Project 2
This paper compiles a report on an interview that was conducted on an ICT (Information and communications technology) manager who was concerned with service management in a firm. The firm was Oracle Corporation and the manager was in charge of service administration in Redwood, California branch. The company is a multinational and focuses on building tools for database improvement and software application. Some of the notable products of the company include: Oracle software such as Oracle SQL developer, Oracle fusion middleware, databases such as TimesTen and many more (DATAMONITOR, 2011). Therefore, the interview entailed the management style the manager used at the company, usage of team projects, intrinsic and extrinsic rewards used in the company, common ethical issues, and employee motivation.
Management style
According to the service manager at Oracle Corporation, the management style implemented is a combination of democratic and transformational styles. Democratic is where the manager would allow employees to propose opinions that would be debated upon before the right one is selected—the popular idea (Aizes, 2004). This style is efficient in tackling problems that have more than one solution. For instance, if it has been agreed that certain software would be sold at a discounted rate, then the problem would be by how much. Therefore, each employee would come up with their suggestions and it would then be the prerogative of the manager to choose the few viable solutions that would be voted on. Democratic style is also important when making employees feel important to the organization and loyal (Aizes, 2004).
The manager incorporates transformational management since it is a direct leadership style where choices would be made faster. Democratic leadership on itself has a weakness of slow decisions in the organization (Aizes, 2004). The aspect of transformational would enable decisions democratically determined be quickly made. In transformational management, the manager has to come up with mechanisms intended to motivate and boost morale of employees. Employees are challenged to come up with ideas that would transform the service department. For instance, a motivated employee came up with an idea that involved selling the company’s software through third parties like phone companies. The style is also instrumental in keeping employees on their toes; hence achievement of company objectives. Therefore, for easy application for transformational and democratic management styles, the manager advised that the steps included: development of an attractive vision for himself and employees, expression of confidence in the vision by the manager, and achieving the vision through successes in small planned steps.
Team Projects
The manager uses team projects in completing certain tasks assigned by the head manager. In the service department, team projects consist of members who are from different departments. The other departments that are involved include: sourcing and vendor management, project management, and governance. Therefore, in Oracle Corporation the team projects are cross functional since they involve members of more than one department (Ofer & Unger-Aviram, 2010).
Organizing team projects in the company involves dealing with many issues hence the need to avoid pitfalls such as time wastage, loss of revenue, and poor offerings. The common project tools used in organizing team projects include: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS); Network Diagram; Gantt chart; Responsibility Allocation Matrix (RAM); and Organization breakdown matrix (Ofer & Unger-Aviram, 2010). In Oracle, the service manager uses two of the tools listed above. The tools used are Gantt chart, and the RAM. For instance, the RAM involves allocating numbers to responsibilities of project members. This tool eliminates confusion in roles of team members. Gantt chart is important in ensuring that certain tasks are completed in a specified time.
Therefore, in cases where there are projects that are to be completed, the manager follows three steps. In the first stage, the manager (service manager) carries out a pre-planning in preparation of a detailed planning that would be efficient and quick in implementation. In using the tools (Gantt, and RAM), the manager can develop the plan ready for stage 2. Stage 2 entails the detailed planning which involves team members and other project leaders. Most of the planning is found in this stage with problem identification and estimates carried out. The last stage is relevant in ironing out any conflicts that can result. Furthermore, any missing estimates are identified before the resolution is passed for project implementation (Ofer & Unger-Aviram, 2010).
Intrinsic and Extrinsic rewards
According to Cameron and Pierce (2004), intrinsic rewards are outcomes employees obtain personally after completing a job. In Oracle Corporation, the manager listed the main intrinsic rewards as:
Sense of personal growth: In the company, employees feel that their careers are in the right direction and that their job specifics and tasks are also relevant with the expectations of the field they are in.
Sense of identity: the culture in the company is in such a way that tasks are completed according to the qualities of an individual. This creates a feeling of identity and uniqueness that is important for employees to feel motivated.
Sense of choice: the freedom that employees are offered in how they can complete tasks provides them with ownership of their work, a belief in their work, and a higher responsibility.
Sense of competence: When employees handle their tasks as according to the standard, there is a feeling that they have even exceeded their personal standards; hence creation of pride, satisfaction, and even artistry in their work.
On the other hand, extrinsic rewards are tangible outcomes that workers obtain after successful completion of responsibilities (Cameron & Pierce, 2004). In the company, the manager responded by saying that the main rewards were financially based. They are:
Pay rises: this is where salaries of employees are reviewed annually depending on the objectives achieved by an employee. Workers exceeding their expectations are offered new contracts containing a higher pay than the previous year.
Bonuses: they are payments above the salary of an employee that are offered specifically after sales are exceeded.
Benefits: Employees are offered allowances on medicine, loans on vehicles and school fees, and vacations. They aid workers when they are in need of relaxation or in urgently solving personal needs.
Ethical Issues
The ethical issues in the company are numerous according to the service manager of Oracle Corporation. However, three main issues were identified. They are:
Liability exposure of managers and the organization: The dilemma is whether the software owners can be personally liable in case of a breach of security. This is because many organizations have no well guided policies in dealing with security breaches.
Accuracy as a part of someone’s responsibility: The dilemma is how the responsibility of accuracy can be assigned. With numerous data that require interconnected processes and procedures, then a single error can cause a ripple effect. The Sarbanes Oxley also requires certification of internal controls (McLean, 2004). Then the issue is whether to pre-determine the errors expected or assign accuracy responsibility to someone.
Monitoring of employee behaviour: The dilemma is whether workers know if they are monitored by the management. Organizations are obliged by law to monitor the actions of their employees. When workers use the company assets like e-mails, internet, and databases then the company has a right of monitoring them. However, monitoring employees is also a violation of the privacy of employees hence an ethical dilemma.
Motivation of employees
The manager motivates employees through several strategies that are financed and given the green light by the CEO. The service department employees are motivated through four main ways that are:
Training: Since technology is always changing and there is a need for employees to always be ahead of competitors, the company offers a bimonthly training seminar where employees are taught IT trends, dealing with prospective customers, and satisfying clients.
Recognition: Employees are given attention of the successful tasks completed. Recognition is through bonuses, pay rises, benefits, trophies, and name in the hall of fame.
Career paths: There are documented career paths that motivate employees to work so as to achieve certain levels. Promotion in the company is also internally and this has also helped motivate employees.
Good work environment: The office setting is clean and peaceful and this has served to motivate employees. There are baby centres for single moms and dads to leave their children while working, a massage spar for relaxation, and a health centre.
Conclusion
The interview with the service manager at Oracle Corporation was a success as it was possible to identify the management style used, which is a hybrid style of democratic and transformational. The team projects used is cross-functional involving members of other departments in the company. Both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are also found in the organization. They are sense of personal growth, identity, choice, and competence for intrinsic and pay bonuses, benefits, and pay rises for extrinsic rewards. However, the ethical issues that were found in the company are: liability of the manager in cases of security breaches, accuracy as a responsibility, and monitoring of employees. Furthermore, employees are motivated by good working environment, training, career paths, and recognition.
Aizes, I. (2004). Management/Mismanagement styles: How to identify a style and what to do about it. Adizes Institute Publishing: Santa Barbra, California. Pp. 23-103
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Cameron, J. & Pierce, D.W. (2004). Rewards and intrinsic motivation: resolving the controversy. New Jersey: IAP. Pp. 69-78
McLean, A. (2011). Ethical frontiers of ICT and older users: cultural, pragmatic and ethical issues. Ethics & Information Technology,13(4), 313. doi:10.1007/s10676-011-9276-4
Nawab, S., Bhatti, K., & Shafi, K. (2011). Effect of Motivation on Employees Performance. Interdisciplinary Journal Of Contemporary Research In Business, 3(3), 1209-1216.
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