Business Analytics Report: Gallifrey Inc. Office Plan Issues

This report addresses business challenges at Gallifrey Inc., a creative organization, stemming from its open office plan. The report identifies employee dissatisfaction due to distractions and lack of privacy, leading to decreased productivity. The analysis uses the Self-determination theory to understand employee motivation and proposes recommendations such as respecting employee views and involving them in decision-making. The report includes data gathered from interviews with five employees, revealing their discomfort with the open layout and suggestions for improvement. Recommendations include implementing changes to mitigate noise and distractions, such as physical barriers or team-specific zones, to improve the work environment and employee satisfaction.

Business
Analytics
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report has intended to resolve an identified business issue faced by the employees
due to the changed design of their work structure. This is mainly in context to the open plan
structure where the workers from all departments are required to work together in an open space
setting. This is however leading to create a lot of distraction for others where many employees
are turning disappointed from such changed practice of work and willing to get their previous
system back. In which, they used to have their own space and communicate with other
departments, through mails. Unlike, the present situation, where people are openly shouting on
each other and creating lot of disturbances at work. This has been projected to resolve using a
theoretical framework namely Self-determination theory focused on providing intrinsic
motivation to the employees. Prior hand, 5 employed individuals of Gallifrey Inc. has been
interviewed to obtain a relevant set of data from them. Other than that, the CEO is together
recommended to respect others views and involve them in the decision making process to
implement some improved change in the presently undertaken work practice of an open office
plan.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Overview of literature on the topic..............................................................................................4
Methods and Results....................................................................................................................6
Recommendations........................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSIONS.............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION
Management plays a greatest role in the business procedures of every firm, despite of its
nature and type of work. It basically represents the administrative department of the business
with a vital contribution of both the employees and employers in it, as well. However, the
businesses are together known to face some significant number of issues in effectively carrying
out their undertaken measures. The present report is based on a similar business case with
reporting about the problems that are currently arising in the company named Gallifrey Inc.
(Moore, 2018). This report is especially to demonstrate the identified issues with some prompt
solutions to resolve the same with assistance of applicable theoretical frameworks. The chosen
enterprise is operating since last 10 years as a full service creative organization where it is
presently working with almost 19 personnel’s providing services related to graphic design, media
and digital services. It is mainly headquartered in Brisbane with its nationwide clients,
specifically in Melbourne and Sydney.
Overview of literature on the topic
The aforesaid entity works with its clients on 1 elementary constituent with intent to
serve their all-purpose branding and other such marketing related needs. They also use to create
marketing related plans and enforce the develop strategies across all their stages. The staff
comprises with 1 managing director, 1 production and studio manger, 2 IP barristers, 8 designers,
2 project managers, 1 digital producers working with 3 ecommerce specialists and 4 staff in
admin. The CEO of the above specified establishment has determined certain collaboration
related issues with a sense of not working collectively as a team. Also, on determining certain
interaction related concerns, the CEO has decided to undertake an open office plan by
incorporating a changed layout in the existing structure.
Now, an innovative fit out has been followed to create open plan offices. In which, all
above specified staff members will be sitting in a large space with no office of their own. Now
being a couple of months, the CEO is willing to know the positive outcomes of the changed
layout designed with some pivotal expectations of raised cooperation among the workers with an
improved productivity of work (Sekaran and Bougie, 2016). However, it doesn’t seem to be a
perfect design that went well and where the employees have criticized such changed layout. It is
basically due to the challenges; they are facing at work due to noise and also complained of
lacking privacy at work.
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It is therefore on referring to the above studied case, it has been found that the currently
existing issues are promptly required to be resolved in the best possible manner. This is mainly
on considering the fact where escalating challenges could lead to affect the satisfaction level of
the worker’s. It in turn could result in hampering the productivity of workers in terms of
operating together both as an individual and a team. Employees are of paramount importance and
have huge contribution in attaining the set organisational goals and objectives. It is their hard
work that assists the enterprise to achieve success by reaching to its intended aims and going
beyond with a vision of more such big accomplishments.
Gallifrey Inc is also responsible to satisfy their employees with an intention of retaining
them and removing the barricades that they are facing as of now, due to a changed office layout.
It is because a lowered sense of satisfaction could in turn lead to reduce their efficiency by
together resulting in affecting their individual strengths and capabilities, due to privacy issues at
work (Wray-Lake. and et. al., 2017). The CEO should hereby take this into consideration with an
aim to recover the present circumstances. For this, it is important to undertake some effective
measures with a prior understanding of the current situation. A theoretical aspect for this is
adopting the mechanism of Self-determination theory.
This theory has suggested that the individuals are motivated to progress and change by
their in-built psychological needs. It has thereby recognized 3 fundamental psychological
requirements that are universal as well as inherent in nature. These represent the 3 basic needs of
individuals like the need for competency, connectedness and independence. This states that the
notion of intrinsic inspiration is virtuously for attempting things that are only for one’s own sake.
This plays a very significant role in the theory of self-determination, as stated by Kendra (2017).
This theory was initially developed by 2 psychologists with a fundamental proposition of driving
people by any necessity to grow and develop or gain contentment.
The foremost assumption of this theory states that the individual are actively focused
towards development. Also, they are aimed to gain mastery over the challenges by experiencing
something new to create a consistent sense of identity in them. This theory clearly challenges the
idea of motivating people through extrinsic means of rewards like monetary benefits and
incentives in the form of money, etc. The concept of self-determination theory purely indicates a
crucial existence of intrinsic motivation in accordance to the views presented by Yunus (2017).
This involves a sense of gaining knowledge, autonomy as well as recognition, etc. It is in
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accordance to this theory; the individuals are required to undertake the 3 key measures of this
theory that defines the 3 fundamental needs in their inner self. All of these needs namely need for
competence, connectedness and autonomy are apparent to lead into a successful implementation
of self-determination theory.
All of these elements exist with a distinct set of implication where competence is
basically used to denote the requirement of gaining mastery of responsibilities by learning
distinct set of skills. Relatedness or connection on other hand defines yet another internal need of
the individuals where they want to experience a sense of attachment as well as belongingness
towards other people, even at work, as specified by Kendra (2017). Lastly, some people are very
much motivated from their own set of goals and thus feel a need to stay in control of their own
behaviors. It is thereby on applying this theoretical framework, it has been found that the CEO of
the cited entity has undertaken the approaches to inspire the employees at an intrinsic level.
However, a large number of employees have reported a sense of discomfort in his newly
proposed structure with a changed design.
Methods and Results
This section is basically to analyse the data gathered from the participant respondents that
involved total 5 employed workers of the quoted firm. This represented an in depth interview
with transcripts available to analyse the acquired information from the participants contributed in
the investigation by sharing their experiences. It basically depicted a study composed of both
males and females that involved 5 employees who were asked 3 main questions. They were
designated in posts of male designer who was 35 years old, a 34 years old female designer, 22
years old female admin assistant, 52 years old male IP barrister and lastly, a 42 years old male
project manager. Below is a detailed analysis of the questions they were asked, on the basis of
their given responses:-
Most of the employees are very happy in their job.
This is on the basis of above analysed data that has showed a contented feeling of work in
almost all interviewed employees. Almost all the workers are employed here since a long time
period and hence illustrated a pleased sense in their respective jobs. Although, the P2
representing the 22 years old female admin assistant have exhibited some sense of discomfort in
the beginning of her work when she joined as a fresher and hired as a temporary employee, as
well. This was reported due to the bonding among the employees working together from a very
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long time where she felt a little bit difficultly in adjusting with them and getting comfortable at
work. Other than that, almost all other participants have given a positive response with a sense of
pleasure in their occupation where P1, i.e., the 35 years old male designer is working from last 7
years and P5, as the 42 years old male projects manager is employed as a part time consultant.
All participants have reported a very uncomfortable work structure due to its changed design.
It is on referring to the changed structure of work where a large number of employees
have reported to be unsatisfied from the same. This is for instance to acknowledge the responses
given by P1 who is the most experienced employee working since last 7 years over here in
comparison to the other 4 participants. He has made some sarcastic comments by stating the
changed work setting a chicken coop. However, he has clearly remarked some noticeable
changes in terms of both satisfied and dissatisfied employees where the designers are quite
comfortable working in an open setting with an ease to directly negotiate their client’s choice.
The barristers on another hand are not gratified in terms of sharing their beliefs openly with no
freedom of choice. P5 representing the 42 years old male project manager has directly stated the
newly structured design to create an unpleasant work environment where he also miss the
previous style of working peacefully in detached cabins with no such disturbing aspects. This is
making it difficult for them to work together in terms of harmonisation where many people are
simply not able to adjust in such disorderly setting.
Almost all respondents have suggested either bringing some requisite changes in the currently
adopted practice of working in an open plan or bringing improvements in it to cope up with its
challenging condition.
This is to demonstrate the responses collected from all 5 participants who have
contributed in this study. All except 1 have reported to bring some major changes in the open
plan structure of work to avoid distractions as the most challenging aspect of work. This is for
example on considering the responses of P2; she has clearly urged the admin team members to
make calls in a way that do not disturb others. Likewise, P3 has also reported about noisy
surrounding with plentiful disruptions from all around the newly structured workplace. P4 with
no comments for being extremely disappointed from this situation has not specifically answered
to this question. Lastly, P5 has also demonstrated some well effective changes that can be bought
to get back to a composed work setting where the management can put sign boards of certain
disciplinary actions such as maintaining peace or put half walls to block off the teams. Also,
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putting the team of project management together and separating the designing team could also
help in avoiding loud settings at work.
Recommendations
This is on the basis of above obtained findings, the CEO is recommended to bring some
relevant set of modifications in their currently changed structure of work. It is mainly on
referring to the disappointed sense towards work of many employees. Although, on considering
the fact, the CEO of Gallifrey Inc. has hereby intended to apply the theory of self-determination
that is mainly focused on inspiring the employees through intrinsic means of motivation
(Neutrino, 2012). But, in order to resolve the present situation where a lot of employees are
feeling frustrated, it is vital to improve the current adopted system with some enhanced
modifications. Herein, the CEO is suggested to employ a strategic approach of providing
extrinsic rewards to the employees who will cooperate with the changed plan in order to create a
collaborative sense of work in the employees. For this, it is also important to consider some other
remedial measures suggested by the employees to regard their thoughts and opinions as well.
CONCLUSIONS
This is to conclude the above undertaken study that has described the business related
issues with the help of an in depth interview conducted to directly interrogate the employees in
the chosen business organization. It was in regard to solve the business problem by using a
conceptual framework. It was basically in regard to resolve the challenges arising due to a
changed design of their work structure where most of the employees were found to be much
more comfortable with their previous work procedures.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Moore, M., 2018. Reply to critics. Critical Review of International Social and Political
Philosophy, pp.1-12.
Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
Wray-Lake. And et. al., 2017. Examining links from civic engagement to daily well-being from a
self-determination theory perspective. The Journal of Positive Psychology, pp.1-12.
Yunus, M., 2017. Social business entrepreneurs are the solution. In The Future Makers (pp. 219-
225). Routledge.
Online
Kendra, C., 2017. What is Self-Determination theory?. [Online]. Available through: <
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-determination-theory-2795387>
Neutrino., 2012. What is Self-Determination Theory?. [Online]. Available through: <
https://www.gostrengths.com/what-is-self-determination-theory/>
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