Problem Solution: Interclean, Inc
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Problem Solution: InterClean, Inc.
InterClean is in the industrial cleaning and sanitation industry and currently has primarily a sales based focus towards their customers. In order to succeed and grow in this highly competitive market InterClean has decided to move to a solutions based approach which will offer customers more than just products, it will also offer solutions to their customers cleaning and sanitation needs. At the same time InterClean has decided to merge with one of their biggest competitors to grow more strength in the business and increase skill levels of all employees.
I will be addressing several issues that InterClean needs to address prior to the reorganization and evaluation and suggest solutions to these problems.
Situation Analysis
Issue and Opportunity Identification
InterClean is currently an industrial cleaning supplies distributor with a strong sales base. Due to the changes governing environmental safety and companies no longer just wanting to purchase cleaning products but wanting solutions to their sanitation needs InterClean has to reorganize their company from a sales based industry to a solutions based industry. These changes in the industry have created a great opportunity for InterClean to grow, and David Spencer, CEO for InterClean is driving to take advantage of these opportunities while at the same time acquiring EnviroTech which was one of their major domestic competitors.
One of the first concepts that will have to be leveraged at InterClean is motivating change. Motivating change is a key factor to create a sense of necessity for the employees. During times of change employees naturally have resistance and fear for their jobs and InterClean has already started feeling this resistance. Part of motivating change is effective communication between employees, management, and the executive staff to make sure that everyone is aware of where they fit into the companys future, and what they can do to help the company and advance in the company during this time. It is very important to have a company vision in place that clearly states the future goals and timelines, and this has to be effectively communicated to everyone in the company.
Another way to motivate this change would be to offer incentive pay. One of the complaints form the employees is that they feel InterClean is going to give them more work with the same compensation. Incentive pay would be pay for performance, which will offer employees bonuses or incentive regular pay based on development and implementation of solution based systems and sales.
The next concept that InterClean will have to focus on is Skills and Training Development of their employees. The first step would be to review the skills matrixes that have been developed for each of the merging companies. This is an ideal way to cross train employees with minimum expense by moving employees from one division of the company to another based on specific skill sets. There will also be a need for outside training in specific areas right away to get some of the key planning and development people trained on the needs of different industries so they can start developing solution based services for those target industries. Over time InterClean will need to have a continuous improvement program set up where cross training is available. This will allow InterClean to have a diverse base of trained employees in all positions. Training is costly for the company but continuous improvement is continuous cross training which reduces this cost and pays huge dividends to the company in the long run.
After reviewing the skills matrixes for both companies there will most likely still be the need to hire some new employees with specific talents vital to the companys reorganization plans. This is where a good recruitment and selection program will have to come to play. One of the key objectives to hiring a new employee is looking past just the fact that the candidate has the skills or ability to perform a job, the interviewing process has to determine if the candidate is a fit for the organization. This means would they be onboard with the reorganization and the companys future vision. The interview process has to be conducted with not only a human resource representative but also representatives from several departments and some key executives that are truly dedicated to moving the company forward in its vision.
Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas
The key stakeholders for InterClean are the shareholders, employees, and the companys customers. The shareholders need to have trust in the organization that they invest in because their main concern is getting a fair return on their investment. InterCleans employees need a secure work environment and a job that give them personal satisfaction. This requires good communication from the company to ensure that each employee knows the future of the company and where they fit into the companys future. The employees also need to feel that they are being compensated fairly for their efforts while on the job. InterCleans customers are the ones that make business possible for the entire organization. The customers have to have their needs fulfilled to their satisfaction and this will require new and innovative solutions to satisfy the governing sanitation regulations, excellent customer service, and to receive the services they are promised in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. If any of these needs are not met the customer will in most cases take their business else ware.
Problem Statement
InterClean sees itself growing from a sales based industry to a solutions based industry in the future. This will require InterClean to formulate a future vision plan that is very well communicated to all employees. This will keep all employees focused on the future vision and build employee moral by allowing them to see where they fit into the picture after the reorganization. This solutions based model that InterClean will be working towards will build market share and increase company revenue in the future.
End-State Vision
InterClean will become one of the top industrial cleaning and sanitation companies with their solution based model of customer service that will launch them into global expansion, and will work closely with HRM to determine the correct training programs and motivational elements to continue having highly motivated and productive employees.
Alternative Solutions
According to the benchmarking research