Executive Summary
The art of management can be very challenging but with the mastering of the basic principles of management, managers can easily navigate a company into success. Setting a business up anchored on the principles of management enables it to operate effectively with checks and balances. Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park was not set up using the right management principles. For a start, the business was set up without a sound plan on how it was going to operate. As much as the business enjoys some advantages given its strengths regarding resources and location, the business also has some weaknesses that have been addressed in this report. The management can set up the business for long term and short term success by addressing the pertinent issues that have been raised in this report. The report addresses in detail the effects that failing to plan have had on the company and suggests some ways in which it can be dealt with to ensure future success.
Organizing as a management function has also not been properly implemented in the business. It is relatively difficult to perform this function without a plan in the business. However, lack of organization in the business is affecting the business as discussed in the report and needs attention from the management to ensure a better future for Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park. Equally, the other functions of management, Leading and Controlling, also need to be to be addressed in the business, and this report provides a few suggestions on how to improve the weaknesses in this area. The area of leadership is of particular concern as it relates to motivation of employees which is also a main issue in the business.
Management
In business, management entails coordinating the efforts of various stakeholders to ensure that the objectives of the business entity are met. Management can be very challenging especially when various stakeholders do not understand their roles and hence, do not execute them as they should be carried out. However, when every aspect of the management functions is properly taken care of, there are high chances of success. The management team of any organization draws inspiration from the success that their organization enjoys and relish being associated with the successful phases of their organization.
Management guru Peter Drucker, (2012), notes that managements face so many challenges in getting their organizations to achieve the desired goals. Their greatest challenge is competence and to exhibit this important managerial trait, they need to perform their functions with precision and ensure that objectives are met. Management has a responsibility to the organization to ensure that there exists proper planning of the activities of the organization so that everything that is done is pre-empted and is done in a proper manner. It also essential to organize the various resources of the organization and to ensure that they work for the business in sync. Successful organizations are associated with sound leadership that is both felt and seen in actions (Bayeh, n.d.). Finally, managements are also charged with the challenging responsibility of assessing the outcomes of their actions and making adjustments where necessary through control. Subsequent discussion will focus on the different functions of management and how they can be applied to help Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park re-establish itself and operate successfully.
Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park
Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park is a business that is in a unique situation concerning the modern business environment. The business is strategically located in an area where it attracts most of the customers as compared to its competitors. It is backed by the fact that the nearest competitors are located several miles away (30 – 45) and hence, it is easier for the customers from within the vicinity of the park frequently to visit the park for various outdoor activities. The fact that local businesses bring their employees into the facility for their team building sessions is a testament to the potential it has to grow into one of the best paintball parks in the region. The entity has a considerably good supply of customers which makes it easier for it to raise revenues and build a stable and sustainable business entity. Furthermore, Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park has facilities that when used properly, would give it a competitive advantage over its nearest competitors.
Resting on five acres of land, the park has a relatively large space to accommodate several teams of paintball players. Furthermore, it allows them enough space to have a variety of other recreational activities within the park. The park also seems to have all the essential ingredients that make a perfect park. The hills and the forests provide a beautiful terrain in which different attractive activities can be set up for full enjoyment. The media coverage that the business gets during tournaments is equally and added advantage since it is a free advertisement (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). The business certainly enjoys the goodwill of the people in which if capitalized on, can result in high customer turnover and consequently high revenues.
Despite all the strengths and opportunities that Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park exhibit, some threats, and weaknesses threaten to derail its growth. For example, at the inception of the joint family business core procedures that should have been followed seem to have been ignored. To begin with, Mike, Ethan, and Daisy did not develop a shared mission statement. This can result in each partner pursuing their goals in the same organization (Drucker, 2012). This could explain the situation where Mike foresees a problem facing Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park while Daisy in is not seeing any problem now or shortly. This demonstrates a lack of leadership in the business. Leadership sets the goals that should be achieved within a given time frame (Bayeh, n.d.). The business partners also failed to organize their resources in a way that would have ensured optimal utilization of resources including personnel (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). It explains why the business had to pull employees from one area of the park to the other area despite the fact that all areas in the park had customers and therefore, needed attention. It is apparent that Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park lacks organization which makes it difficult to use the available resources to generate more revenue and build a sustainable business entity. Organization of resources involves giving structure to the business entity so that there are proper relationships between different functions and people in the organization. Such organization of the human resources and other assets of Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park forms a unit that can be directed towards achieving the company’s objectives (Bayeh, n.d.).
Another weakness in the business entity is the partners’ underestimation of the importance of recruitment, job design, and description, as well as training of employees. Carrying out a recruitment exercise enables a business entity to have the opportunity to choose from a pool of many applicants and identify the people who most qualify for a job position that is being considered to be filled. However, it is only possible to advertise for a recruitment exercise when the organization has a clear idea of what qualities it is looking for in potential employees (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). The business owners do not have job designs and description which implies that their employees do not have the specifics of what they are expected to do in the park. As it is, any employee in the park can be asked to carry out any duty regardless of whether they are conversant with the duty or not. Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park has ignored the principles of division of labor and specialization. This seems to have gotten a tall to the employees and even to the management team itself. They allocated themselves duties that they are not qualified for, and now they do not enjoy doing what they are doing. Having employees who have specialized in a particular area working in that particular area gives a business an advantage of offering the best services to its customers (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). Job design and job description helps both the business and the employees. The management is made aware of who is supposed to do what through the job design while employees get to understand what is expected of them through the job description. Having the different roles in the Paintball Park arranged and distributed amongst different departments, allows the management to evaluate the jobs and understand exactly how many employees will be required in every department for the Paintball Park. It also allows for accountability so that when something has not been done or has been done wrongly, it becomes easy to identify who takes the responsibility (Bayeh, n.d.). Furthermore, the employees have lamented about the lack of training in the workplace. Workplace training is vital even for properly qualified employees since it enables them to refresh about what they already know and also to learn new concepts that have been introduced in their field of specialization.
Underestimation of the importance of recruitment, job design, job description, and training exhibits a lack of leadership and organization in the business. Organization is premised on division of labor, and the business has totally failed in division of labor (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). It has left most of the employees dejected and less motivated in carrying out their duties. The Paintball Park is overstretched. The high numbers of customers in the park require more employees in various departments than the company has provided. The employees seem affected negatively by the excessive work they have had to do without training and also by being moved around all over the park.
Mike, Ethan and Daisy have failed to motivate the employees. They have been assuming that motivation will occur naturally to the employees. Their assumption is not realistic considering that most of the employees have not been properly trained for the job that they are doing. The three business owners lack leadership skills. Leaders understand the importance of motivating employees to enhance the productivity of the business (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). Alongside leadership, being able to execute the control function of management is equally very important in ensuring that the results achieved match the objectives that have been set. In the event of discrepancies, the control function evaluates the reasons for the deviations and institutes measures that ensure that whatever that was done wrong is corrected, and the set objectives can be realized (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). The business owners at Outdoor Adventure have not taken this function seriously as exemplified by the differences between two of the owners. While one notices that the business’ sales are dipping and that there is a need to investigate the reasons the other is of a contrary opinion.
Collaborative Management
The management style that seeks to involve everyone in the efficient management of the company. The leader in this management style shares power with the others and allows them to participate in decision-making through presentation of ideas (Drucker, 2012). It is a suitable model for Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park since the business is owned by three individuals. It will ensure that every co-owner has some form of control in the business as much as there will be hierarchy (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). Employees are also involved in the management and they are also invited to present ideas to the top management, and their ideas are incorporated in decision making. Employees can also be allowed to make some operational decisions while far in the park and report such decisions to their superiors later. This model will act as a motivating factor to both the management and to employees (Bayeh, n.d.). When employees are involved in decision making, it makes them feel valued and feels like they are part of the business. They will want to associate with the success of the business and will, therefore, strive to ensure that the business succeeds.
Roles and Responsibilities
A lean organizational structure is preferable in contemporary business management. It allows for faster decision making since there are few people involved in decision making. Outdoor Adventure can have a structure with three top managers. Each of the managers will have different responsibilities. For instance, the managerial positions can include, General Manager (GM) who is also in charge of Finance, Operations Manager (OM) and Human Resources Manager (HR). The GM is ranked higher while the other two managers are equally placed below in the GM in the organizational hierarchy structure. There will then be support staff in all the three departments reporting to their respective seniors. For instance, the GM can have an accounts clerk, accountant, or a finance officer who will be handling finances and preparation of financial statements. The HR department can have supervisors who oversee operations in different sides of the park each supervisor can be allocated some employees to work with in their jurisdictions (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012).
Communication
Communication using collaborative management is free flowing. Information moves from all directions, i.e. from to top management to subordinates and from subordinates to the top and also sideways. Top to bottom and bottom to top communication is passed through ranking officers (Cameron & Green, 2004).
Recommendations
Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park is strategically placed to succeed. The park has resources and equipment that can help facilitate its growth into a major business in the industry. However, actions need to be taken to address the weaknesses that have been identified and use its strengths to spur higher growth levels (Cameron & Green, 2004). As a start, for a business to be successful, it needs to have a common vision and mission that everybody subscribes to and commits to pursuing in the organization. Creating a mission and vision statements gives the business the objective of what needs to be achieved both in the long run and in the short run (Cameron & Green, 2004).
Outdoor Adventure Paintball Park would do a lot better with a plan. Planning gives the business a direction that it should take in pursuit of its objectives. Planning is critical since it directs the business on how processes should be undertaken and helps to avoid confusion where activity is undertaken before a preceding activity is completed or undertaken (Morden, 2007). It will help the business eliminate resource wastage and improve resource allocation. Efficient allocation of resources is central to the success of any business entity. It will also ensure that all parts of the park are sufficiently staffed and allocated sufficient resources to serve the customers more efficiently. Planning goes hand in hand with organization (Cameron & Green, 2004). Once a strategic plan has been made for both the short and the long terms, organization will ensure that people and other resources in the business are combined into units that have the capability to be directed towards the objectives of the business (Cameron & Green, 2004). Organizing will also involve scheduling major events so that the business does not commit to hosting more events than its capacity can allow.
Leadership is vital to success in any organization. It is important to note that leadership does not just involve the managers at the top (Drucker, 2012). Lower ranked employees can identify leaders within themselves that can lead them towards achieving minor daily goals that have either been set for them or they have set for themselves. Top management needs to be the top leadership in the business. Leadership is different from management (Catlin-Legutko & Klingler, 2012). Leaders provide examples and inspiration to their followers. Leaders motivate employees to achieve the desired goals. Various motivational theories can be applied to motivate employees in various in different circumstances. The leadership at Outdoor Adventure need to understand that their employees are less motivated and generate a motivational plan for them.
Finally, whereas planning, organizing and leading tries to ensure that business objectives are met, the controlling function, as has already been mentioned, attempts to ensure that the set goals are met. It helps in monitoring processes and ensuring that everything is operating as planned. In case of any discrepancies, the control function initiates mitigating measures to rectify the situation (Cameron & Green, 2004). Outdoor Adventure needs to have control measures that will ensure that the management is aware of unmet goals so that mitigating measures can be initiated to ensure goals are met both in the long and short run (Morden, 2007).
Balanced Scorecard
References
Bayeh, Z. Organizational management.
Cameron, E. & Green, M. (2004). Making sense of change management. London: Kogan Page.
Catlin-Legutko, C. & Klingler, S. (2012). Organizational management. Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press.
Drucker, P. (2012). The Practice of Management. New York: Routledge.
Morden, T. (2007). Principles of strategic management. Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
