Issues and Controversies in Management Project Essay

Issues and Controversies in Management Project - Essay Example Hence, workplace efficiency is observed only when employers enjoy smooth and cordial relationships with employees through creation of a discrimination free shared-value and family-based internal atmosphere (Liechty & Anderson, 2007). Quite unequivocally, clever employers minimise the probability of employee – employer and organisation – employee conflicts that actually result from role overloads, unrealistic expectations and targets, and the absence of links between instrumental and terminal values (Mullins, 2007). The researcher would like to critically review the existing literature on Workplace Flexibility to study how it impacts, either positively or negatively, the employee behaviours, attitudes, job satisfaction, need fulfillment, morale, confidence, trust, normative and affective commitment and finally the overall performance. This chapter will first include a discussion on importance of workplace flexibility in today’s unpredictable, unstructured, unclear and uncertain business environment followed by a discussion on various methods and policies that could be used for implementing flexibility across new workplaces (Bauer, 2004). It must be recalled that the core features and characteristics of an old workplace were authoritative leadership style, stability and control, centralisation, individual accountability and adversarial approach (an employee had inclination towards personal achievements only) and task – orientation. The new workplace, in contrast, is more decentralised and focuses on employee empowerment, relationship – orientation and employee – centred behaviour, democratic and leaderless leadership styles, team work and mutual accountability, Management by Objectives (MBO) and Total Quality Management (TQM) principles, delegation, R&D, innovation, change management process, automated assembly lines and induction of information systems etc. This is primarily because 21st century organisations have been o perating in unstructured and complex general environment; therefore, they are obliged to attain productive efficiency and cost leadership for maximising financial profits as well as shareholders’ wealth (Mullins, 2007) ; (Daft, 2009). The researcher will then evaluate how workplace flexibility affects employees as well as organisations. 2.1 – Workplace Flexibility Mangel & Konrad (2000) have defined Workplace Flexibility as a blend of procedures, policies and arrangements that allow employees to balance their family and corporate life. Indeed, the flexibility at organisations allow employees to continue making productive contributions to the organisation, since their need fulfillment is ensured that in turn enhance their affective and normative commitment. These arrangements include flexible working hours, job sharing, provision of computers to facilitate communication and phased retirement of older workers with retirement benefits and pension plans. According to Diane (2010), flexibility is measured after analysing answers to following questions: where an individual works, how many hours are spent, what are job responsibilities and assignments, what is the nature of contract (part-time or full-time) and what schedule does an individual have? There are three factors that drive the need to identify and support flexibility. These factors are legislation, unpredictability and nature of