Essay About Sandy Ward And Employee Commitment

Essay, Pages 1 (1337 words)

Latest Update: October 9, 2021

Related Topics:

Business And Industrial
- Business Operations
  - Human Resources Management

At&t Dallas WorksEssay Preview: At&t Dallas WorksReport this essayProblem StatementA quick Just-In-Time (JIT) team was formed within AT&T: Dallas Works in order to implement managements new JIT initiatives. Sandy Ward is concerned about the level of commitment and motivation the group displayed during the initial group meeting and the inability of the group to implement change.

Corporate CulturePrior to the break-up of AT&T, the company was the major player within the communications market. The company was doing well and employee commitment was high due to their sheltered status. Following the break-up of the company that feeling of job safety was diminished when jobs were cut and plants were re-organized in order to remain competitive in the newly opened marketplace. The Dallas Works arm of AT&T specifically experienced a work force reduction of almost fifty percent in just a few short years. As a result, employee morale and commitment is very low.

With all of the change the plant has experienced the VABEs of the employee are being tested. With people, perception is everything. The employees that still remain at the Dallas Works have witnessed a lot of change. The employees are comparing all of the recent events to the current events. This comparison is generating mixed emotions and feelings throughout the work force.

With the recent introduction of Ken Wetherford as a senior manager within the plant, the employees expectations may be that of more cutbacks or quite possible plant closure. They have witnessed first hand his fast paced style. The employees know Wetherford was put in place to revitalize operations. His style has proven he desires to implement change and do it in rapid fashion. As such, there is a great deal of uncertainty. The stakes are quite high. After all, equity is one the three main goals workers seek from their job. A part of equity includes job security. Due to the external environment that the Dallas Works is operating within, management has not been focused on seeing to meet that need for their employees. They too are concerned for their well being or job security.

The level of commitment being displayed by employees of the Dallas Works is currently at a low. This low commitment can also be tied to the culture that has developed within the plant. The employees at the Dallas Works have little faith in management. This lack of faith may be attributed to Managements lack of engaging in “MBWA”; Management By Walking Around. If management was taking an active role in day-to-day plant operations by mingling throughout the various shops, a sense of trust would develop between the employee and management and eventually relationships develop. MBWA allows management to have a “pulse” on operations. They have an understanding of the employees motivators and VABEs. If management is not out and making a presence amongst the work force the connection is lost.

Wetherfords failure to encourage management to get a pulse on plant operations may prove to be his downfall. Wetherford is approaching the challenges facing him as if he were a first time manager. He is too eager to implement his plans to improve. This eagerness will not produce a quality product.

With the formation of the Quick JIT Team, Sandy Ward did little to help to ease the concerns of the group members. At the groups first meeting she failed to establish her credibility with the group. This failure created even more unease within the group. They had no clue as to whether or not they could trust her. Ward laid out very few details of what the group was assembled for. In addition, she laid out all of the negative aspects, i.e no pay raise, other than the extra monies associated with over time. This portion of her initial briefing demotivated the members by not playing to the economic model of motivation. If there is no monetary benefit to me being here, then why am I here? The message conveyed by Ward has definitely heightened an emotional response within the members of the team. In addition, the language she chose to use sends a fairly obscure signal to the membersÐ what is really happening here?

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Sandy Ward has a lot to live up to in her role managing the team. She has managed the Quick JIT Team and has been instrumental in the creation of the Team Dynamics team. She has taken the time to work through the issues as best as she can now and is fully responsible for all things necessary to ensure all of these issues are sorted out promptly (i.e. before they are ever published or if we have to add things). She and the Team Dynamics team now have to do more than just plan their efforts and are now responsible for providing a place for the members to go at all times. The team member that will help us to deal with all the problems and issues as best as she can (who has that little time at all) will do the same for us. These changes of leadership will result in an overall positive result. This change of leadership can mean a lot to all the members of the team. As a team leader on the team, Sandy is able to be involved in the development of all parts of our programs, such as programming and development/testing/training/etc. She is also responsible for helping to keep the team operating and stable until all the changes that have come forth, and the future progress made within the team (see above). All of this must be managed and coordinated with the leaders of these members who we need to ensure the team continues through the season when all members are given the opportunity. Sandy is also capable of taking care of all our logistics and logistics is being handled by our internal IT department located at the base camp in Lakeport, CT. It does this by using the same standard of care that we do for the rest of the members (so this is very much our own responsibility, as you will see soon – but it is also very likely that this is not what is required). As we are not the first Team Dynamics Team, we are the first to have all of this handled. Therefore, for all of you who have not yet read anything on Team Dynamics, I’d like to start by stating that I think that these changes and the actions are great, and it may be that we may see a lot of people in the upcoming season. We simply do not have the time here in order to bring everyone into the team and hopefully there will be some people that can help bring some of the group into this role that we will see when we have that opportunity. I will also include some links to my posts about the changes that I believe Sandy has done in helping to foster and build trust with the group in order to help us as we go forward. I am also very excited that Sandy has helped the members to get along in any way, in any way – and that everyone has enjoyed getting their members along for the ride. I highly recommend to everyone here with the information who are not familiar with all the various changes Sandy has made and those that have been included (or that are still in use – or you may need to upgrade your internet plan / software/etc). Also, for those who don’t know, sometimes it’s not easy and sometimes it is all the mental adjustments, etc. That said, if my fellow members see a little bit of Sandy Ward in you then they should be interested in getting on board. I am happy to work with her and she can help you with your experience here and hopefully, you will see her on an even keel!

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