations. One of the main characteristics of these types of leaders is making tough judgments with a strong focus on the objective, values, and goals of the establishments they work for. Since this publishing company is in a dilemma on the kind of action to take, whether to move to another office or telecommute, this is the best type of leader who can take the company through that transformation.