Hrm 531 - Landslide Limousine Organizational and Performance Strategies

Landslide Limousine Organizational and Performance Strategies

Earl Cline

HRM/531

May 25, 2015

Daniel Smart

Landslide Limousine Organizational and Performance Strategies

Running a small business such as Landslide Limousine (LL) does not negate the need for appropriate and fair performance appraisals. Even if you are “down in the trenches” with your employees on a daily basis and observing what they do, it is critical to your new start up to insure training and evaluation is in place from day one. As LL matures, modify the training and on boarding program to adapt to company changes. Effective performance management has been shown to improve employee morale and performance. Which, in turn, drives better business results. (McDonald & Smith, 1995)

Aligning performance management with your organizational business strategy can be a daunting challenge. Keep it basic at the outset. There is an effective, fundamental performance management approach that all businesses should use in aligning performance and business strategy.

3 Strategies:

1. Tie your employees’ individual goals to the organizational goals. Upon interviewing and hiring employees; engage them in their personal goals and introduce these new employee prospects to the company strategy. Study where the company and individual goals meet and assist the employee in creating goals to correspond. A goal of LL is 5% growth. Engage the employee in marketing the services of the company by handing out company cards or brochures. As business increases – more money is made by the company and more tips are made by the drivers.
2. Schedule performance management and reviews throughout the year. Annual reviews are not adequate to fully appreciate the employee or timely enough to offer correction. Quarterly reviews for the first 2 years of employment then move to twice a year. Scheduled performance management should not be the only instance where positive feedback is given. As employees do well; recognize them as close to the positive event as possible. This is a powerful motivator for the employee and the rest of the team. Sincerity is key and be specific with the deed. For example; fuel costs were lower for the week; but fares have gone up for a particular driver. Notice this and relate the positive aspect to the company and the employee.  The key is performance. Please notice that “performance” is what is expected of all of the team; and how their performance relates to the business goals. In your reviews the focus is on performance and not the person. This is even more important with negative feedback for a team member.
3. As team members mature with your company, development opportunities are necessary to keep employees engaged. Notice the team players and those that are top performers. Appoint these team members as trainers for new drivers. Seek opportunities for advancing driving skills. Advance their customer service techniques by sending them to conferences or seminars. (Conrad, 2015)

In constructing your organizational performance philosophy work toward a high performance vantage point. This is accomplished by clarifying your business strategy and aligning your processes to that strategy. Engage each employee as if they are a partner in the business. As you engage your employees, get their buy in by asking and making changes as to what their opinions are; what they think the challenges are; and where the business is working well. Ensure your strategy and direction is clear to all, and you as the CEO is involved in decision making and guiding the business. Empower your employees to make decisions at the lowest possible level. Let the ideology of the company be the guidance of the employees not rigid rules or policy. Embed in your business the concept of seeing the whole business process versus key holed positions. As the CEO, work to define the business strategy, providing resources and creating an effective team environment. These principles will help your company reach a high performance level. Studies have shown that companies that reorganize utilizing these concepts have elevated their productivity levels. Start now and work them in from the ground up. (Center for Organizational Design, 2015)