Organizational development and communication plan

Organizational development and communication plan

Introduction:

Bounce Fitness strives to serve the community with quality, comprehensive, unique and distinctive health programs and services. The organization has several different centers at the moment. In the recent times, Bounce Fitness Centers were allowed to function as independent units due to the organization’s focus on expansion. However, it has come to light that there is an immediate need for the implementation of an Organizational development plan in the organization to set proper rules and objectives regarding the workings of each center. Proper goals are to be set and implemented to all the centers and their operations have to be standardized.

Model for Organizational Development

1. Current business strategy:

Bounce Fitness aims to open a new center in the coming 2 years. In the meantime, the aim is to earn above-market returns on the existing centers (Cairns, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) by effective planning and implementation. The organization also plans on investing more time and energy in the management of Customer relations along with following up with members who cease to attend the workouts. The organization plans on increasing the staff training and guest training sessions. Along with that, the organization aims at considering franchising or licensing as an option in the coming 5 years.

1. Establishing needs and objectives:

• Increase customer satisfaction by implementing various standardizations in the way the fitness centers operate. This will include implementation of the same systems, same customer service techniques and the same fitness class routines.
• To ensure that the employees and trainers are made comfortable with the changes and minimize the potential resistance that the centers might face. Implement employee-reassurance and making them feel like a part of the decision.
• Work on widening the customer base and attracting new customers using various standardized head office-approved techniques.
• Develop strategies to attract high quality staff and implement proper training sessions to ensure high-quality services.
• Finding ways to reduce the expenditure on extra materials and reduce costs.

1. Relevant groups and Individuals to be consulted:

1. Information that need collection:

• Collect data about the rise/fall in number of customers in the past 3 years.
• Collect data about revenue and net profit collected from every individual center in the past 3 years.
• Collect information about the net extra expenditure incurred by individual centers in the past 3 years.
• Collect data about the employment patterns in every individual center in the past 3 years.
• Collect information about the age-groups, genders and job profiles of the customers in every individual center in the last 5 years.
• Collect data about the monthly budget allotted to every center and amounts saved from the budget.

1.  Alternative Strategic Direction and Objectives:

• Spreading brand awareness by making existing and potential customers aware of the organization’s different centers and upcoming expansion to more cities.
• Host employee-bonding sessions and team-building sessions to improve the sense of belongingness in the employees.
• Develop an efficient method of hiring good-quality employees and developing a training period to be attended compulsorily by all existing and new employees.
• Come up with innovate ways for community-engagement and increasing customer satisfaction.
• Increased unity amongst the centers by improved communication and coordination.

1. Recommended plans:

Techniques that the organization could consider in order to achieve and encapsulate workplace culture outcomes:

1. Standardization of routine:

The first thing that needs immediate implementation is the standardization of fitness routines. The organization has received repeated complaints and suggestions regarding the inconsistency in routines. The organization’s initial policy of having no standard routine and letting customers and trainers come up with a personalized routine needs to be abolished. Instead, there is a need to come up with a set of standardized routines that the customers can choose from. The routines will be constant throughout every center. All the routines will contain adequate information about the different aspects of each routine so that customers can make an informed decision.

The recommended routine selection is as follows: Beginner routine, Intermediate routine, Advanced routine and Standard routine. Customers should have the liberty to choose the routine they please. If found necessary, every routine can have variations in the exercises depending on the day. An informed decision can be made after discussion with the trainers.

1. Approvals

Since consistency amongst all the centers is a priority, steps can be taken to ensure that no decisions or changes are made without getting an approval. Small changes like interior, exercise machines, color scheme etc. cannot be made without approvals form the headquarters. This way, consistency can be ensured in all the centers. If a beneficial change is recommended by one of the centers, the change will be implemented in all the centers.

1. Training sessions

In order to ensure consistency amongst the trainers and employees regarding their methods and knowledge about the organization, it will be mandatory all existing and future employees to go through a training session. A standard training session will be set and conducted by the headquarters where the employee behavior will be explained along with the aims and values.

1. Reduced costs

The net expenditure made needs to be reduced in every center. As a brand associated with health and fitness, the organization needs to reduce the extra expenditure on raw materials that get wasted otherwise.Going digital is a good alternative for the organization and the customers; the standard routines and diet charts can be available online for the customers instead of being printed every month. Other cost-cuttings like the use of electricity can be reduced using innovative ways.

1. Efficient hiring methods

The organization needs to set a standard hiring method that remains constant at different levels of the organization. This is to ensure that good quality employees are hired by all the centers of the organization. Proper requirements and desirable traits need to be set in order to understand who should be employed and who should not.

1. Communication plans:

1. Establishing hierarchy

Every organization is based on effective and fast communication which in return depends upon a proper hierarchical system. Employees need to be aware of who they report to and who they have to take approvals from. There needs to be awareness in the organization and the employees need to be aware of their supervisors. This will enable better communication and lesser confusions. The employees will be made aware of the hierarchy during their training sessions.

1. Customer service techniques

Customer service techniques need to be standardized in all the fitness centers. Customer service will be made available to existing and potential customers via three platforms: the phone, emails and comments on the website. A proper instruction manual needs to be developed that will highlight all the basic guidelines that are to be followed. Standard answers need to be prepared to the general questions asked by the customers to maintain consistency.

1. Coordination in between centers

An effective organization needs to have proper communication and coordination amongst all the centers. This includes direct communication and bonding among the different centers that is not supervised by the head office. Each center should complement each other and help each other with better services and better publicity. They should be aware of each other’s workings and employees. The centers also need to ensure that there is consistency and accuracy amongst the facts known by and about each center.

Implementation plan

1. Implementing Consultative processes:

When an organization faces certain upcoming problems, usually, a meeting with all the stakeholders is arranged to discuss the problem. A stakeholder is anyone who is likely to be affected by the issue in hand. There exist different Consultative processes which in turn depend on the issue and hence, different processes are implemented for different problems.

• In cases where information has to be given to the community, different processes (or solutions) can be chosen. Some of them include advertisement, Letter drop boxes, pamphlets etc. In order to save extra money and products, the use of social media and other forms of digital marketing is very effective. Digital advertisements instead of physical advertisements can be used.
• In situations where information has to be collected from the community, small surveys, written surveys, panel and interviews can be very helpful. Most of these processes can be conducted online thus saving a lot of effort and expenditure.
• Another situation is where information needs to be exchanged with the community. In such cases, workshops can be arranged with the community. Such workshops can also be conducted online, thus saving a lot of time and money.

1. Recommended team training and development activities:

As already mentioned, the implementation of training sessions is highly recommended. Apart from that, there is a need for every organization to have various team development activities to promote team-work, and to establish a sense of belongingness in the organization. The following activities are recommended:

• Monthly activities in each center: Every month, an activity should be performed in each center to promote team-building and team-work amongst the employees of the particular center. It is very important for the employees to get to know each other and work together to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Such activities will be organized by the Manager of each center. It is recommended that the activity be consistent in all the centers.
• Quarterly engagement in a workshop/seminar: Every 3 months, a workshop or seminar related to health and fitness should be arranged by the head office for all the centers. This will help build a connection in between all the centers and will be a good opportunity to bond better.
• Annual picnics/trips: It is highly recommended that once a year, the entire team of Bounce Fitness takes a small vacation together. It is a great opportunity to build a strong bond amongst the employees. It will also help understanding the values and aims the organization promotes.

1. Conflict management strategy:

Conflicts arise in every organization and they must be dealt with efficiently. There exist various ways to deal with conflicts. Here are 3 recommended ways to face a conflict:

• Collaboration: It essentially means forming a solution together. When 2 groups/individuals have conflicting ideas, one way to resolve the situation is by coming up with a third idea together; something that consists parts of both the ideas. Collaboration is a very effective conflict management strategy. The idea is to come up with an innovative solution that deals with the concerns of both the parties.
• Compromising: Compromising is a strategy where both conflicting parties come to a consensus by coming to an understanding. It involves both the parties coming to a “middle-ground” in order to form a solution. This is also a very effective way to ensure both the sides are satisfied.
• Consensus: The third way to resolve a conflict is by seeing who has the maximum people supporting his/her/their ideas. Generally, when 2 conflicting ideas are present, the one that is accepted by the other members is usually implemented. This method is reliable and fair in terms of decisions. Though one party wins and the other party loses, it is usually dependent on the ideas rather than the individual expressing the idea.

1. Monitoring, evaluating and modifying ideas:

The proposed ideas might have some unpredictable effects or consequences that will show themselves once they have been implemented. In such scenarios, it is essential to be flexible and modify them. Monitoring the proposed activities, evaluating them on the basis of their performance, strengths and weaknesses and accordingly modifying them is truly essential. The following processes can be adapted in such situations:

1. Brain storming:

Brainstorming is an idea generation technique that is used by a group or an individual to find a solution to a particular problem. In a brain storming session, individuals pick each other’s brains and try to find an innovative solution to problems. Usually, a combination of different ideas is implemented. This is called the “1+1=3” approach. In cases where a certain recommended plan is not working, the team members can have a brain storming session to come up with better recommendations. Brain storming can also be a good way to have some fun while working and is a good team building exercise for employees.

1. Nominal group technique:

Nominal group technique is a more formal version of a brain storming session. In a nominal group technique, a group has a silent brain storming session without sharing their ideas. Then, they write their ideas down on a piece of paper anonymously and these ideas are discussed. The idea getting the most nods in implemented.

1. Other innovative methods:

If a particular recommendation needs modification, the employees can find an interesting and innovative method to find a solution to the issue. In order to make modifications, the team can have various innovative sessions like an educational trip, dare-to-ask sessions or something simple like a fish-bowl idea. This makes the modification method a little more fun and helps the team members be more creative.

Maintenance of the plan

1. Surveys

• The organization can make use of surveys to understand the impact a particular organizational or communicational plan has on the employees. The survey will help the head officials understand how the plans are being perceived by the employees and how it is impacting their life.
• A survey is essentially a feedback that is collected from a group of individuals to understand their perception of a particular event. Taking such feedbacks from the employees on a monthly or quarterly basis can help the organization draw inferences on what the employees think about these plans. Similarly, the head officials can make necessary changes in the plans according to what they feel are the main grievances amongst the employees.
• It is essential that the employees feel like their voices are being heard. The organization should promote honesty and take the feedbacks into serious considerations. This will help them modify the organizational plans in order to achieve maximum support and productivity.

1. Consistent meetings and individual feedbacks:

• The communication plan within an organization is essential to promote a healthy environment. Apart from the presence of leisure tours and workshops, it is essential that formal meetings and personal interview sessions be held with the employees in order to ensure that the organization is working smoothly.
• The center managers should keep in touch with the workings of their trainers and other staff members. Similarly, the head officials must keep in touch with all the managers to ensure that the work is smooth.
• Official meetings are a good way to discuss the workings of an organization. Different group of employees should keep their work in touch via regular meetings. Heads should also be aware of their subordinate’s personal life and happenings. These things can be discussed via personal interviews. The organization should ensure that they know about the ins and outs of their employee’s life.
• The personal interview should be a two-way interview. The employer should gain feedback from the employees and at the same time offer regular feedbacks to the employees. This will help both the parties work more efficiently and gain more insights on their working styles.
• As another suggestion, every fitness center should install feedback/suggestion boxes for employees and customers where they can suggest certain things without revealing their name in case they feel the need to do so.

1. Evaluation of current plan:

1. Costs:

• Though no immediate costs will be incurred by the organization, implementing the organizational and communication plan will require expenditure in further steps. The organization is strongly recommended to appoint a temporary expenditure committee that will calculate the net expenses that the organization will face.
• These expenses will include, but not be limited to:
  1. Expenditure on all/any advertising stragtegy to attract more customers.
  2. Expenditure on developing a training session that will be attended by all present and future employees.
  3. Expenditure on quarterly seminars/workshops arranged for all the employees.
  4. Expenditure on the annual tours or leisure trips arranged for all the employees.
  5. Expenditure on planning and execution of regular meetings.

And so on and so forth.

1. Benefits:

The potential benefits of the implementation of these plans are as follows:

1. Better communication: The organization will develop a better communication system that will help minimize the communication gap amongst the employees. This will lead to smoother workings in the organization and reduced miscommunications. This is in-turn make the organization more effective and speed up the communication processes. Improved communication with the customers and available customer-service will also add to the value of the organization.
2. More customers: The standardization of the training cycles and the training session attended by all employees will improve the quality of work that is delivered to the customers. This will, as a result, improve customer satisfaction and potentially attract new customers.
3. Improved productivity: An improved communication and a better bond amongst employees will result in improved productivity. When employees have a sense of belongingness, they will work harder and achieve better results. This will improve the brand image of the organization and help the organization in the coming times.

1. Drawbacks:

• The excessive cost of implementing a proper organizational and communication plan is one of its disadvantages.
• Failure to modify the plan in accordance to the evaluation can lead to a disadvantage to the organization.
• A rebellion might be expected from the trainers regarding the various standardizations due to the loss of their personal effect on a customer’s training cycle.

Conclusion

The organizational and communication plan is recommended to be implemented for 3 years will a renewal taking place every year to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the plan. This way, the organization can make modification to the plan that will benefit the organization. Special measures should be taken to ensure that the weaknesses of the plan do not go unnoticed and are subsequently worked upon. It is essential to remember that this is a theoretical plan and may have unforeseen effects. Thus, it is important to be aware of what the plan is doing for the organization. It is also recommended that the plan be implemented immediately and any delays should be avoided.

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