Emirates Airlines Implementing Hard System Changes

Analysis of hard systems

This paper elaborates on how Emirates airlines can manage the proposed change using the Human Resource Management hard systems.

Hard systems of HRM

Phase 1: Description

Situation summary

The Asian Pacific area, especially the United Arab Emirates, has been experiencing a constant growth of the economy. Many of the countries that are located in this region have booming economies. The fact that these economies are growing at a fast pace implies that the income per capita is also increasing. Consequently, many people can afford air transport. The changes occurring in the markets are quite drastic. Thus, the authorities are restructuring their financial policies to favor the airline industry (Tayeh, 2006).

The economic challenges associated with the global financial crisis experienced in the recent past have led to a tremendous decline in world airline traffic (Allaz, 2004). The availability of the internet to many people across the world enables them to understand the weaknesses and strengths of various companies. This impacts the airline industry. In this case, most customers avoid airlines with frequent stopovers. Clients can have ample knowledge of these issues with a simple click of a button on personal computers or mobile phones. The issue is affecting Emirates airlines (Doganis, 2001).

With the growing demand for better services, Emirates airlines have invested in infrastructures and planes that meet the requirements of various clients. While the company does this, some information does not reach the intended potential clients who rely heavily on internet information searches. There is a difficulty in enhancing a better flow of information about the most current attempts of the organization to provide the infrastructure that meets the most recent needs of clients. This is evidenced by searching for the word “the Emirates airlines”. There is a lot of information on the complaints about the company. This information does not directly start by addressing the most recently acquired technologies at the organization.

Many protests have been raised by customers of Emirates airlines. Some people claim that they have lost their baggage. Others cite bad experiences with the airline cabin crew while others complain of flight delays. Many of the people raising these complaints cite poor or relaxed management as being the cause of the humiliating situations (Asghah, 2012).

Through the Human Resource department, the company has decided to meet and diagnose the actual problem. This has pointed to various factors which include:

1. The high rate of economic growth of nations surrounding the company especially the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
2. Economic challenges associated with the global financial crisis in the recent past.
3. Many customers are likely to avoid airlines with frequent stopovers.
4. The difficulty of enhancement of a better flow of information about the most current attempts of the organization to provide the infrastructure that meets the most recent needs of clients.
5. Complaints of clients of the Emirates airlines who have had a bad experience with the company.
6. Poor quality of services offered by the employees.
7. Poor methods of improving levels of clientele

These factors have led to various outcomes, which include:

1. The tremendous growth of the company (Emirates airlines) due to the economic growth of the neighboring regions such as the UAE.
2. The tremendous decline in the world airline traffic due to global financial crisis.
3. Losing some of her clients because of offering poor services.
4. The poor performance of the company.
5. The bad reputation of the company.

Identify objectives and constraints

The objective of this project is to list all complaints by the clients in a single database, which can allow Emirates airlines to manage the services they offer to the customers efficiently. The proposed system should help Emirates airlines to rectify the challenges it is facing related to customer service. Consequently, the system should also align with a vision of change, which is required to give the organization a picture of the future after the change is implemented. It should help to manage the customers’ complaints, and turn them around to act as strengths, as opposed to acting as threats. The vision of change needs to reflect on the picture of airline clientele, which appreciates and recognizes that the company handles people of valid cultural background. Hence, it is not every food or beverage requested that would be supplied (Tanner, 2011).

In the vision of change, it is also crucial for the system to help in articulating the perspectives of ensuring ardent communication with clients. This will be aimed at making them understand that, apart from cultural perspectives that may influence what clients consume, the airline may not satisfy all the clientele demands based on demographic factors such as age. This is particularly significant for people traveling with their infants.

Thus, every customer, despite his or her cultural background and attitude, is an important asset of Emirates airlines. The convenience, safety, and comfort of these customers should be the chief concern of the organization. Safety does not only imply the capacity of the airline to move the customer from one point to another; however, it also covers the belongings of the customer including their baggage. The proposed system should focus on this aspect. In the case of long delays, a rapid mechanism of providing essential services such as accommodation at the cost of the company is vital. Other critical issues for implementation include mechanisms of guaranteeing the baggage liability to the clients, ticket refunds, and improvement of a two-way form of communication while handling issues of concern about the service provisions of the company by customers. The management with the help of the Hard System should take proactive roles in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of these changes.

The above objective tree will lead to various aspects of the proposed hard system.

1. To grow with the growth of the economy, for instance, the United Arab Emirates improves economically, and so should the Emirates airlines.
2. To provide better services for the clients as in the case of stopovers. The company aims to arrange for one or direct route and avoid flight delays.
3. To find an easy way to enhance a better flow of information that provides the infrastructure that meets the most recent needs of clients.
4. To provide customer care services that will help the company to satisfy customers. Avoid previous cases of a bad experience with customers.
5. To train the employees in handling customers to avoid unnecessary customer complaints.
6. To improve levels of clientele.
7. Involve the cabin crew in planning standards of customer service. The Emirates airline cabin crew members are in daily contact with the customers. They are the ones who know what is required on the ground by the customers. Whenever business changes occur, they are the first to know. Thus, they can bring all these changes on board when customer services policies are being designed and assessed.

The constraints of the proposed requirement include:

1. Acceptance of the new changes will not be easy, and if it works, the commitment will be a problem.
2. Bringing the hard system to the company will be costly to the company.

Identify performance measures

The above constraints may hold back the project from reaching its set goals. Nonetheless, the results of the project can be measured by:

1. Waiting time in days
2. Percentage in meeting quality standard
3. Costs in cash
4. Easy to manage
5. Savings in cash
6. Feedback from customers
7. Sales or incomes

Phase 2: Options

General options

It has two options: the first one is developing a Business Re-engineering model (BPR). This involves the reorganization of the major processes in business enterprises or companies towards achieving improvements in important measures of performance such as the cost, quality, service or delivery, and speed (Maxton & Wormald, 2004). The other option they developed is the Kaizen method model of change. This method is for continuous incremental improvements. It serves many management concepts. Such concepts include total quality control. It also includes quality control circles among other aspects. This model has various elements. These include quality, effort, and engagement of employees. It also includes the readiness to embrace change and communication.

The business re-engineering model of change

The implementation of change depends on the technology, human, and the dimensions of the organization. It helps to eliminate the elements that do not contribute or align with the objectives of a company. The model is about the improvements of productivity by paying attention to the whole process. It is favorable in the short term incremental change and in cultures that are focused on short term success. With this option, the company will make great achievements in improving the technology of Emirates airlines. This will help the company to meet the objective of enhancing a better flow of information that provides the infrastructure that meets the most recent needs of clients (Browne & O’Sullivan, 1995).

The company will deliver services that correlate with the needs of the clients of Emirates airlines with the assistance of the model. Thus, the company will meet the objectives, which include providing better services for clients. This includes the case of stopovers whereby the company aims to arrange for direct routes and avoid flight delays, provide customer care services, which will help the company to satisfy customers.

The main problem with this system of change is that it is meant the short term objectives. Emirates airlines will not favor the system model because it is a big organization. The other problem is that the model fits well in individual cultures that are focused on short term success. However, the company requires long term objectives to ensure continued growth.

The Kaizen model of change

The Kaizen model of change fits well in situations where long term incremental change is required, as well as in collective cultures. The company’s HRM may decide to consider this model as the appropriate way in achieving its goals. The objectives the Emirates airlines can be handled effectively with the support of the Kaizen model of change. The system is incomparable to the business re-engineering model of change (Blankson, 2005).

The model will facilitate teamwork among employees and at all management levels. The cases where Emirates airlines’ top management is criticized will be minimized if the system model of change is implemented. Teamwork in every organization enhances productivity. Another element of the Kaizen model is that it facilitates personal discipline. Through developing this system, the Emirates airlines will have disciplined employees. Thus, cases of complaints from clients of being harassed by the cabin crew will come stop. The system will help the company create morale among its workers. This will ensure that the employees’ services are enhanced.

The management will be served with concepts related to the Kaizen model. Thus, the Kaizen model of change will help Emirates airlines rectify all the mistakes it has been having with clients in service satisfaction. Adoption of the model will help the company to ensure that it provides quality services to customers. This will see the Emirates airlines grow and even immune against cases of the global crisis since the model favors long term objectives. The Kaizen model also allows suggestions for change. In turn, this creates a willingness to change the whole organization. Accepting change is not an easy step anyone can make. Sometimes, force is applied to get people to change. However, the best way forward is to explain to them why and how will the change impact them. With the Kaizen model of change, this is possible, and thus it takes a short duration for people to adopt the change. Emirates airlines view this method as the best since it responds by answering or providing remedies to what the company has put forward (Tozawa, Bodek & Rivoli, 2002).

Lack of efficient communication is also another problem the company is facing. Poor technologies, communication barriers, and a bad reputation among many others have influenced the decline of performance of Emirates airlines. With technological advancement, people can retrieve any information about any organization from anywhere. The Kaizen model will help the company develop an efficient technology in communication, which will facilitate the improvement of the company’s operations.

Comparison between the two options using the same measures.

Edit options and detail- selected option

The Emirates airlines will adopt the Kaizen model with a customer service Database that will help the company improve its services to the customers. The process will start by listing all the customer complaints on the database and analyzing them. There should be no complaints left aside even if it is criticizing the top management. The system will help the company analyze every complaint and find solutions. The raised complaints will then be forwarded to the respective departments with the remedies attached. Customers should also get notified about the changes or the steps the company is opting for or has taken. The above process needs a lot of communication among the top management, line managers, HR, IT managers, and the clients (Jones, Steffy & Bray, 1991).

Evaluate options against the measures

As illustrated in the table below, the objective of the system fits the desired measures correctly (Cambridge Systematics., Parsons Brinckerhoff., Texas Transportation Institute., National Research Council (É.-U.)., National Cooperative Highway Research Program & États-Unis, 2006). The Kaizen model will provide reliable management because it is easy to manage and adopt by the employees.

Phase 3: Implementation

Develop implementation strategies

In implementing this system, a team-based approach should be applied. Since the complaints criticize almost all departments in the company, it is advisable for all the heads of the departments to meet and share ideas on the way forward. The system shall not be forced onto the employees but will be adopted gradually. The Kaizen model is a team-based system and can work on its own without the support of the other approaches, which might even be costly. The training approach can do, but in this case, it will need to be complemented with another approach for it to be effective. Hence, following the team-based approach, Emirates airlines will develop the following implementation plan:

Carry out the planned changes

Previously, the project was ideally designed for documents. When the project is implemented and fully functioning, the main support will start. Considering that the Emirates airline is a big company, meetings through networks should be conducted to note issues or improvements, which may be required. The company needs to understand the performance of the system to maintain its utility by the users. Any arising problem should be worked on, accordingly evaluated, and resolved. The company plans to use this system in its meetings to gather the end-users’ concerns. In this case, they may ask them to recommend a solution or propose one to get their concern.

Reference List

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Tozawa, B, Bodek, N & Rivoli, S 2002, The idea generator: Quick and easy Kaizen, PCS, Vancouver, WA.