| Four Functions of Management - When Used | | | | new systems.” But as ticket volumes steadily |
| Correctly or Poorly | | | | grow, the IT Company decides to export desktop |
| Researched and Authored by: Michael J. Spindler | | | | functions that can be completed remotely to a great |
| Over the course of this paper, the author is going to | | | | city name Monterey in the country of Mexico. |
| examine the four functions of management; planning, | | | | Incredible savings to boot with a lower |
| organizing, leading, and controlling. We are also going | | | | communication barrier issue to the English speaking |
| to explore some of the realities of the business | | | | customer the IT Company supports in Kansas City. |
| world that impact, for better or worse, these four | | | | “Offshore staff offer fantastic skills but cultural |
| functions and how these functions affect employees, | | | | and dialect differences undermine their value in key |
| profitability, and the future direction of the company. | | | | customer facing roles such as call centres.” |
| The first phase of management is in planning. At this | | | | (Venkataraman, 2007) In the world of information |
| stage, the company is given an objective. For the | | | | technology, if a customer has reached the point of |
| purpose of this paper, we are going to focus on an | | | | frustration to sit on hold while fuming over a technical |
| external Information Technology (IT) Company that | | | | issue. The last dilemma a customer wants to deal |
| has been contracted to take over all internal IT | | | | with is attempting to communicate a problem and |
| functions of the hiring company. To further narrow | | | | trying to help the recipient on the other end to |
| down a rather large endeavor, we are going to | | | | understand. While the staff in Monterey is |
| narrow down this analysis to the desktop support | | | | knowledgeable, this is yet another item on a growing |
| department. | | | | list of complaints towards the IT Company servicing |
| The external IT Company now handling the principle | | | | the companies technically challenged employees. |
| company’s technology needs has the primary | | | | Now that the IT Company has downsized the |
| goal of meeting the bare minimum with the highest | | | | support staff, demoralized them with a tremendous |
| rate of financial return. In planning, the IT Company | | | | work load with little reward and no hope that there |
| needs to analyze, the technology needs of the | | | | will be light at the end of the tunnel, how does this |
| individual customers within the organization. This | | | | IT Company lead the troops? It does not. This is a |
| would include hardware types to support, whether | | | | company that has poorly planned and executed a |
| personal computers, laptops, peripherals such as | | | | strategy. Has no organizational structure or one that |
| scanners, desk side printers, and other various office | | | | bends so easily on the threats of the hiring company |
| related equipment. The number of customers the IT | | | | that no employee can keep up with new direction |
| Company will be supporting as well directly impacts | | | | due to lack of communication. “By "structure" I |
| the number of support staff that will be needed, as | | | | mean things like degree and type of horizontal |
| well as skill levels required to support the wide range | | | | differentiation, vertical differentiation, mechanisms of |
| of technologies. In an ideal world, the IT Company | | | | coordination and control, formalization, and |
| would be wise to have one technician per 800 | | | | centralization of power.” (Borgatti, 2001) |
| customers supported. However, as this company is | | | | The conclusion brings us to the controlling aspect of |
| looking to make a profit, we are going to increase | | | | the function of management. While the reason for |
| our technicians support load to 1600 customers. While | | | | conducting business is to earn a profit. Any control |
| this may easily lead to employee burn out, in | | | | the IT Company has is in instilling fear into the |
| preplanning, and with no obligation to meet a Service | | | | employees to continue to produce while the |
| Level Agreements (SLA). Tickets from customers | | | | information technology market is tight. Time and |
| can sit in the queue for up to one month. | | | | again, this author has seen the scenario above played |
| Now let us take a look at further poor preplanning, | | | | out across this industry, and ultimately it is the |
| which leads this paper in the direction of organizing. | | | | employees, the company that was meant to be |
| To save more money, the IT department is going to | | | | served that lose. |
| let go of an entire department consisting of twelve | | | | Please note; this paper may have not been what |
| employees that handle technical refreshes. Tech | | | | was asked for. But the author believes that just as |
| Refresh (TR) refers to the roll over of equipment | | | | much can be learned from seeing how management |
| that is due to be returned on lease agreements. | | | | performs poorly as well above average. By observing |
| Failure to return the equipment on time results in high | | | | how co-workers, supervisors, and managers, all cogs |
| penalties, which are usually higher in costs than the | | | | in a wheel out of control, cope with this distress. It |
| actual worth of the equipment. | | | | has opened my eyes to direct impact that company |
| In order to do this, now we are going to strip down | | | | choices affect everyone. |
| half of our desk side support team to half, down to | | | | References - Do Not Strip Article References |
| three. The other three will now be in charge of | | | | Borgatti, S. P. (2001, October 08). Organizational |
| handling the full volume of TR’s. However, a new | | | | Theory: Determinants of Structure. Retrieved |
| problem has arisen. New models of laptops and | | | | November 10, from |
| desktops are coming in. The IT Company now needs | | | | Venkataraman, J. (2007, August 8). Don’t |
| to dedicate a technician to building an operating | | | | outsource your customers!. Retrieved November 10, |
| system and customizing it to meet the security | | | | 2007, from |
| needs and standards of the organization. The IT | | | | Researched and Authored by: Michael J. Spindler |
| Company says to itself, “We don’t have an | | | | Free to distribute - However- Do not strip Research |
| SLA on tickets that the three main technicians are | | | | Article References, remove the HTML if needed, but |
| working, so let us pull one of those technicians to | | | | keep the URL text. |
| work on the full time project basis of building up the | | | | |