Effective Workplace Management Strategies

This assignment delves into various aspects of effective workplace management. It examines the roles and responsibilities of managers in cultivating strong employee relationships, promoting knowledge sharing, and ensuring high levels of employee performance. The document also discusses the impact of leadership styles on organizational productivity and explores different conflict resolution strategies. Furthermore, it analyzes the influence of competition within the workplace, highlighting both its advantages and disadvantages. Lastly, it emphasizes the importance of a strong work ethic and provides insights into customer relationship management.

Running head: MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 1
Management strategy
Student’s name
Institutional affiliation

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Executive summary
The Woolworth limited company is an Australian based retail company. It is the second largest
company in Australia. The business ventures in different retail sectors such as supermarkets,
liquor store, discount department stores, and hotels and pub. The company employs a strategic
management plan that focuses more on the development of the employees. The business’s
ideology on the strategy is that the company will perform well when the employees are
performing at their maximum potential. The roles of the management, the HR department and
the employees are outlined. Employee relations are the core of the strategy. Woolworths limited
encourages the employees and the managers to interact and engage in problem-solving
discussions. The strategy also involves a problem-solving procedure. The procedure is designed
to resolve issues quickly and effectively. The success of the strategy is shown by the outcomes of
the company. The increased productivity of labor increased customer relations and reduced rate
of conflict are some of the fruits of the management strategy. The key issues that face the
company is failure of some employees to finish their task and the lack of disciplinary guidance in
the strategy

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Management strategy
Introduction
Woolworths Limited is an Australian based company. It has retail interest in Australia
and New Zealand. The organization started in operations in 5th December 9124 in the basement
of the old imperial arcade in Sydney. The company started as a single store. Woolworths was the
first company to use cash registers that that print receipts for its clients. The organization
operates through various retail sections; supermarkets, liquor retailing, hotels and pubs, and
discount department stores. The organization has grown over the years to become Woolworth's
limited companies. The list of the organization's companies includes; Woolworth supermarket,
Woolworths online, food for less, Flemings, Thomas Dux Grocer, and macro whole foods
market. Woolworths Limited is the second largest organization in Australia.
Management Strategy
A business is successful if all the right parts come toplay together. A good idea, an
effective plan, a market opportunity, and a competent team. (Ready 2016). Woolworth limited
employs a market strategy that is inclusive of the management and the staff. The management
strategy focuses on the maximization of employee potential in driving the company forward. The
company invested heavily on the management. The managers must be skilled in many aspects of
the business. They should particularly be skilled with the ability to share the organization’s
vision to the workers in a manner that the workers can visualize the vision. (Barker 2014).
Woolworth limited management strategy key focus is good employee relations. In any
organization, the relationship between the workers and the employers and the relationships
among the workers themselves is crucial to the wholesome functioning of the organization. Both
labor and management are vital to any organization hence they should be well integrated.

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Employee relations are influenced by various factors which include: unions, communication,
company culture, and wages. Any organization strives to ensure that that employees relate to the
management as well as to which other in a friendly manner.
Woolworth’s limited management realizes that it is essential that the employees work
together as a unit and contribute equally to achieving the company’s objectives (Omur Hakan
Kuzu 2014). The management to that effect is pluralistic and not unitary. Under the pluralistic
perspective, there are different beliefs, values and behaviors and the authority is not singular but
rather there are opposing personnel to the authority. The pluralistic perspective embraces conflict
and views it to be helpful if well controlled within an organization. The role of the management
is to offer solutions and guidance regarding conflicting interests. The organization’s management
strategy focuses on three key issues or perspectives.
 Reason why- the management ensures that it gives the employees the impact their work
will have. The employees are told why the tasks they are assigned are important, how
they will be of value to the customers and the company, and how the task will contribute
to the achievement of the employee’s needs.
 Curiosity- the management often seeks the employees’ input in decisions concerning an
area of interest. Instead of always giving orders, the directorate enquires from the
employees what they think should be done.
 Trust- the company’s management allows employees to make decisions on their own
regarding the job they are doing. The workers are allowed to organize themselves and
carry out their jobs as they see fit.
Woolworth limited is committed to employee performance and achieving the company
objectives. The company success is based on inclusivity of every member of the organization

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and the commitment everyone shows in undertaking assigned tasks. The company aims at being
the leading retail company in the state. The strategy statement of the company reflects the
commitment of the management towards driving the company towards achieving its goals. The
company strategy statement covers the requirements of the good strategy statement. The
statement consists of the three components; objective, scope and the competitive advantage
(MaRS, 2013) . Woolworth limited strategic statement states: to be the leading retail company in
the state by offering quality services and products through employee training to develop the ideal
employee. To have a workforce that is all rounded in sales and service delivery as the heart of
the organization. To enable this employee development, there three key players in the company
with their roles outlined;
Managers: the manager is the team leader in the organization. This implies that the role
of the manager has a big impact on employee relations. The first role of the manager is to get to
know the employees well and know their capability, limits, and interest. This will ensure that the
manager assigns tasks in accordance to the employee specialization and thus no employee will
feel burdened. The managers also have the role of being impartial. No preferential treatment
should be given to any employee but rather all employees should be treated as one. All
employees should be rewarded for a job well done and should also be corrected whenever they
fail in the workplace. The manager should also be easily accessible to the employees. This will
enable the employees to interact with the management often. The manager has the duty to
encourage employees to work harder and to outdo each other but in a friendly manner and not
turn against each other. Interaction of the employees and the management socially is also
important for employee relations. The manager is expected to be available to the employees even
on a social platform for example when the employees are taking their lunch. This will enable the

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employees to bond with the management and thus they can be more comfortable during working
hours (guide 2008)
Human Resource Department: The human resource department handles conflicts that
arise within the organization. The conflicts can either be between employers and employees or
among the employees themselves. The human resource enhances proper employee relations by
ensuring that the working standards are upheld at all times. The department is tasked with the
role of handling complaints from employees. Complaints can be issues between co-workers or
even between management and employee. The HR department assists in helping to settle the
differences. This helps the employee to be focused and work comfortably. The HR department is
also involved when an employee wants a salary raise. The department analyses the employee
performance and determining if the raise should be awarded. This gives the employee the basis
on which to request a raise and also gives the employer the basis on whether or not to award the
raise taking under consideration the report presented by the HR department.
The HR department is also tasked with the duty to assist employees. Employees may
have some personal problems that get in the way of their work performance. Such problems
could include alcohol and drug abuse. The department is responsible for ensuring that such
employees receive the required assistance. The workers are then able to function to the potential
at work and thus the management feel satisfied by the quality of work and therefore no issues
arise between the employees and the management. The HR department at Woolworth limited is
composed of professionals from various fields to ensure that all issues are handled to everyone’s’
satisfaction and also to ensure that the working conditions are up to standards so as to enable the
employees to work comfortably

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Employees: Employees are also key players in employee relations. They also play a vital
role in determining the relations between them and the managers. Employees are required to
follow a particular set of work ethics at the Woolworth limited company. Strong work ethics are
good for both the management and the employees. With a strong work ethic employees are
motivated to face the everyday challenges and always perform to their potential (Whitmore,
2015). Employees are required to abide by the stipulated company policy. They should observe
punctuality, proper dressing code, and show respect to the management and senior officials.
Employees should be present their issues to the management in a respectful manner and avoid
arrogance. They should also handle the organization’s property with care and avoid damages or
steal from the organization.
Hard work is also another factor that influences employee relations. Hard work results in
more productivity and thus higher incomes for the organization. Self-motivation is another
strong factor that influences the managersview on the employee. Self-motivated employees are
easier to deal with since they require no push. A good employee should also be a team player and
should be able to work with the other colleagues to achieve set objectives or deadlines.
Employees should learn to set aside their personal issues while at the workplace and should be
able to work with any colleague regardless of any personal issues they might have outside work.
At the Rand Enterprise employees are required to follow the work ethics with no exemptions.
There is an annual assessment of the code of conduct and any violation of the work ethics note is
pointed out and the employees encouraged stopping.
The company’s strategy statement gives a direction on which management strategy to
implement. To enhance the strategy implementation, the management has ensured that the
Rockefeller habits are applied in the company. The Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish are a

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checklist of behavior in the company. The idea behind the Rockefeller habits is that once the
management masters the ten concepts, the company will undergo transition to success in terms of
meeting the objectives and that the people will be driven by purpose and passion (Ade 2017).
The organization has implemented the strategy with the guidance of the strategy statement. The
employees are the heart of the organization and the company develops them by training and
exposure.
The employee relations at the company are good in all the sectors. Employees are free to
interact with the management and engage in discussions on issues facing them at work. The
organization upholds the agreements with the trade unions and strives to ensure that the workers
are comfortable working. The management realizes that the success of the employees is also the
success of the company. The implementation of the strategy was not faced will much difficulties.
The employees embraced the concept of interacting with their seniors and the managers
appreciated the duty of taking the leadership role and leading their juniors from the frontline. The
strategy’s core is workforce development and so the company ensures are comfortable.
Competition is encouraged in the company with the managers on guard to ensure that
competition does not result in the rivalry. Competition has the potential to increase labor
productivity as well as efficiency (Ramsay 2015). The competition in the company may affect
the team spirit or exert unnecessary pressure on the employees which may affect their health
(Shukla 2009) and so the management and the supervisors are always on high alert to ensure that
the competition does not go to that extent.
A good management strategy also has a conflict resolution process. Conflict is inevitable
in any organization. The conflict resolution process needs to be effective to ensure that the issues
are resolved to the satisfaction of the affected parties. Woolworth limited has a conflict

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resolution process that is effective in resolving the internal issues. In every organization,
conflicts exist in different forms. There is the kind of conflicts that are considered arbitrary and
do not have much weight on the functioning of the organization. There also the kinds of conflict
that show disagreement on a large scale and are very serious (Doyle 2017). These are the kinds
of conflict to which attentions are given and a permanent solution is provided. The Woolworth
limited company takes conflict issues very seriously and to this effect, the enterprise always
keeps to date with the development of dispute procedures in relation to the employment law.
Every conflict situation has procedures that should be taken with an aim of finding a solution.
Woolworth limited employs the following procedures in conflict resolution.
 Consulting the relevant supervisor-before a conflict reaches the management, the
affected employees first present the issue to their immediate supervisor through writing.
The supervisor then responds to the letter by writing back to the employees and setting up
a meeting to try and resolve the issue and when no solution isarrived at the matter
proceeds to the management. The immediate supervisor is consulted to get a detailed
report on the issue.
 Issuing of a written complaint and initial decision- if the affected employee was not
satisfied with the solution offered by the supervisor, the employee proceeded to write a
letter to the HR department to the department head within a time frame of 4 working
days. The letter should contain information on the issue and the date of occurrence,
suggestions on ways of resolving the issues and a copy of the supervisor’s report
concerning the issue should be attached. The department head then schedules a meeting
with the affected employee to discuss the complaint and later gives an oral and written
decision.

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 Seeking an appeal to the decision- in the situation where the affected employee is not
satisfied with the decision of the department head, the employee can appeal within 5 days
to the HR department. The HR department then schedules a meeting and invites all
parties involved in the conflict with a review committee if the conflict seems to be very
serious.
If the affected employee fails to advance within the given time limits from one level in
order to appeal on another level, then the conflict is considered to be resolved and that the initial
decision made was satisfactory. Employee relations play a great role at the Woolworth limited
company when it comes to conflict resolution. In a selected conflict situation key employee
features were being portrayed. In a situation where an employe had been victimized by a co-
worker and the case advanced through all levels. The following employee relations features were
evident;
 Communication- communication is very important in the conflict resolution
process. The affected employees should be able to write to the supervisor and all
the other levels above that and receive feedback within the set time frame.
Effective communication can go a long way in solving a conflict while bad
communication can worsen the conflict. The employer should communicate
openly with the employee and allow the employee to do the same.
 Inclusion of the employee- the relevant authority dealing with the case should
include the employee on all decisions made and seek the employee’s opinion on the
preferred methods of dealing with the case. No meeting should be held in the
absence of the affected employee. The affected employee should be allowed to
express their feelings

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 Upholding of employee rights- every employee has the right to seek justice when an
offense is committed against the employee. The employee has the right to launch a
complaint if the employee feels offended. This means that the employers should not
interfere or try and intimidate the employee into not seeking justice. The employers
should uphold the employee’s right against harassment (CA 2017)
The procedures used in the selected conflict situation should offer a permanent solution
which the employee is satisfied with. The procedures enabled the employee to advance to the
highest level in search of justice. Effective conflict resolving procedures provide quick, fair, and
transparent. The procedures used provided a quick solution since the time frame was observed
and the affected employee was completely involved in the decision making process with the
employee’s suggestions taken under consideration.
Effectiveness of the Management Strategy: A good management strategy leads to
increased labor productivity as well as improved sales. A good management system reflects a
good manager. One quality that sets a manager apart from the rest of managers is the ability to
spot something unique in all their employees and utilize that unique quality of the employee to
the benefit of the company as well as for the benefit of the worker (Buckingham 2005). The
managers in any organization should assign duties to employees that their skill set can be
maximally utilized. A good management strategy strives to identify talent in the employees and
also during recruitment. Effective management balances tasks and relationships and leads to
better results that are long-lasting (Peck 2013). Woolworth's limited management strategy aims
at achieving the company’s objectives through empowering the employees. The success of the
management strategy is valued by the outcomes. Some of the results of Woolworth’s limited
management strategy include;

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 Improved labor productivity. - Labor productivity is crucial to the company’s
performance in terms of sales. Democratic managers seek inputs from the
employees and consider the information while making decisions on improving the
working conditions (III, 2017) . Involvement of employees in the areas that
concern their work conditions motivates the worker. The workers will feel that
their opinion matters and are motivated to work hard so as to contribute more to
the company. The sales of Woolworth limited have been experiencing
progressively each year at a fast rate than the rate of growth of sales of the
competing companies. The workers have appreciated their involvement in
decision making on matters that affect them. Their interactions with the
management have been fruitful. The employees claim that they are inspired by the
discussions they have with their managers. Workers claim that they understand
the vision of the company and what is expected from them. They also admit that
they feel like they partly own the company because they are involved in decision
making of major issues in the company. They appreciate having a voice to air out
their opinions and that for that reason; they feel obliged to work to the potential.
The employee motivation has led to increased labor productivity from the
employees.
 Low cases of conflict. - Conflict happens often in a workplace. Employees may
conflict among themselves or managers may conflict with the employees. When
conflict occurs, the effect is usually low morale, employee absenteeism, and
reduced productivity (Universuty of Oklahoma human resource, 2017). High
conflict rate leads to the low performance of the employees and consequently the

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low performance of the company. The management strategy in the Woolworth
limited company ensures that the conflict resolution system is effective. The
human resource department at the company always treats any issues reported with
the deserved attention. The company has an employee reconciliation process that
ensures that the issue will not resurface once the dispute is settled. The rate of
conflict occurrence in the company is significantly low. The culture of the
company integrates the employees with the management and the company itself.
 Improved customer relationships. -The customer relationship management
analyses the rate of customer interaction with the business. Customer relationship
management is basically the practices and technologies that companies use to
monitor, analyze and manage the customer interactions with the business (Rouse
2014). Customer relationships are important to retain customers and increase sales
through attracting other customers. The customer relationship management
system uses the company’s website, telephones, live charts, email to assess the
level at which the customers contact the company. The system gives details on the
customer on their purchases and their personal information. Woolworth limited
has experienced a significant rate of customer retention. Customer loyalty has
been high in the company. Customers often praise the services at all the company
outlets in the different sectors. The workers have quality service delivery skills.
This has been attributed to the advice and constructive criticism they get from
their supervisors and managers. The managers are involved in the daily activities
of the business and have the chance to interact with the employees while working
and can correct any mistakes and praise noted efforts. The employees, on the

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other hand, gain from the correction they receive from their seniors and with time
they are almost flawless in their service delivery.
Woolworths limited, however, is faced with certain issues;
 Some of the employees do not finish their tasks as a result of the friendly
environment with the management
 The management strategy failed to involve punishment.
The above two issues are the key issues facing the organization. To solve the issues the
following steps should be taken;
 The management should learn how to be friendly to the workers while at the same
time be firm enough so that no employee will leave any task undone
 The policies of the company should be amended to provide for punishment. This
will instill accountability in the employees.
Conclusion
The management strategy at Woolworth limited is effective enough. The success of the
company is attributed to the management and to the employee's conduct. The implementation of
the strategy has been successful. The strategy is suitable for the company since it is large with
many employees. The management of the company realizes that the company will perform well
when the employees’ needs are addressed.
References

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