Question 1
In the current situation, Andrea needs to realize that the level of trust will determine the ability of the company to recover from the shockwaves of downsizing that the employees have on the management. This confidence will secure not only the short-term future of the enterprise but also the long-term outcomes (Brauer & Laamanen, 2014).
Justice is an important aspect that she needs to embrace since it contributes to the building of trust. The distributive dimension to justice touches on outcomes and the perceptions of whether or not they are shared equally. Given that the surviving employees have to take up extra responsibilities, she should put in place policies to ensure a just distribution of the responsibilities and remuneration. The procedural dimension of justice touches on fairness when it comes to decision making. Here, the best alternative would be giving a voice to the workers, to ensure that they feel part of the organization as the changes are being made (Datta & Basuil, 2015). Having a voice is especially required when the outcomes are bad, and this applies in this case where more responsibility will be added to the staff. The most important dimension of justice to consider here is that is that of informational justice. An employee needs to justify the actions done by the employer by being offered the satisfactory explanations for the various decisions made. This dimension also calls for truthfulness, where the two parties communicate honestly, without leaving any details behind (Bowie & Werhane, 2004).
The best option here will be being honest and informative. An aspect that further prevents the normalization of activities within an organization after downsizing is the occurrence of a communication vacuum (Goudreau, 2009). Management, through effective communication, can mitigate the adverse reaction that inevitably comes from the employees. Being more guarded encourages the growth of the adverse reactions from the staffers, and this negatively impacts the organization. Being honest and very informative is the best course of action to take. From an ethical perspective, it is unethical to lie to the staffers on the issues that affect them directly. On the other hand, being guarded can be viewed as ethical from the management’s viewpoint. Some situational pressures make it ethical to suppress some of the information. If being honest may result in adverse outcomes for the organization, it may be acceptable to be more guarded about what is put in the open (Bowie & Werhane, 2004).
Question 2
The aspect of compensation is a sensitive issue that management at Blaze needs to take into consideration since it affects the level of motivation among the staffers. The option of offering short-term bonuses is the best approach to take since the alternative will allow for the realization of the interpersonal dimension of justice. After Andrea provides honest information on the expected changes in the work structure, offering a pay raise will be the most logical thing to do. It will motivate the staffers to take up the extra responsibility. The rise in compensation is, therefore, based on truthfulness, which will also mean the realization of the informational dimension of justice (Datta & Basuil, 2015). Apart from, the issue of justice, offering a permanent raise will give the employees a sense of security. The Maslow’s theory of motivation points out that safety needs make up the basic needs that motivate an individual (Beck, 2003). Appealing to these needs, therefore, will improve the work rate of the staffers.
The option of leveraging the funds to support the changes in work structure amounts to the destruction of trust that the staffers have on the management. The procedural dimension of justice calls for fairness when making decisions. Given that management exclusively makes the decision to restructure the workload; honest communication needs to be applied. Such honesty cannot be achieved through leveraging the funds since the employees would not have been offered an opportunity to voice their issues or concerns.
Question 3
Combining the areas for staffers is one aspect that Andrea should approach carefully. In most organizations, research has revealed that a significant percentage of the workers report no form of excitement about their roles (Beck, 2003). The prospect of adding more responsibility and changing the organization of work brings the danger of further reducing the motivation levels of the employees. Herzberg’s 2-factor motivational theory can be applied to improve the motivation of the employees. According to Herzberg, the content of the job can motivate the workers. Once the staffers feel the weight of responsibility, they will be motivated to helping the realization of the organizational goals (Beck, 2003).
The new positions have the potential of bringing more satisfaction to the staff, compared to the positions before downsizing, all this will depend on the level of motivation that workers have towards the achievement of the newly set goals. According to Maslow’s theory, people have the higher needs of esteem and self-actualization. In this case, their needs would be met when the staffers are motivated to move beyond the present challenge and accomplish the newly set goals (Goudreau, 2009).
For the staffers to be motivated in accomplishing their new tasks, the jobs need to be structured in such a way that helps them get satisfaction. The job characteristics theory can be applied here, where employees are motivated to engage in more meaningful work. The new positions need to be designed in such a way that the employees have a sense of responsibility which leads to overall job satisfaction. All this is tied to the psychological responses that the new positions will elicit from the staffers (Beck, 2003).
Question 4
On the backdrop of downsizing, making the surviving employees feel secure as part of the organization determines the ability of an organization to recover. Giving the staffers a louder voice is one of the ways through which the employees feel as part and parcel of the team. Being involved in the making of organizational decisions motivates the employees to offer more effort towards the realization of organizational goals. Besides, it results in the overall job satisfaction among workers, which leads to positive outcomes for the organization (Datta & Basuil, 2015). The procedural dimension of justice in an organization supports giving the staffers a voice in this transition period. This dimension highlights the importance of achieving a sense of fairness in decision making; which can be realized by allowing the input of the staffers to the organization’s activities (Brauer & Laamanen, 2014).
The dangers that come with allowing the input of the staffers during the transition period at Blaze is the fostering of counterproductive behavior. Dissatisfied employees may result in actions that deliberately derails the organization from achieving its set goals. Mitigating this challenge is tied to the ability of management to recognize withdrawal behavior. After the recognition of such behavior, management can take steps to restore the organizational commitment of the staffers. The actions put in place should focus on encouraging staffers place more effort to the realization of organizational goals (Beck, 2003).
References
Beck, R. C. (2003). Motivation: Theories and Principles (5th Edition) . Pearson.
Bowie, N. E., & Werhane, P. (2004). Management Ethics. Wiley-Blackwell.
Brauer, M., & Laamanen, T. (2014). Workforce downsizing and firm performance: An organizational routine perspective. . Workforce downsizing and firm performance: An organizational routine perspective. , 1311-1333.
Datta, D., & Basuil, D. (2015). Does employee downsizing really work?. Human resource management practices , 197-221.
Goudreau, J. (2009). Managing A Downsized Team. Retrieved February 2, 2016, from FORBES: http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/10/layoff-survivor-employees-forbes-woman-leadership-management.html
