Case Study
1. Discuss how a ROWE-type program would fit in organizations where you have worked. Explain why it would or would not work.
A ROWE type of program would fit in my current organization by implementing more stringent timelines on certain steps of the contract award and management process, and allowing employees to enjoy more time off, as it is stated in the Best Buy case. The problem with implementing these types of timelines, specifically in my organization, would be that many results are dependent on outside factors. Procurement, whether it would be for a service, a commodity, or construction, depends on other people fulfilling their end of the tasks at hand, unlike the production of equipment or sales. Furthermore, the work of contract administration doesn’t really end and workloads on employees, in my specific organization, are almost never ending (“your technically never really caught up”). For this reason I believe ROWE could have a chance to fail in my organization. However, if staffing levels went up certain steps could be accelerated and used with ROWE, but I would feel a bit uncomfortable placing a multimillion dollar negotiation on someone that is just trying to finish the task to have the rest of the day off. I also understand many other factors and proper evaluations would be needed to make such a determination. So, technically, I would say a test run of such program would determine whether it would or wouldn’t work. With the people, resources, and current processes it would be impossible to correctly assess, that and the government bureaucracy would not allow it.
2. Identify factors in the ROWE program that might make using it for retail employees more difficult than using it for managers and employees in corporate offices, technical centers, and nonretail and locations.
With increased productivity, as claimed by the ROWE program, employer expectations of outcome by employees may rise, therefore, making the “results” less achievable over time. Also,
A ROWE type of program would fit in my current organization by implementing more stringent timelines on certain steps of the contract award and management process, and allowing employees to enjoy more time off, as it is stated in the Best Buy case. The problem with implementing these types of timelines, specifically in my organization, would be that many results are dependent on outside factors. Procurement, whether it would be for a service, a commodity, or construction, depends on other people fulfilling their end of the tasks at hand, unlike the production of equipment or sales. Furthermore, the work of contract administration doesn’t really end and workloads on employees, in my specific organization, are almost never ending (“your technically never really caught up”). For this reason I believe ROWE could have a chance to fail in my organization. However, if staffing levels went up certain steps could be accelerated and used with ROWE, but I would feel a bit uncomfortable placing a multimillion dollar negotiation on someone that is just trying to finish the task to have the rest of the day off. I also understand many other factors and proper evaluations would be needed to make such a determination. So, technically, I would say a test run of such program would determine whether it would or wouldn’t work. With the people, resources, and current processes it would be impossible to correctly assess, that and the government bureaucracy would not allow it.
2. Identify factors in the ROWE program that might make using it for retail employees more difficult than using it for managers and employees in corporate offices, technical centers, and nonretail and locations.
With increased productivity, as claimed by the ROWE program, employer expectations of outcome by employees may rise, therefore, making the “results” less achievable over time. Also,