The Challenges Facing Management
“The Challenges Facing Management”
Management theory has evolved over the past century. Management has evolved from the days of compensating employees will make them happy to the current view of empowering employees. Today’s workplace is more challenging for management than ever before. The drive to stay competitive has forced management to make difficult decisions that affect many employees. The increased diversity of the workplace has forced changes in policy and training. Furthermore, the push to become more efficient has lead to an increase in empowered employees and teams. However, the more efficient push has pushed many valuable employees out the door. By embracing Total Quality Management tools and concepts, some stages and employees within the process have proved to be redundant. Mergers and overseas expansion have provided management with many workplace issues that must be resolved. Management must deal with what action to take with employees who are redundant and/or expensive to maintain. With the ever-changing workplace brings more issues for managers to overcome. A very important issue for management to be concerned about is workplace diversity.
Workplace diversity is an important issue for management in today’s workplace. With so many lawsuits being filed against companies for discrimination and harassment, the issue of diversity awareness has became increasingly important in the workplace. Not only is diversity awareness a means to ensure the company has harmonious work relations, it is also a means to avoid a costly lawsuit and poor public relations. For example, in November of 1996, news broke that Texaco’s executives plotted to destroy documents and used racial slurs against African-Americans (CourtTV 1). The lawsuit resulted in Texaco paying $176.1 million to 1400 African-American employees (Cohen). The Texaco example shows how management must be aware that discrimination will not be tolerated in any form at
Management theory has evolved over the past century. Management has evolved from the days of compensating employees will make them happy to the current view of empowering employees. Today’s workplace is more challenging for management than ever before. The drive to stay competitive has forced management to make difficult decisions that affect many employees. The increased diversity of the workplace has forced changes in policy and training. Furthermore, the push to become more efficient has lead to an increase in empowered employees and teams. However, the more efficient push has pushed many valuable employees out the door. By embracing Total Quality Management tools and concepts, some stages and employees within the process have proved to be redundant. Mergers and overseas expansion have provided management with many workplace issues that must be resolved. Management must deal with what action to take with employees who are redundant and/or expensive to maintain. With the ever-changing workplace brings more issues for managers to overcome. A very important issue for management to be concerned about is workplace diversity.
Workplace diversity is an important issue for management in today’s workplace. With so many lawsuits being filed against companies for discrimination and harassment, the issue of diversity awareness has became increasingly important in the workplace. Not only is diversity awareness a means to ensure the company has harmonious work relations, it is also a means to avoid a costly lawsuit and poor public relations. For example, in November of 1996, news broke that Texaco’s executives plotted to destroy documents and used racial slurs against African-Americans (CourtTV 1). The lawsuit resulted in Texaco paying $176.1 million to 1400 African-American employees (Cohen). The Texaco example shows how management must be aware that discrimination will not be tolerated in any form at
Cited: The Texaco, Inc. $176.1 Million Settlement: New Precedent For Race Discrimination April 22, 1999 http://www.cmht.com/cwtexco1.htm Accessed: April 24, 1999 http://courttv.com/legaldocs/business/texaco/ Accessed: April 17, 1999 http://courttv.com/legaldocs/business/texaco/diversity_plan.html Accessed: April 17, 1999 April 9, 1999 http://www.iqd.com/pfttools.htm Accessed: April 17, 1999 IBS (Internet Broadcasting System) Accessed: April 17, 1999 Monster.com April 9, 1999 http://midcareer.monster.com/articles/team/teaming.html Accessed: April 17, 1999