Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Essay

1. Discuss how you could apply negotiation strategies to address potential conflicts in the grazeplace. The primary charge at Department of old hands Affairs (VA) is patient/Veteran c atomic number 18 and establishing new Veteran enrollees. This is d nonp aril by direct market among early(a) forms of outreach. For VA, negotiation will be important in non entirely establishing a new enrollee, and victualsing that enrollee as well. accord to Hellriegel and Slocum, integrative negotiations are usaged to achieve results that benefit both parties (2011, p.397). By consistently explaining and showing Veterans the benefits, they gain by maintaining their health care through with(predicate) VA, and how the outcome will benefit them, VA will continue to receive the federal official funding to continue sustained operations for the coming years. agree to Hellriegel and Slocum in order for integrative negotiations to be successful, VA should follow these principles* Separate the pe ople from the hassle- VAs staff must not allow their ad hominem issues with Veterans to interfere with the negotiation process instead focus on the issue at hand.* sharpen on interests, not positions Understand the trains and interests of the clients instead of creation relate about title.* Invent options for mutual gains- This is where creative decision reservation comes into play. By presenting the client with several(prenominal) alternatives to meet their needs, Winston has a better chance of purpose one that the client catchs appealing.* Insist on using objective criteria When transaction with marketing, it is imperative that goals are measur sufficient and obtainable.2. De circumstanceine how evidence-based management could be apply to the work environment you researched. Evidence-based management is delimitate by Hellriegel and Slocum as the presumptuousness that using a better, deeper diagnosis and employing facts to the extent possible enable managers and lead ing to do their jobs better (2011, p.425). Hellriegel and Slocum also outline five diagnostic questions to be partd to help leaders avoid simpleminded quick fixes (2011, p.425) which address how assumptions are used, if the assumptions are reasonable, and what alternatives could address the same issue more consistently. At Winston thither are a a couple of(prenominal) areas where evidence-based management could apply, specifically gay resources and scheduling.The human resource department at Winston is liable for recruiting talent and developing training. two these tasks are found in almost all brasss, thitherfrom across-the-board data about how to trounce approach them is available. In much(prenominal) an instance, utilizing act and true proficiencys for evaluating prospective employees and training them to properly do their job saves Winston succession and money because they do not have to risk failure act to develop their own techniques. Scheduling is also an area w here there is panoptic data that supports how to properly schedule employees to ensure that all client goals are met in the predetermine time frame. In fact, scheduling is one of the major(ip) components of Operations Management.3. Analyze the blocks, gifts, and systems of creative decision making to determine the best approach the employer you researched should follow when making managerial decisions. The very disposition of the strain at Winston lends itself to creative decision making since all the tasks involve the use of some form of creativeness. From packaging intent to visual stylists, the team at Winston is constantly using their creative thinking to meet client expectations. As a result of the artistic environment, using creativity when making managerial decisions comes course at Winston. There are several blocks, degree angles and methods of creative decision making yet only one approach would work the best at Winston, Osborns Creativity Process.Creative decision making involves several things, but before beginning the process it is important to recognize the blocks that can it from workings properly. Perceptual blocks happen when one does not interpret a business correctly based on a limited scope of understanding. When employ to the type of work done at Winston this can happen if an bet Manager incorrectly stereotypes the tar bum demographic based on their personal experiences. Cultural blocks happen when one has a desire to conform to social norms, avoid conflict, be practical, and believe that open-ended exploration is a go down on of time (Hellriegel & adenine Slocum, 2011, p. 431). The staff at Winston must not be held back by cultural blocks because often the brands they work for are being marketed to an extremely diverse customer base with no clearly defined culture. In fact, part of what Winston does is create the brands culture so that like-minded individuals feel a sense of connection and will acquire the products.The fina l block, emotional, is most often seen as the presence of cultism. Whether it is fear of failure, fear of differents, or fear of making a mistake this emotion is a strong deterrent to the creative process. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, For galore(postnominal) organizations, fostering creativity and innovation is essential to their ability to run high-quality products and advantages (2011, p. 432). For Winstons move success, creativity and innovation must occur with every client on a consistent basis or they will lose business.For a brand to stand out in the increasingly crowded sell environment, their marketing efforts must be memorable and identifiable. This holds especially true when Winston designs the quadriceps femoris a client will occupy in a brick-and-mortar retailer where brands are often thrown together based on functionality. If the quadriceps looks like something that has already been done, chances are customers will overlook it and go for something else t hat catches their eye. at a time the three blocks are addressed, the creative process can begin. There are five full points to the creative process that are similar to the fleshs that are a part of Osborns creativity process. The first and bite re-creates of the creative process, training and concentration, is similar to Osborns first phase, fact-finding. All three focus on identifying/defining and investigating the issue or problem. It is important to note that identifying the problem must be followed by gathering and analyzing relevant data (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p 434) so that there is a solid base to develop upon during the following stages/phases. For Winston this may mean discovering that a problem with accessibility and visibility, not the product itself, are the reasons why buyers were not interested in a particular brand at a trade show (supported by sales data). The team at Winston can then use pictures and diagrams of the at last trade show booth and layout to create new designs for the next one during the incubation stage or belief-finding phase.The incubation stage is the third of five stages in the creative process and is similar to the idea-finding phase of Osborns creativity process. During this stage/phase, management brainstorms alternative solutions to the problem or issue set in the previous stage/phase. In order to come up with the best solution possible, no idea should be rejected during this stage and team members should let their imaginations run wild since this is the perfect opportunity to be innovative and separate the clients brand from competitors. This stage/phase is the most important to a creative services firm much(prenominal) as Winston because the generation of several ideas gives the answer for Manager several options to change to the client. With a variety of options it is more likely that the client will find one they like and decide to do business with Winston instead of some other firm.The fourth sta ge in the creative process is the illumination stage which is the moment of discovery (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.432). Similarly, Osborns creativity process has the solution-finding phase which involves generating and evaluating possible courses of action and deciding how they should be accomplished (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.435). During this stage management must come to a consensus about which of the ideas generated during the previous stage/phase would best address the problem or issue set at the beginning of the process. At Winston this would mean narrowing down the ideas generated to the slide by two or three, pitching them to the client, and then working with the client to implement the one chosen.Verification, the final creative stage, has no counterpart in Osborns creativity process. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, this stage involves the testing of the created solution or idea (2011, p. 432). At Winston this may mean building a small interlingual rendit ion the revamped trade show booth and using it at a few minor shows as a test run before entrance it at the industries larger-than-lifer trade shows such(prenominal) as WWD MAGIC in Las Vegas. Testing is important because it allows the kinks to be worked out before producing something on a large scale which could mean a huge financial exit if done improperly.Although there are other creative decision making methods, Osborns creativity process works best for Winston because it is straight-forward and simple to execute. The other models of creative decision making are electronic brainstorming and De Bonos lateral thinking. Electronic brainstorming is also not a favourable option for Winston because the software required to correctly engage this method is an write off that such a small firm cannot afford when trying to keep their prices competitive. Also, the artistic aspect of the work done at Winston is best collaborated on in-person so that drawings and models can be seen by a ll involved. De Bonos lateral thinking method involves the usage of techniques such as analogy, cross-fertilization, and reversal. This method is not the best for Winston because the techniques used to foster the development of new ideas are not feasible for the type of work done at Winston.For instance, the cross-fertilization technique requires the use of outside experts from other eye sockets which means spare expenses that a small firm such as Winston may not be able to afford. The analogy technique requires specific and concrete analogies, whereas the nature of the messages and work done by Winston are abstract. Finally the reversal technique involves examining a problem by turning it completely around, inside out, or upside down (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p. 433). This is the one technique that may work for Winston, but it is a more complex process than Osborns and therefore concentrateder to follow.4. Discuss the environmental and strategic factors that affect the org anizational design of the fellowship you researched. Winston utilizes a decentralized network design to ensure efficiency and profitability. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, decentalisation is the delegation of authority to lower aim employees or departments (2011, p.460). Decentralization relies upon upper management delegating certain tasks which allow lower level employees to make decisions within predetermined constraints. For instance, Winstons field merchandisers often need to make changes to their schedules. There are a number of Staffing Managers who are able to review and approve these changes, thus allowing the Senior Manager of Staffing and Analysis to focus on more important tasks.Winstons horizontal organizational design type is a network. Organizational design is the process of selecting a coordinate for the tasks, responsibilities, and authority relationships within an organization (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p.446). In the case of Winston, although there ar e two main positions, New York and San Francisco, a large passel of the work is done by independent contractors throughout the nation in the field. According to Hellriegel and Slocum this is a network design, meaning an organizations subcontracts some or many of its operations to other firms and coordinates them to accomplish specific goals (2011, p. 467). There are several environmental factors that affect organizational design including suppliers, distributors, competitors, and customers (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011, p448).The first environmental factor to be considered when developing an organizational design is suppliers. Although Winston does not use raw materials to create a product, they still need suppliers to provide office goods and technology. Office goods are used at Winston for basic needs such as printing, taking notes, etc., but also for industry specific tasks such as preparing storyboards and interior space design drawings necessary to acquire and service clients . Technology suppliers are needed for things such as phone and earnings service as well as cell phones, analytical software, and computers. As a mid-sized company, Winston must ensure that they work with suppliers that are not only reliable, but also price-efficient. To guarantee a streamlined ordering process, Winston employs a full-time Purchaser whose sole task is to negotiate with and order from suppliers.The second environmental factor that affects organizational design is distributors. Hellriegel and Slocum define distributors as the divers(a) organizations that help other organizations deliver and sell its products (2011, p.449). As a supplier of a service, Winston has a small distribution channel in price of tangible goods, but a large one in call of intangible service providers.To deliver materials such as tags, name badges and other marketing goods to their network of field merchandisers Winston has a business account with FedEx. at bottom the organization the Accou nt Managers are responsible for getting material to their subordinates get in a timely manner so that goals are met in the required timeframe. On the intangible side, Winstons nation-wide network of independent contractors is responsible for delivering the in-store services that clients rely upon Winston to deliver.Competitors are the third environmental factor to be considered when determining organization design. Hellriegel and Slocum wrote, Competitors can also influence the design of an organization because they drive the organization to become more productive (2011, p.449). As a mid-sized company, Winston must work extremely hard to ensure they retain cost competitive against larger retail marketing firms. To do so, Winston needs to utilize a design that is simple and easy to manage (Hellriegel & Slocum, 201, p. 449). 1 way major way Winston does this is by keeping their employee count low. Account Managers handle several accounts at once, decreasing the need for a large n umber of employees on this level. Also Winston uses part-time independent contractors in the field instead of full-time staff to make the payroll process simpler as it does not include tax or benefit deductions.The final environmental factor that influences organizational design is customers. At Winston the customers are the retail companies that plight them to do a wide variety of marketing tasks such as merchandising, brand promotions, environmental design, etc. To develop and maintain accounts with valuable clients and remain competitive, Winston offers personalized services with an eye for detail. As mentioned in paragraphs above, Winston works hard to ensure that overhead remains low so that they can offer competitive pricing.ReferencesHellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W., Jr. (2011). Organizational behavior 2011 custom interlingual rendition (13th ed.). Mason, OH South-Western Cengage Learning.Krivis, J. (2006). Can we call a truce? Ten tips for negotiating workplace conflicts . usance Relations Today (Wiley), 33(3), 31-35. doi10.1002/ert.20115Supplier Relationships.(2012). Retrieved September 7, 2012 from http//www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82658.html