Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Site Security and Secure Escort - Case Study Example

Management Report Based on the Case Study Part A: Succinct Overview The “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” (SWOT) model can be used to analyse the strategic position of a firm (Bohlander & Snell 2010, p. 70). The tool helps to analyse the current as well as the future state of internal and external factors that affect the performance of a firm (Bohlander & Snell 2010, p. 70). Therefore, the SWOT analysis tool can be used to analyse the current state of affairs at Site Security and Secure Escort (SSSE). The results can then be used to develop strategic approaches that can be used to transform the human resource function of the organisation. Deb (2006, p. 46) notes that under the strategic human resource practice approach, the human resource function is integrated into the overall strategic goals of an organisation. Hence, a similar approach will be used in this case. The following is a summary of the major “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats” for SSSE. STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES A wide range of services Disengaged employees The experience of the CEO and top managers in the industry Inappropriate corporate culture A broad client base Top-down management style OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Increasing global demand for security services Shortage of supply of skilled employees Clients who are willing to pay for services at premium rates Unhappy clients One of the key strengths of SSSE is that its top leaders, including the new CEO, have longstanding experience in the security services industry. The CEO of the company has a track record of successfully managing different firms in the security industry. Besides, the senior staff members of the company have gained considerable experience while managing the operations of the company. Also, the company offers a broad range of security-related services. Given that the company offers clients a wide range of services, it becomes easy for the company to diversify its operations by offering new but related services to its existing market. As well, the company has longstanding contracts with clients from different parts of the world. Hence, the broad nature of the client base is a form of strength for the company in two ways. First, it offers a level of insurance against possible fluctuations in demand. Secondly, it helps the company to adapt its services to the changing needs of its different clients. The greatest weakness that the company faces arises from the interaction of its corporate culture and management style and how this affects the performance of the employees. The corporate culture of the company is characterised by a lack of cooperation among the senior staff, intolerance towards diversity and poor flow of information. On the other hand, the management style that is used within the organisation is based on top-down control. Zientara (2014, p. 46) notes that top-down style of management is unsuitable for organisations in the current times because it does not allow for negotiations and concessions. As a result of the prevalent culture and management style, the level of employee engagement and performance within SSSE is low. The company also faces opportunities and threats. One opportunity arises from the growing demand for advanced security services by organisations across the world. Increasing levels of security threats are forcing companies to seek integrated security services. This presents an opportunity for the company to grow its business in new and existing markets. However, the company faces threats arising from the interaction between shortages of skilled employees and the growing level of dissatisfaction among its existing clients. Skills shortage limits the capacity of the company to meet the needs of its existing clients as well as grow its business portfolio. Similarly, client dissatisfaction threatens the capacity of the company to grow its business. Part B: Critical Evaluation Employee performance One of the main issues being faced at SSSE is poor employee performance. The employees of the different departments of the business are performing below what is expected of them. For example, it has been pointed out that the clients of the company are concerned with the manner in which the employees of the company are carrying out their duties. Therefore, it is clear that the employees of the company are not performing as per the expectations of the company and that this is threatening the business of the company. In theory, employee performance is determined in terms of three principles: the individual, the work and the context (Rothwell & Kazanas 2003, p. 402). It is based on how the work that is carried out by specific individuals compares with the set expectations within the context of an organisation that the concept of job performance is defined. Further, the technical competence of employees is an important precursor of employee performance (Williams 2002, p. 105). Having in place employees who have the technical capacity to carry out specific tasks at the place of work is a necessary step for a company to experience outstanding performance. It can be seen that the employees of SSSE have failed to meet the expectations of their clients. There are several reasons for this. In the first place, the company is facing a shortage of highly trained employees. On the one hand, the organisation is facing a growth in demand for highly integrated security services by companies that have global operations. On the other hand, the company cannot access highly skilled employees that it can deploy to work in the different sites of its clients. Therefore, lack of highly skilled employees is one of the factors that undermine the capacity of the staff of SSSE to meet the expectations of the clients of the company. Poor remuneration is also a cause of poor employee performance within the company. In theory, the performance of employees is directly tied to rewards. In general, companies use different forms of rewards to motivate their employees to perform (Torrington, Hall & Taylor 2005, p. 594). The rewards that companies use to motivate their employees may be financial or otherwise. Moreover, companies tie the rewards that they give to their employees on the performance of the employees at work. Using this approach helps to motivate employees to achieve specific goals at work with the aim of getting the rewards. In the case of SSSE, it can be seen that the senior management of the company does not have a comprehensive employee reward programme in place. In addition, the company’s employees complain that they are being underpaid. Therefore, poor pay undermines the motivation of the employees of the company to perform at their jobs. Ideally, the employees of SSSE should be performing to the expectations of the clients of the company. The work of the employees should be playing a leading role in helping the company grow by meeting the expectations of its current client base and growing its premium services for multinationals. However, this is not the case at SSSE. Therefore, there is a gap between what is expected at SSSE concerning the performance of employees and what takes place at the organisation. It is important to note that this gap between the desired and actual level of employee performance within the organisation can be explained by the principles of the active investigation model. The constructionist theory of active investigation model holds that what people say and believe to be true determines how they behave (Whitney & Cooperrider 2011, p. 62). Another principle, the poetic principle, holds that the stories that people share every day end up shaping the life of the entire organisation (Whitney & Cooperrider 2011, p. 63). Within this context, it has been pointed out that employees are complaining that the senior management does not take them seriously. Further, employees believe that the company does not remunerate them as they deserve. Therefore, the day-to-day talk among employees and their belief about the manner in which the company treats them cause general laxity and poor performance within the staff of the company. Employee engagement The second major employee management issue that SSSE faces is a low level of employee engagement. In theory, the concept of employee engagement is defined as a relationship between employees and an organisation in which employees feel enthusiastic about their jobs and are willing to take positive action for the benefit of their organisations (Markos & Sridevi 2010, p. 91). Three things define employee engagement. The first one is that employees who are highly engaged tend to find satisfaction in their jobs (Knight 2011, p. 8). Second is that employees who are highly engaged tend to be ready and willing to demonstrate positive effort for the benefit of their organisations (Knight 2011, p. 8). In other words, highly engaged employees are willing to take the initiative. The third point is that employee engagement is demonstrated in the level of emotional connection that employees have to their organisations. Highly engaged employees are emotionally connected and committed to their organisations (Markos & Sridevi 2010, p. 92). In general, organisations seek to develop and maintain a high level of employee engagement because employee engagement is directly related to organisational performance. It has been pointed out that those organisations whose employees show high levels of engagement tend to perform better than those whose employees have low levels of engagement (Torrington, Hall & Taylor 2005, p. 483). It then follows that organisations in which employees have low levels of engagement seek to address the issue. For SSSE, it is clear that the company is experiencing low levels of employee engagement. The employees fail to show any form of positive emotional connection and commitment to the organisation. Furthermore, the employees of SSSE show low levels of initiative. This explains why they are unwilling to take positive steps to address the problems that the organisation is facing. The employees also show low levels of job satisfaction. It is important to consider why the employees at SSSE are showing low levels of engagement. This can be done by referring to some of the principles of the appreciative inquiry model. The anticipatory principle holds that individuals within organisations attempt to create images of the figure of the organisation (Whitney & Cooperrider 2011, p. 64). For SSSE, it can be seen that the employees of the organisation do not create positive images of the future of the society. The lack of commitment and enthusiasm among the employees is a result of the existence of a poor culture characterised by a lack of cooperation, poor communication and an authoritarian style of management. Part C: Recommendations For SSSE to achieve growth and profitability in the short-, medium- and long-term, it has to address its two main issues: low employee engagement and poor employee performance. By using this approach, the company would successfully address its short- and medium-term problems. For the company to achieve growth and profitability in the short- as well as long-term, it is necessary to implement change using the 4D cycle of the affirmative action model. In theory, the 4D model entails the following specific steps: discovering what the problem is, dreaming how the organisation can be, designing what should be done and ensuring that the organisation is destined to the dream (Thomas 2006, p. 3). Therefore, the company needs to implement the following recommendations. 1. Review the remuneration of all employees and benchmark it against industry standards to ensure that the employees are competitively remunerated. 2. Perform a comprehensive skills assessment programme to determine the skills gaps within the company’s staff and implement a training programme to address the gaps. 3. Review the company’s structure to determine layers of bureaucracy that hinder the flow of information and eliminate them to streamline the flow of information within the organisation and facilitate effective management practices. 4. Assess the performance of every unit of the company to determine areas of concern raised by customers and address them fully. 5. Assess the culture of the company to determine areas that create strife within the organisation and undermine the performance of the employees. 6. Develop a new and clear mission for the company that is based on a shared desire by all employees and work to ensure that all the employees are committed towards the new mission. References Armstrong, M 2012, Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice, Kogan Page, London. Bohlander, GW & Snell, S 2010, Managing human resources, Cengage Learning, Mason. Whitney, D & Cooperrider, D 2011, Appreciative inquiry: a positive revolution in change, Readhowyouwant.com. Deb, T 2006, Strategic approach to human resource management, Atlantic Publishers, New York. Gilani, MHN, Zadeh, MS & Saderi, HR 2012, ‘The role of strategic human resource management in creation of competitive advantages (case study: a commercial organisation in Malaysia), International Journal of Business and Social Science, vol. 3, no. 16, pp. 225-238. Knight, R 2011, Employee engagement: A study of employee engagement at Topaz’s south Dublin region service stations, Master thesis, National College of Ireland, viewed 13th December 2016, . Markos, S & Sridevi, MS 2010, ‘Employee engagement: the key to improving performance,’ International Journal of Business Management, vol. 5, no. 12, pp. 89-95. Rothwell, WJ & Kazanas, HC 2003, The strategic development of talent, Human Resource Development, New York. Thomas, EC 2006, ‘Appreciative inquiry: A positive approach to change,’ viewed 13th December 2016, . Torrington, D, Hall, L & Taylor, S 2005, Human resource management, Financial Times Prentice Hall, London. Williams, RS 2002, Managing employee performance: design and implementation in organisations, Cengage, Mason. Zientara, P 2014, Human resource management in emerging economies, Routledge, London. Read More