The Challenges Facing Red Telecom - Research Proposal Example

Telecom Name Institutional Affiliation Table of Contents Executive Summary The purpose of this proposal is to find the challenges facing Red Telecom and propose the necessary changes. The findings are based on the case study of the organization. The results of the analysis establish that some of the challenges facing the company staff is lack of team, poor communication skills, lack of problem solving skills, and anxiety brought by organizational changes. ADDIE plan was used to come up with the learning and development interventions. The plan is a step by step that includes analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The framework details the process that the company should adopt to address the challenges and equip their employees with the needed skills. Red Telecom Proposal Objective The purpose of this proposal is to find the challenges facing Red Telecom and propose the necessary changes. The findings are based on the case study of the organization. Background Information Red Telecom, an Australian Telecommunications Carrier underwent a global restructure in its technical and customer service that resulted in disruption of its activities and the performance of employees in the affected departments. The customer service wing experienced changes in customer call operations. There were cultural issues due to the handling of foreign customers who called to enquire on a number of problems. Customers raised their concern on language and cultural difficulties when discussing their accounts with overseas operators. Hogan (2013) notes most people today are given global responsibilities without training in cultural awareness, understanding or communication skills. Cultural competence requires that employees develop a deep, nuanced and sophisticated understanding of diversity and becoming skilled in cross-cultural communication (Cooper, He & Levin, 2011). They were also upset at the changes to pricing policies and processes such as bill payments. It is normal that organizations face resistance to changes and if not properly handled can derail its functions. Workgroup Profile The organization is made up of different divisions. It has the customer service section that deals with consumer complaints and inquiries. Additionally, there is the technical department that is composed of various levels of technical support. Besides, there is the management category that is made up by team leaders. The aim of the organization is to offer telecommunication services to both business and residential sectors. Problem Statement/Competency Gap There are numerous challenges that Red Telecom is facing due to changes in its structure. The biggest problem for the organization is in the customer resolution department. Cultural Incompetence Initially, Red Telekom had outsourced call centers that handled surplus enquiries and after-hours service for Australian customers. Cook (2011) recommends that for effective customer relations, companies should always listen to their clients. The employees in charge of the divisions were not culturally competent which lead to communication challenges. The relocation of the Department also resulted in complaints from customers regarding frontline customer service and technical support. Lack of experience New recruits who were given new positions were not adequately prepared for their role. They were supposed to be mentored by experienced managers, but that did not take place due to the latter’s busy schedule. Teamwork The lack of trust and unity among the new recruits and team leaders led to the latter reluctance to share information and wanting to retain power. Asi (2015) writes that some employees may resist changes when they view it negatively or deem it as a threat to their status quo. The inability of the organization to carry out the changes effectively by involving everyone led to the problems witnessed. Needed Competencies/Skills Competencies are behaviors that are key to effective performance within a particular job. Some of the skills that employees of the organization need include: 1. Teamwork: There was the lack of cooperation among the organization’s employees. The team leaders refused to cooperate with their team members who complained of not receiving enough information. The company should foster teamwork among its members so that they can work together as a group to achieve a common goal or objectives. Lack of teamwork in an organization is due to lack of unifying vision and often leads to conflicts among employees (Dyck & Neubert, 2010). Shared sense of purpose gives a team energy plus direction and ensures the best use of resources (Adair, 2010). Team members are required to have a range of behaviours including listening and responding constructively to other team member’s ideas, express disagreement constructively and provides assistance when needed, share expertise with others among others. 2. Communication skills: There was the lack of proper communication skills on the employees of the customer resolutions departments. They were not equipped to deal with clients from a different country hence cultural issues brought led to a lack of understanding. As a result, they failed to handle the customer’s complaints as required which resulted in bad relations as sometimes they were abused. 3. Problem-solving skills: the employees lack problem-solving skills which has made some of them quit their job due to the challenges. Individuals with better problem-solving skills persist in pursuing reasonable goals and coping with adversity (Malouff & Schutte, 2014). People who don’t know how to come up with solutions to problems cannot function as expected in organizations. 4. Managing change: the employees were required to personally develop a new approach to how they carried their work or propose new methods. Most of the employees could not manage change leading to a high turnover. Leaders, on the other hand, are required to cooperate with others to produce innovative solutions and help employees develop a clear understanding of what they are supposed to do. Also, they have an obligation to help individuals and groups manage the anxiety brought by significant changes. However, they choose to keep information to themselves and refuse to cooperate with their team members. Overview of Proposed Learning and Development Strategy ADDIE plan will be used to come up with the learning and development interventions. The U.S. Army first developed the model in the 1970s. The advantages associated with the model are that it is flexible and can be used for learning events that are not time sensitive (Branch, 2010). It can also be modified to suit user needs and can be employed with other models. The main disadvantage of the model is that it is time-consuming and costly. The framework stresses on ongoing evaluation. It is divided into the following parts: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. 1. Analysis At this stage, the objectives are established, and issues identified 2. Design This will include the learning objectives, content, exercises and media selection 3. Development It includes the design of storyboards and graphics as well as the integration of any eLearning technologies 4. Implementation This phase focuses on developing procedures for both facilitators and learners and learning outcomes 5. Evaluation The purpose of this phase is to ensure that all the stated goals of the learning are met. Proposal Details: Key Learning and Development Interventions Analysis The problems in the company have been identified as lack of teamwork and anxiety brought about by the changes, communication problems, lack of problem-solving skills, and lack of enough training among employees to handle their work effectively. Also, the organization managerial team did little to address the challenges and guide their team members. There was a lack of employee and peer support. The findings are derived from the analysis of information collected from employees through surveys and the organizational analysis. Design The aim of the training will be to equip the employees with teamwork skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills. They will also be taught on how to handle change in the work environment with the aim of improving performance. It is expected that employees will be equipped with interpersonal skills and other meta abilities. Development The training will involve both formal and informal learning and training activities. Formal training will be through lectures both in classrooms and online and informal ones through mentoring. In this case, a junior person will be paired with a senior executive. Employees will be required to participate in team building activities to foster cooperation. Implementation Employees will be required to attend all the training sessions. The training course will involve impacting the employees of the organization with the required communication skills and how to manage change in the workplace. Team building will help foster the ideals of cooperation among all employees (Krul, Nicieza & Scott, 2011). Finally mentoring will help those in senior positions guide their subordinates on how to go about specific tasks. The proposed benefits include unity of purpose among the employees, effective communication skills including cultural competence, and equipping employees with the skills on how to manage change. Evaluation The outcomes of the process will be continuous and will follow the Kirkpatrick’s 4 levels framework. Learning and Development Proposal Evaluation The success of the learning and development proposal will be evaluated through the Kirkpatrick’s 4 levels of evaluation (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). The framework will measure the following: 1. The degree the participants react favorably to the learning event 2. The extent to which the participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes based on their participation in the learning event 3. The degree to which the participants apply what they have learnt during the training when they are back on the job 4. The degree desired outcomes occur as a result of the learning events and subsequent reinforcement. Conclusions/Action Plan The structural changes at Red Telecom ushered in several challenges that affected service delivery and took a toll at employee motivation. Some of the problems identified by the individual and organizational analysis include lack of teamwork, lack of cultural competence to handle international clients, anxiety brought about by the changes, lack of employee empowerment. Therefore, the proposed learning and development plan seeks to address the identified challenges. The program seeks to equip employees with teamwork skills, interpersonal communication skills, and problem-solving skills. Also, it aims to provide the employees with skills on how to manage changes in the workplace. The training will be both formal and informal. It will be carried out through team building activities, mentorship, and a lesson plan. The program will be evaluated through the Kirkpatrick’s framework. References Adair, J. (2010). Strategic leadership. Philadelphia, Pa.: Kogan Page. Asl, G. (2015). Organizational Change Management Strategies in Modern Business. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Branch, R. (2010). Instructional design: the ADDIE approach. Boston, MA: Springer US. Cook, S. (2011). Customer care excellence. London: Kogan Page. Cooper, J., He, Y., & Levin, B. (2011). Developing critical cultural competence. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin. Dyck, B., & Neubert, M. (2010). Management. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Hogan, M. (2013). Four skills of cultural diversity competence. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth. Kirkpatrick, J., & Kirkpatrick, W. (2016). Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Training Evaluation. Virginia: Association for Talent Development. Krul, J., Nicieza, F., & Scott, N. (2011). Team building. London: DC Comics. Malouff, J., & Schutte, N. (2014). Activities To Enhance Social, Emotional, And Problem-Solving Skills. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher. Appendix 1 Goals Tasks Time Line 2017 Trainers Outcome Long Term Short Term Learning and Development Teamwork skills Educating employee on: responding constructively to other team member’s ideas, how to express disagreement constructively, and how to collaborate in tasks. August September Team building experts Strong leadership skills for Communication skills Educating customer relations department on how to communicate with people of diverse cultures August September Cultural communications experts Oversees customer care agents will be able to achieve cultural competence Problem-solving skills Empowering employees to solve issues that they encounter in their daily activities objectively and swiftly August- September Red Telecom managers Problem solving skills for employees Managing change How to manage change tips August-September Organizational change experts Making employees know how to manage change well. Read More