Reflective Summary
Introduction
The need to promote long-term growth and stability of a firm is important since it improves the way in which the organization aligns its goals to its mission, vision and core values. However, to achieve the long-term objectives, it is imperative that strategic options such as having skilled employees, providing necessary training to improve their responsiveness, and reducing turnover rates be taken into consideration. Furthermore, responsiveness from employees is crucial to the generation of positive comments from customers due to effectiveness in responding to inquiries and reducing the delivery time. The essay, therefore, provides a summary of success and areas for improvement of a firm in efforts to enhance its strategic options.
The company’s goals include reducing delivery time, customer complaints and enhancing response to inquiries by customers through training employees and recruiting competent ones too. The present goals focus on reducing the turnover rates as well as acquiring a skilled workforce to improve the firm’s responsiveness to customer needs and expectations. The goals are in line with the mission since the latter advocates for prompt, professional and courteous services to clients as well as the need to promote a professional and friendly environment for the employees.
The vision supports the need for the firm to become a leading provider of products by taking into account integrity, responsibility, and profitability all of which reflect both the past and present goals that revolve around employee motivation through training and other programs that enhance responsiveness in customer service. The goals are also reflective of the values since the firm realizes the need to improve its operational performance by having competent employees who perform their tasks in ways that meet the needs and expectations of customers.
Effectiveness of the organization’s flat structure
The organization’s flat structure has greatly supported the strategic options considering the fact that we are still dealing with smaller customers. Regarding employee engagement and satisfaction, the structure has allowed workers to participate in decision-making process without going through hierarchical levels to have their opinions considered in strategy design. Moreover, employees feel they are trusted since there is minimal supervision which boosts their morale and responsiveness to the organization’s mission and vision. Minimal bureaucracy with the flat structure has also seen the company’s managers and employees respond well to strategic changes focused on achieving long-term growth and stability of operations. Decision-making process at the firm is fast due to the reduced bureaucracy and the fact that it is possible to get employees to raise their views directly to the management. Significant steps have been made through the structure to improve employees’ interactions and the speed with which managers get to hear of employees views. The structure has made it easier to reach out to employees and pass across information because it’s easy to assemble workers and inform them of any relevant work related issues.
Employees are also under minimal supervision which implies that there is sufficient trust from the management that employees are responsive in ensuring that the firm achieves its aspirations for high-quality products and services. However, it is also evident that the flat structure has limited departmental interactions by since there are skill gaps for specialized functions. Nevertheless, the company’s strategic plan of expanding operations and reaching out to larger business implies that the structure will soon change to accommodate a hierarchical one where there will be defined levels of departmental leadership as well as expanded levels of responsibilities. Furthermore, the hierarchical structure will also play a critical role in achieving the goal of making employees competent through developing their specialties.
Existing gaps in the organization
The fact that product knowledge has a rating of six implies that there are gaps in the way employees are trained and how employees understand the products offered to customers. Such gaps are made visible by the fact that negative comments from customers are more than the positive ones hence the need to consider filling such gaps. The expensive advertising is an additional proof of skills gap in marketing since it implies that the organization lacks specialists to come up with better advertisement channels to reduce the marketing costs incurred. The gaps could be attributed to the limited departmental units such that managers and employees end up performing functions that they may not be competent in.
Areas in need of further development
There is also a great need to improve product knowledge among employees if the company is to achieve its long-term objectives. Improving product knowledge provides employees with an opportunity to come up with creative and innovative ideas of how products and services could be improved to meet the ever-changing needs of customers. Training and recruitment of employees with relevant expertise will be key to improving firm’s position in the coming years regarding the way products will be differentiated to cope with competition. Negative comments from customers are also high at 87 compared to the positive comments hence the need to consider alternative and better ways of satisfying customers. Reducing negative comments from the consumers generates the need to conduct market surveys to collect data on customers’ perceptions, and attitudes regarding the products offered and taking into account the customers’ views on how goods and services could be improved. Lastly, it is also important for the firm to consider reducing its advertisement expenses by involving marketing specialists who will identify better and cost effective marketing technologies.
Conclusion
Improving a company's success requires the development of a professional and friendly environment for both staff and customers with respect and dignity being major core values for the business. Employees play a major role in both short and long-term growth of the business hence the need to reduce turnover rates, improve workers compensation and boost productivity through training. Employees have to be assured of the best experience while working at the firm which then increase their responsiveness to serving customers.
