Implementing the Future at Galaxy Toys, Inc.

Part #1- Organizing 

Roles and Issues in Organizing 

Organizing is a crucial function for all production managers as Galaxy Toys, Inc. prepares to launch Moon Mission to Jupiter Europa 1 . Each branch has a $300,000 budget for total production, and it is the responsibility of the production managers to meticulously design and execute a process and a structure that will help the Galaxy Toys to achieve its goal. The goal of the organizing function is to create an effective organizational structure based on authority, roles and responsibility and seamless flow of information throughout the organization. 

Another role of the manager in the organizing phase is to determine an effective way of distributing resources and organize employees in a manner that will help the organization to achieve its goal. The branch manager will identify all the roles and responsibilities, assign work to different employees and ensure that the right mix of employees are available to carry out the plan. 

However, the manager has to be aware of the various challenges within the organizing phase that can negatively affect the success of the whole project. Some of the issues include: role confusion, lack of efficiency, poor time management, ineffective communication and unsafe practices that can jeopardize the safety of employees. When working with a large group of employees, role confusion easily creeps in. Certain employees will find themselves doing the wrong thing, or doing another employee’s work. The production manager has to pay special attention to the new employees and orient them well. The branch manager has to effectively clarify roles and ensure that all employees are aware of their roles. Another issue within the planning phase is lack of efficiency, Moon Mission to Jupiter Europa 1 is a crucial project and care must be taken to ensure that production employees utilize all their time and resources towards achieving the target. 

Other issues such as ineffective communication and poor time management can be addressed by creating an effective production organizational structure. An effective organizational structure will ensure that all employees access all the necessary information at the right time. Lastly, though Galaxy Toys production plants do not use complicated machineries, it is the responsibility of the plant manager to train employees about the proper use of all tools. The manager must ensure that the environment is safe, as accidents can be quite costly for the organization and they can slow down the production process. 

Organizational chart 

From the case study, it is evident that Galaxy Toys, Inc. is a family oriented business. The organizational structure below aims to promote effective communication between employees across all levels, hence, it lacks the many steps seen in a traditional organizational structure. It is a hybrid organizational structure that maintains the important positions of authority, while most production employees remain on the same level to enhance coordination, communication and collaboration. The organizational chart is perfect for other departments within the Galaxy Toys because it reduces the gap between lowest level employees and the management. 

Branch Manager Material purchase Floor Supervisor Production IT Admin support Machine operators Machine maintenance Assembly line staff packagers Forklift operators Shipping schedulers Plant maintenance

Figure 1: Organizational chart 

Decision Making Authority 

The production organization structure has an emphasis on a few layers of command. A majority of production employees are at the lowest level of command, however, they receive instructions directly from the branch manager or either the floor supervisor and administrative support. The mid level of the organizational structure is made up of the supervisor, administration support, IT and material support. The middle level staff occupies key positions that are necessary for the success of the entire production team, hence, they have some form of authority. The form of structure strikes a balance between the traditional hierarchical structure and a flat structure, enabling the organization to reap the benefits of both structures. Communication is made easy as the information flows from the branch manager, however, the model enables employees to access the manager whenever they need anything from the manager. 

Part #2 Leading 

As leaders, managers play an important role of empowering and supporting employees. Employees form the most important resource in Galaxy Toys, Inc and their issues should be adequately addressed if the organization wants to succeed. The introduction of 3D printers is viewed as a threat by older line employees who are concerned about retaining their jobs in the future. Such concerns have a negative effect on employee morale. 

According to Sidikova (2011) managers must study change from employees’ perspectives to understand what the employees are going through. Galaxy Toys was formed in the 1950s and some employees have stayed with the company for over three decades. Such employees are responsible for the success of the organization, and their concerns about the adoption of 3D printers must be addressed immediately. Sidikova (2011) states that employee morale is a source of positive motivation which improves productivity, quality and service to the organization. 

In most situations, employees do not welcome change positively but it is the duty of the manager to present change in a way that minimizes the negative effects. For instance, the manager should have taken the time to communicate with the older line employees on the need for 3D printers that would simplify production and reduce errors. Managers should not impose change on employees, rather they should communicate with employees first to prepare them for the changes. During times of change, managers should be more understanding, and they should use alternative leadership styles to sell the idea and gain the support of employees (Sidikova, 2011). The manager must be visible and always ready to answer questions on how the change will affect employees in the organization. 

Apart from addressing the issue of change, the manager must implement various strategies aimed at enhancing employee morale. Sidikova (2011) notes that employee morale has two essential components: personal investment and a sense of value. When employees know they are valuable to the organization, they will be motivated to work harder because their work makes a real impact on the organization. The manager can improve morale by: building closer relationships, enhancing visibility, open communication and demonstrating value. Close relationships between managers and employees is often interpreted by employees as a sign that managers value their work. Managers should take time to engage with older line employees to assure them that they cannot be replaced by the 3D printers. A manager must be aware of the roles of each individual within the organization so that they can interact on a personal level and to appreciate them for their contribution to the success of the organization. 

Enhancing open communication is another way of improving employee morale. Employees like to be kept in the loop, especially regarding organizational changes. Managers should genuinely address employees’ concerns, and inform them regularly about the changes. Apart from communicating about the new changes, managers must express appreciation. Thanking employees for a job well done at the end of the day or the week goes a long way in showing employees that they are valuable to the organization. 

Changes can be very stressful to employees, and in most occasions employees want to know that the leadership knows about their struggle with the new changes. With the hybrid organizational structure in place, leaders can easily engage and make time to socialize with employees and discuss the new changes on a social level. Leaders should improve their visibility by all means, more so among employees who are affected by the change more. Leaders must constantly encourage employees to make good use of the technology/ changes to improve efficiency. Lastly, leaders can improve morale by carrying out constant surveys after the adoption of change to get employee feedback on the impact of change. Consequently, employee feedback will be used to address employee issues. 

Part # 3-Control 

The control aspect of management plays an important role in organizational success. Control is about establishing standards, measuring performance against standards and correcting the deviation in the standards and the general plan. 

The results from Galaxy Toys in Toledo and Daytona are compared with established standards in the chart to show how the each Galaxy Toys branch performed against various standard specifications. From the chart, Toledo branch seems to be doing better than the Daytona branch even though both branches produced 500,000 units at the end of the year. However, Toledo branch failed to meet the required standards for the specification of cost, time, quality control problem ratio, training time and 3D problems. Daytona branch failed to meet the required standards on most of the specifications. 

Though Toledo branch appears to be doing better than the other branches, the management at Toledo branch needs to streamline its processes to achieve the standards. The specification of time, quality and costs have to be improved on. The The standards were created after a thorough inquiry and experimentation, hence the different branches need to improve their process and workforce optimization, which will help the to attain the $7.56 cost per unit. Through improved training, coordination and use of technology the quality and time of production will be drastically reduced. 

From the results, it is apparent that certain changes have to be made. When results do not meet that standards, it is only appropriate that managers come up with corrective action. Corrective action refers to the course of action taken to adjust the standards to meet organizational goals. For instance, the manager needs to increase the training time per hour as it will have a positive impact on the time of production and quality of the product. Additionally, the other corrective action is changing quality control problem ratio, all the branches failed to achieve this standard by a large margin, hence, this standard needs to be corrected from 1quality control problem ration per 500 units to at least 2. 

From the meeting with the other VPs and analysis of the branch results against the set standards, managers can make conclusions on factors that will affect the long-term future of the company. The three conclusions include: training and retaining IT employees, optimizing processes across all branches to meet the standards and maintaining the cost of production per unit to $7.56. Each of the factors will affect the future of the company if they are not checked. Most VPs, especially the VP from Mexico had difficulty retaining IT employees, who were poached by other software companies. To avoid hiring and training new IT personnel, the company has to motivate and reward its It employees better. 3D printers are much faster and effective means of producing toys. Motivating IT employees to improve retention will save costs for the IT and production department in the long-run. Another conclusion is that all the branches have to work harder towards achieving standards. Toledo almost achieved the standards, while other branches lagged behind. VPs have to work harder to optimize processes and workforce to achieve the set standards and improve the company’s profitability. Lastly, the factor of maintaining production cost at $7.56 is important. When the cost standard was created, it was created after a careful analysis of the resources, time and labor needed to produce a single unit. Maintaining a $7.56 will ensure that the company meets its profit projection in the long-run. 

Control processes focus on the results, both short term and long-term results. Control processes are regularly done to evaluate whether the company is headed in the right direction in the short run and the long run. Control processes are part of the long-term strategic planning as control processes offer results and data which will be used to adjust the long-term strategic plan. For instance, the first year results from Galaxy Toys branches will be used to adjust the organization’s long-term strategic plan. 

Galaxy Toys, Inc. has experienced exponential growth, and it is in the process of a successful international expansion, which will only be achieved if managers play their role well. Managers have to be aware of the different roles within the four large functions of P-O-L-C, and they must conduct them effectively. 

Reference 

Sidikova, Mashhura. (2011). The impact of change on employees' motivation . Case Study: CSSC (Cargotec Shared Service Center). Retrieved from: https://theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/32185/Sidikova_Mashhura.pdf?sequence=1