Fundamental refers to a principal truth. It is a law to be adhered to if you are to achieve the objective and the desired end result. Management is the process of getting activities of the organization done. It is sometimes included as a production factor. Management has function to play in the organization. The fundamentals of management include controlling, directing, staffing, motivating employees, organizing and planning. This fundamental provides the organization with the guidelines that will help it make decisions. Management gurus are continually researching on the management discipline so that organizations can get better and better. They have been coming with theories that support their study.
Wegman is a Food Market that has its headquarters in New York. It is a family business that was founded in the year 1916. It has appeared in the Fortune magazine being among the 100 best companies to work for. The store has many chains across the United States and currently operates 81 stores. 44000 people are employed to work at The Wegman Food store. It is also known for offering food products at a cheaper price compared to other stores. They have developed their market and are continually seeking to increase it. The Wegman`s offers a wide range of services to the customer compared to other chains. The customer gets to do the shopping under one store.
For any organization to thrive well it must understand its market and ensure it delivers according to the needs of the customers. It can only do this by having employees who are committed to serving the organization's interests. The Wegman`s has made sure that it values its employees. It believes that good people can work towards a common goal and they can accomplish anything they set to do. The Wegman has set its goal to be the best in providing services to its customers. It also believes that it cannot be able to satisfy its customers without first satisfying its people who are the employees it has. The organization has pledged to its employees and the customers to deliver the best to them every day. The company has been able to continually improve its product delivery to the customers and making better the lives of its employees.
For employees to be committed and work better in the organization, they must be motivated. Motivation is a key management fundamental that the Wegman has realized. People must be motivated to make them deliver the goals and aims of the organization. The motivation comes from within the employee and from the organization. Through the encouragement, inspiration and support of the employees of their leaders the employees are motivated. The leaders focus on the abilities of each employee and give duties basing on it(Robbins, 2011). By doing this development, achievement and recognition comes to the person and this motivates the employee to work for the organization in a better way and will like to be recognized by the organization employees are given targets that they should fulfill within a specified period of time. When employees are given challenging work they are able to gauge themselves and they become motivated to even take up on new challenging tasks in the organization.
Training of the employees makes them motivated and will deliver their services to the organization well. The leaders of the organization are to identify the training needs of its employees and seek to ensure that it constantly provides the right kind of training. Wegman selects the best employees suited for the job. It then subjects them to continuous training programs that will make them be able to serve the customers well. The new employees are introduced to the organization and are given team leaders in various departments. In doing this, the employees feel that they are part of the Wegman family. The employees are then divided into departments that they are nest fit in. It is the managers who take the responsibility of identifying the strength of each individual. This makes the employees work without difficulties because they are best suited for the job.
The financial reward is administered in the form of salaries, benefits and pay. They serve to recognize the efforts and the contribution the employee is making for the organization. The benefits are the non-cash rewards that are given to employees (Lauby, 2005). They include the company cars, making employees to be shareholders of the organization, paid holidays. In the Wegman`s Food Market, it is the duty of the managers at various departments and outlets to identify the employees that deserve to be rewarded for delivering their best to the organization.
Performance is a function of motivation and every organization strives to perform. The organization must develop ways of handling the grievances of the employees. The procedure should be well stipulated for every employee to know. This prevents conflicts between the various departments. The managers in various departments have an ear to the problems of the employees. Wegman realizes that the employee belongs to the community and they should have time to be with their employees. Through this the employees are able to work well without problems. Motivation is also seen when the organization values the community. The organization can participate In initiatives that are located within a community. This makes the employees coming from the community to feel appreciated and they will get engaged in the work. The Wegman has realized this and it has involved it in initiatives that strive to reduce lifestyle diseases like diabetes. They do this by providing foods that help reduce the likelihood of getting diabetes. The organization thus realizes its goals and at the same time being part of the society and the community at large.
Employee motivation also extends to employee engagement. The employees that are well motivated are engaged in their work. The engaged employees are actively engaged in their work and they propel the organization towards the realization of the goals and objectives. The engagement of employees can be achieved by introducing programs that make the employees committed. Giving the employee pension at the end of their term in the organization makes them engaged in their work. The employees will work hard to when their time in the organization is up. The Wegman`s has implemented a policy that compensates her employees once they retire from the organization.
Rewarding employees act an external motivator of the employees. Rewards fall into two categories: compensation rewards and non-compensation rewards. Compensation-rewards are given in exchange of the services offered by the organization. Non-compensation rewards include factors that are work-related and the well-being of the employees. Rewards include prizes, incentives and recognizing the efforts of each employee in the organization (Armstrong, 2002). Tasks in the organization when associated with rewards make the employees to give their best in delivering that service or the product. In the Wegman`s Food Chain, the employees are rewarded in accordance with what they achieve for the organization. The best employee from each department is selected and annually and they are rewarded. They are given money on top of their pay. This has an impact on the behavior of the employees as they will work to be the best in the department. Other non-financial rewards include introducing kiosks in the organization that sell products and services at subsidized prices to its employees. It also includes providing medical services to the employees and their families.
Management is thus the process used in achieving the objectives of the organization and ensuring that the employee welfare is considered. A motivated workforce will work to produce positive results to the organization. The employees will only be able to deliver their services well when they are motivated and are rewarded accordingly. This is achieved by aligning the values of the organization and the needs of the employees. The employees get rewarded well and the organization achieves its targets. Wegman`s has been able to do this by motivating and rewarding her employees. It has put the organization in the top in providing Foods to the American people.
References
Armstrong, M. (2002). Employee reward. London: Chartered Inst. Of Personnel and Development.
Lauby, S. J. (2005). Motivating employees. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.
Robbins, S. P. (2011). Fundamentals of management. Pearson.
