Blog 1: Leadership

Issue 1:  Brasil Read (BR) mining was having a problem with keeping their employees focused on achieving its set objectives even though the workers were fairly compensated for work done. The problem occurred because Brook Williams, the organization was merely interested in exchanging accomplishment of tasks with reward. The organization needed a transformative leader.

Theory: Transformational leadership: – It takes a keen interest in the needs of employees’ personal growth and creates a vision out of the common interests of individuals and units of the organization.

Application: Williams, the managing director, can emphasize the importance of a collective sense of mission while speaking optimistically about the future and looking back positively on the accomplishments made.

Conclusion: The transformation leadership theory can help in transforming employees in achieving organizational goals.

Leadership

Issue 2: Zeroth energy, South African Company was struggling with integrating new technology into the organization. Most employees could not handle current technology-based activities applications and often resisted its use. The company needs transactional leadership.

Theory: Transactional leadership is a ‘give and take’ form of the command that exchanges tangible, concrete benefits for the loyalty of the work of supporters.

Application: The management can set performance targets for employees and set disciplinary measures such as probations for those who do not meet the objectives and firing those who consistently fail to meet them

Conclusion:  Transactional leadership is effective where employees are intentionally reluctant to achieve organizational goals.

Blog 2: Negotiation

Issue 1:The teachers’ unions went for a national strike in the year 2018 where they were seeking a 15 percent one-year-pay-increase for secondary teachers and 16 percent two-year-pay-increase for primary teachers while the government proposed reducing the rates to 2 percent, but the two parties would not come to an agreement (Gerristen, 2018). The negotiations failed due to negotiations over pay. The use of Integrative negotiation by the leaders was needed.

Theory: Integrative Negotiation Theory:- It is a strategy where one comes up with a mutual solution to a problem where all parties feel contented.

Application: The union leadership would have entertained settling for less than what they wanted. They would have welcomed the government’s proposal of reducing the percentage increment for example by half while convincing the government to raise their plan to a similar rate. The union could also have opted to agree on a back-to-work policy where the government decides to increase the percentages in stages over a more extended period.

Conclusion: The use of Integrative Negotiation by the leaders would have seen both the teachers union and the government walk away from the talks with a common middle-ground deal.

Blog 2: Negotiation

Issue 2: The DHB and New Zealand Nurses’ Organization got back at the negotiation table again after four failed previous attempts to come to an amicable deal. The nurses were striking for better pay and increased staffing, even as the government was adamant that it would not increase salary packages. (Williams 2018). The government further claimed it could not offer a better deal. The leadership of the DHB and New Zealand Nurses’ organization needed to use a distributive negotiation strategy to ‘win’ the negotiations.

Theory: Distributive Negotiation Theory.-This is an aggressive hard-bargain form of negotiation strategy where parties come up with the best alternative to a negotiated agreement.

Application: The leaders of the NZNO could come up with a clear proposal setting the conditions they want to be fulfilled and reasonable justify their request. Alternatively, NZNO could craftily ask for higher pay figures than they were looking for and let the government bargain for a lesser offer, which would probably see the NZO leadership settle the offer they wanted.

Conclusion: The distributive negotiation theory would see the leadership of NZO gets their members the exact pay rise deal they wanted.

Blog 3: Cultural Diversity

Issue 1: Although there are persistent instances of microaggressions at work against women, women of color and those belonging to the LGBTQ community reported higher cases of microaggressions (Big Think Edge, 2018).Organizations, therefore, need to push for open diversity metrics with their employees.

Theory: Organizational Diversity Theory- This involves measures put by organizations to ensure that they are transparent about their diversity goals, thus pushing for open diversity metrics with employees and creating a free environment where diversity is tolerated.

Application: Organizations should invest in putting their employees through workplace diversity training. They could also hold regular staff meetings where they communicate to all the employees the organizations’ need and importance of tolerating diversity.

Conclusion: Instances of microaggressions towards racism and sexual orientations can be reduced by using the Organizational Diversity Theory.

Cultural Diversity

Issue 2: Women are operating at a disadvantage when it comes to leadership positions promotions. Men hold 62 percent of manager positions while women hold only 38 percent (Zipkin, 2018). Most women believe that gender plays a role in their missing out in the promotion. In the contemporary World, management opportunities or positions offered to women are unequal and minimal in number as compared to the jobs offered to men (Zipkin, 2018). The problem, therefore, persists because of human subjectivity. An objective tool for hiring should be created to minimize bias.

Theory: Automated recruitment Theory.- It advocates for the use of automated resume screening tools during a recruitment process.

Application:  The automated tools can be set to ensure consistent evaluation criteria such as years of experience, cities, and graduates from specific institutions, in offering promotions that allow tracking outcomes after the fact. AI could also be used to streamline the recruitment process.

Conclusion: The automated recruitment theory would minimize gender bias, and as a result, gender diversity in organizations would be obtained.

References

Big Think Edge. (2018, May). Diversity in the Workplace: 4 Common Challenges and Solutions. Retrieved from BTE: https://www.bigthinkedge.com/blog/diversity-in-the-workplace-4-common-challenges-and-solutions

Charter for Compassion Foundation. (2017). The Top Six Leadership Behaviors. Retrieved from Charter for Compassion: https://charterforcompassion.org/leadership-and-business/the-top-six-leadership-behaviors

Dorothy, W. (2019, January). Implementing New Technology. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/1985/11/implementing-new-technology

Gerristen, J. (2018, August). Negotiations to continue for teachers over a pay rise. Retrieved from Radio NZ: https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/365033/negotiations-to-continue-for-teachers-over-pay-rise

Semenoff, N. (2018, February). Leaders Magazine. Retrieved from Leadership NZ: https://www.leadershipnz.co.nz/publications/leaders/

UpCounsel Inc. (2019). Types of Negotiation Strategies: Everything You Need to Know. Retrieved from Up Counsel: https://www.upcounsel.com/types-of-negotiation-strategies

Williams, K. (2018, July). Nurses back at the bargaining table, but will DHBs offer more money? Retrieved from Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/105531139/nurses-back-at-the-bargaining-table-with-dhbs

Zipkin, N. (2018, October). Women Are Still Not Being Offered Management Positions at Equal Rates, But There’s Hope, Sheryl Sandberg Says. Retrieved from Women/ Entrepreneur: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/322210