Introduction
The basic managerial functions of planning, organizing, directing and controlling of all facets of the organization are applicable to the operations management area. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), general and operations managers’ duties and responsibilities actually include “formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources, but are too diverse and general in nature to be classified in any one functional area of management or administration, such as personnel, purchasing, or administrative services” . From the industries identified in the BLS which exhibited the highest concentration of employment for operations managers, the following were disclosed: office administrative services, followed by business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations . The highest paying sector for operations manager was identified as the securities and commodities exchanges that provides annual average mean wage of $196,290 or $94.36 per hour; followed by other financial investment activities where annual mean wages of $180,930 or $86.99 per hourly mean wage was noted . Since the focus or thrust of operations managers, in organizations from any particular sector or industry, is the system, process, or overall operations of the business, their role is crucial in ensuring continued sustenance, support, and success of the business life. In this regard, the current discourse aims to present the challenges faced by operations managers through closely examining actual scenarios from different industries and sectors.
The challenges faced by operations manager differ according to the type of the organization, the sector or industry they are in, and the comprehensiveness or depth in scope of the managers’ role and responsibilities in the organizations they serve. In manufacturing organizations, for instance, operations managers must focus on the manufacture of specific products; from their planning, design, production, distribution, to monitoring of performance levels. In service organizations, operations managers must be adept at discerning aspects of providing service to their customers that are deemed preferred and which would provide customer satisfaction in the long run. As emphasized by Bitran and Lojo, operations managers in service organizations must be familiar with factors that affect the organization’s operations through three distinct segments: the internal environment, the external environment and the customer interface.
In an article written by Huang, the author revealed that operations managers encounter challenges in the work setting that concern five specific areas: people, communication, money, the management of change, and effecting transformation . These are generalized challenges which could be applicable in various organizational settings and industries. Likewise, in the article written by Codjia, the author noted challenges in terms of addressing controls in financial management, information technology, in complying with government regulations, and ensuring adherence to safety standards.
The study conducted by Bertrand and Fransoo revealed the following problems typically faced by operations managers, to wit: “inventory control problems, sequencing and scheduling problems, routing problems, statistical quality control problems, and maintenance problems” (243). These problems could be applicable to manufacturing and production organizations that necessitate close monitoring to the design, development, and manufacture of products.
For operational managers in health care settings, the challenges encountered were reported to be in the form of operational failures. According to Tucker, “operational failures (are) disruptions or errors in the supply of necessary materials or information to employees” . These operational set-backs could be manifested in terms of wrong delivery of medications which could require returns and re-ordering and could jeopardize the health condition of patients, whose lives are at stake when specialized medications are urgently needed. In terms of information, operation managers must duly communicate all relevant information needed for health care practitioners to act and comply with all the requirements needed to achieve expected objectives.
Concurrently, in other service organizations, such as food and restaurant businesses, operations managers face challenges related to inventory management due to perishability of products. As emphasized by Bitran and Lojo, “managers in service industry often have to turn to special mechanisms to solve the problem of matching supply and demand” (273). Thus, operations managers must be equipped with skills in anticipating customers’ needs and appropriately address them through ensuring a steady supply of the products or services deemed most in demand. Thus, there is a need to assume a proactive stance in being apprised of both the internal and external environments to ensure that a perfect match in demand and supply is attained.
Ways to Overcome Challenges
of problem solving, conflict resolution, and application of management theories should be appropriately taken into account. In health care settings, Tucker averred that “front-line failures were common because managers, and to some extent workers themselves, were unaware that these situations could be actionable improvement opportunities” (162). This means that managers must work in collaboration with other health care practitioners to identify the root causes of the challenges or problems and be able to address these with the assistance of workers and other stakeholders who are directly involved. Likewise, through exhibiting the most effective leadership style, depending on the subordinates and the situation, managers could encourage open communication which would solicit the needed information that enhances their awareness on impending problems or challenges, even before they occur. As emphasized by Terwiesch, effective operations managers learned “how to improve productivity, increase responsiveness, provide more choice to the customer, and deliver higher quality standards” (par. 2).
Conclusion
The current discourse has successfully achieved its aim of presenting the challenges encountered by operations managers in various sectors, industries, and work settings. As operations managers roles encompass relevant functions such as planning, organizing, directing and controlling all facets of the organization’s daily activities, they are expected to be the backbone or pillar of support. Operational failures and challenges naturally occur in various organizational settings. As such, the success of the operations managers in addressing these challenges fall on their abilities to effectively apply theoretical frameworks in operations management and therefore to appropriately discern the root causes of organizational concerns. Their professionalism, genuine commitment to the achievement of organizational goals, and their assuming a proactive stance in managing the scope of their responsibilities would significantly assist in mitigating the effect of significant changes that impinge on the firm’s operations. In the end, their instrumental contribution to the overall success of the organization could not be overemphasized.
Works Cited
Bertrand, J.Will M. and Jan C. Fransoo. "Operations management research methodologies using quantitative modeling." International Journal of Operations & Production Management (2002): Vol. 22, No. 2, 242-264.
Bitran, Gabriel R. and Maureen Lojo. "A Framework of Analyzing Service Organizations." European Management Journal (1993): Vol. 11, No. 3, 271-282.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011: 11-1021 General and Operations Managers." 27 March 2012. bls.gov. 6 February 2013
Codjia, Marquis. "Operational Management Challenges." 2013. eHow Money. 6 February 2013
Huang, Jeff. "Operations Managers Tell of Top 5 Challenges. You agree?" 30 October 2012. Scoop. 6 February 2013
Terwiesch, Christian. "An Introduction to Operations Management." n.d. coursera.org. 6 Febuary 2013
Tucker, Anita L. "The impact of operational failures on hospital nurses and their patients." Journal of Operations Management (2004): Vol. 22, 151–169.
