Order Description
The writing style should be concise (not brief), and an
appropriate structure should be adopted. It is recommended that you
consider the effective use of ‘graphic’ material to illustrate key points
(rather than trying to describe in writing – the emphasis is on analysis
and evaluation, not on describing). Images, tables, etc. are considered as
being ’graphic’ material in this context. This will ‘free-up’ some space in
terms of the maximum word count. The report should have clearly-stated
connections with appropriate literature and these should be consistently
referenced (preferably using the Harvard style of referencing).
For the purpose of this assignment you should assume the role of an individual
operating at Director level within an organisation currently operating
exclusively in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) marine renewables
sector of the energy industry. The organisation currently operates only in
a ‘design and production’ capacity (does not deal with transmission, etc.)
and is a mature organisation (over 20 years in the sector) with 6 facilities
in the UKCS region. Feel free to add any additional relevant assumptions
that assist in the analysis of the company.
In your role, you have been tasked by the Board to produce a report of no
more than 1,300 words that addresses the following requirements (below)
related to the suggestion that the company should encourage staff
to carry out a diversity of roles, thereby providing efficiencies for the
company. The Board is aware of ongoing problems caused by employees
seeing themselves as having a single (primary) role; as a specialist’ company
within a ‘specialist’ sector, this is regarded as having been inevitable.
However, this is now a behaviour that the Board wishes to address
as they believe the future growth of the company is compromised by the
constraints of ‘functional specialism’. This is particularly significant in the
context of proposed future diversification within the marine renewables technology sector, with the diversification possibly including both the
adoption of new, innovative technologies (wave energy, etc.) and the
creation of a transmission network linking current and future production
facilities.
The report is intended to provide the basis for a future company culture
development project that will be implemented prior to the diversification
project commencing (so as to ‘lock in’ appropriate new behaviours).
1. Identify the key information, related to current activities, behaviours and
the approach to learning that should form the basis of future communication
with staff regarding any development / change of current primary
roles and behaviours. Such development / change would be in the context
of the proposed diversification. (HINT: what is ‘shared’, and what is
‘new’?)
2. Identify TWO examples of conflict that could be expected to result from
staff adopting a strict adherence to only their current perceived primary
roles. One example should evidence negative conflict, while the other
example should evidence positive conflict. Each of the examples should
illustrate how behaviours exhibited by staff evidence the level of conflict.
You should also discuss how a learning organisation would ‘capture’ such
behaviours so to prepare for change. (HINT: Know ‘where are we now’)
3. For each of the examples, determine the most appropriate leadership
style for negotiation with staff when the objective is to resolve the conflict
in a manner that leads to behaviour change (adoption of more than
a single role). Each example should ‘require’ a different leadership approach.
(HINT: Always ‘lead by example’?)