Effective Workplace Relationship Strategies for Countdown Supermarket
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This report discusses effective workplace relationship strategies for Countdown Supermarket in New Zealand. It includes identification of strategies for internal and external stakeholders, examination of ethical and cultural behaviors, and design thinking methodology for building a customer service response system.
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Running head: MANAGEMENT Business Diploma Name of the student Name of the university Author Note:
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2 MANAGEMENT Executive Summary The report is based on the discussion of the workplace management of Countdown supermarket in New Zealand. The report starts with a brief introduction and overview of the company where a description of the company has been provided. It next proceeds with the different kinds of discussion regarding the strategies to be used by the management of the retail stores to ensure the presence of a hassle free workplace and has also suggested the present state of the workplace of the company. The report has also included the design thinking methodology of the organization and the ethical and cultural behaviors that needs to be followed accordingly. Lastly the report presents a critical discussion on the continuous improvement process and the assessment of the changes. Lastly a concluding paragraph that provides a summary of the total report is provided.
3 MANAGEMENT Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................4 Overview of the Company...............................................................................................................4 Identification of four different strategies for effective workplace relationship...............................5 Suggestion for a positive existing system........................................................................................7 Impact of the system on the organization........................................................................................8 Examination of three ethical and cultural behaviors.......................................................................9 Design thinking methodology that helps for building a customer service response system.........11 Critical Evaluation of Continuous Improvement Process.............................................................12 Two Different Strategies to assess performance...........................................................................12 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14 References......................................................................................................................................15
4 MANAGEMENT Introduction Loyal Customers are the core to the success of each and every business organization. The business houses generally have more than 60% to 70% chance of selling their products to the existing customers. Therefore this makes customer relationship one of the most important components in the success of the business organization.The act of maintain a proper and effective relationship with the customers of the business is essential for the formulation of the business plan and also essential for the long term sustainability of the business in the market. The following report is based on the identification and critical discussion and analysis of the innovation and the changes in workplace relationship that can help in the success of the business. The example of Countdown Supermarket of New Zealand has been cited in the following report to have a clear and transparent idea of such relationships. Overview of the Company Countdownis a New Zealand based supermarket chain as well as a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited based in Australia(countdown.co.nz, 2019). The stores of the company are normally much larger and spacious than that of the other supermarkets present in the island country. Headquartered in Auckland city of New Zealand, the company is located at more than 180 different locations in the country and employs more than 18,000 people in the stores. The management of the company has focused on Grocery and a variety of different products which has made their stores the most appealing in the country(countdown.co.nz, 2019). The company stores are segregated into 10 different areas and each of the area has a group manager or the area manager who is in charge of managing the total stores of the particular area(countdown.co.nz,
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5 MANAGEMENT 2019). The biggest competitor of Countdown in New Zealand is Foodstuffs Limited that offers sharp challenge to the company based on a number of different factors. Identification of four different strategies for effective workplace relationship According to, Mĺkva et al.,(2016)Trust, teamwork, communication and respect are the major keys to effective workplace relationship. The development of positive relationships with the individuals the people interact with at work to make the job more productive and enjoyable in nature. The following connections generally serve as the future references or contacts in one’s career. The employers can have a strong workplace relationship where they can have a great relationship with the clients, colleagues, co-workers, supervisors and many more as such. However, the management ofCountdownhas to ensure some innovation and changes to transform the way of establishing a modern and most effective workplace relation. Workplace relationship involves both the relationship of the management with the employees of the organization and also the relationship of the management with the customers of the organization. Some of themajorstrategiesfor theinternal stakeholdersthatcan be appliedby the management of Countdown to ensure the presence of an effective workplace relationship are as follows; 1.DevelopmentofTrust-Thedevelopmentoftrustisdonebymeansofguarding confidences and not by gossiping. The following task helps to demonstrate that the others can count on the management(Mitonga-Monga, Flotman & Cilliers, 2016). This helps to follow on the promises as done by the management. It is important for the management of the retail store to apologize honestly and then promise to resolve the different kinds of queries in an appropriate manner. The management must take the responsibility of the
6 MANAGEMENT mistakes and must not blame any particular employee or employees rather than casting blame on someone or something else. On the other hand the managers of countdown in charge of the sales and operations department of the different stores have to ensure that they develop a sound and healthy relationship with the customers to gain their trust. 2.Working with the Team-Mitonga-Monga & Cilliers, (2015)says that Countdown has faced major problems in the past as the different teams created for different kinds of purposes in the company have failed to ensure a bond which has led to the failure of the project. It is important for the organization to collaborate with the co-workers in a particular group project and exchange ideas to change the way of managing the task. The incorporation of fun filled activities during carrying out different kinds of jobs can help the organization to make a strong and closely bonded team that will be helpful for the organization to develop workplace relationship. Some of the major strategies for theexternal stakeholdersthat can be applied by the management of Countdown to ensure the presence of an effective workplace relationship are as follows; 1.Proper Communication-The establishment of proper and effective communication is oneofthemostimportantstrategiesthatwillbeneededforthepurposeof development of a healthy workplace relationship. The communication skills of the workers can be changed by speaking clearly. It is important for the employees to understand each other clearly that will help to make internal communication attain new heights. The presence of an excellent internal communication will help to create a better external communication with the customers of the business. It is also
7 MANAGEMENT important for the employees of the business to listen carefully to the customers and communicate with them accordingly. 2.Listening and being genuine-Listening skills is another most important component of the business. The management must listen to what each and every employee in the organization has to say(Maier et al., 2015). Recently there have been problems with the introduction of special chip based cards for easy financial transactions that can help the customers to make transactions. Therefore it is the duty of the management to listen to the employees as well as the customers facing the problems and take steps accordingly to ensure the success of the organization accordingly. The management must ensure that the customers of the organization are listened properly and each of their problems are addressed in the correct manner. 3.Creationandengagementwiththebrandambassadors-Thecreationand engagement of the management of the organization with the brand ambassadors is important for the business organization as because it helps the organization to spent the different kinds of marketing efforts to increase the growth of the community in the growth of the community as a whole(LaReau et al., 2017). The management of Countdown must concentrate more on engaging with the stakeholders and appoint famous celebrities as the brand ambassador of their store to attract more and more customers to their store. Suggestion for a positive existing system The management of Countdown has been looking forward to the creative firepower of and the strategic input of the Y&R New Zealand team to help the company turn its brand into one of the strongest globally. The marketing team of the company must concentrate on actively
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8 MANAGEMENT owning the customer relationship for the brand and the way it is communicated accordingly (countdown.co.nz, 2019). The customers have changed their preferences and way of interaction whichhasforcedthecompanytochangeitsapproachestowardseffectivemanagement (countdown.co.nz, 2019). Over the last few years the management of the business enterprise has changed the way Countdown has focused on the employees of the organization and also the customers of the organization(Kathol et al., 2018). The new Model of Countdown completely focuses on creation and generation of idea that is generally separated from the style of the other company. The Company has partnered with Wellcom group which is a globally experienced, dedicated creative production company to make it more demanding and attractive to the customers of the business. Impact of the system on the organization The change in the workplace system will have an impact on the employees as well as the customers. The employees will be motivated and will gain appositive attitude which will help them to build a self esteem and will help them to create a power to lead a change in the workplace. The change in the workplace will have to be dealt in a proper and effective manner in order to ensure success in the business. On the other hand the customers will be rewarded with positive performance from the employees and will thus receive a great service along with great products. The presence of effective management of relationships with the stakeholders is crucial in resolving the issues that are faced by the organization. Use of the influence of the stakeholders is important to hold the key to the workplace environment and the financial and operational performance of the Company. Countdown can wisely use the influence of the internal and
9 MANAGEMENT external stakeholders to increase their sales by shaping up different projects at an early stage and gaining support from powerful stakeholders can help gain the support of the higher level management to allocate different kind of resources for the company. The communication with the stakeholders is important in the long run as the stakeholders can analyze and manipulate the internal and external environment and lead the company in a positive manner to ensure a large scale engagement with the customers of the organization. Examination of three ethical and cultural behaviors Ethics forms an important part in the culture of the business organization. The presence of an ethical culture can help the organization to ensure a tension free environment in the workplace and also it will help the organization to meet all the legal and technical guidelines. Different kinds of reports formulated by the researchers on ethics shows that organizations followingeffective,valuebasedethicsandcomplianceprogramsclearlyhighlightsthe wrongdoings of the employees and the management and decreases the retaliation by a large percentage. According to,Kathol et al., (2018)the code of ethics are believed to be spineless without a strong ethical tone at the top which is again backed by a culture that supports different kinds of ethical behavior and leadership by the top management ion ethics and a number of compliance programs that generally supports the effort of the management. The management of Countdown has to impose a number of important managing ethics that can help them to manage the behaviors of the large number of employees in a proper and effective manner. Some of the main managing ethics in the workplace includes the likes of; 1.Recognition of the managing ethics in the process-Ethics is a matter of value and associated behaviors. Therefore, ethics programs seem to be more process oriented than
10 MANAGEMENT most of the other management practices. Most of the managers in Countdown has the tendency to be skeptical of the different kinds of process oriented activities and instead they concentrate on different kinds of processes that are focused on the deliverables that can be measured easily. However the management must realize that the deliverables of the standard management practices which includes planning, organizing, motivating and controlling has to be made sure about the tangible representations of very process oriented activities of the organization. 2.Visiblyrewardethicalactsandpunishunethicalacts-Themanagementofthe organization needs to ensure the success of the organization by ensuring that they reward ethical acts while also ensuring that they punish any kind of unethical acts that may have a negative impact upon the other employees of the retail market(Kathol et al., 2018). The performance appraisal of the managers in Countdown must include a point to point evaluation of how the decisions of the particular managers have been measured against the code of ethics of the organization. The appraisals must include the different means taken to achieve the goals of the organization as well as to end them. Therefore it is important to reward the employees or the managers who act ethically and on the other hand come down strictly on the persons who are involved in conducting unethical behaviors. 3.Integrationoftheethicsmanagementwithothermanagementpractices-The development of the values statement during the time of the strategic planning includes the ethical values that must be preferred in Countdown(Jurburg et al., 2017). The time of the development of the personal policies it will be important for the organization to specially reflect on the different kinds of ethical values that will be the best fit for being too
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11 MANAGEMENT prominent in the retail culture of Countdown. The management of Countdown has to design the policies accordingly to ensure the production of such kind of behaviors from the employees and the managers of the business organization. Design thinking methodology that helps for building a customer service response system Design Thinking can be said to be the idea that determines the principles of design to strategy and innovation will lead to higher rates of success. The application of design thinking is worth reviewing as because it helps the organization to ensure the details of the strategies that are maintained by the organization. Design Thinking Methodology helps the organization to ensure success and develop and deliver different kinds of business strategies. The collaborative thinking process of the organization helps design thinking to arrive at a particular process. The design thinking framework can help the firm to cover five levels of journey including empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test. a.In the very first stage the Countdown Supermarket will be listening to the requirements of the customers regarding different issues faced by them. According to,(Jurburg et al., 2017)Listening to each and every such issues will be helping the organization to learn about the learning and discoveries of the process in an effective manner b.In the stage of defining the company will be supposed to combine all the collected insights and opinions after carefully listening to the customers and then observing the issues and the actual requirements of them. This will help Countdown to answer the needs of the customers
12 MANAGEMENT c.In the third stage of ideation, the management of the company will be researching on the different kinds of problems based on customer service and implement the best possible steps to resolve the total matter d.Prototyping stage will involve bringing the solutions of the different problems to the vision of the organization e.The last stage is the testing stage which is one of the most important for Countdown to establish a customer response system. The process of feedback can be used by the company to ascertain the success of the change process Critical Evaluation of Continuous Improvement Process A continuousimprovementstrategy is needed for the change within the business workplace. The large scale retail operations of the business and maintaining it accordingly helps the business organization to ensure a continuous improvement strategy that can help to focus on the improvement of the way the things are done on a normal basis(Jurburg et al., 2017). The changes in the way the company takescare of the management helpsto improve their performance, commitment, strategy and process of building the bottom line of the company. The most crucial step in the continuous improvement of the workplace is to change the mindset of the team to make it compatible with the current updates and easily challenge the organization accordingly. Different kinds of researchers have provided different steps that can be followed to continuouslychangetheprocessof improvement.Accordingto,John&Roberts(2017) continuous improvement does not mean to set a high pace but rather it refers to the change in the mindset of the workers and finding better ways to do things. On the other handHanley & Brake, (2016)tells that embracing a transparent attitude of work can encourage the workers to make their voice heard in the organization.
13 MANAGEMENT Two Different Strategies to assess performance According to,Ekstrand & Damman, (2017)the management of the organizations has to takeextraresponsibilityinordertoassessandtracktheperformanceofthebusiness organization. First of all the execution of the tasks allocated to the employees must be executed within the time at the highest priority. This is the time when the management of Countdown can form super efficient teams comprising of people who have the urge to perform in the most efficient manner. On the other hand, according toCaruso, (2017)the presence of an active and efficient team will make the organization more productive in nature. The efficiency of the teams can help the organization to take the necessary decisions regarding the different types of the organizational goals. The execution of the tasks is important for the effective workplace management as because it helps to keep a balance in the performance and also ensure that each and every employee performs in a proper and effective manner. The effective performance of the employees helps the organization to ensure a great workplace. Secondlyqualityofworkisanotherimportantstrategythathelpstoassessthe performance of the organization(Alas & Mousa, 2016). In a world of web and hosting it is one of the most important data point is the quality of work that the employees will create. The following assessment is measured by the means of the regular review of the deliverables of the clients and the efforts of the clients. The quality of the work is important as because the maintenance of quality can ensure more productivity and reputation for Countdown. Quality will also ensure expansion of the business.
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14 MANAGEMENT Conclusion Thefollowingreporthasfocusedontheworkplacemanagementdevelopmentof Countdown. The discussion of the different strategies, the different ethical standard strategies along with the mention of the current strategies followed by Countdown to address the Customer Response system and the future strategies to address the issues has made the report more compact and descriptive. The analysis of the total report can thus provide the management of Countdown with necessary inputs that can be essential to ring in changes in the workplace environment of the business enterprise.
15 MANAGEMENT References Alas, R., & Mousa, M. (2016). Organizational culture and workplace spirituality.International journal of emerging research in management and technology,5(3), 285-314. Caruso, S. J. (2017). A foundation for understanding knowledge sharing: Organizational culture, informalworkplacelearning,performancesupport,andknowledge management.Contemporary Issues in Education Research,10(1), 45. Chang, J. F. (2016).Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. Auerbach Publications. Countdownannouncesnewagencypartners-Countdown.(2019).Retrievedfrom https://www.countdown.co.nz/news-and-media-releases/2017/october/countdown- announces-new-agency-partners Countdown Supermarkets - New Zealand’s leading supermarket brand. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.countdown.co.nz/ Ekstrand, M., & Damman, S. (2017). Management of integrated workplace concepts at multiple locations.Facilities,35(3/4), 188-201. Hanley, B. P., & Brake, D. J. (2016). Putting asset data at the heart of organisational decision- making using an Integrated Workplace Management System. John, M. T., & Roberts, D. G. (2017).Cultural adaptation in the workplace. Routledge.
16 MANAGEMENT Jurburg, D., Viles, E., Tanco, M., & Mateo, R. (2017). What motivates employees to participate incontinuousimprovementactivities?.TotalQualityManagement&Business Excellence,28(13-14), 1469-1488. Kathol, R. G., Andrew, R. L., Squire, M., & Dehnel, P. J. (2018). The Value-Based Integrated Case Management Workplace. InThe Integrated Case Management Manual(pp. 53-64). Springer, Cham. LaReau, R. J., Edwards, J. C., Doeden, J. B., Tauke, J. D., McMilleon, W. J., Bagley, J. B., & Swanson, A. J. (2017).U.S. Patent Application No. 15/077,092. Maier, D., Vadastreanu, A. M., Keppler, T., Eidenmuller, T., & Maier, A. (2015). Innovation as apartofanexistingintegratedmanagementsystem.ProcediaEconomicsand Finance,26, 1060-1067. Mitonga-Monga, J., & Cilliers, F. (2015). Ethics culture and ethics climate in relation to employeeengagementinadevelopingcountrysetting.JournalofPsychologyin Africa,25(3), 242-249. Mitonga-Monga, J., Flotman, A. P., & Cilliers, F. (2016). Workplace ethics culture and work engagement:Themediatingeffectofethicalleadershipinadevelopingworld context.Journal of Psychology in Africa,26(4), 326-333. Mĺkva, M., Prajová, V., Yakimovich, B., Korshunov, A., & Tyurin, I. (2016). Standardization– one of the tools of continuous improvement.Procedia Engineering,149, 329-332.